A couple more from '84..

Cal Davidson with Les and Helga Clemens in the background

Cal Davidson's original paint 47 Knuckle

Colonial Chapter Fall Meet, Somerville NJ

OK...so there's three, but I just liked the sound of "A couple more from '84".

I spent 1984 riding and beating up my first knuckle. I rode to everything I could and had a great time! It was the summer I turned 21 (drinking age was 18 back then so that wasn't significant) and I was unemployed and riding a 1947 Knucklehead. I didn't own a car at the time, I still my 71 HD police bike, but that just sat in the shed once the Knuckle was up and running. Great fuckin' year!

Cal Davidson had the nicest original paint knuckle I ever saw. He was the original owner and rode it all over. Les and Helga Clemmens were in their 60's back then and were two of the greatest people I have ever had the privilege to meet and call my friends. Les rode Indians and Helga Harleys. You can see her red 47 Knuckle in the background. It was a sight to see her Red, my White and Cal's Blue 1947 Knuckles lined up in a row.

Les Clemens was the real deal. He grew up in California and was at Hollister in '47. Their photo album looked like "Yesterdaze" on steroids. Great photos!

I'll dig some pictures up that I took over the years of Les and his bikes and tell a few stories in a future post.

Summer of '84

Hard to believe this was 25 years ago! My 47 knuckle in it's first incarnation. I took these pictures on the road to the Empire Chapter AMCA Meet in NY State. I rode up with a bunch of guys from the Colonial Chapter (North Jersey). It was hard waiting up for the Indian guys all the time but we eventually got there.

The meet was held at the Electric City Riders club house back then. What a great place. They had a dirt track and all. The year before I had bought the frame for this bike at this meet. The following year (I think) the road washed out and they moved the meet to Pine Grove Farm and then to Brookfield NY. Now it's kinda of morphed into the "Rhinebeck Super Meet".

The amount of great stuff to be had at those old swap meets was incredible!

Loveless

My kid bought me the DVD in August. I had never seen the movie and have been half assed looking for it for years. I liked it. Seems like they borrowed a bunch from The Wild One and the wardrobe was a little heavy on the Greenwich Village look. The bikes were close for what ever year it was supposed to be. Nothing way out of line that I noticed. Although in all my years messing with this shit I have never seen a primary chain break!

One thing I loved about it...Everyone was pissed off all the time...cool.

The Rust Master...

This is the man responsible for my sickness.

Trenton NJ 1940's

From the private collection of George Miller. George took this picture himself at a race in Trenton NJ in the 40's.

Hatfield Pa 1954

The photo is from 1954 taken at Hatfield Race Track in Hatfield PA. The program is from 1966.

Norristown PA 1954

Some of the gang out in front of the HD dealer with a 48 Pan.

Laconia 1940's

A guy I know's dad was an HD dealer in PA back when. I have a bunch of pics from him. This one is Laconia NH in the 40's.

Vard Fork Installation Instructions

I promised Matt Olsen that I would scan these "Vard Fork Installation Instructions". I believe these are what came with the fork when purchased. Matt picked up a Vard fork in Davenport this year. I got these instructions with a bunch of stuff that came out of the buildings I posted a while back "My Inspiration". That guy had everything! These Installation instructions are a little rough but readable.

Matt, I hope this info helps you out.

Found One!!!

I found an old Harley in a barn yesterday! I was out riding my 39 EL and stopped at an undisclosed location. A kid about 14 years old walks up to me and asks about the knuckle. He then tells me there is an old Harley in a barn on the property that looks like mine. He says "I'll show it to you if you want" well I WANT! He yells over to his mother. "Hey mom I'm gonna show this guy the old Harley" well a few other heads turned and said "what?" "Where is it?". Me and that kid were outta there before anyone was the wiser! He walked me down past several buildings until we came to an opened barn and he said "There it is!" I looked in and way in the back of the building I saw the silhouette of a set of handle bars and as my eyes focused I saw what the handle bars were attached to. There it was! The kid says "I didn't even know it was here 'til yesterday."
A 1934 RL 45 inch flathead! Unbelievable!

HillClimbs Freemansburg PA

Good Old fashion police harassment!


The Burn Out Pit was Smokin'



Burn Out pit victims!

I hope it was worth it to the winner! He/she gets $100...Dopes!

1st and only place in my class...

Rode home Brando style...sort of.

Well it was a beautiful Sunday morning. I took a ride up to the Hillclimbs in Freemansburg PA. Met up with some friends and enjoyed the climbs.

The police were out in force and you had to ride through a gauntlet to get in and out of the place. They were ticketing, towing you name it! No inspection? No problem...ticket and in some cases you were hitching a ride with the tow truck driver or worse riding "bitch" all the way home on a buddy's bike! (I'd rather walk).

There was an old 70's style chopped Sportster in the bike show. It had a "no inspection" ticket taped to the gas tank! Rumor has it the cop walked right up and taped it to the bike while it was in the show!

I really don't know how or why I've never been dragged away in cuffs for the bikes I ride up there. Some how I ride right through...lucky, they usually don't know what to make of me riding the junk yard specials!

People were burning up their bikes and tires in the "Burn Out Pit". Yeah!!! Rip a $200 tire to pieces for the chance at a $100 prize to the winner! Yeah! I've done stupider stuff for nothin'!

When I rolled in they flagged me into the bike show and put me in my own category. After the show I rode to the bar with the trophy tied onto the handle bars with police tape! Rode right back through the gauntlet on the way out.

All in all it was a good day for some and a shitty day for others. Oh yeah the Hillclimbs were good too!

Real Deal!

Don't get any realer than this!

Rubber Mounted Risers - Flanders & HD

Flanders
Flanders

Flanders

Flanders

Harley

Harley

While digging through a box of risers a while ago, I thought I would lay them out to see what was what. I took some pics of the weird springer bar set up (a couple of posts ago) and figured I would take some additional pics of some other Flanders and HD pieces.

I run them both and have had pretty good luck with both set ups. The HD one is definitely sturdier with the riser link. I recall someone saying that if they couldn't find the Springer link they would cut and weld two glide links together. I threw in a comparison picture. I guess you could make it work but it would not be the same shape as the Springer link is the same width all the way across.

Flanders and Ape Hangers are a tough mix as I was always pushing the bars back up after hitting a big pot hole or after a healthy hole shot. I recall hitting a major "Jersey Crater" one particular time and wound up having to steer my Flathead with my bars around my waste until I could throw them back up again! My ass went up and my bars came down...

Notice the bent Flanders riser in the picture (to the left of the Flanders clamps). They do that on occasion as well.
The two Flanders clamps in the picture were modified to fit in line and off set forks. I have used Flanders risers with HD clamps. I use reducers so the one inch hole in the Flanders will fit the 7/8 nub on the HD clamp. One problem with this is if you are running stock tanks and cats eye dash, the Flanders riser will hit the dash (especially the shortest riser) when you move the front end back and forth. This is because (as you can see from the pics) the Flanders clamp has the mounting nubs forward where the HD clamp has them coming straight out.

Well that's enough about that I guess...

VL Knuckle Power

A great machine at Wauseon this year. A VL with a modified Knuckle top end. Hill Climberish.

New Friends for Junior

See what happens when you fail at parenting. My kid is hanging out with a bad crowd!

Actually two of my favorites! "I got blood all over my best clown suite!"