Daytona '83 Trip

Virginia
South Carolina

Jacksonville Fla

Barry's master cylinder took a shit

Finally made it to the Beach...Daytona!

Main st at night

Boot Hill...nice Honda Civic!

Antique Bike show

Big Daddy Rat

I found these pictures from when me and my buddy Barry took a trip from Jersey to Daytona in 1983. We were both riding shovelheads at the time. We left at 9 PM in a torrential down pour. We didn't even get past Virginia that first night. The weather was shit for most of the ride down. It rained and was cold all the way to "South of the Border" South Carolina!

We were somewhere in southern Virginia the next morning and got pulled over for reckless driving. I talked our way out of that one. When you're 19 and from Jersey and you're looking at a Virginia State Trooper with mirror shades and that wide brim hat sayin "Y'all wanna go in for reckless drivin'?" Well I didn't know where "in" was and frankly did not want to find out what happens when you "go in"!!! so I did some talkin' and we ended up with a stern warning.

Later that night we pulled into a 7/11 to get some coffee. I'm not sure what state we were in.

As I watched Barry get off his bike and head towards the door of the store in his cover alls and sky mask, I yelled "Hey..." he turned toward me.."are you really gonna walk into that store at 2AM wearing a sky mask?" "Everyone down here carries a gun you know." He thought better of it and took off the mask.

There were a shit load of stories from that trip...hell, I got hit on my shovel by an 80 plus year old guy backing down an entrance ramp and cutting right across route 1 backwards! Barry ended up on the roof of his car banging on it with his helmet! He was always a bit high strung...

On the way down Barry's master cylinder took a shit and he just about hit me. We fixed that in Jacksonville.

After one hell of time down there, we rode home straight through, no sleep till Jersey!

Me and Barry got into a fight (with each other) at a truck stop in the middle of the night in North Carolina on the ride home. When it ended we parted with a "Fuck you!" "Yeah? Fuck You too!"... I didn't see him again until I was on the side of the road taking a leak in Delaware and he just happened to ride up behind me. I'm not sure how I passed him during the night because he took off first out of the truck stop, I left about 20 Min's after him.

Well anyway...We laughed our asses off and headed back to Jersey. We were both spent! On the Jersey turnpike I noticed he wasn't next to me anymore, I looked back and no shit he fell a sleep on his bike. A tractor trailer was right on his ass and hit the air horn! I thought he was gonna dump it! We pulled over and shook it off. We were only about 50 miles from home. I got home and walked into my dad's house as he was going to work in the morning. I didn't say a word I walked right past him opened the refrigerator and chugged a beer. Then I passed out for several hours.

This was the "Readers Digest" version of that trip. Shit I didn't even mention sleepin' in the cemetery across from the Boot Hill... maybe next time.

"Inside Out" Flathead

My son took this picture of my 47 U for a high school photography class...it took me til' just now to realize it's inside out.

39 EL Trans

Shifter Gate 39 Only...12N34

Nice Complete Trans

Like a glove!

When I bought my "Dirty Nine" EL about 20 years ago I bought 2 other bikes with it. One was a 47 EL basket case and the other was a 38 UL. The 38 UL had a lot of miss matched parts but all original shit...just slightly different years.

This trans as you see it...complete with clutch, mounting plate and inner primary, was with the 38 UL. It appears to have been overhauled but not put into service.

Notice the shifter gate 12N34 (1939 only) that is bolted in place of the kicker pedal. This got me thinking. The trans case is obviously a 40 and later due to the vent plug in the trans case. The cover, however has a vent plug in it too which is 39 and earlier. I started messing with the shift lever and sure enough the guts are 12N34...39 Only. My guess is a damaged case was replaced and all the 39 parts went into this one...good enough for me! Into the other 39 EL it goes.

This is mock up stage (except for the fork that ain't comin' back off) so I will pop the trans apart and make sure everything is "Jake" inside.

PS - The Tool Box and many other parts I will be using for this 39 EL also came along when I got the "Dirty Nine" and the two other baskets way back when.

39 EL Bit by Bit

Back to Therapy

Today - Installed the handle bars on the 39 EL. They are complete with cables switches the works! They even have red grips. I got them about 20 years ago with my Blue "Dirty Nine" EL as spares...nice! Then I grabbed a nice complete steering damper and installed that. Next I put together an appropriately crusty ride control. This fork is really taking shape! I started gathering the correct front brake parts. I need to install the front fender (Maybe), put grease fittings in the rockers and tighten them up, mount the front brake, drum and wheel, brake cable, headlight bracket, headlight, horn (if I have one) and then the front end will be pretty complete.

I was thinkin' about doing this one stripped down...not sure.

Back to the 39 EL for a minute...

The other day I was workin' on the 41 TT Knuck . I was installing the oil lines (always fun) bending, pushing etc. well the fitting in the pump cover for the return line had thread issues. I pulled another fitting out of a pan pump cleaned it up and started screwing it in. Now I know it's tapered pipe thread and all... but I gave it that extra turn that we all know too well and heard the slightest "tink". Cracked the the pump cover! Screwed again...

I decided to turn to my "therapy bike" to take my mind off my stupidity. I put together a nice crusty front end for the 39 EL along with some other parts that were begging to go on now that the frame is good to go.

In the mean time I dropped the pump cover off to Mark at Twisted Customs (painter of the 41 TT) to weld for me. I got it back last night and you can't even tell that I fucked it up! It is back on and the oil lines are done! Back in 41 business!

Southern Culture on the Skids

Mary Huff - Sportin' a Blue Doo

Must be a North Carolina theme month. First Denton and now ... Southern Culture on the Skids came to town last night. I jumped on the "Dirty Nine" EL and headed to the Theater. Pulled up and parked right out front in a cloud of smoke and oil. Great show, a lot of fun! The opening band was the Ultra Kings.

Denton Part III - Back to the Bikes

I spotted an old junk yard on the way down, and it was For Sale!

Joe Oz having a little "Brand X" problem...no starty

Nice TT style Knuckle...damn!
This one has the raised trans and cut down oil tank...very cool!

More nice old original paint bikes

Drag bike

The Flying Cloud! Original Paint 36 EL!

Owned by Rick Allen

I screwed up again and used my phone for most of the bike pictures! The memory gets smaller the more pictures you take, along with the size of the photos of course...oh well.

I saw a junk yard full of old cars on Rt 49 when I was heading into Denton so I grabbed Joe Oz and we took a ride out there. We found three people locked in the place...no shit... they were trying to get out with a key that they had already bent to shit. I offered my assistance and after about 10 minutes or so I asked if they were sure they had the right key. They assured me that they did, so I used one of the other keys on the ring and "pop" out they came! They thanked me and I made fun of them ...a little... after all I was in a junk yard in the middle of North Carolina with a PA plate on my bike! One of the trio was the owner's daughter. Of course I inquired about sickle parts but there were none...

I won't mention the fact that Joe couldn't get his Indian fired up and I had to start it for him...OOPS... I guess I just did...sorry Joe...get a Knucklehead.