Noot

Vintage Torquefest - Dubuque, Iowa

. . . if you like this ?

. . . or this ?

You may like it ? Check it out . . .

Garvis Honda - Des Moines, Iowa

. . . just a few years ago.
( click photo )

Old School Shovelhead

These old shovelhead motors are just badass. Their popularity is coming on strong. Unfortunately, this one had a history of "many different mechanic hands." Now it's much better . . .

I polished the nasty rocker boxes - to a factory finish.

Red rocker nuts from my (Red Rocker Nut Collection)

Hell yes, I'd run it !

PS: I'm doing it's matching -65 transmission too

1937 or Mid-'38 Gear Cover

This cover was in poor shape. Note the bronze rivets. (I think these rivets held a type of throw-out bearing oiler?)

It has a unique cast-in flat boss for a vent fitting (above the kicker)

New bushings and honed for fitment(by yours truly)

DC Welding repaired and welded the damaged kicker boss, and McFarland Machine bored the cover for the new bushings.

You can see(photo above) where the rivets held some type of accessory - no longer needed.

Palmer's "How To Restore Your Harley-Davidson" is a very important book.

Toby Davis' 1967 Shortblock

Heads are done, Workin' on the rocker boxes . . .

The previous owner may have been a shoemaker?

Since it was kinda cobbled.

Road Trip to Saude, Iowa

I was thinking about having a Ride In Camp Out sometime - in a place kinda remote, and I heard about this . . . Me and C. took a drive on this cold, windy, damp day.

This is perfect !

This clump of grass in the tree ain't a bird nest - It's when the flood was so high grass caught in the tree limps - hold shit !

Plenty of camping spots and very primitive. No electricity (that I saw) but no water? Hmmm?

There was an old, cast iron well pump (with a bolt through it) Maybe it works in the summer?

It's surrounded by marsh, woods a couple small streams. Real remote. The town of Protivin is near for supplies . . . or the Jerico Bar. A huge swarm of turkey vultures flew above us waiting . . . that's a good sign ! We checked out some other small towns, and saw a few places good for a small business. These small Iowa towns are dying fast . . very few good ones left.

Restore the lower archways into windows, with a fancy door. Dancing downstairs with dinner on Friday nites . . . a discreet business with ladies upstairs. The future is you.

Knock out the plywood, again with windows, overhead door on the left - This becomes the motorcycle restoration and vintage engine building. The future is me.

. . . or just go work for Ed's and build cars. At 5:00 leave for home and let him deal with the rest.

Life goes by so fast, so start a project while you can. This is where we all will be, when the bell tolls - for it will someday toll for thee. This grave marker has been here so long, their name is gone, but somewhere, somebody knows. There was a time their life was filled with adventure and joy - the best times of life can be everyday of your life - it's what you do with it.

Maybe I should go ahead and have my camp out ? Invite some people - have a little fun.

My wife is a gem.

This natural spring in Decorah, Iowa is cool. At a school field trip here in 4th Grade, the teacher yelled at me and Phil Roggemann for standing in the water at the top.

The natural spring (cold) water. Perfect for rainbow trout.

Upstairs at one of the best ice cream parlors around here. Water Street - Decorah, Iowa

Time to just be done with it . . .

I've got so much time in this fender, and it STILL ain't done. I'm talkin' hours. I work on it, get tired of lookin' at it - put it down (work on something else) come back another day and do it all over again. It's been like 20+ times now. The fender has been to Kansas, Missouri, Clear Lake, Iowa - It has about 875 miles on it - and it's never been on a bike yet !

Night Racing

This carb is kinda sensitive with temp and humidity. One day it just rips and pulls the motor strong. A different day it's got a cough and spit as the rpms start to hit at about 34-45mph. It can't make up it's mind ! ? ! ?

Bates Seats

I'd never seen this ad before . . .

Drove the Chevy today . . .

An older (gray haired gent who says he was a Chevrolet mechanic) at the coffee shop told me my "current draw on my battery" may be from my dash clock? If it's parked for days on end - the battery gets drawn down to 11.5 volts or less. I started un-hooking the ground, and now - no problem.
Old guys rule.

. . . a 1954 Panhead." said Fred.

I've never had a "fat bike" . . . so here goes. Trying to use original (mostly battered and bruised)H-D parts, but man it's so easy just to let-your-fingers-do-the-walkin' and buy aftermarket parts off the internet. If you want original H-D, you just have to sit back - and wait.

I like the handlebars - Sportster Buckhorns (2 piece) with a special, press-in and weld spacer in the center. I can now run the '49 style risers. Rims are original Kelsey-Hays.

Gene Romero: 1970 Grand National Champion

What track had that stained glass off the grandstands? Romero is ready for a start. No gloves, with barely a face shield . . . no chest protector, neck ring, no pads. Probably wearing common engineer boots with a Maely skid shoe? Lightweight as possible to use every available pony from that Triumph in a valiant attempt to defend that No. 1 Plate.
Note: He'll lose that #1 to Dick Mann in 1971, racing his same, trusty BSA, which I believe was the same bike he won the championship in 1963 !

Gene Romero is one of the best things that ever happened to motorcycle racing in the USA. He raced a long and successful career, promoted and represented many brands, and started his own racing series. Photo above: He can't get much more tucked in baby . . . .

Gene was the best on the Miles. The faster the better. This led to road racing - and more wins.

On any given day, Gene Romero could lead and win against all the greats . . . Baker(above), Sheene, Roberts, Skip and Nixon. All competitors have great, mutual respect for Romero.

Visiting an injured (but, still smiling!) Barry Sheene . . .

He also won the 1975 Daytona 200. (back when it meant something)

Filthy Rich $$$$$$$$$$ 3,819.99

This was most likely the outcome of a couple rich dudes battling it out to see who has the most money. A 1936 Knucklehead air cleaner (which I guess they maybe just came factory with an air horn?) . . . so this thing was obviously kinda rare?
I feel great for lil_simsy ! The buyer will pay almost $20 bucks shipping. You could fit this in a Flat Rate $7.80 Priority box and make another +$12.15 ? Bonus !
I can relate with "What's $5,000.00 in our pockets, is like $5 bucks in other people's pockets."

Panhead Police Front Brake Lock

Anyone have one of these boomerang deals around? There's a spring thing(possible wave washer) underneath too, and I can get the snap ring. I have the rest of the parts (not shown)
Old Dude (parts house) is looking for me too.

1966 Sportster and Late 1966 FLH

These Tillotson carburetors were standard equipment on Harley motors in the years between the Linkert(M and DC) and the Bendix. They had a unique feature, never before seen on a Harley carb:

The accelerator pump !

They "lacked" another feature the other carbs had . . . now it was gone.

The float bowl.

Gravity feed fuel flow from the tank. Starting meant a few squirts, a choke, a couple kicks and it was running. A simple design, with a hell-of-a-lot-of-parts ! There's more parts to these things (just look at a parts book). I restored this one and still need the throttle cable holder metal strap deal and bolt that goes off the wood spacer block. The bolt's hex head is displaced in the drilled recess in the spacer block.

You can buy these carbs at a swap meets sometimes for about $5.00 . . . But the carb kit is about $40.

The diaphragm is the weak link. Big Noot said these things actually work pretty good, are tunable and have decent throttle response, and make power (at least on ironhead Sportsters). The carb body came standard with a "racing bombsite fuel atomizer" that you pay big bucks for if you want one now.
You ever see those "vent tubes" sticking out the bottom, right side of Sportster tanks? That tube fits a hose that vents to the top of the Tillotson fitting. You don't need to run it. I believe it was more of a gas vapor emission tube to keep it from venting to our squeaky clean atmosphere.

Speed

I don't have a speedometer on any bike I own, (except the Army bike, and it don't work). This '54 I'm building has original H-D tanks, original H-D dash - and it seemed a shame to use a Chinese speedo, so I found an H-D Stewart Warner Police Speedometer (at a decent price, 'cause I'm kinda cheap).

Now here's the shitter . . .

Upon research, I found I had the wrong speedo worm gear pressed on my cluster gear for the correct 1:1 ratio for this speedometer. I had a 7 tooth, and needed a 4 tooth . . .

I had the transmission all done and assembled. Shit. I had to strip it all down, and remove the countershaft and press off the old gear, and press on the correct gear - then we indicated the gear by placing the countershaft upright on-end . . . on a machined/precision parallel bar. The speedo gear face was corrected (to minimal run-out) by lightly pressing and tapping at the high spots. It runs true now. The correct 13T drive unit was installed and tested. It runs nice, quiet and true. This will extend the life of your gears, and possibly the speedo itself by allowing the cable to turn free with minimum vibration.

Now when I get hassled by The Man ......

they'll just get me for No Mufflers.

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1937-1980 Big Twin 4 Speed Transmissions

1937-1961 = 11T Trans Gear 7T Speedo Drive

(for 2:1 speedo with internal female threads)

1962-1969 = 4T Trans Gear 13T Speedo Drive (1:1 speedo male threads)

1969-1980 = 7T Trans Gear(fine tooth) 23T Speedo Drive(fine tooth)

(1:1 speedo male threads)

I believe all front wheel drive speedometers are 2:1 (corrections always welcome !)

NPR (National Public Radio) on Robert Pirsig

Robert Pirsig has a pre-recorded interview on NPR today. They usually do the interview in the morning time (a couple runs) and then again in the afternoon. Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was his book. I've read it twice(as an adult), and still don't really understand everything. It did help to explain a couple issues from my youth, that I always thought were kinda abnormal - but Pirsig proved otherwise through explaining the actions of his own son during the trip. Publishers tried to persuade him to write many more books on these subjects, however Mr. Pirsig generally stated, "I said what I wanted to say about the subject, and my feelings towards it, and that's it, all I have to say." A member of the Viking Chapter AMCA Club told me Pirsig still had his Honda ! Many offers from potential buyers - but he never sold it.

The motorcycle trip with his son across the USA, through national parks, camping, cold - and the maintenance on this tiny Honda, riding two-up, with all their gear (or lack of) . . . was a most remarkable adventure of hardship, triumph and tragedy. The trip itself, and writing of the book, the aftermath of it's influence throughout his lifetime - and the "real" effect on Mr. Pirsig, himself . . . that which only he would ever know.

When your motorcycle is broken, or strands you . . . the situation cast itself as a "zen" moment, now an opportunity to stop and "take in" the nature around you.