Noot

Phoenix Trip

I took a weekend off and went to Phoenix for a visit . . . The Arizona Antique & Classic Enthusiasts Club and has nice show and swap.

I wanna buy a bike and head for the desert !

They had a sweet turn-out of vintage (non-Harley) . . . but I bought a set of K Model pistons at the swap meet . . . and should've bought more stuff (decent prices).

Jeremiah was a bit "under-the-weather" all weekend with strep and fever, so that kinda sucked, since usually I get to hang around and hone some cylinders, or grind some valves? He did muster up enough strength to meet me Monday (on my way to the airport) and fire up his TROG knuckle racer for me. Lots of projects at Love Cycles as always. He's always been the best host, and we always have a fun time talkin' shop and catchin' up on all things vintage H-D. See ya'll soon and good luck at TROG in June. -Noot

Steve Pfalzgraf

16 Tooth Transmission Sprocket

I'm runnin' this 16T on my K flat-tracker for a bit . . . down from the 18T

Gary Scott

Ironic photo, since it appears he's riding a Triumph ! ?

Scott was an AMA Grand National Champion in 1974. He raced Triumphs, raced for the Harley-Davidson factory team, then as a privateer. Gary Scott was an excellent professional motorcycle racer, but sometimes he could be a real asshole. I guess he slugged Bill Werner in the mouth once over something? Maybe he deserved it? Scott claimed a few motors, said a lot of words . . . but hey, gotta like the dude 'cause he goes like hell !

TECH: Piston Skirt Slot ( WL Pistons )

There's "Nice to Know" and there's "Need to Know"

I'm not sure which may apply to you ?

This angled slot is factory on all oversize WL (45") pistons.

Standard bore (2.745 std. size) pistons do not have this slot.

The slot is only on oversize pistons.

This piston (pictured) is +.040 oversize.

The slot is only on one side of the piston - Not both sides.

Slot position is towards front of cylinder.

Correct installation = slot towards front-side of cylinder.

THRUST FACES H-D V-Twin Engines

Information above from the JE Piston website . . .

Bultaco !

Z O O M I N !
The bulls have a good power to weight ratio . . .

May 15th, 1921

Harold broke Cannonball Baker's 24hr record . . . then ended up being killed while testing when a horse stepped out in front of him. Many top racers die in testing accidents.
Today is his birthday.

Dig Out for high adventure !

Who writes this stuff . . ?

To answer your question, "No - he didn't just get off work from the painting crew." White suits and white leathers were popular in the 1960s.

Get Down

Axtell 3 3/16 Stroker Pistons

Anyone want to buy some old stroker pistons? I cleaned 'em all up, and they aren't scored or anything. Nice condition. They are just cool - Buy and Collect ! Trade with your friends ! Just neat to have on the shelf.
(PS. I can measure them and get you an exact size if you're interested)

Build a Stroker - Rebel against society ! Buck the system ! Disobey the Speed Limit !
Live a little !

The "High End" of the Harley 45 cu.in. . . .

45s are the shit . .

I'm turning into a "side valve" guy, since they just run so good, never need much maintenance, always start . . and always get me to where I wanna go. If you can ever get a Harley 45 you'll really like it. (rode to coffee, then to work today - cold as heck out, that wet kind of cold) I found myself laying my (gloved) hand on the heads to warm up my fingers.

Building a Magneto

I save all these FM magneto parts, then I build my own. I've never bought one all complete (kinda expensive). The original Fairbanks-Morse parts are good - and I like anything NOS (still-in-the-box). I have a great source for charging magnets, checking coils, checking condensers, etc. and troubleshooting. I have a magneto firing the plugs in about everything I run. Most times on a "magneto fired" engine when it won't start, the first thing that gets blamed is the magneto . . . since it's the most misunderstood.
Hey, it ain't Old Sparky's fault !

39K

A healthy couple o' cats . . . Me & Morty

. . . the cat treats are Morty's.

Morty The Official Shop Cat says, "Let me in . . ."

Mort likes his motocross bike stand I got for him to sit on.

Trying to figure out what shaft I'm gonna need for a special project. I've been taking these supplements so I can still kick start all these bikes. My "Sportster Knee" is definitely improving due to exercise and diet.

Bob Pazour - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Pazour Cycle was the shop of Iowa State Dirt Track Motorcycle Champ Bob Pazour. He rode Indians, and many other brands. He won Iowa Championships in 1956 and 1957. I wonder if the building is still there?

Off with the Ice - On with the Dirt

Water: The most corrosive substance known to man. After a couple hundred laps of ice riding 6 weekends in a row, this thing is dirty, a bit rusty, and foamy oil still drips from the breather tube. The aluminum is dull, carbon is on everything from the pipes back . . . No loose bolts found yet, but it needs to be fully "gone through" and checked out. I'll hook the brakes back up - and I'm changing the transmission gear from a 18T to a 16T to start running in high gear instead for these shorter tracks like Dubuque Speedway. High is better for the transmission, stronger and less friction, less power robbing . . . the way it was designed.

Skat Blast

So I've got this bench top blaster I use . . . and I have a hole bored through my garage wall with a flex hose to attach my Shop Vac (outside) to suck all the dust out of the blaster. When the vacuum is running, this white, exhaust dust cloud is in the air, and the vac is so wore out from all the bead (probably going through the motor) that it rattles and is REALLY LOUD ! The neighbors probably think I got some kind of meth-making operation going on over there . . . and they keep their distance.

Parts "on deck" to be blasted . . along with a bunch of mis-matched pistons Randy gave me to see if any are salvageable to use? A couple are old Dytch stroker pistons !

What is it about V-Twin Motors ?

Who built the 1st one ?

Silver Pipes

I like this motor done up in black . . .

Dry Clutch Test

Dry clutch (just like the TZ750). We'll hook up the clutch cable(from the right side of motor) and the clutch worm will shove the 4ea clutch push rods through the mainshaft, and move the pressure plate outward to free up the dry Raybestos clutch discs. When disengaged, we should be able to rotate the clutch with our hands. This is a good test before we seal the entire clutch basket with it's cover and gasket. A steel, domed cover is used. Later on, Harley race bikes used an aluminum cover over an aluminum clutch basket and hub.

Harley 45RXL Flywheels

12 years . . . then 12 more, then 12 more . . .

Working on this 1930 Model DL . . . and finally have the lower end proper to glue it together. This thing is kinda ugly, but it's growing on me.

The cylinders are bored and valves & seats ground and fitted. I set the cylinders on so you can see what it's gonna look like. It's for my buddy Casey Jones (I call him). This motor was very rough when it came in . . . and still needs more hours to get it right.

Photo Above: 12 years later . . . we get this 42WLA (army issue). Still has 4 cams, and it's still a 750cc. This one is now buttoned up for good too. I came back Sunday and shimmed the cams, triple checked more stuff . . . and installed the gear cover and oil pump.

This is one of the nicest 45s I've ever seen (next to my 52WLA). The parts haven't been abused much, no cracks, the cases are sweet . . . the cams are nice. It's just gonna be a really super nice engine.

Add another 12 years . . . and you get my '54FL engine. The thing had been abused and neglected and worked on by a blacksmith with just a 4 lb. hammer and huge drill bits and chisels. It was so beat up. I'm still battling this thing. Hope I got the oil leaks fixed (pan covers) this go around? The magneto is the best it's ever been. I know it's gonna be a runner ! Soon !