Friday, February 12, 2010

1927 8 VALVE HARLEY RACER

  1927 HARLEY 2 CAM 8 VALVE BOARD TRACK RACER--20 YEAR ENDEVOUR TO BUILD HARLEY 8 VALVE FROM AS MANY ORIGINAL PARTS AS POSSIBLE.
     WE WERE ABLE TO SECURE A SET OF ORIGINAL PAINT HARLEY BOARD TRACK RACING TANKS  OUT OF GEORGE SKEETS  COLLECTION .THESE ARE LARGE STYLE TANKS FOR LONG RACES.THESE TANKS HAVE SPECIAL RACING DECAL,DIFFERENT FROM STANDARD TANK DECAL.
    ORIGINAL BOARD TRACK  RACING BARS .THESE ARE EXTRA WIDE AND MADE BY THE FACTORY FOR JIM DAVIS AND SEVERAL  OTHER EARLEY RACERS .JIM WAS AT MY SHOP AND WAS SURPRISED TO SEE A SET OF THESE .JIM SAID THE FACTORY ACTUALLY TOOK 1924 HILLCLIMBER BARS AND TURNED THEM DONWARD TO BOARD TRACKER STYLE .JIM SAID THESE BARS WERE GREAT ON THE TRACK.WHEN YOU CAME UP BEHIND A GUY ,YOU COULD POP HIM IN THE BACK WITH THE TIP OF THESE BARS AND KNOCK HIM OFF BALANCE AND MAKE A CLEAN PASS.JIM ALSO SAID IT MADE IT A LITTLE HARDER FOR SOMEONE TO PASS YOU.IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHO JIM DAVIS WAS --HE WAS AN ORIGINAL MEMBER OF THE HARLEY RACE TEAM IN 1915.OVER THE YEARS JIM RODE FOR HARLEY AND INDIAN .
      MY FRIEND DANIEL FOUND THIS GREAT RACING SADDLE .SADLE IS IN GREAT ORIGINAL CONDITION.WE WERE ABLE TO SECURE AN ORIGINAL SEAT MOUNT FOR THE SADDLE.FROM THE SKEETS COLLECTION WE FOUND ORIGINAL FENDER BRACKETTS-OIL LINES-MOTOR PLATES-SCISSOR SHOCK-MOTOR MOUNTS-AND MANY OTHER SMALL PARTS.
      RIMS AND HUBS ARE ORIGINAL AND WE WE LUCKY ENOUGH TO FIND A SET OF ORIGINAL FIRESTONE 28" RIBBED RACING TIRES.
   CASES FOR THIS MOTORCYCLE ARE NOS .I FOUND THESE AT A SWAP MEET IN CHAROLETTE,N.C. ABOUT 20 YEARS AGO.THEY HAD COME OUT OF CUNNINGHAM HARLEY DAVIDSON IN ATLANTA ,GA.CUNNINGHAM WAS ONE OF THE FIRST HARLEY DEALERS IN THE SOUTH AND SPONSORED SEVERAL EARLEY RACERS.MICHAEL LANGE BUILT THIS MOTOR AND WE ALWAYS TALKED ABOUT WASHING THE ORIGINAL COSMELENE OFF THESE CASES.IT WAS HARD TO DO.-------WELL THIS IS THE RESULT OF THIS BIG SCAVANGER HUNT.