restore/or not restore

[exeric]

I've been having a friendly debate with a friend of mine about my 20 J. I plan to sell the bike and he has made the comment that I would be better off to restore it. On that point alone he's probably right, however, the bike is largely unrestored and displays a lot of original rust with traces of green paint. From my point of view I think it's beautiful. He's been pretty persuasive and now he has me second guessing my original feelings about the way it looks. I guess because I've replaced the missing stuff with reproduction and have mechanically addressed all the bad bearings and hardware. I thought it would be a good idea to get the opinions of the club, which I consider the last word when it comes to something like this.

[exeric]

j pic

1920 j picture

[exeric]

20 j other side

[c.o.]

eric, I don't think it would take much to make the new stuff look antiquish Shiney new paint would remove the old soul of the machine. I think the bike looks great as is!!! I'd walk by the shiniest restoration to look at a bike like yours! Just my two cents worth!!!

[Chuck#1848]

I gotta agree with C O

[Fiskis]

From what I can see in the pictures, I would not restore it. The repro parts can be "forged" to look old using steel wool, light glass blasting and other tricks.
The world is full of restored old bikes, but running unrestored or semi-unrestored bikes are scarce. You might even get a better price for it.
Even if the detoriation has gone too far to save the originality, many of us do not want bikes restored by other people. You want to do the trip to the unknown yourself, investigating whatever you find.
The saddest thing with these rust queens is: Once they are gone, they are gone forever.
Fiskis

[paulc]

I can't tell you why I like old bikes, I just do. I am sure some of you understand. I have always looked at anything that had external pushrods and finally found one. I hope I did not pay too much, but I like it so it does not matter.

I have a Model J battery type. It was restored by a Harley Dealer in 1951. It has sat since then. I was lucky enough to buy it and now it sits in my garage. I want to start it. I have learned a lot since getting the bike. First thing is that you AMCA guys are great. I have found the best advice from your members, so I joined. I kicked the thing so many times the kicker fell off. I took the whole trans apart. Batter box and linkage and both chains too. Then one of you guys told me all I had to do was remove the two nuts inside the primary hole. Oh well, I did learn a lot and bought a parts only transmission that may come in handy some day.

The float was rotten and crumbled in my hand. I have since found a good float (thanks again to the AMCA)

Here comes the 'beg, borrow, or steal' part. After adjusting the float to 19/32 from the top of the bowl, the bike started! It ran for about 20 seconds. The second I touched the throttle, it died. I could not get it to start again that time. The next time I went out to play (fresh kicking leg) the bike started again and ran for 10-15 seconds. As soon as I touched the throttle it died.

That's where I am at now. The bike will start after it has sat for a while but only run for a second. It does not run long enough for me to adjust the carb. I have set it up like the owners manual said. A shot of starting fluid will get me about 5 seconds of run time.

Any idea what I should do? Did I venture in too deep? Should I have bought a newer bike? Say like a 1936 on up? Any Idea what this one might be worth? I will try and include a picture. I live in the Chicago area. Is there anyone close by that wants to come and kick for a while?

Paul@tattoofactory.com

[paulc]

Model J other side

Model J other side

[exeric]

PaulC, it's possible that you have a bad condenser in your coil. On genuine H-D coils of your bikes vintage, the condenser was packaged in the coil. I have no experience with that coil but there must be some way to put an external condenser in the circuit. I have had condensers go bad on later Harleys and Indians and you get the kind of problems you are experiencing.

As for having fewer problems with a newer Harley, that would not be true. You will have the same problems with any motorcycle. The problem with J's is finding someone to help you with the few idiosyncratic problems that are peculiar to the J model, ( and there aren't many). The J and JD series were reliable, and rugged machines that were extreamly well built. H-D took no shortcuts in the manufacture and materials that went into making the J models.

It's only my opinion, but I think the finest motorcycles ever built were made by Harley Davidson, and Indian from the mid-teens to the mid-twenties. I've been into the guts of a lot of motorcycles and there is no question that motorcycles got more technically advanced and powerful as time went on, but if you want to judge them on quality of castings, tool and die, and machine work, the teens and twenties H-D's and Indians have no equal. I would rate them higher than any motorcycle made in any country right up to the present. . . . . Now that statement ought to get a response !

[koanes]

Sounds like you need to get back in that carb. And of course make sure you are getting good fuel feed to the carb. You have a good looking machine, no doubt you will have a great time riding it after you get the bugs out.

[paulc]

Model J

The petcock works fine. The carb fills up with fuel and the float shuts it off. If I kick the bike for a long time, gas will come out of the air tube at the bottom. That is usually when I stop kicking. I don't want to see the bike go up in flames.

[paulc]

1920 Harley Model J

So, is there anybody who would know how to start a model J with a new float bowl in the Chicago area?
Paul@tattoofactory.com

[INLINE4NUT]

exeric,
leave it be! Your MC looks just fine ! thin of it this way will you ever get back what you put into it and just maybe the fellow looking to buy as is has a different view of how the resto should go ! It looks great to me ! Remember the final choice is yours! and YOU have to live with it no mater what WE say !

[exeric]

INLINE4NUT, I think that's good advice. Everyone has their own ideas on how to restore a motorcycle and I guess they should have the fun of deciding. Besides, I don't think I could bring myself to sandblast the rust off it.

[c.o.]

Amen