1940 Refurbage

[Old Ugly 40]

Hello to all,
I,m new here as you can see. I don,t really know where to start here so I guess a bit of history would be best. As I said earlier in my introduction I,m not the greatest with computers, I just get by, stumble my way through. So here goes.
Back in 67 when I was 16, I said to my father, I want to buy a motorcycle. I was thinking a B.S.A. or Triumph maybe. His reply was no, if you want a bike it has to be a Harley big twin. Good choice for him maybe but for me at 5 ft. 4 in. and 140 lbs not really the best to start on. He had owned Harley and Indians before and after the war but had sold his last bike in 1950. So off I went looking for a Harley big twin that I could afford.
Going to end this post now so I don't loose it and try to post a picture. Hopefully I can figure it out.
Bye for now.
Rod
AMCA#25781

[Old Ugly 40]

So this is what I came up with. This is a later picture, different color, added saddle bags, chrome guards and dash. I do not have any earlier pics, sorry. I did post two other pics in my intro.
Again sorry but i have to go for now. Will be back when time permits. Have a good day.
Bye for now.
Rod
AMCA#25781

[Green Indian]

Wow, that's a great looking Harley. Thanks for sharing with us!

[exeric]

Looking forward to further entries Rod. 1940 is a very interesting year for H-D.

[Old Ugly 40]

Wow, that's a great looking Harley. Thanks for sharing with us!

Hello Green Indian,
Thank you. Things always look better in a picture.

[Old Ugly 40]

Looking forward to further entries Rod. 1940 is a very interesting year for H-D.

Hi exeric,
Yes, interesting indeed. Sometimes wish it was a year newer. Thank you for your interest.

[Jerry Wieland]

1940 EL is the first knucklehead I owned almost 40 years ago now. It was an ugly radical chopper but it made who I am today. It developed my love for the 61 inch Knucklehead and my dislike for choppers -- bobbers however I do not mind.

One of the first things I learned was that 1940 was a very unique year. I bought the bike and decided that I needed a parts book so I ordered one. When it arrived it said on the cover 1941 to 1947. I thought drat, I need to order the other one. When it arrived it said 1936 to 1939. What in the heck is going on. I soon learned by tons of research that 1940 is half early and half late and a few one year only items.

I have the original motor yet out of that first one and I have a real nice bike that I am the second owner of and I have one that I could piece together if I get that far.

Jerry

[Old Ugly 40]

1940 EL is the first knucklehead I owned almost 40 years ago now. It was an ugly radical chopper but it made who I am today. It developed my love for the 61 inch Knucklehead and my dislike for choppers -- bobbers however I do not mind.

One of the first things I learned was that 1940 was a very unique year. I bought the bike and decided that I needed a parts book so I ordered one. When it arrived it said on the cover 1941 to 1947. I thought drat, I need to order the other one. When it arrived it said 1936 to 1939. What in the heck is going on. I soon learned by tons of research that 1940 is half early and half late and a few one year only items.

I have the original motor yet out of that first one and I have a real nice bike that I am the second owner of and I have one that I could piece together if I get that far.

Jerry

Hi Jerry,
I hear what your saying. I often wish it was a 41.
Thanks for the reply.
Rod

[Old Ugly 40]

1940 Refurbage

Hi again to all.
So where the heck am I going to find a big twin Harley? Living in a small town in central B.C. I wasn't going to find one around there. I remembered seeing (about 2 yrs. earlier) an older Harley in a guys shop in a small town 200 mi. south east where my grandparents lived. So I got my grandmother to put a wanted add in the paper. Got one reply. Not having a drivers licence I jumped on a bus and went to check it out. Turned out it was the same bike but a different owner and I had met him a few years earlier.
Going to end here and do another post so I don't time out.

[Old Ugly 40]

I'm back.
So I go and look at the bike. Tanks and fenders were in primer the first time I seen it, it is now painted red so it definitely was not an op bike. So we come up with a price,
$300.00 (to much at that time) with an extra set of cylinders and heads that I would have to pick up later as he hadn't picked them up yet. He had said the top end was weak so I took his word on the extra parts. Phoned my father and he came with his 54 Merc. one ton (which I still have) and we hauled it home.
Now the trouble begins, the 1940 thing and others. About a month later I go back to get the cylinders and heads. Go to his house and knock on the door, his sister answers the door and I say is Mike around. She says no, he was killed in a logging truck accident 3 weeks earlier. Talk about a shock, very sad as I believe he was only 23 years old.
Mike didn't get around to picking the parts up but he had told me who he was getting them from so I found the guy and bought them. The price, through fate, just went up.
To be continued:
Rod
AMCA#25781

[Old Ugly 40]

Hello again good people.
I hope this long winded story isn't to boring for everyone. Will try to end it today.
Problems had were, the battery was hooked up backwards, the clutch studs were lose, and the biggy, piston and cylinder issues. Today with good forums like this one, the internet and easier travel this wouldn't have been that bad but in the 60's and 70's it wasn't as easy given location and ignorance. One of the first things I bought was a 1940 to 47 Service Manual from Northwest Cycle in Winnipeg, good thing.
We stumbled through these problems and my father and I beat this bike around into the mid 70's. Around 75 life got in the way and I gave the bike to him and didn't have anything to do with it until his death in 85 at which time I got it back again. As my work kept me away from home a lot I never did anything but start it once in awhile until I took it apart a few years ago to paint it. That has't gone as planned either, life again.
Must go now. Be back later.
Rod

[fillibuster]

"Life got in the way" ? ..... (change life to wife, here, maybe)
There's gotta be a song for this, but leaving the music behind was the ticket to putting the bike up front. The finest rewards have been on the road. Hope you ride this thing, Ugly. Hang with it.

[Old Ugly 40]

QUOTE=fillibuster;152250]"Life got in the way" ? ..... (change life to wife, here, maybe)
There's gotta be a song for this, but leaving the music behind was the ticket to putting the bike up front. The finest rewards have been on the road. Hope you ride this thing, Ugly. Hang with it.[/QUOTE]

Hi fillibuster and thank you for the reply.
Life, wife, whatever. My past occupation was operating a time machine. Open the door, climb in, turn the key and poof, 35 years went by.
My plans are to try and get this bike back closer to what a 40 should look like. Get rid of some stuff, add period stuff and try to correct some things.
A list of some things not right. Foot board inserts, horn, coil, luggage rack, tail light, air cleaner, speedo and hardware ect. I was sure some one here would pick it apart which I welcome as I am not an expert . Any help and advise would be much appreciated
Original parts are just a dream, would take to long to find and to expensive. No way can I afford to pay $4,000.00 for an air cleaner and another $1,500.00 for freight, broker and refinish. Repops is the best I can do, but like I said, this isn't a restoration, just a refurbage.
Over the last few years I have accumulated some repo parts, Air cleaner (Replicant Metals), complete exhaust system, hardware ect.
At this time I plan to reassemble to see if I,m missing anything and see what else is wrong.
I am going to have many questions so thank you in advance for your interest, help and advise.
See you later.
Rod
AMCA#25781