Photos found at a Vermont antique market this morning

[sirhrmechanic]

Here are a handful of neat pictures I found on a table at an antiques fair in Vermont today. A couple of them elicit some questions...

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This looks like a Harley J. But not sure. Uniform Pre-WWII. Soldier has a 1911 holster w. lanyard and what may be an MP's armband. There may also be a marking on his helmet, but the photo is not great.

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Love this picture of what is probably an FL or an EL. Later than 1930, but hope noone will mind. This Harley has '41-'46 tank badges. Lots of extra lights and chrome and what appear to be brand new tires. Questions: What is the bar/line protruding down from the bottom of the tank (right at the end of the left grip)? And what is the big gear on the front wheel? There is a speedo cable clearly visible coming from the trans. So what's the big ring gear for? It's about 16" in diameter!

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Great JD picture of a couple on a bike with a buddy seat. If it weren't for the Aug 16 1925 date on the picture, I'd swear this was my '27 JD!


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This is just an awesome picture of a rider with an Island Pond, Vermont pennant. This is enlarged from a postcard, so not much detail. Not sure what bike this is. Looks to have a top of tank toolbox. Maybe an early J???

A few more to follow.

Cheers,

Sirhr

[sirhrmechanic]

A few more photos.

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This is really a neat one. It has Aug. 31, 1949 written on the back. Bike appears to be an EL or FL... Front bike has the exact saddlebags that are on my EL. The rider is changing film in his camera (you can see a Kodak Box Brownie type camera sitting on the seat.) Love the suitcase strapped on the back. Note the highway pegs on his crash bars, too

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Close examination of this one shows that this is the White Plains, NY police department. Lloyd and Leman Photo is written on the front. The bikes are JD's with sirens in place of the horns. Seem to be electric sirens. Bike on the far right (and the one third from the far right) seem to have nightsticks attached in front of the handlebars. Note the white gloves on the motor officers.


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This is the last one and it's dated 9/13/31 Egypt, New York. It's clearly a hillclimb. There is a sign in the foreground, right behind a big sedan. Appears to be tied to a car. It might say GROTON MOTORCYCLE CLUB? I think the word Groton may be cut off...

Neat stuff. Cheers, Sirhr

[Sargehere]

JUST A QUICK LOOK: First one is a military contract 1917 Indian (the leaf-spring front fork through the flat, mil-spec fender gives it away. That was the standard 61-inch Indian Powerplus provided to the US Army during WWI. They were packed, knocked-down, in a crate with a sidecar and an instruction book. Longtime AMCA Secretary, the late Ernie Biddle, bought an untouched crate of one at a government surplus sale in the Fifties. He sold the sidecar and built up the solo bike and kept it all his life.

The thing on the 41-46 OHV hanging from the left twistgrip is a streamer, I think. Don't know why there appears to be a Corbin speedo drive sprocket on the front wheel, tho.

The bike with the "ISLAND POND" pennant appears to be an Indian, too. Around '12 to Early Teens.

[Jerry Wieland]

The first picture is a Power Plus type Indian (to a HD guy anyway). The knucklehead is a 1941 denoted by the short ribbed cases and the 'bird' on the front fender. The knucklehead is the same bike in 2 pictures. The JD is a 1925 denoted by 1925 and up type tank and 1 year only fenders.

I think what looks like a corbin drive ring on the knucklehead might actually be a rim dress ring.

Jerry

[sirhrmechanic]

The thought occured to me that the OHV might be the same machine, but I never looked close enough. Sure enough! They are the same bike!

Cheers,

Sirhr

[Rubone]

Love this picture of what is probably an FL or an EL. Later than 1930, but hope noone will mind. This Harley has '41-'46 tank badges. Lots of extra lights and chrome and what appear to be brand new tires. Questions: What is the bar/line protruding down from the bottom of the tank (right at the end of the left grip)? And what is the big gear on the front wheel? There is a speedo cable clearly visible coming from the trans. So what's the big ring gear for? It's about 16" in diameter!

I say it is '41. The '41 was the first with that tank trim and also the first with the top of fender emblem shown. The '42 had it as well but also had a factory front fender tip. This one has an aftermarket tip. Also '39 Deluxe trim on the rear fender. The line you see is the streamer from the grips. The front ring is part of the wheel cover trim.
Robbie

[Sargehere]

The thing you called 'buddy' seat is a tandem, another, separate, solo seat provided with its own handhold and footrests, and springs, over the rear fender. The "Buddy Seat," a big seat for two with handholds on the back, like on the 1941 OHV below it, wasn't introduced by Harley until 1933. Indian called theirs the "Chummy Seat;" same thing.

[sirhrmechanic]

My bad on calling it buddy vs. tandem. I used buddy seat as a generic term. Here is my JD... with tandem seat... at last year's Pewter Run. Thanks for the correction!

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Cheers,

Sirhr

PS... riding a Tandem with a passenger on it is an acquired taste. And one I haven't acquired!

[Sargehere]

The more I look at it, I think maybe the "ISLAND LAKE" pennant bike is an early Excelsior. They also had leaf-spring, trailing link forks, early-on, and the chutch/shift is on the wrong side for an Indian. Also, the fr. fender is narrower, and with a flare at the front. It's no Indian.

[Jerry Wieland]

I've got a tandem seat on my 41 and my wife absolutely loves it. In fact we are getting rid of our late model bike (72 shovelhead) because she prefers the knucklehead and so do I actually. It does put the passenger weight a little further to the rear.

Jerry

[c.o.]

The first military photo looks like an Excelsior to me. The fork gives it away. The Island Pond pic has got me a little stumped though. It almost appears as if it has a rear leaf suspension. I've seen the odd photo over the years with the hand controls on that side.