Auction of Borer H-D stuff, LaCrosse, Wis.

[HarleyCreation]

Looks like Bill Borer was a lot like Uke -- he never threw anything away all the way back to the late 1920s!

I missed meeting Bill by a couple years but his widow let me copy some of his old dealer letters that mentioned the 36EL and that I used in my little color book with photos by Mark Mitchell. Helped me figure out accurate shipping dates for early EL models.

Borer sure kept a ton of old H-D stuff. Prices start at a reasonable level too: posters, advertising materials, Enthusiasts, shop books, trinkets, H-D boxes, clothing, etc. etc. Also a few Ex items and other branded stuff. Something for everyone!

[Chris Haynes]

Bill Borer is actually in my family tree. He is way out on a limb on the opposite side of the tree but is there none the less. His sister married one of my uncles. Way back when.

[Dablaze]

Geez Chris, you collect everything Harley...lol!

Craig

[HarleyCreation]

That's pretty cool Chris. Wish I had met Bill Borer. He seemed like a real dedicated guy. His old letters did help plot the earliest ship dates for the 1936 "61 OHV" so he did make a good contribution after he was gone. Wasn't he pictured in the club magazine once or twice?

[Chris Haynes]

I never met him either. The closest I got was to Jeannie Borer in Grand Rapids, Iowa when I was doing genealogy research. My Irish Great-Grandparents settled in Liberty Center, Ohio. Just a 14 mile ride South and East of Watson.

[portagepan]

I ride through Liberty Center often. Nice town.
Mike

[Chris Haynes]

My Grandfather and his brother boarded the train in the depot that still stands there. They bought tickets for as far West as they could afford. With the money they had left over they bought sewing needles. When they got to the place where there money took them they went door to door selling needles until they had enough money to buy tickets to the next stop. Repeated as necessary until they made it to Wyoming. There they settled for years, married, had kids and had many great adventures. My Grandfather was the Deputy U S Marshall who shot and killed "Flat Nose" Curry of the Hole In The Wall Gang.

[upsrod]

I have a 1965 accessories catalog from Borer Cycle Agency.....Phone: 2-2631

[koanes]

In the mid 60's one of the chores I did for my father, the manager of the local Goodyear tire store, was to deliver tires to Bill. Bill's shop was only a few blocks down the street, so I just rolled them down the sidewalk two at a time. Bill was a nice man, helping me with advice and small pieces for my lawn mower repair enterprise. If you made the mistake of rolling up to the shop on a chopper, you got nothing but a severe lecture, wouldn't sell you a spark plug for it.