Just asking 'cause I want to know

[Omarttentmaker]

The current magazine has an article on a gorgeous '56, but I have questions about certain features for my own knowledge. How about the mirror clamps? Not the slotted, wrap-around type that you always see. It also looks as though they have a piece of rubber underneath. The speedo shows a red number for the tenths. Not '57 only? Maybe the buyer purchased the machine late in the season? Were the passenger pegs hollow, or were they the ones with the solid caps on the ends? And the domed oil pressure switch.... Was '55 the only year it was flat on top?

[droptopford]

I can only address your question re the 'red tenths' on the speedometer. I know the generally accepted lore is that that is a '57 only feature. I've seen unmolested '57s with white tenths. I think it's possible (anything's possible in MoCo history) that there was some overlap both ways.

You may have seen this video already. It goes into some detail about this bike. Been a while since I've watched it all the way through but IIRC, the original owner made a few tiny changes/upgrades.

(See 13:56 for speedo reference and 14:51 for mirrors.)

[larry]

This speedometer came with a 1956 basket case that I purchased in 1970. I have no reason to believe it was not original to the bike. speedo56.JPG