Otis Chandler "1907" Harley in Fall Issue

[c.o.]

I sit corrected Earl

The books on the way.......I am starting to think though that a worker has possibly discovered it and is going to have a good read though before I get my hands on it! It's been in the postal system for sometime now

[martin]

1907 Harley twin by Rick Moser

The reason for me asking about the 1907 twin is:

RUMOR has it (good source) that a guy by the name of Rick Moser right here in Ohio is building a 1907 Harley twin and is wanting to pass it off as originel!

I wonder if he frequents this website? If so, some photos of the progress would surely stir up a good conversation! Hello Rick, are you out there? I heard he did frequent this website, and I also heard he was one of the ones bashing anything replica. What's your handle, Rick? Anyone know?

[HarleyCreation]

Originally posted by c.o.
I sit corrected Earl

The books on the way.......I am starting to think though that a worker has possibly discovered it and is going to have a good read though before I get my hands on it! It's been in the postal system for sometime now

Gosh c.o., it was launched your way quite awhile ago now. Of course it may have gone via dogsled and they got hung up at the border. Hope you get it soon!

[martin]

1907 twin by Rick Moser

Harley Creation...

Perhaps you know of this FAKE 1907 twin being built by a guy named Rick Moser?

[HarleyCreation]

Originally posted by Earl


The bike has a six-stud motor, right?
The motor IS NOT a 1906 motor, as it does not have a casting feature particular to 1906 motors.
That means the motor is a 1905 model. There were a total of 5-8 motorcycles produced in 1905, depending on your source of info.

There are two known 1905 motors existing today. You can review that info earlier in this thread. One is owned by the Factory and is in the Lobby Bike.

I was able to take a lot of photographs of The Lobby Bike, aka Serial Number One (#1), when it was at York.
On the SNO #1 motor, there is a casting flaw that I saw.
When I took the photo of the gray strap-tank bike, and enlarged it, and zoomed in, guess what I saw? Right, the very same casting flaw.

There are additional features of the grey strap-tank machine that you can see on the Lobby/SNO #1 bike.
The frames are the same. The belt tensioner arrangement is the same. And the motor also appears to have a lower deck height, just like The Lobby Bike.

If that bike was photographed in or around 1918, there's a good possibility that it's still around today.

The other existing 1905 motor DOES NOT have that casting flaw, and DOES NOT have a lower deck height.

I believe that the grey strap-tank machine seen in the photo with the gentleman kneeling next to it, is in fact The Lobby Bike/SNO #1.

Earl, your eyes are better than mine!

If true and the gray strap-tank job seen in the photo with the guy kneeling next to it is in fact the Lobby Bike/SNO #1 in the Factory collection today, that brings up a of couple of interesting questions.

When the Factory collection was photographed in 1924, the "1904" (Lobby/SNO#1) bike was NOT photographed. But it was in the collection by 1938 or so. Makes a guy wonder if maybe they didn't have it in 1924 and that possibly the guy kneeling photo was taken after 1924.

From a photo of the Woodshed taken by Paul Weyres in 1929 that Fritz posted, we can see the Woodshed was still in the same place as in the guy kneeling photo so that photo could have been made later than previously thought.

[martin]

1907 Harley twin by Rick Moser

1907 twin by Rick Moser

Harley Creation...

Perhaps you know of this FAKE 1907 twin being built by a guy named Rick Moser?

You keep dodging the question.. Perhaps you know of it? In on it? What gives?

[HarleyCreation]

Re: 1907 Harley twin by Rick Moser

Originally posted by martin
1907 twin by Rick Moser

Harley Creation...

Perhaps you know of this FAKE 1907 twin being built by a guy named Rick Moser?

You keep dodging the question.. Perhaps you know of it? In on it? What gives?

Martin:

Welcome to the Forum. For a new guy, you sure are bossy....

I know Rick and of his replica project and it's an exciting one. But I never heard anything about passing it off as original Factory nor would that be possible. Not only is Rick a totally honest guy, but too many people know about it including myself. In fact, we have joked about the project on this Forum long before you came around.

If this thread shows anything, it shows that we MUST clearly identify original Factory production from replica/fake/copy/duplicate bikes (whatever you wish to call them). As I have stated before, I have nothing against replica bikes so long as they are clearly identified as such. You obviously feel the same way and I know that Rick does too.

[HarleyCreation]

Somebody just told me that the VL fork was introduced on the last year of the JD line.

Is that true?

[Earl]

Re: 1907 Harley twin by Rick Moser

Originally posted by martin
The reason for me asking about the 1907 twin is:

RUMOR has it (good source) that a guy by the name of Rick Moser right here in Ohio is building a 1907 Harley twin and is wanting to pass it off as originel!

I wonder if he frequents this website? If so, some photos of the progress would surely stir up a good conversation! Hello Rick, are you out there? I heard he did frequent this website, and I also heard he was one of the ones bashing anything replica. What's your handle, Rick? Anyone know?

Hi Martin,

My real name is Rick Morsher, but I go by the handle of Earl on the club website.

Antique motorcycles are my hobby, and the study of early Harley-Davidson motorcycles is my passion. I have been studying early Harleys for some time now, and one of my projects is the re-creation of Harley's first twin. My intention has NEVER been to try to "pass it off as original", but to re-create a machine as authentic as possible. To that end, I've studied manufacturing processes that were in place at the turn of the last century. It's a slow, time consuming project that I have no deadline to finish, since I'm not doing this for anyone but myself. It's not a project that I'm doing so I can sell parts secretly, or out of my trunk at the swap meets.

To "pass it off as original" implies to me an intent to deceive someone for profit. Anyone who knows me will testify that is not my style.

Since you're in Ohio, you're more than welcome to visit with me to discuss early Harleys in general, and my twin project in particular, if you like. I'm in the club roster.

I have nothing to hide. I just haven't been going around openly bragging what I've been working on, or where my interests are.

I started this by saying this is my hobby. I have a full time job and family, which really consumes my time, to the point that progress has really been slow when it comes to my hobby.

Whenever this project does happen to see daylight, it will be fully disclosed as my re-creation of how I believe Harley's first twin existed.

It's too early to post any pictures, but I'm taking shots as I go along, because I think it would make a nice story to tell when I'm all done.

[HarleyCreation]

One Additional Detail.....

Originally posted by Earl


I have nothing to hide....

Oh no?

You forgot to mention that his pet name is "Walter."

[jww]

Been following this thread all along, amazed by the knowledge and desire to put the puzzle togather. What i have learned today is that Earl is Rick.........and Rick is very much a gentleman with such a noble reponse!
Herb, i have a '29 JD (early #68) that does not have a VL fork, never heard of one that does.
johnny

[sveger]

VL fork on JD`s

"At the creation", asking if the JD`s came with VL drop-forged fork`s?
Yes sure they did make this forks for JD`s, I know for sure as my JD have this fork. Here in Scandinavia they are not that rare after all. Presumably they where sold during the thirties from the factory to replace broken originals. You find late twenties bikes evey now and then with these forks over here. All off these forks I have seen have been made for frontbrake.
I seem to remeber I read somwhere they where made for the 29 twin-cam, would anyone know for sure??

Regards
Sverre K. Gerber
Norway

[HarleyCreation]

Originally posted by jww
Been following this thread all along, amazed by the knowledge and desire to put the puzzle togather. What i have learned today is that Earl is Rick.........and Rick is very much a gentleman with such a noble reponse!
Herb, i have a '29 JD (early #68) that does not have a VL fork, never heard of one that does.
johnny

Apparently it was very limited. My informant said it may have been used on a "few" Sport Model JDs in 1929, but that it was NOT identical to the VL fork, but was a unique JD I-beam style fork.

If I learn more I'll post it....

[HarleyCreation]

Re: VL fork on JD`s

Originally posted by sveger
"At the creation", asking if the JD`s came with VL drop-forged fork`s?
Yes sure they did make this forks for JD`s, I know for sure as my JD have this fork. Here in Scandinavia they are not that rare after all. Presumably they where sold during the thirties from the factory to replace broken originals. You find late twenties bikes evey now and then with these forks over here. All off these forks I have seen have been made for frontbrake.
I seem to remeber I read somwhere they where made for the 29 twin-cam, would anyone know for sure??

Regards
Sverre K. Gerber
Norway

Welcome Sverre!

Very interesting. It would be nice to see a photo of your bike and this fork. Is it clearly different from the standard VL I-beam fork?

[sveger]

VL forks on JD`s

Just came to think about where there is a pic of a 1929 JDH with VL type drop forged frontfork. Look in Wolfgang Wiesners book HD photogr. history page 56. This is a bike from the Mike Egin coll.

I doubt any of the US people on here have any copies of the Scandinavian Nostalgia magazine, but in issue 3 1996 there are superb photos of a 1929 with this fork too, owned by a Swede "Millers JD" if any other Scandinavians are on here too.

Regards
Sverre