Otis Chandler "1907" Harley in Fall Issue

[HarleyCreation]

I noticed the nice ad on p.61 of the Fall issue of The Antique Motorcycle. It shows a 1915 Iver-Johnson (cool styling!) and a "1907" Harley-Davidson up for auction.

Does anyone know the serial number on the engine in the "1907" Harley-Davidson?

Serial number analysis is a special interest of mine and a lot can be gleaned from early Harley serial numerology. The breakdown between 1907 and 1908 serial numbers is an obscure area that needs clarification. Before that it's not even clear if 1906 models had a serial number (I don't think they did), and 1905 Harleys did not.

So if anybody knows the serial number of the Otis Chandler "1907" Harley it would be great to hear it!

PS: On p.28 "Old Sage" also mentions a 1907 Harley at an auction in Nebraska. The "nicest 1907 that anyone had ever seen." Are these the same bike or are "1907" Harleys coming out of the woodwork all of the sudden?

[Earl]

We are talking about two different motorcycles. The one that came out of David City, Nebraska is the machine that was auctioned off years ago, from the Leo Bongers estate.

The machine that is now in the Otis Chandler auction, was recently restored, but prior to that resided in New York for a while, and before that I think was in California.

[Earl]

And you may have noticed that I didn't call either machine a 1907 model.

Does the machine exhibit 1907 features?

Does the machine exhibit 1908 features?

Let the features of a machine determine its probable manufacture date !!!!!

[HarleyCreation]

Earl

Two different bikes, eh? That's how it looked to me but I wasn't sure.

You'll notice that I put the year "1907" between quotation marks because I hear there has been considerable confusion in the restoration (recreation?) fields differentiating between 1907 and 1908 Harley-Davidsons.

That's why it would be helpful if we had the serial numbers off these supposed "1907" Harleys. That would help give us an idea of their build rank (if the motors and their numbers are authentic).

I wish we could turn up an authentic 1906 model as it is still unclear to me whether or not that year had a motor serial number. Once we know that detail for a fact, then sorting out the line between 1907 and 1908 numbers will be easier.

This confusion about early Harley models and what was produced when extends back to the earliest years of Harley-Davidson with the stunning discovery that there was probably just one 1904 proto bike and the only thing built in 1903 an unsuccessful and soon abandoned motorized pedal bicycle. Original material from the time clearly documents that 1905 was the first year of production for the Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

Other more extravagant claims grew out of early advertising hype and is still fooling some people today.

[jurassic]

mona lisa

the one from nebraska

[Earl]

Hi Jurassic,

What's the motor number of this machine?

[HarleyCreation]

Originally posted by Earl
Hi Jurassic,

What's the motor number of this machine?

Yes, wouldn't that be interesting to know?

[jurassic]

strappy

the engine number is 2037.this is really an amazing bike.they say the air in the tires is 80 years old.and i believe it.its perfect,not only the nicest original paint strap tank ever, but i think its the nicest original paint harley ever.i was lucky enough to have this bike in my shop for a few months while restoring a 1908.the pinstriping,the nickel,the shape of the lettering,all different than the later models.heres another pic,it hard to see much with the size limitations.

[LouieMCman]

I think that bike deserves better pictures, email some big pics to adminguy and he can post them large! How about it Paul?

[AdminGuy]

Yup - no problem. email me a large image and I'll crank and compress it down for you. Pls use a large descriptive subject line in your email. thx.

[HarleyCreation]

Jurassic:

Thanks for the serial number on this bike; I'll add it to my data-base.

==========

Jurassic & Louie & Adminguy:

Yes: it would also be GREAT to see some larger photos of this bike so we can examine its features close-up. Such a great early specimen should be able to tell us plenty if we can make out its finer details.

[c.o.]

A better picture would be sweet!!!!!! That bike is a true piece of motorcycle heritage!

[LouieMCman]

So is # 2037 a 1907 ??? How about it Herb ?

[HarleyCreation]

Originally posted by LouieMCman
So is # 2037 a 1907 ??? How about it Herb ?

I'll have to go back and look at my data base and see what I blocked out in the past, but the line between 1907 and 1908 serial numbers needs more work.

That is why it would be useful to our hobby to view such original bikes like 2037 close up and analyze its features. There were changes between the 1907 and 1908 Harleys that we may be able to see and point out.

By placing year features with a given serial number we may learn something valuable about this fantastic bike.

[LouieMCman]

I started looking myself and found early serial numbers for HD and Indian in issue #1 of the 1964 AMCA magazine. It did not have any numbers for 1907 and stated that 1908 numbers were below 2500, so it looks like 2037 could be a 1907 or 1908. The info with by Jim Lucas and was probably the best guestimate of the time and still may hold water today. I also looked in "The Legend Begins" which didn't have any serial numbers listed.
Interesting that Indian production numbers are listed from 1901 (correct or not) and HD numbers seem allusive, even though the company is still in business.