I'm still laughing.....

[HarleyCreation]

Originally posted by King T


But I got a good laugh upon leaving. A small crowd had gathered and as I pushed the old dear through the priming kick I heard a young gal sort of whisper to her boyfriend “What’s he doing?”

King

Didn't she know that older Harleys came with a built-in leg exerciser that was also on occasion an anger management diagnostic tool?

Now you gotta join a Health Spa and pay big bucks to get those same muscle-building benefits. But of course you can then park your shiny new bike out front and "style in" dressed in a carefully selected ensemble of MotorClothes and Harley-Bling accessories to over-awe the masses.

[King T]

Leg exerciser is right. That’s why my right leg looks like Arnold Swartzennegers’ and my left like Pee Wee Herman’s.

King

[nhlivefree]

I have the normal harley boutiqe here too but at the part counter there is still one guy there that knows old bikes rides a pan head and is a good source of info he has helped me out with my shovl many times and is willing to chat about old bikes all day long

[cheifrider]

yes our boutique has an older guy to . he just sold his indian a couple years ago to buy a new softtail...............go figure!

[INLINE4NUT]

Some of you surprise me !!I have no excuse to even go to a Harley Shop other than to buy their excess used inventory,which helps support my real hobby and adiction,Old MCs!!I never ride in on an old bike it is tomuch of a headache and I dont like getting caught up in all of it, like therest of you they have old pics on the wall and lots of memrobilia laying around but nobody there knows jack about old stuff HD or anything else !but if no one got introduced by one means or another knowone would be getting into the old bike thing either!the whole thread sounds like a graying bunch of old MC lovers patting themselves on the back,dont forget where we all started

[cheifrider]

i smell a fight in the lounge!................lol

[DWN]

fight in the lounge?

I've been sitting here quietly, thinking to myself that it's refreshing to know that "Old Harley Riders" (place emphasis where you wish) feel much the same as I. I only recently aquired a Harley, a wrecked Buell X-1 to reside amoungst my 10 other bikes.
For years, I've wondered at the blind loyalty of people in general, (newer) Harley owners in particular. In fact, I often have people ask me when I'm going to get a "real motorcycle", when they own NO motorcycles. The same can be said about Ford/Chevy/John Deere/Caterpillar/etc.
So, I'll come clean and say that I have several Hondas (3 CBXs), a Suzuki (wife's) 2 Kawasakis (1-wife's) and a '27 Henderson Deluxe (also wife's). Oh, and that X-1. :-)
So don't despair, it's the same story at the Hon/Yam/Kaw/Suz dealers. I walked into a major Honda dealer in Montrose, Colorado a couple of years ago and asked for exhaust gaskets for my CBX. The pimple faced kid behind the counter didn't have a clue........

[c.o.]

This thread has prompted me to do a little reflecting. I haven't been in a Harley dealership in about a dozen years or so. The last one I walked into told me that they didn't make starters anymore for the Ironhead Sportster that I was putting together. I saw all the catalogues on the counter and told the guy that if he just took a look in one he would find the part I needed. He told me in no uncertain terms that I was incorrect and when I asked him to allow me to thumb through one and show him, he told me No! It ruffled my feathers a little bit and I went home and ordered one for myself! All I was trying to do was give the dealer a little of my business, but was made aware that they did not need my help in the least. We all know what it used to be and what it is now. Times have changed, bikes have changed and I think most of us hold on tight to our old machines and relish them and it allows us to remember the past and the good ol' days. The folks that discovered Harley's ten or fifteen years back (with some exceptions) live for the image and what they can purchase from the boutique. Live and let live I say....but I'm not interested in the new machines and even let that Sporty go long ago. Therefore I have no need to keep up with what's going on at the dealer (I'd have to ride 85 miles to get to the closest one). It's groups like this that remind me that we can keep the antique machines going all on our own, as most have us have discovered that nobody else is going to help us..... My hat is off to the guys that work on the old bikes day after day and also the guy in his backyard that painfully goes through the process of getting a basket up and running!

[Carl N. Olsen]

I've been watching this post from the beginning and have been entertained. As most of you that know me, I do a lot of restoration work on Knuckles and Pans. We like to use as many original parts and American made aftermarket parts as possible on these restorations, so that rules out the the Harley shop for getting parts, unless you want to go through the hassles mentioned in earlier posts. The Eagle Iron items are just more Taiwan parts that are available through other sources and are not of the quality for our work, so that futher rules out the Harley shop for parts and supplies. The closest Harley shop is over 100 miles away and they do not have a clue when it comes to old bikes, so I guess you could say we have had to ween ourselves from the dealerships. About 10 years ago we built a 48 Panhead for a Harley exec, it was a gorgeous restoration loaded with chrome and deep black paint, exactly the way he ordered it. He rides it leasurely and enjoys it a lot. We just got contacted by a Harley dealer in another state that has colected over 50 old bikes throuout the years and came to the realization that he can not restore these bikes in his lifetime. He wants us to restore his bikes for him, so we are going to stop by and have a look at them on our way to Oley next month. The lesson here is that not all Harley shops are the same, and take a look in the back room or the warehouse out back, you never know what you will find.
Carl

[DWN]

I never fails to amaze me that we can find a way to make whatever we need. If the parts aren't available, we make them. If they are of poor quality, we make them better.
I first encountered this with my old Hondas, some of which have parts that bring big money for NOS pieces. More recently, I got my paws on this Henderson, and am finding the same sort of attitudes that, if we can't buy what we want, we'll make it.
My hat's off to you guys who have been playing this game for a while. I have a lot to learn.........

[PaulV]

I'm still laughing

Here's one that will restore some faith in a dealer. I was in St. Augustine a couple of weeks ago. We went down to Florida for bike week. I started my bike, turned on the headlight (gotta do that in Florida) and blew my low beam. I ride a 1947 knuckle,still 6 volt. My buddy has a 1956 pan, SU carb, and we decided to go to the local Harley dealer to (maybe) get some plugs for his bike.

Well, we got there, (Hollingsworth Harley) and went to the parts counter. I jokingly asked for a 6 volt headlight bulb for a 1947. He kind of laughed, and then my buddy asked for some plugs. Well, they had the plugs! When the parts guy came back with them, he asked if there was anything else. My buddy said "what about the headlight bulb?" He said he thought we were joking. We explained what it looked like, and he said he would check in the back. Guess what! He came back with a 6 volt headlight bulb, AND a spotlight bulb! ($6) We were amazed! It was the last one he had, so of course I bought it.

We ended up talking to Allen, one of the mechanics for about a 1/2 an hour about SU carbs. Then, the owner came over and we talked to him for awhile. (nice guy) He told us about the vintage races at the Speedway, which we unded up going to. First time ever in the place, and it was a good time!

Paul

[Paps]

My hats off to both Carl and Paul for their comments on the good dealerships. Rare, they are, but some are still around. And yep..... some even have some parts still in stock. Question is ?? Which ones ? Dealers that do have the early parts inventories no longer have them listed in their data bases for the parts counter folks to look up. The parts may in fact be laying in a cover of dust in some dark corner of the stockroom. Only a knowlegeable and friendly employee will be able to help with those though. Another rare and hard to find situation, I guess. I've gotten lucky before. It is still possible to get lucky today. This topics' testimonies have shown this to be true. Paps

[partshunt]

Well its interesting to read in this post about the effect AMF had on Harley Dealerships. The oldest dealership in Canada was Fred Deely Motorcycles, Vancouver B.C. Which Later became Trev Deely Motorcycles after the son Trev took over. Trev told me his auditors told him to clean out the storage floor upstairs to make more room for current model parts and accessorories. So, he told me a few years back before passing on, he hauled away three 45 foot trailer loads of antique old stock new and used parts to the scapyard. Parts considered obsolete amd of no value to AMF. Thru all that he built up a huge motorcycle museum containting thoiusands of old motorcycles of all makes in Vancouver BC. Anyone thats slanted toward vintage and traveling this area would find it interesting to take in on it.....