please show proof

[rwm]

show me a true factory 80 ci. jdh and not just one made by some clown with a letter l stamp.

[Chris Haynes]

show me a true factory 80 ci. jdh and not just one made by some clown with a letter l stamp.

What does a letter I have to do with a JDH?
Factory racers were known to have 80's. I have seen flywheels from a 74" racer that had the boss for the crank pin in a oval shape so it could be originally be bored to a longer or shorter stroke.

[rwm]

the new club mag says the jdh came in a 80ci. roadster and had a L stamped after the #'s 29jdh1234L thats not a factory racer. now every clown with a set of stamps is gonna have the next rarest bike.probably see a few at oley.

[rwm]

239 views and no photos of a factory jdh with a L after the vin must be slow shipping time on those L stamps

[exeric]

That article really struck a nerve Rob. I know very little about JDH's but considering how non standard they were, it wouldn't surprise me that a favored dealer could get a factory 80" hot rod. Personally, I think the JDH is one of the most over rated collector bikes out there. No matter what size the motor is.

[big jesus 151]

jdh article

Hey Eric, Where is that article ?? Thanks Carl

[big jesus 151]

Jdh #s

Found it... I am a huge JD fan, been on them for 20 years & this is a new one on me.......L stamps are selling like hotcakes on FEE bay Big Jesus 151

[Barry Brown]

That article really struck a nerve Rob. I know very little about JDH's but considering how non standard they were, it wouldn't surprise me that a favored dealer could get a factory 80" hot rod. Personally, I think the JDH is one of the most over rated collector bikes out there. No matter what size the motor is.

Eric, All I can tell you is that I ran a 29 JDH for 4 years as my main bike and put quite a few miles on it. Whenever necessary I took it on the freeways and had no problem keeping up with the flow. On one 300+ mile poker run I was running comfortably at 80+ mph with the stroked shovels. Stock 74" JDH. It never gave me any problems other than the original coil packed up . In a perfect world I would still own it however my ss100 and 36 four suit me better at this point.

[Slojo]

Great photo Barry.
Joe

[23JDCA 808]

Beautiful photo; timeless! ...bill

[exeric]

Don't get me wrong Barry; I love the whole J series and they are my favorite of all H-D products. I think the JDH, like the '36EL have taken on a life of their own. . . Beyond the reality of what they actually are. . . If that makes any sense.

[c.o.]

It makes total sense Eric.

Very cool pic Barry!!

[Barry Brown]

Don't get me wrong Barry; I love the whole J series and they are my favorite of all H-D products. I think the JDH, like the '36EL have taken on a life of their own. . . Beyond the reality of what they actually are. . . If that makes any sense.

I see your point but I think this phenomenum is rife throughout all forms of what is now investment/collecting however distastefull that is to many of us. I'll try not to belabour the point but I think Crockers and Broughs amongst others have been prime recipients of this process more so than 36 knucks and two cammers although they may be catching up! I blame the auction houses and the media for whipping up a collecting frenzy. I gain more credence about an old bikes performance from personal experience and having listened closely to what some of old timers have told me. Of course one must be careful in the lattter case and not let embellishment trump documented race results. eg. John Cameron's 2 cam and Rollie Free's and Kretz' race wins versus mythical 130+ mph speeding tickets on Crockers!
Brough's will always be out of reach for many due to the unfortunate hyping of the liason with a famous soldier. Broughs may have suffered this fate anyway as they only made about 3000 and after all they did hold the world speed record on 3 occasions .
Whether we like it or not Eric, the hype is not going to end soon and to tell you the truth I think 36 knucks and 2 cammers are undervalued right now. Whoops, just fanned the flames again, sorry.

[exeric]

I don't know if it's just me, but it seems like there are more fantastic, rare motorcycles on the market than I have seen in all the years I've been into this wacked out hobby. I suspect that's because everything is being resurrected and the aftermarket industry is increasingly producing the minutia of weird parts that puts these old machines back on the road. I guess you could say this is a golden age for collectors, and especially rich collectors. My cynicisim comes from observing the old car hobby and how speculators and rich techo-nerd hot rodders steered antique cars into a ditch. I don't see that happening in the same way to old bikes, but I think it's important to reject the "Pebble Beach" personna that some high rollers want to promote for this club. . . . I'm getting sidetracked. Let me just say that I really like JDH's.

[Buzz Kanter]

Sorry if this is continuing the hijack of this thread, but I also have seen some people trying to turn the classic motorcycle hobby into a massive money grab. Especially when it comes to the more exotic and exciting machines.

As the owner of a JDH (a real one before all the repop parts were available) and a member of the media, I feel the recent hype in machine prices and snobbery is an unfortunate turn of events.

On the other hand I find it wonderful that so many high quality repop parts are now available to help get a lot of stalled projects moving and getting the back on the road.

Out of curiosity, have any of the very upper crust, high end motorcycle events lasted beyond the initial hype?