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Hello all. At this point in my life it just made sense to become a member... finally. I have a reason but let me set the scene first. Also, my apologies in advance, this story may drive some of the real motorheads crazy.
My great uncles (born very late in the 1800s) had a carpentry business in the early to mid 1900s. They ran it out of the barn behind the house they built for their mother. When I was a kid (1960s and 70s), a while after they had stopped using the barn for anything more than storage, there was little better for me than to explore amongst the piles of wood, old shop tools once powered by leather belts and wooden pulleys, old signs and all the type of "great finds" that we now see on American Pickers. There was about a 7 inch path that lead over and around piles everywhere. I would easily give anything to explore that barn now. In 1976 the last of the two brothers passed away and the township began to view the barn as a fire hazard. My grandmother, the sole surviver amongst her siblings and the last resident of that property was forced to remove the barn and find homes for everything in it that was of any value. This falls into the age old story of “If I had now what was thrown away or given away then I could retire.” Or, at least I’d be a "pig in ____" with all the great antiques. I was however, given a number of things like an antique safe, some furniture, some tools, and antique scale, etc. But my point in telling this is that in the process my grandmother said to me “Do you want that old motorcycle in the loft of the barn?” I knew nothing about motorcycles but it looked pretty cool and it was Uncle Charlie’s so it had sentimental value to me. We grabbed some old rope and hoisted it down. Looking back on the process “old rope” may not have been the smartest choice but it worked.
It was in pretty complete condition. Uncle Charlie had hand painted it at some point but all the parts were there. He had even wired on a few loose parts to keep it all together. I imaging that when he stopped riding (maybe in the 30s) he hauled it up to the loft and there it sat for 40 years. After moving it from it’s previous dusty home it sat in my parents basement for a while. I’d occasionally tinker with it not knowing much about it. Over time, and as I began to learn more about it, I came know that this “little gift” from my family was more important than I first thought. A 1915 Excelsior Big Valve had dropped in my lap. I was smart enough at that point to get it in the hands of a pro for the restoration.
It’s pretty much of a historic piece and a sentimental antique to me now. It’s probably 97% restored (like there isn’t always SOMETHING that can or needs to be done, researched, explored, rebuilt, etc.) yet… I’ve never started it. I told you this story would drive some people crazy. My goal is to research it further, gain more information and just for fun start it up for it’s 100th birthday some time next year. So my reason for joining? To learn more, hear what's going on here and to get a little help on this project. Cheers.
My great uncles (born very late in the 1800s) had a carpentry business in the early to mid 1900s. They ran it out of the barn behind the house they built for their mother. When I was a kid (1960s and 70s), a while after they had stopped using the barn for anything more than storage, there was little better for me than to explore amongst the piles of wood, old shop tools once powered by leather belts and wooden pulleys, old signs and all the type of "great finds" that we now see on American Pickers. There was about a 7 inch path that lead over and around piles everywhere. I would easily give anything to explore that barn now. In 1976 the last of the two brothers passed away and the township began to view the barn as a fire hazard. My grandmother, the sole surviver amongst her siblings and the last resident of that property was forced to remove the barn and find homes for everything in it that was of any value. This falls into the age old story of “If I had now what was thrown away or given away then I could retire.” Or, at least I’d be a "pig in ____" with all the great antiques. I was however, given a number of things like an antique safe, some furniture, some tools, and antique scale, etc. But my point in telling this is that in the process my grandmother said to me “Do you want that old motorcycle in the loft of the barn?” I knew nothing about motorcycles but it looked pretty cool and it was Uncle Charlie’s so it had sentimental value to me. We grabbed some old rope and hoisted it down. Looking back on the process “old rope” may not have been the smartest choice but it worked.
It was in pretty complete condition. Uncle Charlie had hand painted it at some point but all the parts were there. He had even wired on a few loose parts to keep it all together. I imaging that when he stopped riding (maybe in the 30s) he hauled it up to the loft and there it sat for 40 years. After moving it from it’s previous dusty home it sat in my parents basement for a while. I’d occasionally tinker with it not knowing much about it. Over time, and as I began to learn more about it, I came know that this “little gift” from my family was more important than I first thought. A 1915 Excelsior Big Valve had dropped in my lap. I was smart enough at that point to get it in the hands of a pro for the restoration.
It’s pretty much of a historic piece and a sentimental antique to me now. It’s probably 97% restored (like there isn’t always SOMETHING that can or needs to be done, researched, explored, rebuilt, etc.) yet… I’ve never started it. I told you this story would drive some people crazy. My goal is to research it further, gain more information and just for fun start it up for it’s 100th birthday some time next year. So my reason for joining? To learn more, hear what's going on here and to get a little help on this project. Cheers.
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