The 1916 Excelsior

[exeric]

These pictures show the progressive finish using the lambs wool, course, and fine foam bonnets with cutting, and glazing compounds.

[Steve Swan]

Beautiful paint work ! "6 tone" paint job.

[alanc48]

Awesome work Eric! That is one sweet X!

[painterdale]

Thanks Eric. I've been painting a long time and still love it. I always like to see how others are doing it especially when they get results like that! You're putting the pros to shame. Hope to see it in person someday. Dale

[exeric]

I've had a major set-back on the '16 X. Somehow I have lost all of the control parts from the handlebars, down to the frame head. That is a lot of parts, all weird, and complex. Needless to say, I have looked everywhere, and speculated on every possible scenario. In addition to being a huge loss, it has killed my enthusiasim for this project. I think the best thing for me to do is put the X in mothballs and wait until I can find a replacement set. . . And, a better frame of mind.

Well, I have to do one more follow-up on the Good Old X. The above quote is from the end of September of last year. I took this house apart looking for those control parts. I came to the conclusion that I had left the parts in an old credenza that we put on the curb for anyone that wanted it. I even made up a large poster with pictures of the parts and put it in the front yard with a reward for anyone that returned the parts. . . . Nothing. The project moved on and with the help of Gene Harper, I was able to replace the missing control parts and finish the bike. Even though everything worked out, I have never gotten over the loss, or the thought that I could be so stupid as to give away all of that original stuff. Occasionally, I would still look in some out of the way place thinking I had overlooked them where the lawn mower is kept, or up in the attic. Well, yesterday I was going through a storage tub of Excelsior, and Harley J parts and discovered that I had put that tub inside the tub with the missing X parts. I felt like an Egyptologist, and a horse's ass at the same time.

[MMasa]

Eric
Glad to hear that you found the parts. I can't tell you how many times I've done the same thing. Sometimes I'm convinced that I'm loosing my mind.
Any of those J parts still usable? Any of them for sale or trade?
Let me know.
BTW, did the rings work out?
Mark

[exeric]

Thanks Mark. I'm starting to put the motor for the '16 J together, so I'm rounding up the parts, and measuring tolerances. I believe the piston rings you supplied are going to work great and thank you so much for taking the trouble to find those for me. There should be some decent J parts left over and I will contact you after I shake it all out.

[mcarver]

Eric,
25 years ago I worked for a guy who was originally from France and he happened to be a hoarder (unfortunately he hoarded things like rolled up wall to wall carpet, old park benches and non running outboard motors). Anyway, whenever we ended up moving a bunch of junk to squeeze in some more junk, and would unearth some lost treasure, he would exclaim, "Mon Dieu! I forgot I had that!" Being youngsters, my coworkers and I always laughed at him (you have to remember he was really old, like in his 50s).... Now I am constantly finding things that "I forgot I had"... oh the irony. Glad to hear you found your X parts!

[exeric]

Thanks Mike. We're all getting older and I can accept that, I just don't want to go prematurely daffy

[Steve Little]

Ahhh!! The ol tub in tub trick, and I bet it felt like Christmas when you found them. For me, the most infuriating thing is the waste of time looking for some small part that I know that I have.
Usually it is found 1/2 hour later, wrapped in paper behind a parts box.
Beautiful bike.

[exeric]

Ahhh!! The ol tub in tub trick.

Quite funny Steve. I spend a ridiculous amount of time looking for tools, and parts in spite of making considerable efforts to organize this junk. I have a very smart friend who offered me this suggestion; take a mental photograph of tools, and parts so you will be able to deduce their location based on background scenery. . . . .Yeah, I know.

[Eddie G]

Great Thread! I will be at Silver Sands on Saturday and in Sarasota the last week of March and the first week of April. Maybe we could pull up a couple of chairs and have a beer while admiring the 16.

[c.o.]

I've been in awe with your work since I first laid eyes on a photo of one of your Hendersons. It's nice to see how you go about doing things too. Top notch work! That muffler is pretty awesome! I knew you would find those parts....

[exeric]

If you knew that Cory, why didn't you tell me where they were at I was really thinking my mind was going. I just couldn't believe I would leave all those parts in a cadenza without looking in the drawers. Well, that had a happy ending, but since then, I've lost lots of other stuff.

[AdvenJack]

Pictures That "Speak"!!!

Sometimes the pictures in the threads on this forum seem almost alive...