Modified Class

[Dale V]

Hello to all,
My name is Dale Voss,first time Antique Bike owner,question I showed my 1937 EL Knuckle Head,I was not aware that a class called Modified exsisted,what are the rules for this class. Enjoyed the Eustis show met a a lot of fine people,looking forward to future meets.

[Hrdly-Dangrs]

Dale, Hang out with us on the 'Class for Period Bobbers and Modifieds' thread. We're all annoying...er..LEARNING about this new 'Class'. Jump in with any comments...we have thick skins!... ...Hrdly-Dangrs

[Dale V]

Modified 1937 Knucklehead

Thanks for the reply,I have a 1937 Knucklehead,with rear fender 1949 Panhead/Sergent Stripes,front fender 1951 Servicar,1941 Dash,exhaust,floor boards, 16 wheels,hubs,drums, oil filter,
1938 heads, Indian headlight,late model brake switch.What I did was the gentleman I bought it off of and his name is Ed 82 years old.This is the way he wanted it to look,so i put all the parts back on,and a lot of sheet metal was in primer,so it went to Eustis just the way Ed would of had it.So now I plan on paintaing all the sheet metal,clean off all the dirt and oil,and give her a nice paint job.This bike came with a sidecar also,and thats a whole story on to its own,if you like to hear that one let me know

[61 panman]

Sixteen Wheels, Huh!
Sounds like one heck of a bike. It must be somethin when you put the hammer down. 10-4 Rubber Duck.
I am a ****er for a good story, count me in for the sidecar tale Dale.
It is still a little frozen up here so i's got some time to listen,
Doug

[Dale V]

Yea that 16 wheels I have no idea where that came from,I may of been thinking how many wheels I got when i purchased,the bikes,
here is part of the story,Chris of hack`d magazine wants to run a story on this rig,here is the short version.
Chris,
I am flattered that you would be willing to do a story.I have been researching this sidecar for a year straight now,and still am no closer.I have and can take any angle picture you want,I can write down the story of what I know to date,the gentleman Ed I bought it from is 82 years old from Chicago,he purchased it from a bike shop in the area.Ed tells me he rode it year around no matter the weather.Ed moved to Florida and in 1968 parked the rig in a warehouse,their it sat until 2002,when he put it up for sale.My friend Shane got a call from Jeff that works at Bennett Auto Supply where Shane buys his auto parts,Jeff said that his wife's Uncle Ed has some old bikes for sale.Shane calls me and said that Jeff from Bennett called and wanted to know if you were interested in some old bikes,I said sure lets take a ride and see.We live in Margate Florida and the bikes are in Boynton Beach Florid a in a warehouse just twenty miles north.We drive up on a Saturday in January 2002,we walk in to Uncle Eds house,that had moved all three bikes to his house. I look at the first bike which is a 1937 HD Knucklehead EL,it was complete,but not totally period correct part for part.I have been dreaming and searching for a Knucklehead,I had a tattoo of a knucklehead motor tattooed to my left arm eight years ago,this was my dream bike.I keep talking to Ed,about his adventures we talked for hours,their was another guy their that wanted to buy the bike also,he kept asking Ed how much,how much? Well after an hour of him asking Ed how much,Ed did not pay him no mind,I said to myself well lets see if I throw out a price what will happen,either I am close or the other guy is looking for a bargain.So I said Ed I offer you this much what do ya say? The other guy said that's way out of my price range and as he left said you enjoy the bikes.So now I heard that the Knucklehead was attached to a sideca r,and the Knucklehead had all the side car mounts attached to the frame.To get the bike in the living room of Ed`s house,Dusty had removed the sidecar from the bike and removed the sidecar from the frame.So as I am looking around Ed`s house I start to count one Flathead,two Flatheads,five tires three gas tanks,two fenders,one VL frame,and out side is a 45 solo frame tied to a sevi-car rear end.Ed was quite talented as a fabricator,and made many custom cars and trucks.So Ed and I made the deal,their was three nearly complete motorcycles,so now I get most of the parts and pieces loaded up and head home,the knucklehead started right up with a fresh battery and some gas,I rode it with out the sidecar just to get use to the bike,the other two bikes are project on the back burner for now.So after a month or two of researching the side car with out any more information than when I started, I have a lot of questions for Ed,and I ask Ed what kind of sidecar is it,he says he believes it i s a Steib,but I said the suspension is not anyone has seen,Ed laughs and said that he changes that,because has said it was a "tail dragger" so Ed at this time is working in a Brake & Spring shop,and what better place to improve the suspension.So Ed removed the two side springs on the rear of the sidecar and replaced them with a transverse mounted leaf spring under the side car to the frame,this modification really threw people off.The other modifications include,the wheel.hub,fender and backing plate is Harley Davidson.The frame seems to be Stein,because of the aluminum coating to the front rail and the brow rail .Now I have been told that Stein does not use any clamps on its frames that all fittings are welded?The frame of the sidecar the axle has a single leaf type spring suspension,it is not solid mounted.
Chris I need to get a few more details,from Ed and I want to include the folks I contacted in the story,tell me if you would like more information on particular parts of the story,as you can read I am not a journalist LOL,I will have the rig at Eustis,Florida this year during bike week,do you show up their?Again thanks for this opportunity,maybe someone out their knows a little something.

[61 panman]

Hey Dale,
Great Story. You may not be a journalist but you sure held my attention. That is the kind of day most of us antique nuts dream about. Fate is the only word that can account for the turn of events that lead you to that stash and all the more better to form a friendship with the owner/fabricator. My parents have a condo in Boynton beach. I have not been there yet but will go some day and maybe I can look you up and have a looksee at those Rigs of yours.
A buddy from my neighborhood has a 1946El with a sidehack and he gave me a ride in it one day, it was wild. I kept feeling like he was going to go left and I was going to go straight right into a tree. It was also quite an experience sitting with my head right next to the engine listening to all the sounds eminating from that old knuck.
I remember riding behind him one day on my Pan and I couldn't stop laughing at all the antics you have to go thru riding one of those things. With the seat pogoing, and the hand shifting,
and the setting up yourself properly for the curves there was a lot of action going on.

Doug

[Dale V]

Doug,

Yea if you are in the neighborhood just give me a call,954-975-7147.Boyton is about 30 minutes north of Margate. The two flatheads are a lot of pieces right now I got my hands full just with the Knucklehead. Those two are down the road projects, and I need to gather a few parts to make them happen. I figure three Antique bikes should keep me plenty busy, but there Knucklehead is my first priority. What I will probably do is take the sidecar off the Knucklehead and just run it as a solo,its only 61ci.Then I would mount it to my daily rider which is a 1973 95ci stroker Shovelhead, I know this bike can haul that heavy steel sidecar no problem with the two kids and the wife no problem. My shovelhead is kick only and foot clutch and hand shift, electric start is not needed,I removed that you don`t need it if you tune your own bike.Well keep in touch

[AdminGuy]

Great story. It's nice that you got to meet the original owner.

[Dale V]

So does anyone have any info on the modified class? Has anyone made any rules on, say a particular year plus or minus x amount of year either way? Here are my thoughts if it is not stock, then it is modified, that would be a place to start. As the years progress and we get more input, we can modify the rules, if any.

[Hrdly-Dangrs]

DaleV, Click onto 'Parking Lot Chatter'....then click onto 'Class For Period Bobber/Modifieds'...in this Thread we have been discussing the Modified/Bobber Class. Jump in with any suggestions or what you would like to see happen within the AMCA as per Judging or Showing/Displaying..... ....Hrdly-Dangrs