the first Harley's

[jurassic]

florida tank

[c.o.]

David Wright's book is worth having. There is some inside info gleaned from old employees plus like Tommo said a few rare early pix. One that stands out is a c1907 sidecar photo with Oscar Becker in the saddle and all the "boys" gathered around.

Another good book for the photos is Wolfgang Wiesner's book: "Photographic History of H-D" with some seldom seen archives photos of several early Harley collection bikes taken in the 1920s plus others.

When I look at photos like these I can't help but wonder about the final fate of each bike. Where it ended up. Was it scrapped or maybe lying today in some farm ravine junk pile or under the ruins of a collapsed chicken coop or barn loft somewhere out in the coulee country....

Don't know how I missed this post. I wonder the same thing about the bikes in the early photos........who knows maybe there's a few more out there waiting to be discovered....

[c.o.]

How much work was involved in that tank Lonnie? It looks like a nice solid piece...

[jurassic]

How much work was involved in that tank Lonnie? It looks like a nice solid piece...

cory, actually the tank was in very nice shape. i'm not sure if the brass badge on the front of the oil tank is a repair or OEM.its put on very nicely. all i did was lead up the holes ,and paint it ,all the dents are still there,no filler or primer.

[jurassic]

[jurassic]

we finally found the picture , memphis ,may 18 1979. the florida 6 bolt just after purchase.also talked to our old rider and another guy that was pitting for us ,the pit guy remembered alot about the whole deal.some really interesting stuff,including another box that came with the bike.i'm sending all i have to herb ,and see if he can figure anything out.

[c.o.]

That certainly is quite the machine....... Great pic from '79! Maybe Herb can tie all this together and provide us with a great story!

[Chris Haynes]

The bike was purchased at a FL meet. But do you know where it actually came from?

[jurassic]

The bike was purchased at a FL meet. But do you know where it actually came from?

the deal on the bike was made in gainsville fl. , the actual purchase was made in memphis.we now know where it originated from in florida ,and alot of other info from our pit guy,and our rider.i'm letting herb have a talk with these guys ,and see what he thinks.

[HarleyCreation]

The bike was purchased at a FL meet. But do you know where it actually came from?

That is the key piece of information we need to give us the identity of this bike and perhaps its original Florida owner. Not to sound mysterious, but I'm working on a theory and a key ingredient is the name of that town in Florida to fill in the blank.

[HarleyCreation]

the deal on the bike was made in gainsville fl. , the actual purchase was made in memphis.we now know where it originated from in florida ,and alot of other info from our pit guy,and our rider.i'm letting herb have a talk with these guys ,and see what he thinks.

I was writing the previous post when you posted this.

Gainsville, Fl, you say it was! Now, all I have to do is step over to my bookshelf and look for a map of Florida to see how that fits with what the 90 year old guy told me. (Back in a sec).

[HarleyCreation]

Dang! It doesn't quite match. The 90 year old guy said "east coast" of Florida, but didn't recall the town. But Gainsville is central FL. Yet the circumstances were the same in both accounts. Very odd.

There's got to an explanation because I'm not ready to give this theory up quite yet. I'll have to get more specific details from the guys involved and try to figure this thing out.

[HarleyCreation]

That certainly is quite the machine....... Great pic from '79! Maybe Herb can tie all this together and provide us with a great story!

Tying it all together is what I'd love to do and I'll give it my best! No matter what, however, it'll still be a good story and I even have a title for it and have been outlining it in my mind. It's almost 2 stories in 1. Mysteries and puzzles like this make it fun.

The '79 pix is really good. I wonder who that shirtless bearded guy on the right is? And yes, that restored tank Lonnie did is very nicely done. That Florida bike has lots of mystique. Hopefully we can stick an early prominent name onto it too.

[jurassic]

Dang! It doesn't quite match. The 90 year old guy said "east coast" of Florida, but didn't recall the town. But Gainsville is central FL. Yet the circumstances were the same in both accounts. Very odd.

There's got to an explanation because I'm not ready to give this theory up quite yet. I'll have to get more specific details from the guys involved and try to figure this thing out.

hi herb,at the time my folks were running the IDBA racing circuit,they met the owner in a race at gainsville in march,the guy noticed the knucklehead and informed our rider that he had the first harley built.after some discussion ,he agreed to bring the bike to the next race in memphis.the guy was a racer too ,and had only had the bike for a few months.true to his word he showed up in memphis and brought the bike .the bike did not originate in gainsville.the guy in the 79 photo is lonnie sr. . apparently our pit guy partied a little with the guy that night ,and has all the info you need.i'll email what i have tonight............oh and no restoration was done on the tank.

[HarleyCreation]

hi herb,at the time my folks were running the IDBA racing circuit,they met the owner in a race at gainsville in march,the guy noticed the knucklehead and informed our rider that he had the first harley built.after some discussion ,he agreed to bring the bike to the next race in memphis.the guy was a racer too ,and had only had the bike for a few months.true to his word he showed up in memphis and brought the bike .the bike did not originate in gainsville.the guy in the 79 photo is lonnie sr. . apparently our pit guy partied a little with the guy that night ,and has all the info you need.i'll email what i have tonight............oh and no restoration was done on the tank.

I was thinking that might be Lonnie, Sr.

I'm glad to hear that other stuff. The guy who actually obtained the bike before your dad got it might hold the key to the puzzle. Is he available to talk to?

Thanks for sending the material. I'll be looking forward to seeing it.