the first Harley's

[silentgreyfello]

I notice in all the old photos I see of early machines that they don't appear to have brightly polished cases and plated barrels. So how come all the restorations do?

Those cases in the old photo look pretty polished to me. The cylinders do not in the photo. However, the cylinders were nickel plated from the factory. Here is a late '08 in orig trim. Looks nickeled after 100 years, and still shows a little shine.

[Chris Haynes]

maybe the motor belonged to this fella

I notice in all the old photos I see of early machines that they don't appear to have brightly polished cases and plated barrels. So how come all the restorations do?

That is friggin' beautiful workmanship ! I'd like to see the other side as well.

[HarleyCreation]

yeah ,cory and jim this is a favorite strap tank picture for sure.the more i look at it the more i like it. you have a fenderless strap tank ,not unlike the 1905 line drawing ,yet it is an 8 bolt. probably the end of an era for the company , as is 2221. yet it still has the undenieable lines of a stripped down harley. i'd think such a large motor in a fairly light chassis would rock and roll.

That is great documentation. It beats the odds as most '08 Harleys were sold in the Milwaukee-Chicago area. This may be the very bike at that. Nice!

[silentgreyfello]

Lonnie, can you post more photos of the '07? I'd like to see the left side and the Sager attachment. It turned out very nice!

[jurassic]

[c.o.]

That machine is pretty darn awesome! I like the way you incorporated the transitions. Were there actually any eight-bolts produced in '06? Oh, while I'm thinking of it..... I'm trying to remember if you posted anything on what you decided to do with the "Florida" bike. I'm thinking you may have finished it but I can't recall for sure.

[jurassic]

may 4 1907

this early ad tells some of the story .its from may 4 1907 .it has the early style six bolt side fill gas tank, and the sager type attachment on the rigid fork. powered by an 8 bolt engine though.i think it also has the smooth earlier fenders .

[jurassic]

here's a picture of 1835. the grandaddy of all 8 bolts.as far as anyone knows 1835 is the earliest harley vin number in existence. no belly numbers,but the vin was stamped both on the cylinder ,and the case as well as on the face of the exhaust port on the cylinder.a cylinder that has 17 fins .this engine was discovered missing its cam cover and timer ,and carb. at first believed to be a 1906 ,but most experts think now that it is most likely a 1907. one of only 2 1907's known.it was resurrected using the early six bolt type gas/oil tank ,and the sager type attachment to the common rigid fork,as opposed to the standard 1908 sager fork..1907 documents and advertising prove that 1907 was a year of transition with the early six bolt chassis housing the larger 8 bolt engine. i think 1835 has been put back to the best of our abilities to what it probably looked like in 1907. other than the fenders.

[jurassic]

I'd stamp the carb in a heartbeat if it were mine. It is not the vin number, and not on the cases. If you don't stamp the carb, some blowhard will cut it down for not being stamped. Lonnie, I have a list of the original bikes vins and their respective carb numbers. There isn't a real pattern, but if you want it, let me know.

thats a good idea,i'd like to post the pics of the remaining 8 bolt engines and try and discuss the differences.especially the carbs ,and fins on the later 08 cylinders.appreciate any input.

[jurassic]

maybe the motor belonged to this fella

yeah ,cory and jim this is a favorite strap tank picture for sure.the more i look at it the more i like it. you have a fenderless strap tank ,not unlike the 1905 line drawing ,yet it is an 8 bolt. probably the end of an era for the company , as is 2221. yet it still has the undenieable lines of a stripped down harley. i'd think such a large motor in a fairly light chassis would rock and roll.

[silentgreyfello]

Oh, to be able to walk back into time 100 years, just for a while anyways! Nice photo. This is evidence of the first TT racer by removing the fenders!

[c.o.]

That's the first time I've seen one surrounded by palm trees!

[jurassic]

redlands cal. 1909

maybe the motor belonged to this fella

[HarleyCreation]

My 2 cents

gosh,i dont know. what's the politically correct thing to do here?

It's not my bike and I have no status as a judge or anything else, only my opinion.

It seems to me that if it's publically stated that a (replica?) carb has been stamped to match an original numbered manifold that would eliminate any future claims of duplicity, etc. This is certainly an important project and no mistake. The owner telling everyone up front what is going into it will eliminate any possible future controversy and put the bike in a class by itself with its own completely authentic part-old/part-new history.

That this motor surfaced is a miracle in itself. Any additional information where the motor came from? My hunch is that it was not sold in California in 1908.