Holy Crud, check out this "1908" HD on ebay

[silentgreyfello]

This was on ebay a few years ago. It provided me with some laughs for about 6 months. Now the process starts over. It does have what appears to be about a 1911-12 motor in it, but no VIN posted. I think the frame may be a JC Higgins that was modified. This is one sweet ride! LOL
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Harle...item2eb348b9e7

[sirhrmechanic]

Gad. Is the tank made out of a mailbox with packing straps wrapped around it?

The engine is probably worth what the bidding is up to... but it's not much to look at for sure.

Cheers,

Sirhr.

[silentgreyfello]

Another fellow forwarded me some closeups to look at. Cases are 1911/12, but really buggered. They added a boss for the serial number. This boss may be glued on, or maybe JB weld? The cylinder is a piece of work. Off of a twin, took the rear cylinder and reconfigured the intake to go out the rear. Exhaust goes to the rear, instead of angling towards the front of the bike like a single should. This is one POS. Nothing salvageable, IMO.

[D.Mac]

Hey, It's a "boardtracker"! Are those bicycle wheels with the tires painted white? Wow.....
Doug.

[jurassic]

when this thing was on ebay a few years ago they stated that the original "1908" cases were so damaged that they had to be "remade"............ from wood.

[LouieMCman]

Ya, but just think how good this thing would look sitting in your basement! I don't have a basement so I guess I would just put it under the house......

[c.o.]

Ya, but just think how good this thing would look sitting in your basement! I don't have a basement so I guess I would just put it under the house......

Exactly!!!

[HarleyCreation]

2003 eBay description of this thing:

I dug around and found the orig 2003 eBay description of this trashheap. It's a masterpiece of deception and lies, but was good enough to score a whopping $16,895 from the highest bidder (biggest loser?).

Then, after it was retured and sold on eBay for a 2nd time that same year, it went for around $4,000. Recent sale doubled that!

Is this a crazy world or what?

=======2003 item description=======

"1908 Harley-Davidson Track Racing Motorcycle
Vehicle Description"

"This auction is for a 1908 Harley Davidson Board Track Racing Motor Cycle. It was designed to be raced at the old board track arenas. It is a model 4A. Approximately 370 of these models were made in 1908. It is not known how many exist today. This motorcycle is approximately 60% original, the other 40% has been painstakingly restored to be as close to the original as possible. Give that parts for this motorcycle are next to impossible to find, the restorer did an incredible job. The original crankcase was stamped “4A33” for the model number 4A and the production number 33. The old plate with this number has been attached to the new bottom half of the crankcase as have the old letters, “Harley-Davidson Milwaukee”. The bike has a gloss white restoration finish with repro decals throughout. This motorcycle is perfect for a Harley museum, Harley dealer display or Harley enthusiast who wants a vintage bike for his collection."

"The engine has 26.84 cubic inches of displacement. It generates 3.25 horsepower. It has a coil dry cell battery ignition. The engine will turn over and has been restored to be able to run, we do not guarantee that it will run nor do we recommend that it be run, but it is possible as is or with some minor modification. We are selling it solely for display purposes. The engine has an exhaust cut lever, timing pull lever and a drip feed lubrication system. There are two tanks, one for gas, one for oil. The final drive is a belt of flat leather. You can pedal this motorcycle just like a bicycle. 50MPH was the top speed of this motorcycle. The tires are 26”. This Harley is 84” in overall length and 38” in height from the ground to the top of handlebars. It weights approximately 200 pounds."

"The 60% original pieces include, but are not limited to: the handlebars, part of the front end, part of the rear end, the upper engine, carburetor, piston, valves, levers and controls and the belt engager. An original non-restored piece has also been retained as a souvenir."

"The 40% non-original parts include, but are not limited to: the pedals, part of front end, part of the rear end, the tires and wheels, the rebuilt 1909 style battery box (the 1908 battery box is triangular in shape), the seat, most of the bolts, the rebuilt 1908 style gas and oil tanks and the fenders."

[c.o.]

A crazy world indeed. I wonder how long it will be before we see it surface for sale again...

[gary.h]

somebody should buy it then bury it,,,they would be considered a hero,and people wouldnt have to wire brush thier eyes after looking at it.

[c.o.]

somebody should buy it then bury it,,,they would be considered a hero,and people wouldnt have to wire brush thier eyes after looking at it.

YES!!! A solution has been found!!! Maybe the club could solicit funds for this worthy cause....

[HarleyCreation]

First 2003 eBay auction, part 2

During the first auction of this thing in 2003, this was added to the description while bidding was still active. Notice how the "story" (BS) was changed in response to emails blasting this freak out of the water. It's still a masterpiece of deception, but reading between the lines tells one that it was build by an amateur who knew little or nothing about early Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

====First 2003 eBay auction add====

Quote: "We have received some additional information about this motorcycle which we wanted to pass along to our bidders and viewers. Thank you all for the overwhelming response this auction has generated. We have been inundated with emails, and I have tried to compile these comments into something to share with everyone. We have confirmed with a Harley dealer that the model number 4A is correct for a 1908 engine. This number came off the old crankcase along with the Harley Davidson Milwaukee letters, both of which have been placed on the new crankcase. The new crankcase was put together by a small engine shop. The engine will turn over, but we have not tried to run it. After reviewing pictures of the 1908’s and 1911’s people have sent us, we have concluded that this bike certainly looks more like a 1911 than a 1908 in appearance. It seems that there are parts from both years, and possibly other years present. The owner restored the bike to the condition in which he found it, which is as you now view it. The gentleman who restored the bike has expertise in sheet metal work, and he did the tanks and battery box himself. He is not a professional Harley restorer, but he did the best he could with the parts he could find or build. Anyone who has restored a Harley this old will tell you how difficult it is to find parts and information to restore with. The newer parts have been crafted to resemble the parts which were originally on the bike as it was found. The tanks and battery box are more in the style of a 1911 Harley. We do not intend to convey that this motorcycle is true in every detail to an original 1908, it is not. Our guess is that this was a 1908 motorcycle which was modified to be raced at the board tracks in 1911 or 1912. Everyone who has contacted us has agreed that this was indeed a board track racer. Also, we do not know the actual mileage of this motorcycle as there is no odometer. We just had to put something in the mileage form above. Obviously, there is also no VIN number. The listing shows an eBay Payments icon, this was inserted automatically, but we are not accepting credit cards payments for this item. Like we said before, we are selling this motorcycle 100% AS IS with no warranty expressed or implied. This motorcycle is almost 100 years old, and like anything this old, it is not in perfect condition. That said, it is still a very nice motorcycle, and will make a nice display piece. With the 100th anniversary of Harley-Davidson now upon us, many people have expressed an interest in owning this piece to display in their shops, dealerships or private collections. It will work well for any of these purposes. We have tried our best to present all the facts about this Harley that we know. We encourage anyone interested in purchasing it to email us with any and all questions before bidding. We will be happy to answer them to the best of our knowledge. Thank you all, The Online Auction Company, LLC."

[Buzz Kanter]

During the first auction of this thing in 2003, this was added to the description while bidding was still active. Notice how the "story" (BS) was changed in response to emails blasting this freak out of the water. It's still a masterpiece of deception, but reading between the lines tells one that it was build by an amateur who knew little or nothing about early Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

====First 2003 eBay auction add====

Quote: "We have received some additional information about this motorcycle which we wanted to pass along to our bidders and viewers. Thank you all for the overwhelming response this auction has generated. We have been inundated with emails, and I have tried to compile these comments into something to share with everyone. We have confirmed with a Harley dealer that the model number 4A is correct for a 1908 engine. This number came off the old crankcase along with the Harley Davidson Milwaukee letters, both of which have been placed on the new crankcase. The new crankcase was put together by a small engine shop. The engine will turn over, but we have not tried to run it. After reviewing pictures of the 1908’s and 1911’s people have sent us, we have concluded that this bike certainly looks more like a 1911 than a 1908 in appearance. It seems that there are parts from both years, and possibly other years present. The owner restored the bike to the condition in which he found it, which is as you now view it. The gentleman who restored the bike has expertise in sheet metal work, and he did the tanks and battery box himself. He is not a professional Harley restorer, but he did the best he could with the parts he could find or build. Anyone who has restored a Harley this old will tell you how difficult it is to find parts and information to restore with. The newer parts have been crafted to resemble the parts which were originally on the bike as it was found. The tanks and battery box are more in the style of a 1911 Harley. We do not intend to convey that this motorcycle is true in every detail to an original 1908, it is not. Our guess is that this was a 1908 motorcycle which was modified to be raced at the board tracks in 1911 or 1912. Everyone who has contacted us has agreed that this was indeed a board track racer. Also, we do not know the actual mileage of this motorcycle as there is no odometer. We just had to put something in the mileage form above. Obviously, there is also no VIN number. The listing shows an eBay Payments icon, this was inserted automatically, but we are not accepting credit cards payments for this item. Like we said before, we are selling this motorcycle 100% AS IS with no warranty expressed or implied. This motorcycle is almost 100 years old, and like anything this old, it is not in perfect condition. That said, it is still a very nice motorcycle, and will make a nice display piece. With the 100th anniversary of Harley-Davidson now upon us, many people have expressed an interest in owning this piece to display in their shops, dealerships or private collections. It will work well for any of these purposes. We have tried our best to present all the facts about this Harley that we know. We encourage anyone interested in purchasing it to email us with any and all questions before bidding. We will be happy to answer them to the best of our knowledge. Thank you all, The Online Auction Company, LLC."

Wow, I could use a clever wordsmith like him on one of my magazines. Or he could write for a politician!

[ManPan]

It,s amazing how many people are lined up to bid/buy this thing...just amazing..

[HarleyCreation]

Wow, I could use a clever wordsmith like him on one of my magazines. Or he could write for a politician!

Indeed. The spelling and form is almost perfect, showing that the writer was intelligent and knew EXACTLY what he was doing in this masterpiece of deception.

It,s amazing how many people are lined up to bid/buy this thing...just amazing..

Yeah, you gotta wonder bow many of those bidders believed this was a real motorcycle. Some, most, all?

Nice yellow & black paint job in your avatar bike (VLD?)