anyone know what harley frame this is

[glaser 31]

I found this one the other day,
harley sidevogn.jpg
there is a better photo here

http://s814.photobucket.com/albums/zz69/glaser31/?action=view&current=BILD0711.jpg

[Jerry Wieland]

Glaser It is not a sidecar frame - it is a package truck frame. I've got to admit though I have never seen another like it. Three things say it is a package truck 1) no step provision. 2) wide square box saddle brackets. 3) recoil check brackets. It looks to be of the 1936 VL and down style and I wonder if it is special order or double wide.

Jerry

[glaser 31]

hi Jerry,
and thanks fore helping with this.when I saw it I thought there was something strange with these tubes down under.
this is the first time I se one of these.Do you know where the number would be stamped in it.

[rwm]

[glaser 31]

sure looks great,
but the frame is not like mine.
mine has the outer spring right over the tube,

[Tommo]

My guess is it's one of the MW series of chassis from 1928/29
If you go to a parts book you'll find the rear check strap triangle listed as 6572-28.
If it is in fact a MW chassis the wheelbase will be 56 inches, narrower than 56 and it's a M chassis.
Most, but not all, 1930 on HD chassis had sidecar wheel brakes and interchangeable wheels.
Normally the year, model and chassis number is stamped on top of the axle near one or other of the spring perches but it looks as if someone has already been looking as the paint appears to be scraped off.
See if you can find some numbers there as that will tell you exactly what it is

[glaser 31]

hi Tommo
thats me I tried to find a number.I try agian ,and if I find pt then I will get it posted..

[Chris Haynes]

hi Tommo
thats me I tried to find a number.I try agian ,and if I find pt then I will get it posted..

Look on top of the cross bar that goes to the axle.

[Sargehere]

[/QUOTE]

No, it's nothing to go by, but I know the entire history of that package truck/delivery van sidecar. Seaboard Chapter Charter Member, the late Bob Royle, whose name is still painted on the side of the body, first restored the '27 JD that I had the honor of helping him to pull from a leaking barn in Millville, NJ in 1975.
After doing a smashing job on the '27 JD, he was bored and looking for a new project, so he built the delivery van chassis from an ordinary passenger sidecar frame by stretching it out sideways.
That was back in the early '80s; before Coker made obsolete motorcycle clincher tires once again available. Bob relaced all of the wheels for drop center rims and fitted the bike with 4.00 x 19 Dunlop K-70s, and showed it on the AMC National Meet circuit out of a custom box truck he outfitted especially for it ( Winning Senior First, Winner's Circle). Nicky Muth of Williamstown, NJ, now shows it in his shop museum, and it's on the Nick's Cycle's website.
Basically, Bob entirely scratch-built it. All he had to go by was the old JD-era passenger sidecar frame and a single photo in Earlyriders. Bob was an amazing craftsman, and a true gentleman. My dad worked with him for decades at New York Ship Corp., in Camden, NJ, builders of the carrier USS Kitty Hawk, among others, and called him "a first class mechanic." Coming from Dad, that was about his highest compliment.

[exeric]

Great story Gerry. I have always admired that rig and other bikes that Bob Royle worked his magic on. He and other early AMCA members were a great inspiration to me.

[Tommo]

These pictures show the major differences between passenger and package truck chassis.
The front one is a long spring, dropped axle passenger chassis and the rear the package truck chassis.
Note how the package truck chassis has the spring perches up high on top of the axle dropper whereas the passenger ones are low down on the axle and see that the third point attachment is significantly larger and stronger on the package truck chassis.
Both these chassis are standard track, 1927 model chassis.

[glaser 31]

hi Tommo,
mine is from 1929 I think, I found 29 stamed into the frame.
also both mine springs is over the tubes.I can see on the photo thats yours has 1 less tube then mine.

[Tommo]

I was pretty sure it was 1929 but needed that number to be sure.
I think you'll find 1928 got a small support gusset on the inside dropper and 1929 got the full bar support that duplicated the support on the axle side.
Those wide package trucks are very hard on the bike frame and are the reason why all the support gussets were added to the bike frame.