What Year Flathead

[Ohio-Rider]

Can anyone help me identify the year of this flathead? The air flow fenders tells me its an early 50’s model. The front fender has what appears to be some script on it but I can’t make out what it says. The headlamp and horn mount bracket is something I’ve not seen before either. The photo’s where taken in May of 1955.







The photo with the young girl setting on it was submitted to the MoCo back in the early sixty’s and I’ve been told that they placed it in there archives. Is there a way for me to verify that?

[flat-happy]

1950 is the last year of that tank emblem and also the first year of that front fender. if nothing has been changed it should be a 1950 45 cu in flathead

[Rubone]

The script on the fender is a -46 part number Deluxe emblem, available over the counter at your local friendly dealer along with the chrome stars. The headlight bracket looks stock, only the odd horn is different but likely just an aftermarket replacement. I agree with the 1950 dating, the '51 and '52 tanks were different.
Robbie

[Ohio-Rider]

Thanks for the help guys. I'm finally starting to learn some of this stuff after all these years of your guidance. -Steve

[Paps]

The dash was different as well. Paps

[Rubone]

Different than what Paps?
Robbie

[Erdos]

Is that bike running an interchangeable front wheel (wlc front end)?

[andy at wash]

fender lite

how about the fender lie what is it

[Rubone]

The fender light appears to be the small 68450-49 accessory light from H-D. As far as the front wheel it looks to me like it has a small axle nut on the right side signifying a stock 45 wheel but it is hard to see for sure.
Robbie

[flat-happy]

it sure looks like a dog leg in the right front rocker to me which would indicate maybe a WLC?? i see what you mean about the dash----looks like a horizontal rib across the front of the dash and 2 screws holding on a cover below the trip meter reset indicating a catseye dash instead of a straight dash. do you have any more pictures of this bike?

[Paps]

Different than what Paps?
Robbie

Pretty sure the dash would have used the 47 and later fittment style.

[flat-happy]

seems like i remember bruce palmer telling me they used the 41-46 speedometer on the WLA and WLC bikes later than 47. maybe even till 1950. maybe he meant the whole dash

[Ohio-Rider]

I should explain the story behind me asking the original question. A couple months back my 81 year old Mother asked me if I wanted all the 8mm family films she had been keeping through out the years. There are boxes and boxes of them. I ran across one from my youth which showed my Uncles giving us kids rides on their cycles. I showed that film to my cousin and she said she had these three photo’s of the bike and wondered what year it may have been. Here is that short movie clip. I’ve had it posted in the practice area here for a while so many of you have already seen it, but it is the same bike as the photo’s. http://s472.photobucket.com/albums/r...tor_cycles.flv

These photo’s where just recently given to me by my cousin, who’s father owned the bike till his death just a few years back. She is that little girl shown in the picture, and the one who submitted the picture to the MoCo archives decades ago. I never knew my Uncle ever owned a Harley because I can only remember him always being an Indian guy.

The sad ending is that the bike mysteriously caught fire in the early sixty’s and got pushed to the back of my Uncles garage, where it sat until the early eighties when someone bought it off my Uncle for $200. My cousin showed me the hand written bill of sale which did not state the year of the bike.

[Rubone]

The post '46 WLAs all used the new style '47 and later tanks, so the early dash would not fit. And perhaps it is not a WLC but maybe an early civilian WL with a complete servi-car fork and wheel on it? Without the engine number it is all guesswork as it is obviously a mix of parts.
Robbie

[1945UL]

thats really cool having an old video like that of the good ol days just riding the bikes around the yards and on the sidewalk. i wish i had an old video of my grandpa riding my bike around the yard with me perched on the buddy seat.