Flathead Renovation

[oakmal]

I recently purchased a 45 solo. It is titled as a 53 because it has a 53 G motor. The front end is an older I beam springer and it has a 19 inch front wheel. I don't know how old the frame is. I am posting some pictures here in an attempt to get feedback from readers to give me more information of what I actually have. If anyone needs any more pics to help, just let me know I know that it is just a rider but should make a pretty cool bike to ride. Thanks for the help!

[Chris Haynes]

That is a 1939 front fork. It was the only year that used the I beam rear leg with the Knucklehead type spring fork.

[oakmal]

Thanks Chris, do you know if any flathead in line handlebars will work on it?

[oakmal]

More Pictures

Here are a few more pictures. Hopefully I will find out some more info. Thanks for any help!

[Chris Haynes]

Thanks Chris, do you know if any flathead in line handlebars will work on it?

Actually no. These wete totally different forks with different bars. Your bicycle goosenecks were a common way to put custom bars on these bikes. There are a couple places out there making reproduction bars for your fork. They aren't cheap. Now that you know how they mount you can find bars you want and fabricate the stems that plug into the fork.

[ronald]

Were it mine, I think I would disassemble it over the winter, and clean, shine, refurbish,etc., and reassemble with a fresh repop wiring harness, oil lines, correct battery box, add a headlight and horn, reassemble with an eye to safety first, to a period style rider and ride the hell out of it. Nice lookin' bags by the way, and by all means keep the hand shift and boards. Go for it and you will have a really fun ride for many smiley miles. Oh yeah, as others have said, it will not easily be an "R" bike, so don't worry and spend a lot of coin on oem original parts. Repops work just fine for this style of bike. Just build a clean, safe, fun rider!

[joel58pan]

I have a '39 WLD with the one year only springer. Without a ride control you may experience boing and bounce in your front end on smooth pavement above a certain speed. The ride control set up for a '39 only WL springer is also a one year only set up. You can look on pg. 543 in Bruce Palmer's "How to... resto book to see it. The heads on your motor are of two different compressions. The rear head is a low comp #5 and the front is a is a high comp #6, usually found on a WLD. Both heads should be the same. Ron's right, build it right and you'll have a blast with it once your done.

[c.o.]

and by all means keep the hand shift and boards. !

That's the only way to go!!

Cool little flattie oakmal!!

[ronald]

I have an oem/stock forged fork on my 32V bike and have done some experimenting on the bounce problem that several guys have commented about. I've found that if both of your fork legs are straight and the rocker bushings and pins are properly fitted and the spring guide rods are straight, the fork assembly will operate smoothly in it's operating range, then add the correct lower springs with the long inner springs and only the outer upper springs with no inner rebound springs the fork will ride really nice and smooth for a springer. You can fine tune the ride with tire pressure as long as you have the correct/safe minimum pressure. My V bike uses a 4.00 x 19" tire so that may also have something to do with the nice ride I have. I have no ride control or shock absorber. I have noticed when riding with some of the other guys that the smaller cross section tires on larger diameter wheels like a 2.75 or 3.00 tire on a 21" wheel seem to have a more bouncy, rough ride. And now maybe two of the most important details, make sure your wheel, tire, and brake drum are balance as a unit as perfectly as possible and your wheel is trued as closely to oem spec. Remember to mark the drum, hub and tire so they can always be reassembled in the same relationship to one another. Your rear tire pressure and alignment and balance will also contribute to a poor ride from the front. If all is right your springer should ride really nice though not quite as nice as a new Road King.
Hope that helps. Ron