V Model Experts

[downunder vl]

Hi all. I am posting photos of my 1935 VD for feedback as to the correctness of my restoration. I know about the front brake handle and the pushbike speedo that I will replace as soon as I can find an original cable. Any offers welcome. Please don't hold back on your comments but nRIMG0028.jpgRIMG0025.jpgRIMG0029.jpgRIMG0031.jpgo arguments please.

[Steve Slocombe]

Dear Downunder VL, looks like you've been following my book fairly closely. Nice work. Judging should take place only at AMCA National Meets, but I'm going to give you a few pointers in a second reply.

In Europe about 8 years ago, my pal Pete Reeves, now a National Deputy Judge, and I were heavily into judging. We judged at the US meets, and wanted our European bikes judged. Pete got desperate enough to ship his 1942 Harley ELC Canadian military knucklehead over to the US and back to get the likes of Bruce Linsday and Bruce Palmer to check it out. We thought of elaborate scemes to send photos or videos to the US so we could get our bikes judged at a distance.

Then Peter Heintz, Chief Judge at the time, said to us 'Why don't you form your own Chapter and have your own National Meet in Europe?' Doh! It only took 8 founder members and we were away. The European membership has grown from 115 to 280 enthusiasts in 15 countries, and we are having so much fun! Check out the video elsewhere on this site. So my last words here will be FORM YOUR OWN AUSTRALASIAN CHAPTER. I'll be please to help.

[Steve Slocombe]

Dear Downunder VL, OK, I may get my knuckles rapped for this, and don't intend to do it again on this Website. Contact me separately if you want to shoot the breeze.

Horn face is incorrect - '35 was last year for the sunburst style. Chrome generator end cover is inconsistent - should be black enamel. White grips look better on a judged 1934-36 VL, even though black was a no-cost option. You have the double thickness seat spacers not introduced until 1938. The tail light glass does not look like the Harley one. All the rear mudguard hinged section closing hardware should be painted black. Looks like an incorrect front mudguard, maybe one of those V-Twin ones made with the knucklehead profile, or an RL one altered. You have the 1939 front brake cable oiler when the bike should have the 1932-38 style one. The front tank panel should have a gold divider stripe round it. Primer cups should be flat nickel plated. Battery box could do with trademark decal on the left hand side. Cable routing under the tank needs tidying up. You are missing the 4544/5-28/30 clip under the seatpost, which should have the spark plug cables run through the metal loop. Coil terminals take round head screws. Are shifter rod nuts cad? - they should be parkerised. No doubt there's other small stuff I've missed or can't see. Happy New Year.

[Chris Haynes]

If Steve says something about a VL you can take it to the bank.

[Steve Slocombe]

Dear Chris, thanks for the nice words and Happy New Year.

Dear Downunder VL, I'm not sure Founder Members of new AMCA Chapters have to be from the same continent, and I'm happy to offer. Red Fred Johansen will no doubt also volunteer, so you're nearly half way to having your eight Founder Members!

Del Schumacher has produced a great guide to setting up a new Chapter, so please ask for more info. Best regards,

[LouieMCman]

Besides those 17 things..it looks great!

[Tommo]

Downunder VL,
I suggest you check your Australian laws that cover Clubs before you get too far down the track and see if a chapter of the AMCA can operate under those laws.
In NZ our laws would not allow us to run a Club / Association that operates as the AMCA does.
Here the Chapter would have to be registered as a company and individuals would be liable for any debts occured not just by the NZ Chapter but also those of the total AMCA membership as the NZ Chapter would be an affiliate of that organisation.
NZ clubs are governed by the "Incorporated Societies Act" and you may find Australia has something similar.
I've been down this track and spent quite a bit of time and energy only to falter at the last post.

[Steve Slocombe]

Thanks Tommo and you'd certainly need to check company law in your own country/countries. The idea of incorporating the Chapters is to shield the local Directors from personal liability, and I guess construct some sort of firewall between the Chapters and the National. In Europe we are not so litigious as the USA, and formed a UK company AMCA Europe Ltd limited by guarantee rather than by share capital. This is close to the US 501.c.7 model as far as I can see. Chapter members are limited to a liability of £1 (say $1.50) if the company is wound up, plus the Directors are insulated from frivolous lawsuits. The National Meet insurance policy does not cover us outside the US, but we can organise our own as necessary. We don't hold National Road Runs, so no disclaimer necessary. So far so good. Best regards.

[downunder vl]

Thanks for the feedback Chris and Steve. I rectified the following already and will get the others done over time:

The horn face.
The clip under the seatpost.
The cable routing through the clip and under the tanks.

The shifter rod nuts were parkerised which were a bit hard to see on my photos.

I have attached photos of the tail light, cable routing and seat spacers for further examination.

The seat spacers look the same as the factory photo except that I have the thicker one at the bottom.

Thanks again. Any more comments welcome.

RIMG0003.jpgRIMG0002.jpgRIMG0004.jpg

[Steve Slocombe]

Dear Downunder VL, more power to you for coming back for seconds. With a VL in for judging for the first time, I'll sometimes run over it with the owner the day before. This is to save embarrassment if a bike has bad engine numbers, or incorrect engine/frame year combination, plus pick up some of those irritating quarter point hardware deductions which can be remedied before judging starts. The idea is not to show how clever the judges are, but preserve our little piece of motorcycling history by presenting bikes as they were originally in the showroom, or as they left the factory.

This is a high bar to jump, as the VLs were consistently built and are now relatively well documented. To add to your woes, the double thickness seat spacer has a 1938 part number, so it took Harley from 1934 until then to figure out two thick and two thin spacers can do the work of six thin ones. On the rear of the shifter rod you are missing the spacer collar from using the incorrect bolt, and have the thick 0117 nut instead of the thinner 0113. That's three quarter points - plus another for gas tap not refinished in dull nickel, plus another for cross-head screws on the coil terminal. Enough already! Visit the US or Europe and sign on as an apprentice judge. Best regards.