1930-1936 v vl manuals

[Tommo]

Heres a few pages from the First Print run of the Second Edition that was printed in 1945.
There's about 550 to 570 pages to each book so it's a big ask to get someone to put it all to computor.
Abe Books has about 6 various editions of J B Nicholson's Modern Motorcycle Mechanics on their website.
The last two pages I scanned will have to be posted in a second post and it appears all of them will have to be opened from right to left so that they continue in order.

[Tommo]

Here's the last two pages

[Sargehere]

Heres a few pages from the First Print run of the Second Edition that was printed in 1945.
There's about 550 to 570 pages to each book so it's a big ask to get someone to put it all to computor.
Abe Books has about 6 various editions of J B Nicholson's Modern Motorcycle Mechanics on their website.
The last two pages I scanned will have to be posted in a second post and it appears all of them will have to be opened from right to left so that they continue in order.

Thank you, Peter! Copied them. Valuable info there! Checked Abe. Yup! Only $275 for a wartime 2nd Ed. Would love to have it, but too rich for by blood.

[Steve Slocombe]

Thanks Tommo, interesting stuff, but that 0.002" piston clearance specified on the Big Twin sidevalves has been the downfall of many a rebuild and applies only to the 1934-37 cam ground unstrutted aluminium pistons. The 1938 and up strutted pistons need a more conventional clearance of say 0.005" while the earlier magnesium pistons needed 0.018". My general comment on the Harley specs is that they were a bit on the tight side and designed for that 1000 mile breaking-in process specified in the Owners Handbook. Today we generally use strutted pistons and no-one has the patience for a long break-in, so I believe it's OK to build the bikes a tad looser.

[Sargehere]

Sarge,

You have certainly given me food for thought. I will have to ponder it a bit as I'm quite a distance from any major city. You do have a good point though as the sharing of info is one the great perks about this club. I find it rather surprising that you've not seen between the covers of Bernie Nicholson's legendary "Mechanics" books!!!

Well, I'm going to ("see between the pages") now, Cory! I just "outsnipered" someone, or a couple of folks, to "win" a copy of the 2nd Edition on Greed-bay. If I outbid someone here at the forum, sorry about that, but I was fired to get a copy of 2nd Edition with the VL information inside, along with all the other neat stuff.

Mine was a manual snipe: just sitting at my computer, watching the clock run down, I entered a manual bid in the last seconds that exceeding someone else's, apparently pre-set, snipe, at only 1 second to-go, by the minimum, a dollah. It's all in how much you want something, I guess.

Now, I'm the one who advocated scanning the entire book. Tommo tells me that it's 550+ pages. Well, I have a scanner, and I'm retired... and I've done shorter books, before. Think anyone will want the 2nd Edition, which reportedly includes VLs, on a CD? For gratis or a donation, of course. I'm not in it for the money.

[c.o.]

Good for you Sarge!!! You're willingness to take on the task of scanning it is admirable. Be careful with the binding!!!

[koanes]

I'd love to have a copy Gerry. If doing the whole thing gets to be a bit much, I would be happy with just the VL related info.

[bselph]

I will make a donation for a cd of the VL section.

[Sargehere]

Okay! I guess I have a project. I'll get something going when the book gets here. Thanks, guys!

Hey, Kyle, "congratulations" on your 500th post to this board. That's some kind of milestone, I'd say. You need a little party:

[Daking]

Ok VL guys how about 38ulh is this a good book for me also.....just geting started and looking for all the info I can....thanks for the help.

[Steve Slocombe]

You're in better shape because there are exploded parts diagrams and the shop manual reprinted for the 1937-47 flatheads.

[Sargehere]

Ok VL guys how about 38ulh is this a good book for me also.....just geting started and looking for all the info I can....thanks for the help.

You want the "1940-47 Knucklehead & 74-80 Flathead Service Manual," and the "1949 Big Twin Parts Catalog" (both are available in reprint, usually on FleeceBay). 1949 is just less than ten years after last use of the 36-40 Big Twin clutch, the 4-bolt one, and both of these cover that, and some other early Knuckle an Flathead features. I don't think there's any thing in "Nicholson" on the later-30's Harleys that isn't in the factory books. This thread started because nothing like the Knuckle/Flat service manual and exploded-diagram parts catalog cited exist for the VL model, and it's all a "work around."
I got my copy of Nicholson and am working on a CD, of at least the American bikes, Harley & Indian, mostly.

[Daking]

Thanks...I have the 40-47 service manual and 36-48 parts catalog and just picked up a 39 spare parts book 26-39 all three are new reprints hard to see diagrams like head fin parterns.......the 26 to 39 has more detail but I really need a bigger better copy.....I found a sixth addition of Nicholson cheap so i went ahead and bought it.......just getting started.....first prewar or flat head.....

[Sargehere]

VL manual: Extraction of Nicholson book SCANNED

Your best bet is J.B. Nicholson's book Modern Motorcycle Mechanics but you will need to ensure you get a first or second edition because by the third edition a lot of the early info has dropped out in favour of the later stuff.
First editions will be hard to find but second editions shouldn't be too hard as there were at least two reprints of that volume.

I just finished scanning about 130 pages of the Nicholson book, Modern Motorcycle Mechanics, 2nd Edition (1945). It covers JD, VL, 45 & EL/UL Harleys and Chief & Scout Indians, and I made a CD.

It's an "extraction" only, of all his "American Motorcycles" (Harley & Indian) data and processes from the book that also covers a wide range of Brit bikes (about 130 pages of 560 total ppg). Costs me about $2 to mail, U.S.

PM me your name and mailing address and you'll have one. Donations accepted.
--Gerry Lyons, Winter Garden, Fla.

[c.o.]

Hey Sarge!!! That was quick! Good on ya! I see that you've reached your 500th post now too...