Finally got the Knuck on the road today!

[sirhrmechanic]

After working on it aggressively for 6 months. Then waiting for a new seat. Then waiting for the damn winter to end... I got the EL out on the road for its first long ride today. Over 100 miles and it was just perfect. Not a hiccup. Still getting used to the clutch, but it's me, not the bike.

Stopped for lunch w. my better half who was on her modern bike.

And while we were sitting there, another AMCA member riding his 34 VL rode past and stopped. He did a great double-take when he saw the Knuck sitting there and you could hear him making the U-turn up the road. Nice!

What was really interesting is that he was at Oley and saw the 8-bolt Harley motor that is being discussed in another thread. We had a great discussion about that. I think it's one of the best threads I have followed on AMCA.

It was definitely a perfect "ride 'em don't hide 'em" days.

Picture at our local drive-in snack bar... just before the VL arrived.

america 2.jpg

Cheers,

Sirhr

[c.o.]

Nice job Sirhr!!!

[cdndewey]

Looks great...well done.

[ricmoran]

There's something about that first start and ride that will stick in your mind forever, good looking knuck and many happy miles of motoring!

[pisten-bully]

Bravo! Very, very nice! Great start to summer.

[knuckleheadtim]

She's gorgeous! You clutch should engage aboubout midpoint in pedal travel. If it engages early or late, it's difficult to operate, even for the experienced rider.

[sirhrmechanic]

Thanks Tim et al.

She is a great looking EL. The clutch engages right where it is supposed to. But I am still getting the hang of this one. I have a JD and a DL and they are all a bit different. Probably every Knucklehead is a bit different! It'll take me another day or so of riding and we will bond. It's a true one-kick start bike, too. Every time. Uncanny.

It's not a true restoration, but more of a preservation of a bike that was updated over the years. I bought it from an older gentleman who owned it for decades. Everyone and their cousin was trying to buy it from him... and they all promised that if he sold it to them, they would totally restore it. I promised him that I would NOT restore it, but would bring it back to the way he had it, with cleaning, recommissioning and gentle preservation. The bike came home with me.

This EL is what it is... it will never be a machine for judging. It's a preservation bike that was owned by one guy for much of its life. And he changed it with the times, rather than buy a new bike. It's very original in many ways (such as sheetmetal, engine, trans, etc.) and major components are original to the bike. Most of the accessories such as bags, bars, risers, etc. are all period original to the bike and put on by the last owner. It's very unoriginal in many ways... gold engine hardware, red painted frame, chrome oil tank, white rubber, custom brake pedal made by the owner. The only thing I added was the wheel disk, because the original front wheel was kind of grotty even after painting and cleaning up. And it needed some 'flash' up front.

Worsham Castle did the seat in the 'spirit' of the whole bike and it was worth every minute of waiting. The cost was just a bargain. It's gorgeous. The original seat was so dry-rotted that it crumbled to the touch. All the seat hardware is original and restored. I had to do a bit of fancy welding, because the pan was cracked and there were lots of unauthorized rivet holes.

Everything else was just a cleaning job. Restoring it would be sort of a crime... I think it would totally strip away this bike's identity. It survived the '50s... it survived getting chopped... it survived restoration. Now it's time to ride the heck out of it and appreciate it for what it is. A survivor of the 'garbage wagon' era of bikes... and a bike that just spoke to me from the minute I saw it.

Cheers,

Sirhr

PS: An interesting aside... when I bought it, the bike had a set of '52/53 tanks on it. With script logo. As I was loading up the bike, he asked "Do you want the original tanks?" He had them. Still. They needed paint and sealing. But all the sheetmetal is original. Priceless!

[Sargehere]

A nice preservation you did there, Sirhr! A lovely EL Knuckle. And the nice feeling that comes with completing a long-term project is yours, too, eh? Good job! Congratulations!

[bobdo]

Sirhr,
Very cool, I enjoyed the background story. I hope everyone is inspired to do the same. Too many bikes are losing their personal history and personality to restoration. You picked a good man in Michael, he helped with my Buddy seat, beautiful work. Happy trails.

[phillie]

sweet ride! Cover on the wheel looks great may put them on my chief sometime which I finished Saturday so I know the feeling of finishing a great project!!