1943 Knucklehead

[Steve Little]

Hi. Can anyone give clarification on whether HD cast 1200cc cylinders for the limited production of 1942-1943.

[Rubone]

Steve,
My '42 FL with original cylinders has an odd configuration on the cylinders. There are no dates or foundry code on the base flanges, however there appears to be a portion of a date cast into the side of the cylinder but partially machined off for the base nut clearance. I'll try to get a picture over the weekend. And there were a fair number of '42 FLs built, I'm guessing they did not all have early cylinders, but they all would have been cast in '41 as production stopped in January of '42.
Robbie

[Chris Haynes]

I have seen 43FL1007. I wasn't into date codes 25 years ago when I saw it.

[Steve Little]

Hi Robbie. Thanks for the info and I look forward to the pictures.

Chris. Hasn't this hobby/obsession travelled a light year in 25 years.

[Chris Haynes]

Hi Robbie. Thanks for the info and I look forward to the pictures.

Chris. Hasn't this hobby/obsession travelled a light year in 25 years.

Just wait until folks see the new information in Palmer's new book. The nit picking will be worse than ever.

[37ul]

I just got a '42FL19XX that has been in storage since '53 and has standard bore cylinders with a partially machined off date code around the bottom of the bore and not the flange and i believe it has a '41 code.

[Steve Little]

Hi 37. Any chance of some pics of the cylinders and a couple of pics of the bike for general interest and posterity?
Thanks for the input.
Regards Steve.

[37ul]

i'll take some pics this weekend and see if i can get em loaded up. it's a real neat bike that was only ridden for 10 or 11 years at the most.

[Jerry Wieland]

Steve It has always been my thought that the 43/44 BT bikes were built out of inventoried parts where possible. Every 43 I have ever seen has a 42 bottom case number. I personally believe that the E models of this vintage (including mine) came with 4 fin cylinders. I know of 3 examples of this that are all somewhat original and not parts bikes.

Jerry

[37ul]

As promised here are the front and rear cylinders from my '42 FL 19XX that has been parked since '53. one has the date code basically machined off for the base nut, the other just has -1 visible. all the rest of the date codes i've seen so far on the motor are '41.

image.jpgimage1.jpg

[Steve Little]

Thanks for the marvelous pictures.
I didn't expect that you would pull the bike apart.
The area that has been relieved for the nuts, one of the cylinders has traditional machining marks and the other has some vertical lines. Are they lines in the paint or some camera illusion. They can't be machine marks.
Regards Steve

[Steve Little]

On second thought, maybe the machinist had a fast feed rate on the (side and face) cutter and that has left the rough witness marks. I haven't had any experience machining cast iron. Excuse the rambling. All three of us in my head, are well

[37ul]

ha, no worries steve. I'm pretty sure that's how the marks are and not a camera illusion, but i'll look again.

I didn't pull the bike apart. the original owner took the topend off in 1953 for some reason and never got around to reassembling it. I see no signs of damage in the heads, cylinders, pistons, or lowerend. the short block is still in the bike and i can feel NO up and down in the rods and the pistons are standard with only a little wear in the cylinders...i think i'm going to finish his 60 year old job! I am sure there is a coffee can somewhere with the push rods, push rod tube, head bolts, top motor mount, valves and upper tins from one head. I just wish the original owners family could find them! until then i'll start rounding up those things and reassemble it. I even got the original title for it when he paid the bank off in '45...