Springer rockers

[DANPATCH]

I have some of the early springer rockers with no boss. The cast numbers are not in the same spot on all of them . Was there a early and late ones.

[Steve Slocombe]

Dear Dan, the bosses were put into the rockers around 1941 so there are a lot of earlier ones. For 1930 they are one year only with forging numbers SC-3 and SC-4. After that they are SC-3A and SC-4A. They are now being reproduced with larger forging numbers, and some early owners are grinding off the bosses for the judges. So plenty of potential for differences, plus running changes as the forging dies were replaced.

[DANPATCH]

I have some of the reproductions. The earlier ones without the boss and have 3A .4A on them the casting numbers are not always in the same place . Sometimes high sometimes in the middle. Thanks for your time .

[Steve Slocombe]

Dear Dan, do your later style rockers carry die numbers? These were hardly used on the VLs but are important for dating later bikes when several outside forging companies were used. With 44,000 VLs made that's 88,000 rockers which must have used up a number of dies. Maybe in those days they just changed the dies and didn't bother about small variations. But what happened after say 1940? Palmer does not mention different die numbers on the rockers.