47 knucklehead on eBay

[fxcw64]

Chief2kicks

Thats interesting ...... I also believe that "Panhead" may have surfaced first as someone mentioned and Knucklehead may have been retro figured in to the equation years after ............We can box it in a bit I believe Easyrider was using the term in 1971------- Google/Chatgpt says it came in to use between 1948-1950 from riders and mechanics.

Chatgpt app ----- Also says the nickname "Knucklehead" first appeared in the November 1936 edition of The Enthusiast mag ..............this would need to be fact checked --but would blow the previous thunking (yes thunking for added humor) away ............lol

Until someone can check thier 1936 Nov issue of The Enthusiast -I am going with early 1950's and mainstream by the late 1960's

For some that are tech challenged like me ChatGPT( my brother in law turned me onto ChatGpt) is basically an AI software that is able to search the web in millaseconds and could be used to write you a resume, a short story with your given parameters, a novel whatever ........paint,draw you a picture really whatever you want ----for a cost -
I do not use it much(3 times in like 6 months) so it is free -but as mentioned if you wanted it to use it draw plans for a house with your parameters it would do it !!!! And its free until you start using it/depending on it ...

So when I asked ---when did The Enthusiast first use the nickname "Knucklehead" in thier publication? -that was the answer I received -like most all internet driven info fact checking is essential !!!!!

[ChiefTwoKicks]

here's a thought... the VL and possibly the UL series were valued as good bikes back in the day, then came the '36 OVH heavyweight Harley. As good as the VL was (and the UL series) was, Harley introduced the OHV, mostly to compete economically with the traditional flatheads.
Of course the times were changing, But the dependability of the flatheads (admittedly lacking an abundance of power), reined supreme. Most automobiles were also flatheads. Its just how things are ! The mid 30's was a vary changing landscape in many various aspects of the lives of our forfathers. All mechanical things were advancing rapidly. Planes, Trains, and automobiles (including motorcycles). Trains went from steam power to Diesel, Planes went from wood and fabric to aluminum. on and on...

Harley took a huge risk, and produced an OVH machine. Their risk paid off BIG TIME. Although Harley didn't reap the benefits of its new big bike OVH right away, the popularity and performance, of the OHV captured the market. Automobiles too. It was all about how fast can you go... Progress. Howard Hughes set all kinds of speed records with his airplanes. The die was cast.
Faster, faster, and faster than that !!

I remember when VL's were the bike that everybody wanted. Dependability, looks, performance. and lots of them around, when many riders switched to the more powerful OVH. Many of the diehards who had the flatheads would say something like this... "You'd have to be a Knucklehead to buy one of those".

We all know Indian never bought into the hype (they were also losing market share, too) and that alone contributed to the slow demise of the brand.

Just my own observation... I have no actual facts to the above line of BS... but I'm sticking to it. C2K

[vph-d]

As I remember it, newspaper 'for sale' ads in the Chicagoland area in the 60s would state 1941 74 or 62 74 for sale. There was no reference to Knucklehead or Panhead.
vph-d

[exeric]

I wasn't around then but my Dad was. He owned several of those bikes before I was born and always referred to them as his "74 Overheads".

I've always wondered when the 'Knucklehead' tag came into biker lingo. I have to speculate that it didn't come until after the 'Panhead' because they were both OHVs, and regarded as OHVs by H-D. Harley never used that colloquial lingo in any of their literature, so it obviously came from bikers, and I suspect from the huge motorcycle post WW2 enthusiasm. I've heard that no one knows where the iconic term "Drag" racing comes from, but again I think it just came out of gatherings of lots of people who were enjoying something and words got invented, and exchanged. I think it's just that simple, but impossible to trace. I would be very interested in what other people think about where the Knucklehead word originates from.

[Jerry Wieland]

Don't get me wrong the reason I know the prices are dropping is because I am watching intently and I plan on owning a Knuck or early Pan but not gonna pay these prices .....I'll wait -when I can buy a 37 Plymouth Coupe 6500$ or know where there is a 35 Olds with suicide doors for 10 Grand its a no brainer - I picked up a 35 IH C-30 for 900$ with surface rust roof will have a roof over my head and when I slip a 4btu cummins in it with a Allison tranny -I'll just use that to pick up my BIKE......... LOL HAHAHA Its all good we get to watch all this and it makes for good conversation !! I just hope one day someone gives me the chance to own one and I would keep it as close to original as possible meaning no partout for profit or cut up to make a backyard chopper !!

I like em the way Sylvester dreamed them up....... ,speaking of the Knucks but interestingly I don't believe they were called Knuckleheads until the late forties -I defer to someone more knowledgeable ,-- I believe he died in 1943 unfortunately !!!! Da Man

But I have been stuck in the 30's n 40's with all my dream toys ...........

Harley called them Overhead Valve Deluxes. Jerry

[droptopford]

...... ,speaking of the Knucks but interestingly I don't believe they were called Knuckleheads until the late forties -I defer to someone more knowledgeable , ..

I wasn't around then but my Dad was. He owned several of those bikes before I was born and always referred to them as his "74 Overheads".

[fxcw64]

Don't get me wrong the reason I know the prices are dropping is because I am watching intently and I plan on owning a Knuck or early Pan but not gonna pay these prices .....I'll wait -when I can buy a 37 Plymouth Coupe 6500$ or know where there is a 35 Olds with suicide doors for 10 Grand its a no brainer - I picked up a 35 IH C-30 for 900$ with surface rust-will have a roof over my head and when I slip a 4btu cummins in it with a Allison tranny -I'll just use that to pick up my BIKE......... LOL HAHAHA Its all good we get to watch all this and it makes for good conversation !! I just hope one day someone gives me the chance to own one and I would keep it as close to original as possible meaning no partout for profit or cut up to make a backyard chopper !!

I like em the way Sylvester dreamed them up....... ,speaking of the Knucks but interestingly I don't believe they were called Knuckleheads until the late forties -I defer to someone more knowledgeable ,-- I believe he died in 1943 unfortunately !!!! Da Man

But I have been stuck in the 30's n 40's with all my dream toys ...........

[droptopford]

Prices have been steadily falling for 3 years on these antique bikes -shrinking market and nothing is going to change that ....

I'll be happy if I live long enough to meet those falling prices on the way down. If there's no market for the Knucklehead that I'll finally be able to afford, they can bury me with it... or on it.

[Peter Cooke]

I did not type. . passé (sic). I may be a dumbass but I wouldn't type that.

It's like you changed languages mid sentence Eric. Magic....

[exeric]

I did not type. . passé (sic). I may be a dumbass but I wouldn't type that.

[exeric]

I empathize, Ryan. I think the current 'world view' culture is a bit down on 'old world' things right now so antique motorcycles are passé to the masses, but people like yourself have the eye, and the passion to recognize timeless beauty; so consider yourself ahead of the game

[Jdiesel25]

It's a fact of life, when people have enough disposable income, they indulge their childhood or young adult fantasies. For motor heads, the sad fact is the fan base for Model T and A Fords, and Flathead and Knuckle Harleys is aging out of the market. Once they are no longer the 'It' thing to own, the artificially high prices we complained about 10 years ago tend to fall rapidly.

I agree. The Knuckles have definitely been dropping over the last couple of years. Maybe that’s why we’re seeing a lot less at Mecum this year

[joe fxs fxr]

It's a fact of life, when people have enough disposable income, they indulge their childhood or young adult fantasies. For motor heads, the sad fact is the fan base for Model T and A Fords, and Flathead and Knuckle Harleys is aging out of the market. Once they are no longer the 'It' thing to own, the artificially high prices we complained about 10 years ago tend to fall rapidly.

[RyanShackelford]

Excellent points. I think I am in the minority for sure being in my mid 30s. Had a new bike in the last couple years, they've never done much for me. It rode nice and had a lot of power but didn't have ant personality, looked and sounded like every other new harley on the road. Sold the last one I bought new after about a year and I don't see myself getting a new one anytime soon. Currently my newest is a 93 evo, that's plenty modern for me. What FXCW64 said is exactly right, I never got a warm fuzzy feeling going to the dealership. All the bikes look the same, a lot of the people that work there know nothing about motorcycles, and good luck getting a part for anything older than 10 years old. But hopefully some younger folks take it up at some point, I don't know how long my old timer friends will still be riding. And it's not much fun to ride my old bikes with the guys my age on modern bikes. Old Harley's are a tough price point to swallow for the young crowd but I encourage any old bikes. I started with a 73 cb750, and they can still be had pretty affordably.

[exeric]

I agree with many of your points, but I suspect the ratio of motorcyclists to non-riding squares has always been pretty stable. In regard to antique motorcycle appreciation, I believe there is nothing to worry about because appreciation is something that can developed with age. The smart ones had that appreciation when they were young but it's never too late to learn, and admire beauty. Most important, however; there are many old bikes that are AS, or MORE beautiful than a Knucklehead