Mechanics & Owners Guide to 1941-1959 : book review

[AdminGuy]

Mechanics & Owners Guide to 1941-1959
Harley-Davidson O.H.V. Big Twins
by Kirk Perry

I finally got around to purchasing Kirk Perrys Book. He's been so busy posting on this board, figured I'd better. If you’re new to H-D OHV restoration or have been doing it for some time this book will have something of interest for you.

It’s easy to understand, and well detailed. I really enjoyed the electrical sections. The fault diagnosis and testing sections helped me to demystify a few areas I previously didn’t fully understand. This information will also apply to many different marques.

Each section begins with the basics and progresses towards the fine details. New comers will appreciate this and some of the time proven garage techniques demonstrated in the book.

The Book is a great read, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to restore or maintain an OHV FL.

Great job Kirk! Thank you.

[Jim M]

Another Book Review

I agree Admin guy. I found the electrical section, clutch section and paint section especially helpful for my 46. Although, I was a little disappointed that it discussed panheads more than knuckles but I got over it.

I found another book recently that I found very informative with lots of good pics. It is titled Classic Harley Big Twins by Greg Field and Tom Murphy. It is very detailed on the Knuckleheads and all of the intimate detailed changes that occurred with each model year. It was a cut above a lot of those other antique Harley books that show "war era" Harleys dripping with chrome and VL's painted purple with flames.

Jim M.

[AdminGuy]

And why no carb info Kirk? Just curious.

OK! That ones next on the list.
Paul Edwards

[dommi7]

I was disappointed with this book. I already own Palmers restoration guide and the factory owners and service manuals and didn't find any new information (certainly not enough to justify the cost).

[k.perry]

I'm sorry the book couldn't help you Ralph. You can try and sell it used on Amazon. They'll put it right on our page next to the list price. See how much you can get for it. I would try $45.00, since we haven't seen another used copy listed. Our book was written to fill in service maintenance "gaps"; procedures called out for, but not explained, in the Clymers or OE Manual, or the Palmer service-history book. For instance: The clutch hub liner replacement in the Clymers book says, "If the (hub) plate rocks, it must be replaced". The OE Manual says, "Badly glazed and burned linings are probably beyond reconditioning and should be replaced" and our book explains the hand tools you need and how to do it. And with something like the clutch hub nut lock washer (If you shear the hunter-tang off this washer during clutch hub re-installation, even torqued to 120-150 ft. lbs., your clutch may fall off while riding), the OE Manual says, "Position washer followed by hub nut" The Clymer manual says, "Slide the cluch hub lockwasher onto the mainshaft." Palmers book doesn't tell you to install the hub nut lockwasher, but he does tell you to "stake the edge of the lockwasher #2471-36" (or modern # 37503-41), and you've got one of these lockwashers on your Knuckle. In another section, ours appears to be the only manual that guides you to, "flashing" the 3-brush generator relays' Bat. & Gen. terminals. Yet still as fact, are the legitimate opinions held by others for valve guide clearances: Carl Olsen reports, over on {>Panhead>"Blowing Smoke"}, "Clearance on the intake valves is .001 to .002, and on the exhaust .002 to .003". - for unleaded valves & seats. The OE manual of course, gives the clearances for bronze or whatever leaded fuel guides as, "Intake .002-.004 (loose) and exhaust as (.004-.006)", [because in-line machining was not as precise back then and the valve was allowed to "find it's seat"] while our clearances, which Stett calls out as, .0015-.002" for the intake and .0025-.003" are slighty sloppier than Carls; but then note, that M.M.I. when asked to critique our manual, said they felt our valve guide clearances were..."a little tight". If we compare an apple to another apple (and not to an orange) and talk about 61 and 74 cu.in. motors only... either of Carls or Stetts clearances would be acceptable, but not the OEM manual's clearances because it's an un-leaded world now and we have better valve equipment. Point being, if you want to learn about Knuckle & Pan, you need a library of reference books with the Palmer book being a good place to start.
And, we have no Linkert info because the factory nailed it good, and Clymer did good on it, and someone else can do Linkert "hop-up". And, we have no Springer info, because even though they look righteous and courageous without a fender, there's a jillion parts and more maintenance to them than a Hydra-Glide and I hear they ride rough. I'll run a springer when someone makes a tire hugging fender that looks more like the '49 Glide fender, to put on it, and I can run a 16 X 3.0 rim and a 5:10 Speed-Grip tire (not a "clincher") with a star hub. It doesn't have to be a Glide front (brake) side plate, but a cast aluminum piece would be nice and there's Goodson over in Denver, who makes those cast air filters(303) 455-4054. Perhaps he can "art" a new springer side plate for the springer with the front brake outlet cable going in from the top exactly like the '49 side plate, so we can use '49-up hardware. If anyone knows him, ask. And a Glide brake, not a Knuckle brake. We need to re-incarnate a new (miminalist tire coverage) Brooks Stevens "Air Flow" front fender for the springer.
And the book price? Here's the grim truth: If you want to make enough money to publish another book, you must charge 12 times your "landed" cost. Example: A book that cost $4.17 (our first edition cost almost $12.) must sell for $50.00. Why? Because Amazon wants 60% of the retail price, plus you pay shipping. Amazon sends us $21.50 per book, (and less the $.92 to get it to them), leaves a gross profit of $20.58 per book sold. Now, after you subtract the 12 bucks it cost to produce this plasti-coil bound/ shrink wrapped tome...that doesn't leave a whole lot of money.* And always consider the un-written general-business law that goes, "If you don't charge (at least) three times what it cost you to make it, your guaranteed to lose money". So, it's 12 times your (landed) cost, to all the "self-publicated writer's" out there. And "good" paper is expensive...to answer the question of why people publish their books in Hong Kong and not the U.S.A. Before digital cameras, a "drum scan" of a single 35mm photo in the U.S.A cost $12.-15. per photo. In Hong Kong it cost $0.43 a photo. You have to send some photos back for them to re-scan, because there may be bug parts included in some of your images (some of their press areas are open to the elements), but in one hand you have $12.00 and in the other 43 cents. A considerable factor to contemplate even if getting quality work (and it does) takes some head pounding.
*We can't fault Amazon for the bite they take. Market Analyst report that there's not enough profit margin in the "books" that amazon sells for them to make a long term business of it... and may the reason why they don't discount our $50.00 list.

[dommi7]

Sorry Kirk, I should be more careful about what I write. Let me retract my entire post and re-state it, OK?

I bought this book, based on its advertising in the club magazine, expecting it to be loaded with useful information SPECIFICALLY about riding and repairing the big twins, information that I wouldn't find elsewhere.

The price places it as the most expensive manual I have purchased (by almost 2x). My other references include Palmer's restoration guide and factory owners' parts and service manuals, Nicholson's mechanics guide and even chopper builders' guides.
Because of the advertising and price, I had fairly high expectations.

I was disappointed to find an entire chapter devoted to changing oil, including how to bang up your own funnel - although the information on oil filters is pertinent to the subject.

I also couldn't understand how exploded diagrams of Binks spray guns relate to my bikes, nor instructions on installing a hydraulic lift (which doesn't come with the book, unfortunately).

Also, a lot of the material is copied out of catalogs (V-Twin, etc.)

The book does in fact contain useful information and tips, some of it not to be found elsewhere, and undoubtedly took considerable time and effort to put together.

I'm not saying don't buy this book, I'm just saying don't expect it to be "the greatest thing since sliced bread."

[k.perry]

No offense taken. A reader in Florida once called it worse. And specifically, we pulled all the Big Twin info out of books that lumped flathead with O.H.V., so people wouldn't have to pore through pages that weren't O.H.V. Re-popped Knuckle was still in early production stages, right up to press time in 2000. No one had perfected the lower valve spring covers or rocker boxes to OEM specifications and design. Ductile iron heads were the only heads out there and it's not a "restoration book". That's a jockey shift '59 Pan on the back cover. The Binks (Model 7) guns are now outlawed in Calif. The diagrams were included to preserve the Model 7, which you can still get parts for. Using V-Twins artwork from their catalog was a gift from them. And those ARE the instructions for installing the Bestway lift. A bit more of a detailed installation guide than the single sheet that shipped with mine back in '89. Un-officially, Bestway may approve of our instructions, since Eddie & Alona said, "Anytime you need parts for your lift, new plate, anything....there's no charge." A sincere offer within the not-abundantly-lucrative m/c market. Fact being, the Bestway lifts have so few moving parts that you never need replacement parts! Thanks for mentioning the parts of the book you could do without. All comments are duly noted and welcomed. If we ever re-print the first volume, we'll be revising (leaving out) the "family" photos and whatever else gets suggested and installing more updated material. Pagination can't change though, only page content for a rapid revision turnaround. We will either revise 1 or print 2. We need to sell 1,500 more copies to revise 1 (and put in some of 2). Revision pages will be available, bound as Shop Dope. Or, wait until 2 is finished. Which ever happens first. Thanking the club and our 973 readers.