1941 Bent frame

[Steve Little]

Flathappy.
When I was taking pictures of the frame I noted every single peice of info that I could glean from the frame.
I live in Australia and dont have the access to all the swap meets that you have, so I take pictures and write all the info for later on.
From this "Bent Frame" I have writen
"Right axle carrier XE-6 #2"
"Left axle carrier XE-7 4 #"
Is that what your frame has?

Richo's bike seems to be a reliable source.
"Riveted toolbox cross mount. Matching 40 barrels, heads, cases, trans, to match the frame. Knew the owner for 30 years and the owner before that. I've had it 10"
Richo. What is your VIN? Best leave the last digit blank for saftey reasons.

Tom Hardy
Tom your engine number was 41 EL 117*
How much of an accurate history do have on your bike?

Does anyone know if there are any in museums "like wheels throught time etc.

Regards Steve

[RichO]

bent

40EL34xx are my case #'s. Was over to my friend Dave's yesterday and he has a true '40 frame w/riveted toolbox mount that has never been bent. We talked about these postings and we both have too many years behind bars (handlebars, so you don't get the wrong impression) not that there's anything wrong with that to quote Mr. Seinfeld, but we can't get our head around the legs being bowed in on a bent frame to rake out the neck. Physic's says they go out. That "really" bent top bar is way too kinked for just 1 degree. My friend George has a 1937 dated frame print that does state 25 degrees back to a 1936 case #. He also has a print showing the 1/2" forward springer rear leg lower offset (not a drawing, but print). He says that the legs were straight and the necks were at 28 degrees by 1940. We need prints after 1938 to bear this out. You could combine the 1/2" lower leg offset w/the 25 degree neck and probally be at 28 degrees. 25 degrees by it's self makes to twitchy a handling machine at speed. Trust me. Been there done that. Hope this helps.

[Jerry Wieland]

Rich I still maintain that the bent frame in 1940 would have been very limited if at all where as I feel that all big twin 1941's got the longer neck - the early ones by tweaking an earlier frame - the later ones by changing the casting. I have 2 1940 frames and neither is bent but I also do not know what serial number engine might have been in either one as I bought them as bare frames. 1940 frames are very easy to distinguish from any other year - they are the only early necked frames that have the relief in the backbone for the rear head of an OHV - that coupled with the one year only rivoted toolbox bracket. 1939 never had it and 1940 and up always did.

The only exception to the relief in the backbone that I have ever possibly seen was many years ago at the Sioux Falls SD meet where a guy brought in a frame to sell that for all practical purposes looked like a 1939 frame with the notable exception that it had a very nicely rivoted on toolbox 'T'. The toolbox bracket actually had the remains of the threaded washers like used on 1938 and 1939 and of course like 1939 did not have the relief for the taller motor coming in 1941. Near as I or anybody else could tell it was OEM and had old if not original paint. I have noticed that early 1940 toolbox brackets still have the holes for the threaded washer used on square tool boxes but they are not usually there. I would love to go back 25/30 years and look at this frame again. The guy was asking an impossible amount of money for it - $300.

I also agree that the severe bend in the backbone probably got more than one degree on the early 1941 frames but maybe the 1940 frames were tweaked just enough to help the problem and still have the frame mount all the components it was supposed to and the early 1941 frames were built to eliminate the problem and parts adjusted accordingly.

Jerry

[RichO]

bent

Jerry, I agree that 41's had the longer casting (1 degree) and the relief for the taller heads. I also believe that only the 40 frames that needed bumped were the one's that ordered the optional for that year 16" tires. The 18" didn't cause the high speed problem the CHP encountered even though their height is about the same. It must have been the wider footprint. Mine had 16" originally and was bumped and handled fine. I equipped it with 18" when I restored it though. I like more flex in my spokes and the narrower width tracks better to me. I know it was CHP because it had the extra left side toolbox brkt. and Police carb and coil.

[Steve Little]

Hi.
Hope I can explain this adequately.

When the neck rake is increased with the dogleg backbone, the angle of the downtubes will follow it out.
Meaning that the bottom of the downtubes will also move out in a arc .... forward of were they enter the sidecar lugs.
This is why the "Bent frames" have the neat little bend in the down tubes directly under the neck.
These little bends get the downtubes back in the genral direction of where they enter the sidecar lugs.
But because the necks were designed for 25 degrees the angle of the down tubes is also made to fit directly into the sidecar lugs

[Steve Little]

Here's the diagram that faile to load on my last post
Regards Steve

[Jerry Wieland]

Here is an early 41 frame that Ronnie Cox had at Davenport. You could actually see the press marks where someone thought it was bent and stuck it in a press and tried to straighten it. The correction bend in the lower legs on this one started almost exactly at the lower tank mount. This one might have been tweaked in a wreck but it was close enough that I can now approximate the profile of the front legs for my frame.

[46EL]

I know this is an old thread but a friend has a customers 40 "supposedly" BENT Frame and he has some questions. He is trying to fit the tanks and the tanks mount holes are a half inch off? I know the Dash is mentioned here as needed to be shimmed for correct fit and he can see that. How about the handlebars? He does not have the bars yet but sees that they will most probably hit the dash when they are steered left or right? Any thoughts? When I say SUPPOSEDLY Bent above he is wondering if it was bent after the factory bent it? Thanks!

[bmh]

Which tank mount hole is off? Could it be a replacement lower mount in the wrong location? Handle bars were all the same for 36 to 46 big twins as far as I know. And I'm not sure how you would shim a set of springer bars anyway.

[flat-happy]

also are the tanks absolutely original? i tried to bolt on a really nice set of repops the other day and the holes were 1/2 inch off