Marker Lights

[Steve Little]

Hi.
I am hoping there are some vintage (Marker light - Bullet light) aficionados on the forum to help identify the marker light in the picture.
If possible, I would liketo know the manufacturer and model number of this light.
I had hoped it was a Guide, but after a quick scoot around the internet it seems that Guide stamped their name on their products.
Perhaps it is Superior ?
I know this particular light was manufactured prior to 1975.

Glass lense. Cork gasket for lense and stem mount.
Single filament.
There is no manufacture name stamped on the body or moulded into glass lense.
Any help will be appreciated.

[JimRaynovic]

I have a couple of these also in the "Left over" bin. They are very close to the Guide lights but can easily be distinguished when side by side. I will be putting them on ebay in the near future to help finance my project. I have no idea as to who made these only they were part of a 61 basket case I had bought many years ago.

[Steve Little]

Hi Jim. Thanks for your input.
I lifted the following blurb from a eBay sellers item description.
As follows:
HD started using the stud mounted style as early as 38 and introduced the strap mounted style (running or parking) lights in 49 with the PH-7 stamping on the back of the strap. The turn signal kit option came out in 50 with straps and studs. About 51 they were stamped with PH-7 and DH-49 on the straps. About 52 they were stamped Guide and DH-49 on the body and are stud mounted to be used as rear signals. By 62 all that was available were the stud mounted ones and were mounted to a separate strap that bolted on to the forks in the front and a bracket in the rear.

1952-1957, HD# 68505-52 Post Style Guide Bullet DH-49
PH-7 Harley Davidson marker lights
Guide R8-50 marker light.

[Rubone]

Steve,
The -38 lights are not post mounted. They are strap mounted with a short strap centrally mounted so as to work on either side without the need to be handed right or left. The -49 lights are handed and long strapped to be able to fit on the fork for turn signal application.
The lights you picture are aftermarket. Dixie (Superior branded) sold them as well as others. There are also a ton of them made in Japan from the '70s up. A dead giveaway of replica/aftermarket types is the depth of the bezel along with the thickness of the metal, originals are thinner. The cork gasket is also an aftermarket thing. Early ones have glass lenses but later are plastic.

[Chris Haynes]

The lights you show were sold by Dixie.

[BigLakeBob]

On the originals, what were the gaskets made from? Rubber? Thanks.

[Steve Little]

Thanks for the picture and information Robbie.
Thanks for the clarification Chris.

I bought a bike from LA in Jan and there are a 10 of these (Dixie) marker lights on it.
A friend of mine had bought this bike (his birth year and a potential investment) 30 years ago from a guy in Texas. The tour box has “King Cobras” painted across the back and that owner in Texas had also stored the bike for 10 years. The bike hasn’t fired a shot since 1975 and only has 36011 original miles on it.
The engine still kicks over with good compression and aside from a very individual Purple paint job with white pin striping, it is a very complete 1964 Panhead. There are lots of chrome thingamy jigs all over the bike.
See attached picture.
In case the enormity of the chrome pimples throws off your recognition of the part…it is the battery cover.
I first saw this bike in 1994 and it was a very bright and shiny machine.
My friend (being a Porsche nut) had no room in his car laden shed, so the bike was parked next to a wall under a lean-to.
He had placed a solid, water proof tarp, over the whole bike to give extra protection from the elements. Good job right? Nope! His long term plan was foiled by a clothes dryer, which had a vent that exited the wall next to the bike
Every bit of chrome and paint on this bike is shot from air born condensation and caustic fumes from the drying clothes.
The up side is…the fenders still have original Hi-Fi red paint on the underside.

[Steve Little]

Until now, I’ve paid little attention to marker lights.
Some owners like the colour, but I prefer a cleaner line on my bikes.

As Robbie wrote, “there are a ton of them out there” and I wanted to be able to spot an original Guide from a Guide, Superior, Japanese, Taiwan, copy.
So I put a few hours research into it.

Wrong or right, this is what I came up with.
I will keep my comparison confined to the Guide R8-50-1 marker light.
That’s the only style Guide that I’ve got.

The side by side comparison failed because the Dixie? (No Name) light that I have is the same shape as a Guide R8-50-1. The only difference is that a Dixie is 050” higher than the Guide R8-50-1.



I measured the thickness of the body and bezel. (Guide ;036” ) and (Dixie NO Name brand ;033” and ;046”

The only external difference on the bezel:
The hole for the glass lense has a lip that turns in toward the lens. As seen in Robbie’s picture and mine. There is a tang that keys the bezel into the slot of the light body and it is spot welded. The bezel on the right is Guide.



Bob. Here is the gasket from the Guides I have. Rubber with a cross hatch pimple design.


The Guide light body has the name stamped into it and it has a round foot instead of a tear drop foot to pull the light up to

[Steve Little]

[Steve Little]

Guide have a better finish on their bezel.
The die set incorporates a nice lip that turns back into toward the glass lens.



All but one of "No name" bezels, have no tang fitted.
One "no name" bezel that has a tang fitted with a brass rivet.
All the light bodies have the slot for the tangs.
If I've got any of the above information wrong, chip in and set me straight.
I'd prefer to be corrected than misinformed.

[duffeycycles]

Steve ,thats a lot of work for $2 lights

[wideglide38]

Nice info. Those pin-up catalogs and calenders of yester-year were the bomb . . . . but I'm now politically incorrect!

[Steve Little]

Nice one Duffey.

The following list is the manufacturers I know, that made vintage marker lights for Harley's and Indian's prior to the 70's.
Guide, Nation Bilt, Beck, Dixie. I don't know if Superior manufactured or just distributed?).
The 60,s & 70,s was the rise of the Japanese manufacturers. Remember when most imports had "Made in Japan" on them?
Not sure if Taiwan or India was in the picture at that time.
Did I miss any from the list?

There are some interesting styles of marker lights, fender lights (Gunner lights, Bomb sight lights) and illuminated fender tips out there.
What style has you got?

It took a few eBay punchups before I finally won this Beck front fender tip. Oooh. Pretty!!
It will be going on the front fender of my 49 Pan when I assemble it next year.




Pictures of any other styles??.

[larry]

Yankee made lights.

[D.A.Bagin]

Nice one Duffey.

The following list is the manufacturers I know, that made vintage marker lights for Harley's and Indian's prior to the 70's.
Guide, Nation Bilt, Beck, Dixie. I don't know if Superior manufactured or just distributed?).
The 60,s & 70,s was the rise of the Japanese manufacturers. Remember when most imports had "Made in Japan" on them?
Not sure if Taiwan or India was in the picture at that time.
Did I miss any from the list?

There are some interesting styles of marker lights, fender lights (Gunner lights, Bomb sight lights) and illuminated fender tips out there.
What style has you got?

It took a few eBay punchups before I finally won this Beck front fender tip. Oooh. Pretty!!
It will be going on the front fender of my 49 Pan when I assemble it next year.




Pictures of any other styles??.

I have a couple of these front fender tips. I think I even have one N.O.S. Think it is green on one side and red on the other. Kinda' like a boat. LOL.