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Fellow AMCA Members:
I'm eyeball-deep working on a story about early Class C and outlaw motorcycle racing in the time frame 1932-'42, and need your help.
One of the subjects I'm trying to crack open is that of the so-called "cheater" motors. By that I mean Harley 45 cu. in. WLDR engines running ball-bearing camshafts and/or mainshafts. It is my plan to offer new evidence concerning possible factory-built motors of this type, but I need help.
Right now I have some 1939-'40 memos referring to WLDR modifications and who inside the red brick factory may have been involved. I also have a few statements from old factory guys (now all dead, bless their souls) on the same subject. Also a good database of WLDR motor numbers and names of original owners. I know a lot about these guys and who among them had good connections with the Harley factory.
What I need from you is information about existing/surviving WLDR "cheater" motors in your possession or ones that you know of. That is, what components inside these motors are ball bearing equipped and what makes you believe these and other modifications may have been done at the Harley factory before World War Two, and not post-war by some backyard tuner with machine-shop access. Lastly, I need the complete motor number (VIN) on these engines.
With that information, I may be able to match existing WLDR ball-bearing motors back to their original owners. I may also be able to determine whether or not the guy who owned the bike also raced Class C. Lastly and most importantly, I may also be able to connect him to the Harley factory in Milwaukee. Not absolute proof of a factory-built ball-bearing WLDR, but pretty darn close!
I've already assembled a list of late 1930s-1940 Class C riders with factory connections and their WLDR motor numbers that I suspect could have been ball-bearing. What I don't have and need in order to make the connection are motor numbers of surviving ball-bearing WLDR's. If we can link existing motors to pre-WWII Class C riders with factory connections, then the 1939-'40 factory memos and dead guys' statements about motor mods add further proof of what was going on behind the scenes. From older posts it seems like there are a few of these WLDR ball-bearing motors still around at "Wheels Through Time" and in other hands. Those are the motor descriptions and numbers that I need to figure this thing out.
I also know that some of you guys don't like to give out motor numbers and I respect that. So I promise not to share or publish these numbers unless you grant permission. My only intent is to shed light on this historical puzzle and to further our knowledge about Harley-Davidson, Class C, and outlaw racing in the 1930s of which many myths and untruths abound. If we can nail down this factory "cheater" motor thing a little more, it will add to our knowledge base and fun. If you do not want to post your motor number here, you can PM it to me instead. I won't put it online, publish it, or share it without permission.
Thanks!
I'm eyeball-deep working on a story about early Class C and outlaw motorcycle racing in the time frame 1932-'42, and need your help.
One of the subjects I'm trying to crack open is that of the so-called "cheater" motors. By that I mean Harley 45 cu. in. WLDR engines running ball-bearing camshafts and/or mainshafts. It is my plan to offer new evidence concerning possible factory-built motors of this type, but I need help.
Right now I have some 1939-'40 memos referring to WLDR modifications and who inside the red brick factory may have been involved. I also have a few statements from old factory guys (now all dead, bless their souls) on the same subject. Also a good database of WLDR motor numbers and names of original owners. I know a lot about these guys and who among them had good connections with the Harley factory.
What I need from you is information about existing/surviving WLDR "cheater" motors in your possession or ones that you know of. That is, what components inside these motors are ball bearing equipped and what makes you believe these and other modifications may have been done at the Harley factory before World War Two, and not post-war by some backyard tuner with machine-shop access. Lastly, I need the complete motor number (VIN) on these engines.
With that information, I may be able to match existing WLDR ball-bearing motors back to their original owners. I may also be able to determine whether or not the guy who owned the bike also raced Class C. Lastly and most importantly, I may also be able to connect him to the Harley factory in Milwaukee. Not absolute proof of a factory-built ball-bearing WLDR, but pretty darn close!
I've already assembled a list of late 1930s-1940 Class C riders with factory connections and their WLDR motor numbers that I suspect could have been ball-bearing. What I don't have and need in order to make the connection are motor numbers of surviving ball-bearing WLDR's. If we can link existing motors to pre-WWII Class C riders with factory connections, then the 1939-'40 factory memos and dead guys' statements about motor mods add further proof of what was going on behind the scenes. From older posts it seems like there are a few of these WLDR ball-bearing motors still around at "Wheels Through Time" and in other hands. Those are the motor descriptions and numbers that I need to figure this thing out.
I also know that some of you guys don't like to give out motor numbers and I respect that. So I promise not to share or publish these numbers unless you grant permission. My only intent is to shed light on this historical puzzle and to further our knowledge about Harley-Davidson, Class C, and outlaw racing in the 1930s of which many myths and untruths abound. If we can nail down this factory "cheater" motor thing a little more, it will add to our knowledge base and fun. If you do not want to post your motor number here, you can PM it to me instead. I won't put it online, publish it, or share it without permission.
Thanks!
I would imagine it would have been quite the sight when you stepped into Sifton's "barn"!
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