"Riding vintage" blog

Panhead Jim is one of those great guys I have met trough the www. He is running a blog well worth to visit if your into Harley history;
 ridingvintage.com

Enjoy!

How long was Abraham in Paradise?

Not much blogging lately, need to make a brief update on what is going on in the AMcN world.

Bessie was pulled out of the workshop last Wednesday to get her first ride, sun shined and spirit was high. Rode down the road for a mile, Iieeeiikk-klunk!!!!!!
She stopped, no wonder, the old girl suffered from one bent original oversize inlet valve as my vendor who did lap the inlet valve guides did not measure the correct play!

Damned, F#¤%&/k and more. I pushed Bessie home by my own force, all the way. Did I get sweaty? You bet, anger give a lot of strength.

As the oversize inlet valves are obsolete (almost, one vendor makes them still, but I dont trust the quality) I called Charlie Karling in Sweden for help. He made me a new based on a shovelhead valve. Now I`m just begging the postal system will bring it too my door eventually!

In the mean time I have been playing with Peggy`s sportster, making a rear rack and a front mudguard, by the way I made a rear rack for Bessie too. They look great when made in seamless stainless tubing.

Got a pair of tail gunners, repop ones from e-bay. As they where not the ones made by Panhead Paul at Greenwoods antique motorcycle restoration who is the one that once made the die cast lamps as well as the bezels, lenses and bulb sockets offered on e-bay, his bezels didnt fit.
OK, action time as I now had to make tools to press a couple of bezels in stainless. They turned out looking great when all polished and fitted.
Its really cool to see how a piece of stainless can be restructured by adding some tons of pressure, be sure you add some animal grease to the tools before starting, you will find out why if not so:-)

Have there been any riding yet?

Hardly so, the winter seems to never let go this year. Used a couple of days lately moving a bunch of snow away to speed up the melting process around my home.
OK, I have had a couple of great rides on my "not so dirty nine", still loads of snow along the roads even if the roads are now clear.

Henderson, I`m still waiting for the revised magneto to arrive. Bobber, still not quite ready yet neither!

Those who claim one motorcycle is enough, I consider the theory might be correct!

Pics to illustrate those words will follow shortly.

Folks, happy spring to all, ride as if your bike (s) is stolen!

Panhead oh Panhead

 Peggy`s sportster

 Bessie got a luggage rack for this summer events

 Tailgunner bezels

 On the road again

Early 45" / 750 cc gearbox housing

My friend Sigurd need a new gearbox housing for his all original 1935 45" model R. Checking trough my stash I found at least one that seem to be correct?

Any one know?

Hungry`s Cutdown

There are hardly words to describe such a cool bike!

AmericanMotorcyclesNorway

 

The Norwegian company Colbjørnsen & co are most known for their snowmobile sales. They where in charge of selling the Canadian Bombardiers products in Norway up to 1994. They did allso sell Kawasaki motorbikes in addition to a bunch of other products.

 

Here is the first snowmobile owned by the Colbjørnsen`s, father at the back and son in charge of the controls.

Poor Indian loosing its engine for this experimental snowmobile, wonder if they ever sold any?

 

27.03.2013;

What was a blog with no feedbacks from its followers?

One of those who often comment on my posts is Charlie from north Sweden. He informs me this is an Eliason toboggan and the engine was bought directly from Springfield, not picked from a motorcycle. Another who commented by an e-mail is Cory in the US that I have known trough the www for many years now. He shared with us the link to Eliasons web site, thanks a lot. When looking at their picture site I recognised a Super X engines toboggan. I posted a pic of one Super X Eliason a couple of years back, didnt know what it was then. What is even more interesting is the amount of henderson engined toboggans made by Eliason. Fan cooled engine with no protection, obviously that is for pussies.

We can only imagine how the hearing of early Eliason riders suffered from the pretty much open exhaust ports!!

Again, for sure Eliasons where not for pussies.

 

I gently stole a few piscs from the Eliason web page, enjoy;

 

 

If ever anyone had the slightest doubt an Indian powered Eliason did work, Cory sent a link to prove it does, just hit the image below;

 

 



 

 

Wonder if anyone of those toboggans have survived in Norway??? 

 



 

 





AmericanMotorcyclesNorway

Simon Nielsen from Skien bought himself an Indian Motocycle in 1916.
Working as a traveling salesman the motorbike was an excelent form for transportation on narrow roads in rural parts of Telemark.
Thanks to the Indian motocycle sales profit increased a lot.
Road conditions is clearly shown in the background, narrow and gravel, nails from horseshoes spread all over, we can only imagine how often early motorcycle riders had a puncture.  

Spring is there, why not here?

 

 

Uffe is kind enough to share a pic from his first ride this year.

 

I`m ready to, it is the weather that is not ready yet, to let motorbikes and their riders out and loose.

Be damned!