On any given Friday or Saturday night way back in the 60s you would drive around practically any area in America and you would probably find a classic Harley like this left at the front of a bar or tavern.
Chances are, too, that the H-D shines underneath the gleam of streetlights or neon lights that lit up the landscape. These motorcycles were good, straightforward, vintage machines, too, that although not completely stock; bore a generous dosage of authentic Harley Davidson pieces.
More and more Harleys have been upgraded through the years and put on more recent pieces, just about all in the name of maintaining the bike updated right up until there's plenty of funds was saved to get a whole new bike. Seat posts were bashed straight back to have clearance space for more recent motors. After the restoration fad hit in the 1990s, many of these bikes were brought back to stock configurations or gave up their parts to ambitious motorcycle conservation undertaking. The ones that stayed, we called them "ham and eggs bikes" due to their mix-match of components.
Like classic choppers and custom bikes of an early period, few still exist, and those that do symbolize that can-do attitude and mood that reminds us of our culture and our nation's development thus far. In the 70s, I took off with my mom's station wagon to Kentucky from our home in New York to buy a 1948 FL dressed in 1954 sheet metal along with a Glide front end. I instantly fell in love with 1948 Fls and afraid that I'd never get a fully stock one that I bought it sight unseen. Soon I realized that it was an EL originally equipped with a 61' V-twin.
This specific bike is owned by Wes Hogue . The motorcycle began as being a police motorbike that worked with the Manila (Philippines) police force. The EL was part of H-D's export fleet that built foreign product sales during that era. The motorbike was utilized in service from 1948 until 1970 when it was retired and parked permanently in the police force's stockroom. A few years later, in about 1974, "Greasy" Collins, an officer in the USMC positioned in the Philippines, was in search of some liquid refreshment when he stepped into a bar in Manila to buy one.
From where he was sitting, he had a good view out the rear door. What he spotted was a Panhead resting in the police department's weed-infested warehouse. He asked if somebody knew something regarding the aged motorcycle; and he was advised to speak with the local police. A proposal was struck for the bike, and then he shipped to the states in his Bay Area shop for a reconstruction. Immediately after inspecting the bike Arlen determined that merely the motor, transmission; rear wheel, and front were usable; the rest of the corroded pieces were thrown away. Arlen started with an all new framework as being the foundation for the motorcycle, and the rest flourished from there. The fresh motorcycle also offered a Sportster tank, custom made oil tank, a custom paint job, and loads of attitude. Wes also said that Greasy's motorcycle "had a sissybar over it higher like the Empire State Building."
In the early 80s, Wes purchased the bike from Greasy and wanted to turn it into a much more road worthy motorbike, so he set about changing things and gathering components to accomplish this goal.
The old motor cases are standard, reinforced employing a major re-weld in proper spots to hold things intact. It sports a 61'' base end connected to a 74" top end with low-compression pistons. The refurbished engine gets gas through an older Mikuni carburetor.
The luggage bags and windshield are genuine H-D items from the 80s. Wes says these come in handy; too, as he rides this motorbike most of the time. As of this writing, the bike's bottom end has burned 130,000 miles, and it is even now looking good.
Chances are, too, that the H-D shines underneath the gleam of streetlights or neon lights that lit up the landscape. These motorcycles were good, straightforward, vintage machines, too, that although not completely stock; bore a generous dosage of authentic Harley Davidson pieces.
More and more Harleys have been upgraded through the years and put on more recent pieces, just about all in the name of maintaining the bike updated right up until there's plenty of funds was saved to get a whole new bike. Seat posts were bashed straight back to have clearance space for more recent motors. After the restoration fad hit in the 1990s, many of these bikes were brought back to stock configurations or gave up their parts to ambitious motorcycle conservation undertaking. The ones that stayed, we called them "ham and eggs bikes" due to their mix-match of components.
Like classic choppers and custom bikes of an early period, few still exist, and those that do symbolize that can-do attitude and mood that reminds us of our culture and our nation's development thus far. In the 70s, I took off with my mom's station wagon to Kentucky from our home in New York to buy a 1948 FL dressed in 1954 sheet metal along with a Glide front end. I instantly fell in love with 1948 Fls and afraid that I'd never get a fully stock one that I bought it sight unseen. Soon I realized that it was an EL originally equipped with a 61' V-twin.
This specific bike is owned by Wes Hogue . The motorcycle began as being a police motorbike that worked with the Manila (Philippines) police force. The EL was part of H-D's export fleet that built foreign product sales during that era. The motorbike was utilized in service from 1948 until 1970 when it was retired and parked permanently in the police force's stockroom. A few years later, in about 1974, "Greasy" Collins, an officer in the USMC positioned in the Philippines, was in search of some liquid refreshment when he stepped into a bar in Manila to buy one.
From where he was sitting, he had a good view out the rear door. What he spotted was a Panhead resting in the police department's weed-infested warehouse. He asked if somebody knew something regarding the aged motorcycle; and he was advised to speak with the local police. A proposal was struck for the bike, and then he shipped to the states in his Bay Area shop for a reconstruction. Immediately after inspecting the bike Arlen determined that merely the motor, transmission; rear wheel, and front were usable; the rest of the corroded pieces were thrown away. Arlen started with an all new framework as being the foundation for the motorcycle, and the rest flourished from there. The fresh motorcycle also offered a Sportster tank, custom made oil tank, a custom paint job, and loads of attitude. Wes also said that Greasy's motorcycle "had a sissybar over it higher like the Empire State Building."
In the early 80s, Wes purchased the bike from Greasy and wanted to turn it into a much more road worthy motorbike, so he set about changing things and gathering components to accomplish this goal.
The old motor cases are standard, reinforced employing a major re-weld in proper spots to hold things intact. It sports a 61'' base end connected to a 74" top end with low-compression pistons. The refurbished engine gets gas through an older Mikuni carburetor.
The luggage bags and windshield are genuine H-D items from the 80s. Wes says these come in handy; too, as he rides this motorbike most of the time. As of this writing, the bike's bottom end has burned 130,000 miles, and it is even now looking good.
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