looking for Old-School ideas.
#21
01-17-2010, 03:32 AM
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Drill a small hole in the oil pan so it leaves a puddle...MoCo did not come up with a complete oil pump return system until 1965 (and not a good one at that), Prior to that part of your oil was pumped over to the primary chain. A size of a half-dollar when you parked let you know that your chain was getting the necessary lubrication.
Starting is sporadic...Well you do need a good leg and accurate timing. And if done properly three prime and one hot will start her every time.
Breakdowns are frequent...Just a bullsh*t myth. Haven't seen that. Been riding the same pan since '70 and been as far east as Kentucky.
You may get a bit of an authentic old school feel by not wrenching on the bike in your garage - grab a handful of tools, ride somewhere, pull over on the side of the road and work on it there...If you ride old iron and are serious and not a RUB, the first rule is that you always do a pre-ride inspection; if you don't, shame on you. Rigid frame, rigid mount leads to vibration no natter how well you balance the motor.
The above being said, not sure you can translate a 2010 into a cool looking retro model. Yeah companies offer such things as fake-looking pan head covers for evos and such, but it still looks fake. And there is no way to fake a rigid frame or a swing-arm shovel with struts.
As far as apparel you simply cannot fake 50 years of wear and tear on a denim vest or faded gloves that started out black and are part brown and worn smooth. And there is absolutely no way to fake KDs for eyewear.
So enjoy your new ride, keep it contemporary with the add-ons and if you get serious about an old bike, find one and before you go and look, have a friend you trust go with you that knows them so that you get the best deal at the best price.
Starting is sporadic...Well you do need a good leg and accurate timing. And if done properly three prime and one hot will start her every time.
Breakdowns are frequent...Just a bullsh*t myth. Haven't seen that. Been riding the same pan since '70 and been as far east as Kentucky.
You may get a bit of an authentic old school feel by not wrenching on the bike in your garage - grab a handful of tools, ride somewhere, pull over on the side of the road and work on it there...If you ride old iron and are serious and not a RUB, the first rule is that you always do a pre-ride inspection; if you don't, shame on you. Rigid frame, rigid mount leads to vibration no natter how well you balance the motor.
The above being said, not sure you can translate a 2010 into a cool looking retro model. Yeah companies offer such things as fake-looking pan head covers for evos and such, but it still looks fake. And there is no way to fake a rigid frame or a swing-arm shovel with struts.
As far as apparel you simply cannot fake 50 years of wear and tear on a denim vest or faded gloves that started out black and are part brown and worn smooth. And there is absolutely no way to fake KDs for eyewear.
So enjoy your new ride, keep it contemporary with the add-ons and if you get serious about an old bike, find one and before you go and look, have a friend you trust go with you that knows them so that you get the best deal at the best price.
Last edited by panz4ever; 01-17-2010 at 03:36 AM.
#22
01-17-2010, 06:05 AM
Drill a small hole in the oil pan so it leaves a puddle...MoCo did not come up with a complete oil pump return system until 1965 (and not a good one at that), Prior to that part of your oil was pumped over to the primary chain. A size of a half-dollar when you parked let you know that your chain was getting the necessary lubrication.
Starting is sporadic...Well you do need a good leg and accurate timing. And if done properly three prime and one hot will start her every time.
Breakdowns are frequent...Just a bullsh*t myth. Haven't seen that. Been riding the same pan since '70 and been as far east as Kentucky.
You may get a bit of an authentic old school feel by not wrenching on the bike in your garage - grab a handful of tools, ride somewhere, pull over on the side of the road and work on it there...If you ride old iron and are serious and not a RUB, the first rule is that you always do a pre-ride inspection; if you don't, shame on you. Rigid frame, rigid mount leads to vibration no natter how well you balance the motor.
The above being said, not sure you can translate a 2010 into a cool looking retro model. Yeah companies offer such things as fake-looking pan head covers for evos and such, but it still looks fake. And there is no way to fake a rigid frame or a swing-arm shovel with struts.
As far as apparel you simply cannot fake 50 years of wear and tear on a denim vest or faded gloves that started out black and are part brown and worn smooth. And there is absolutely no way to fake KDs for eyewear.
So enjoy your new ride, keep it contemporary with the add-ons and if you get serious about an old bike, find one and before you go and look, have a friend you trust go with you that knows them so that you get the best deal at the best price.
Starting is sporadic...Well you do need a good leg and accurate timing. And if done properly three prime and one hot will start her every time.
Breakdowns are frequent...Just a bullsh*t myth. Haven't seen that. Been riding the same pan since '70 and been as far east as Kentucky.
You may get a bit of an authentic old school feel by not wrenching on the bike in your garage - grab a handful of tools, ride somewhere, pull over on the side of the road and work on it there...If you ride old iron and are serious and not a RUB, the first rule is that you always do a pre-ride inspection; if you don't, shame on you. Rigid frame, rigid mount leads to vibration no natter how well you balance the motor.
The above being said, not sure you can translate a 2010 into a cool looking retro model. Yeah companies offer such things as fake-looking pan head covers for evos and such, but it still looks fake. And there is no way to fake a rigid frame or a swing-arm shovel with struts.
As far as apparel you simply cannot fake 50 years of wear and tear on a denim vest or faded gloves that started out black and are part brown and worn smooth. And there is absolutely no way to fake KDs for eyewear.
So enjoy your new ride, keep it contemporary with the add-ons and if you get serious about an old bike, find one and before you go and look, have a friend you trust go with you that knows them so that you get the best deal at the best price.
#23
01-17-2010, 06:27 AM
All that has changed is the number of Harleys on the road now,and all electric starters,no more kickers.There was no such thing as an Ultra,or SoftTail,certainly no VRods.Almost everybody wore leather,no space age materials.People? the ones I know are pretty much the same as they were then.It's all about being an individual.
#24
01-17-2010, 07:14 AM
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i was always facinated by the bikers in the 50's, 60's and 70's by the individual style that they displayed whether their bikes or clothing and wanted to pick your minds at what stood out in your minds of this period.. i have a 2010 Heritage, black, chrome and leather.. and i would like some ideas of add-ons for the bike or apparel.
Some guy needed a spare he couldn't get, either due to scarcity of spares or of money, and made do with whatever happened to solve the problem, possibly enhanched or chosen with some taste to look good on the bike.
#25
01-17-2010, 08:37 AM
Throw your warm clothes away, wear 2 pairs of jeans and stuff newspaper down the front of your jacket when it's cold.
#26
01-17-2010, 08:55 AM
You had that look who the hell are you wife was laughing she told you to go before you got in the car
#27
01-17-2010, 09:01 AM
Reading a few of the posts you know who the Old Schoolers are or at least lived the life.It was what it was,at that time it was all about being in the wind.
#28
01-17-2010, 12:56 PM
Talk about getting by with no money. I could not afford new pipes for my 1942 "45", so went to the hardware store and got some flex exhaust pipe and put on her. When the throw out brg. went out, I just stuffed washers in behind it to keep the throw where it needed to be. New way to adjust your clutch, just find the right thickness washer. Had to add one every so often to keep it in adjusment. Could not afford Harley oil, so used 90 wt. transmission lube. It ran fine on that. I was about 15 years old, and a sophmore in highschool at the time, in 1956. I was the original "Old School". LOL
#29
01-17-2010, 01:04 PM
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There was a time that duct tape and wire could fix (at least temporarily) anything on an old bike. Now you have to hook them up to a computer 
#30
01-17-2010, 01:21 PM
Grand HDF Member
Now that everyone in their 50's and 60's has waxed nostalgic; you could try goggle images..ie "1960 harley" and see what you see...could be lots of examples of period bikes and attire...then "1955 harley" etc etc...sure you could get lots of inspiration from that. I'm gonna be at Viva Las Vegas in April just to see some of that old cultural stuff with a modern twist...should be interesting...nothing newer than 1963 allowed in vehicles. Also, try antique or chopper or something like that on e-Bay; lots of old parts on there.