Hey folks,

A quick question to ask you all for some input. I am active duty and have done my 20 years of service overseas. I have a couple more years left on my assignment in Japan and will be returning home. I am looking forward to coming back although I have spent my career overseas so a part me feels as if I am going to have to go through some culture shock even though it is my own country. Anyways...I have always ridden since I was six years old and being overseas hasn't stopped me...just one more hassle as I packed up my house and moved off some place else every four years. I own a Triumph and a Harley; I love both the P and the V twin to death. To me I have the best of both worlds. I have the wife talked into it but my last bike to go into the shed when I return home will be something from the vintage side of the house. I would LOVE to have a HD from the WWII era but I have a minor heartache each time I see the prices on these bikes...and this is including the bikes that need to be worked on. They certainly are not the cheapest of bikes to go for. My question in all of us though is if I am seeing the "real" prices as all my sourcing is strictly limited to the internet? Is the internet a good indication of what I am looking to spend on a vintage HD or is there a difference in the market once I get hunting around once I am at home? I have to be honest...if it is a true representation of the price then I might have to "settle" for a vintage Norton or BSA but my first choice would be a HD from 1940-1950. Any advice out there that you care to share? Thanks for the help.

 

unfortunatly no advice here, i do however have a passion for the vintage HD's. all i can say is good luck and keep your eyes open' the show up in the strangest places sometimes.

 

I hear you man. Probably like everything else in the vintage world...a little patience and a little discipline will go a long, long way. How nice would it be to take this '47 Knucklehead out for a sunny Sunday ride??!! Throw my son on the bike and head on down to get a ice cream...life doesn't get any better.

 

OK, that is an incredible Knucklehead. Perfect, unmolested bikes like that do bring a premium. I spend lot's of time looking..............local, ebay, etc. The stuff I see that is way up there is perfectly restored bikes, I'm wanting to find something I can ride, not just park at shows. There are fewer of these around, usually 2 bikes put together. '51 Panhead in a later frame for example. Not that this is a crime. Most people admiring really don't know much anyway except Harley history nuts. I've spent a bit of time in the classic car & hot rod arena and it's kinda like that. '63 Chev pickup with a different engine and trans, killer paint, but the bones are original. People still like it even if it's not "perfectly original".

I'd like to go back to Wisconsin to see my wife's folks, pick up an old Pannie, ride to Sturgis, kick around, then head on home the long way back to Oregon.

I'll subscribe to this thread for now and later, (gotta get to work), will get you a site I go to alot for looking at classic HD's. Vast array of bikes for sale all over. Don't know your budget but I've found a few nice oldies for what I feel would be reasonable...

Old Triumphs...........Ain't nothin wrong with that!!!

 

If you're looking for a primo Knuckle or a wishbone Pan you're going to pay top dollar regardless of condition. Prices are a little less than they were before the crunch, but these things tend to belong to more financially secure individuals, or people that would sleep under a tree before they would sell the bike.

If you are really looking to get into '40s biking at a lower price consider a 45 WL. They are 1/2 to 1/3 the price of the big twins and all parts are still available. In fact there are a lot more NOS OEM parts for these bikes (mostly Army surplus) than there are for any other old bikes.

 

I have considered the WL and the bike by no means need to be all flash. Finding an Army surplus HD certainly would be on my list.

 

caimag.com, lot's of good knowledgeable folks over there can help you. It's a classic HD forum.

 

Remember whether motorcycle, car, or any other collectable the asking price is what they dream to get, many times people will take less.

The people that have an old bike laying around if they fall on hard times they still don't have to sell then because there is no loan on them. Usually they sell it because they were going to fix it up but never could afford to or have had it for so long they just rather have the money to buy something else. So usually they will not be willing to take an offer all that fast. You need to let them sit and decide to sell it.

Then there just are greedy people. They don't need the money and because they heard a bike sold some where for crazy money that their bike has to be worth that or even more so they hold out for an unreasonable amount.

If you have ever watched "Pawn Stars" on TV. The customer says one like mine just sold for $5,000. The store owner say's then go find someone to pay that for yours. The thing an objects worth is only what they can find someone to pay for it. Those people sell it to the pawn store for $2,500 because they can't find someone to pay them $5,000.

Just because people list it for a high price does not mean they will find a buyer. Just be patient, the more you look the more opportunities to find bikes to buy will appear.

The thing is magazines as Hemmings, and Walnecks rarely will have bargins. It's like the number one rule never buy a used bike from a dealer unless you want to paid way over top dollar.

 

Luxer, first do not get hung up on looks. The 47 knuck in your post is NOT restored and has a lot of incorrect stuff going on (chrome that should be paint, paint that should be parkerized or cad finish, modern tires with whitewalls just for starters).

Knuckles in general have not felt the recession as have most other HD models. Probably has a lot to do with the fact that they only had an 11 year run. 36 and 47 year model cost are outrageous.

WLA models are not as expensive and as long as you are not concerned about originality you can still get them at a decent price.

You might think about a pan just for the fact that you can still get then for under 10K and there ares till good deals to be found in the 5-7K market. Correctly restored pans can still fetch 15K plus even in this shitty economy.

The most over used term in the market now is "restored to original condition". More often than not Taiwan Ted parts have been used for key components (sheet metal being the most prevalent abuse).

If you are in the search for old iron, you need to buy a copy of Palmers guide to motorcycle restoration. It is the "bible' for flatties, knucks and pans for the 40-50s. If you find one, take someone with you who has a very good knowledge of the model you are going to look at. Last thing you need is to buy a bike only to have it taken by the police because something a basic as the vin# is all buggered up.

 

does anybody have old stock pans for sale
thanks