Cool Collections of Harley-Davidson Memorabilia and More
Collection is bound to provide a few hours of browsing pleasure.
Reference Location
From old bikes to Harley-Davidson ephemera, the Vintage American Motorcycles website is a rich repository of images. The brief description states, “Welcome to VAM. Hopefully this will be a reference location to educate builders, enthusiasts, and collectors with accurate descriptions of historic motorcycles.” If nothing else, it is bound to provide at least a few hours of browsing pleasure.
Candid Glimpse
Presented in a gallery format, the site is organized chronologically, from early antiques to late models. There are almost 1000 images of various sizes and quality available for browsing. While it is possible to source some of the images elsewhere, VAM brings them together for easy viewing. Notably, many of the images are candid shots, providing a neat glimpse of yesteryear.
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Rider Service
Following the early to late model listings, there are sections on police and military motorcycles. For the most part, background information is not supplied with historical images. The collection follows the adage, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” This is definitely the case for the young, would-be rider above, enjoying the benefits of police-community service.
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Victory Nickname
Pictured in the Competition Motorcycles section is a rather glum-looking Lawrence Ray Weishaar and his pet pig. Born September 9, 1890, in Oklahoma, Weishaar was a Class A Racing Champion in the 1910s and 1920s and part of the Harley-Davidson 'Wrecking Crew.' Well-known for carrying his pig around on victory laps, he is credited as the originator of the Harley-Davidson's 'hog' nickname.
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Singing Motors
There are only a few images in the gallery labeled Motorcycle Celebrities, but this picture stands out. Dating back to August 11, 1920, possibly from a magazine entitled 'MotorCycling and Bicycling,' is a shot of the Harley-Davidson Field Quartet. Not a musical group, but a foursome who “confine their activities to arighting dealers' service kinks and let the motors do the singing.”
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Mundane Material
Some of the more captivating sections contain photographs of original paperwork and typed letters. These include the Harley-Davidson Letterhead, Dealer Letterhead and Factory Order Blanks galleries. The letters deal with mundane items from warranty repairs to direct promotional material. Based on the yellow order blank above, the City of Joliet purchased a new police-equipped Servi-Car in 1941.
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Ultimate Stormer
The scans of sales material are a real time-warp. The 1971 Super Glide FX is featured on a four page brochure. Promoted as “Big-inch power,” the description does not hold back in the least stating, “This is the look of the ultimate superbike.” The FX's 1200cc motor is also described as the “Same time-honored stormer as [the] Electra Glide.”
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Gallery Check
Other sections include swap meet and bike show images from site owner Chris Haynes. There is also a comprehensive section called Case Numbers, intended to help others spot suspect numbers. From useful information to candid and historical images, there is a little bit of everything at the Vintage American Motorcycles gallery. Be sure to take some time and check it out here.
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