Dale's Blog
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The "MotorCops" Grand Opening |
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Tuesday, 30 September 2008 |
Well, the weekend finally came. After months of preparation and anticipation, Wheels Through Time's newest exhibit, "MotorCops: A 100 Year Love Affair Between Police and Motorcycles" opened last weekend to the delight of hundreds of visitors from over 30 states and 9 countries.
In mid-2006, we opened our feature exhibit "The Girls" in the main gallery of the museum. The exhibit highlighted the impact of Women in Motorcycling from the earliest days of American motorcycling to the mid-20th century, and gained acclaim throughout the motorcycle industry. But after a 2 year run, we decided it was time for a bit a of a change -- one last feature exhibit before the museum closes its operations in North Carolina and begins its relocation process.
Back in June, my son Matt had just gotten back from a trip to Illinois to visit his brother, and on his way back ran into a Illinois Highway Patrol motorcycle officer at a gas station. They got to talking about Illinois motorcycle officers, and how the State Highway Patrol had just reintroduced motorcycles as patrol vehicles this year after a 59 year absence. Matt came back bustling with ideas for a new exhibit at Wheels Through Time. He even had a name for the exhibit -- "MotorCops".
So after several months of planning, countless hours looking through old scrapbooks and photo albums, and hundreds of phone calls spreading the word, the museum held its Grand Opening for the exhibit this past weekend...and quite a weekend it turned out to be.
We spent most of the early days of last week setting up the exhibit, which would house hundreds of photographs, stories, memorabilia, and motorcycles from our countries two- and three-wheeled motor patrolling past. Pictures had been gathered from early motorcycle publications, scrapbooks, and friends. My friend, Steven Wright, author of two of the world's greatest motorcycle publications, "The American Motorcycle" and "American Racer", was kind enough to donate several photos that would serve as great historical centerpieces for the exhibit. Matt also found several great shots of early MotorCops in a family scrapbook from Hap Jameson, who worked for Harley-Davidson in their service school and military training programs in the 1920s, 30s, and 40s. Photos, patches, uniforms and other memorabilia were also donated by museum visitors that wanted their family artifact on display for the world to see.
Here at the museum, we had several machines perfect for the exhibit. Motorcycles representing the earliest days of Motorcycle patrol were gathered, including such machines as a 1909 Pierce and a 1910 Harley, which were chosen by officers for their ruggedness, reliability and overall presence. Mid-century machines such as a police model 1936 Harley-Davidson VLD, a 1954 H-D police servicar, and a 1957 Harley-Davidson Panhead police bike fit right in, and with a little gas and oil, all fired right up after a few years of hibernation. Matt also thought it would be a good idea to include a couple of non-patrol machines that were used by officers during their "off-time". Rhode Island Patrolman, Babe Tancrede's1939 Daytona winning Harley-Davidson WLDR and a recreation of West Covina, CA motor officer, Fred Ham's 24-hour endurance record-breaking 1937 Knucklehead provided a glimpse into the personal lives of motorcycle officers and the passion that drove them to fall in love with motorcycles.
The exhibit came together wonderfully, and the opening weekend, even better. We sent out invitations to officers, museum visitors, and long-time friends from around the country and had a great response. Overall, about 250 motorcycle officers made the trip to Maggie Valley to see a glimpse of their fellow officers patrolling past. Throughout the weekend, the museum entertained over 1800 visitors, most of which had caught wind of "MotorCops" through invitations, the website, and past visits.
The exhibit, which will run for sixty days, is getting better each day. Just yesterday, we several great pictures of the Georgia state highway motorcycle patrol setting up a roadblock in the early fifties. Fantastic stuff.
So if you get a chance, come on up to the museum to see the newest exhibit at Wheels Through Time: "MotorCops: A 100 Year Love Affair Between Police and the Motorcycle".
Hope to see you soon!
--Dale
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Building a Basket Case in One Day (Part 3) |
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Monday, 29 September 2008 |
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The Build
We rolled into Davenport about 6 o'clock on Wednesday. The parking lot was already filling up. We found our usual camping spot on the back-side of the racetrack and started to unload. After taking a few laps around the fairgrounds to catch up with old buddies, we headed back to the truck and trailer to prep a bit more for the build.
Since we had the frame finished by the time we left the Lipsky's house, we jumped in on a few other tasks that would help us prepare for Friday's build. Within a thirty minutes, we had the parts laid out -- things were looking pretty organized. Matt, Myron, and I sifted through parts again, making sure that everything was usable and correct. This bike was the real deal...it was all there and in darn good shape for sitting in a moist garage for 40-plus years.
 When Matt pulled over the motor...we hit our first hiccup. It was seized up and didn't appear to be moving any time soon. But a little kroil in the cylinders and a breaker bar would provide a quick fix for this situation, and within 10 minutes we had it spinning over freely. The transmission was working well -- a three speed with reverse -- and after a quick dinner on the grill, we got inspired and started to mock the bike up just to make sure. We fit the motor and transmission into the frame, put on the rust red gas tanks, and all of the sudden, we had the beginnings of a genuine 1946 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead on our hands -- and everything fit perfectly.
Thursday morning we got up and hit the swapmeet. Matt and I rumbled around looking for a few missing pieces and met up with a few friends that would be helping with the build. Buddies Matt Olsen, Dave Monehan, Brian Haenline and Steve Brewsky were ready to get started. The plan was simple -- meet at 10 a.m. ready to get your hands dirty.
Friday morning the build was on. We loaded up all the parts in the Gouldcar and headed to the Tech Seminar Building. As we unloaded piece by piece, the crowd began to gather, anxious to see how this beauty turned out.
With a great team assembled, we were able to divide up tasks to make things go a bit quicker. Brian and Steve jumped in on assembling the fork, and my son Matt and Matt Olsen installed the motor and transmission, and Dave and I quickly had the clutch, primary chain and motor sprocket. This thing was shaping up fast. By the time Brian had the fork on, the crowd was eagerly cheering us on. A few folks even lended a quick hand, throwing us parts as fast we could bolt them on.
 We bolted on the fenders and gas tanks -- all in all a great set of sheet metal -- no rust in the gas tanks...the fenders were a bit rusty, but straight as an arrow. The brakes, which were still assembled went on next, and then the wheels. We all got a good laugh when we found out that they actually held air. This was quite a relief to my son Matt, since he's the designated "tire-changer" around the shop. Its funny how it works....but when your good at changing tires, you end up changing a lot of them.
The '46 was nearing completion and the crowd was getting bigger by the minute. After a quick wiring job by Myron and Matt hooking up the fuel lines and exhaust, we had ignition and fuel and were ready to crank here up.
I hopped on the bike, and gave it a few kicks to prime. I turned on the ignition and gave it a couple of kicks. It popped once and then didn't make a sound. Matt gave it a try, but to no avail. It was beginning to look pretty bleek. The bike looked great...but only seemed to be getting tougher to kick. Within 10 minutes and about 100 kicks, it finally froze up. We were all pretty dissappointed. Matt didn't want to give up, but after another half an hour, he threw in the towel too.
I guess it doesn't always work out. Depsite our best efforts, barring a major engine overhaul, this one was never going to run.
So when you have a lemon....what do you do? That's right, you make lemonade. Saturday morning, we rolled the bike out to the swapmeet and put a "For Sale" sign on her and within 20 minutes, it was gone. Not a terribly bad ending to a hard days work.
Next time, I guess I'll have to bring a spare engine.
--Dale 
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Assembling a Basket Case in One Day "Part 2" |
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Wednesday, 17 September 2008 |
Chuck Lipsky and My Old Stompin' Ground
We hopped in the truck with another predestination destination on the map -- Galesburg, Illinois.
When I was in high school and college, I became quite familiar with the Northern Illinois area. I'd get on my old chopper three-wheeler and cruise from town to town, in search of old parts. Back in the late 60s and early 70s, you could stop in to visit Harley dealerships in search of parts for these old bikes. Back then, they were anxious to get rid of them, and I was happy to take them. Over the years, I found many great treasures in that area, roaming from dealership to dealership, and meeting countless interesting folks along the way.
 One day back in 1972, I stopped in Galesburg, Illinois to check out the local Harley-Davidson Dealer, and ran into a guy on an old Harley JD. His name was Chuck Lipsky. Chuck was a local -- born and raised in Galesburg -- and was in his 50s when I met him. Immediately noticing his old bike, I struck up a conversation, and we quickly became friends.
Over the next several years, Chuck and I became good buddies, and I'd stop at his place from time to time when I was in the area. Chuck had been collecting bike and parts for decades, and had developed quite a knack for making his own as well. From early Indian parts to 30s, 40s, and 50s Harley parts, Chuck was into it all, and was happy to share his passion with a young guy like myself. He knew what kind of stuff I was into, and each time I'd come, he'd have a pile of parts laid out for me to pick from. I became somewhat of a regular, and through the years, we remained great friends.
Then about four years ago, Chuck passed away. It was a great loss for the antique motorcycle community. Chuck was very active in the Antique Motorcycle Club, and was popular amongst new and old members alike. He was a regular at all the meets and road runs, and when he passed, his presence was immediately missed.
We arrived at Chuck's old house where his son, Don, now lives. Don and I have known each other since Chuck and I became friends, and since his father's passing, we speak on the phone often. He makes sure to tell me to stop by on my way through the area each time I come, and this time was no different. As we arrived at Don's house, he greeted us to a cup of coffee and we made our way to his workshop.
 In the shop, Don had all of the parts that Chuck had collected over his years in the antique motorcycle world. As Don and I had talked about the 46 Knucklehead build on Friday at Davenport, Don had set asided a several parts that might be of use. We rooted through box after box, finding several integral pieces for the build, and countless other parts needed for projects at the museum.
After about an hour and a half, we'd got what we needed for the build and started a bit of prep-work on the '46 Harley. The frame was in rough shape, and over the next hour, we would take all of the steps to get it ready for the build. It was one heck of a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it. We tapped out all of the bolt holes, put in the neck bearing cups, reemed the brake crossover shaft, and even cleaned up the threads on the fork stem to make Friday's assembly a little quicker and easier. By the time we were done, the frame was ready to go.
We loaded everything back into the truck, said our good-byes, and headed out for the last leg of our trip. We had everything we needed to make this build a good one. Davenport here we come.
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Assembling a "basket-case" in one day "Part 1" |
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Wednesday, 10 September 2008 |
Getting There
 About a month ago, I met a museum visitor named Pat. Pat and I had talked about his dads old 1946 Harley, and discussed the possiblities of him selling it. I expressed interest, and a few weeks after his visit, he gave me a call. After agreeing on a deal, I realized that Pat lived in Bloomington, IL, which was right on the way to the Davenport Swapmeet. That got me thinking -- what a great project for a friday at the meet.
Without seeing the bike at all, we headed to Bloomington. We even left a couple hours early to make sure we'd get to the meet on time. We pulled up to Pats at about 7:30 a.m. after driving right through and Pat was out walking his dog, ready for visitors. After a hot cup of coffee, Pat showed us to the garage and began to tell us the story of the bike.
His dad bought the bike in 1963. His dad wanted a Knucklehead for some years, and when this one came along, he took advantage of the opportunity. But there was only one catch, he bought the bike taken apart. Plenty confident in his abilities, his dad knew that rebuilding the bike would be no problem. Well, one thing led to another, and he would post-pone his plans to restore it. Since he never got to the project, the bike had been laying in pieces in the garage for 45 years.
When we opened up the garage door, I knew we had something special. The bike was a '46 Knucklehead, a seventy-four incher, in original red paint with red saddle bags. A beauty, but in parts. I began to take a closer look -- the frame looked great...a little rusty, but pretty darn straight. The forks looked good as well. And the fenders and tanks weren't dented up a bit -- and you know how hard it is to find good sheet metal for these old bikes. This was turning out to be a pretty nice bike.
 I dug in further and found that almost each and every piece, was laid out and sorted just as it had been taken apart more than 40 years ago. The motorsprocket, nut, and primary chain were still sitting in the primary cover still soaked in grease. The transmission and clutch were sorted, clutch plates cleaned and all. The fenders even had most of the hardware still in place. It looked like almost every part was there.
I made my way over to the motor and transmission and it seemed like everything was in pretty good shape. The motor wouldn't turn, but looking at the overall condition of the bike, I figured we could free it up with a little elbow grease at the meet. The transmission was a bit tight too, but we quickly took the top off and found that everything looked pretty good. A little Kroil and the problem would go away.
We loaded the bike up, box by box, into the already too full trailer. I was becoming more and more confident this build was going to go well. We said our goodbyes and we were back on our mission.
Next stop -- Galesburg, IL to see my old friend Don Lipsky.
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Back From Davenport |
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Friday, 05 September 2008 |
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 Wow.....what a week. We just got back from the Antique Motorcycle Club of America's national meet in Davenport, Iowa and I'm here to tell you it was one heck of a time. Davenport is a must for us every year, and we'd all been looking forward to this one for quite some time.
We left Maggie Valley last Tuesdaynight, August 26th and headed north. Leaving at night has its advantages...no traffic and an early Wednesday arrival time. All in all, the ride up was great. We made a couple of stops along the way -- one in Bloomington, IL to pick up an old '46 Knucklehead basket-case (which I'll tell you about in my next blog) and one in Galesburg, IL. Galesburg was home to my long-time friend Chuck Lipsky, who passed away just over four years ago. Chuck was a big antique motorcycle nut, and collected bikes of all kinds. He collected new old stock parts by the dozens, and even tooled up to make a few reproductions of hard to find parts over the years. Chuck's son invited me up to look over some of his dads parts, and of-course, I obliged. We spent several hours at his place, and eventually made a deal on a small pile of parts that I was needing for projects around the museum. A pretty good start to a swap meet weekend. We left Chuck's son's house and only had about another hour to go. When we arrived, the parking lot was already filling up. We made our way to our usual camp spot, and immediately started catching up with old friends.  Thursday morning, the fun began. It was a bit rainy, which usually isn't good for swap meet business. This time, it didn't matter -- Davenport doesn't come around every weekend. Matt and I ran around in search of parts we need (and ones we don't need), and found countless goodies for the museum. There were all types of great bits and pieces this year. One of my favorite finds was the early teens motorcycle lift I got from an old buddy. I also picked up my 1921 Harley-Davidson 8-valve motor, which my friend Mike Lange had been working on for quite some time.
Friday was a blast as well. We woke up with a big project on our hands -- assembling the 1946 Knucklehead basket-case for the Friday afternoon tech seminar. With about 10 buddies jumping in on the project, and a pile of extra and replacement parts gathered the day before, we knocked it out in about 3 and a half hours. I'll be sure to fill you in on all the details in my next post. Friday night we hit the races. I brought up the old 1924 H-D FH boardtracker to compete. Matt and I got the bike dialed in, and before I knew it, I was out on the track. This time, it fired right up and ran great. I was pretty darn happy with sixth out of nine places. I'm just out there to have fun. We woke up Saturday with motorcycles on our mind, and before 8:00 we were knee deep in parts again. Matt found several pieces for projects at hand, and turned me on to a few deals around the meet. He found a perfect large-port Knuckle-head I've been needing for months, and an awesome bobbed rear fender for the next WTT bobber. By one o'clock, we were at the field games. I gave it a heck of a shot, but Matt ran away with the trophy for the 3rd year in a row. Sometimes I wonder how he got so good......then I remember. ;-) On Sunday morning, we packed back up and said goodbye to a few friends before hitting the road. Stopped by my friend Tom Faber's booth, which is a Sunday ritual at every meet. I also ran into my old buddy Barry, and ended up making my final purchase of the weekend -- a 1945 Harley 45" enduro bike. What a machine. The ride back was pretty smooth. I slept for 10 hours straight....and made sure to thank Myron for driving when we got back. Weekends like those really wear you out. But there some of the best times an old motorcycle buff can have. Talk to you next time, --Dale 
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Heading to Davenport |
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Saturday, 23 August 2008 |
Well, the date is drawing near for us to head out the Antique Motorcycle Club of America's biggest national meet in Davenport, Iowa. Commonly referred to as "The Big One", Davenport is one of my favorite places in the entire world. Where else can you go and see 20,000 people searching acres and acres of everything old motorcycles. This years meet will combine the swapmeet, Friday night races, field games, banquet, and bike show for a weekend of fun in the sun.
Over the years, I've found a lot of treasures at Davenport, from original paint boardtrack motorcycles to rare and hard to find parts for the many projects going on at the museum. I've always got an eye out for anything interesting. Last year, we picked up a Knucklehead midget racecar, a prototype Indian "Big Base" racer, and, of course, the Indian 4 Jack Pine sidecar racer. All three have been big hits at the museum.
This year, we've got a busy weekend planned. Aside from searching through 500 or so vendors for rare bits and pieces, we'll be participating in a host of other activities. For the first time, we'll be doing a tech seminar on Friday on the assembly of a "basket-case" knucklehead. It all started a few weeks ago when I got a call from an old buddy in Bloomington, IL. He mentioned that he had acquired from his dad a 1946 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead and was looking to sell it. But there was one problem. The bike had been apart for more than 50 years -- his dad took it apart in 1954 and never got around to rebuilding it. Thinking that this would be a great project for a group of old bikers to do on a Friday afternoon, we agreed on a deal and the rest is history. I'll be picking the bike up on the way to the meet. I've already gathered a pile of extra parts we might need for the rebuild....just in case. Its going to be a heck of project. We'll be making a video about this "rustoration" for our Time Machine Video Archives and should have it online within the next couple of weeks.
After the "rustoration", we'll be competing in the Friday night races on the 1924 Harley-Davidson FH boardtracker. This one is quite a bit quicker than the Thor I raced at Wauseon, so it ought to be quite a race. Each year, the Davenport vintage races draw hundreds of racers, competing on everything from Harley 125s to speedway bikes to boardtrackers. I hope to see you there.
Saturday, Matt and I will be competing in the field games. He's kicked my butt at the last two Davenport games, so this time, I'll be gunning for him. I'll be on the new 1936 Knucklehead we just completed and Matt will be on his new '38. The field games are one of the best parts of the weekend. Theres nothing like getting on a couple of old bikes and having fun.
I'll be sure to keep you updated on the rustoration, the races, field games and all of the other great times that happen at this years Davenport. If you happen to be attending, be sure to stop by and say hey.
--Dale
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Its Finally Here!!! |
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Sunday, 17 August 2008 |
 A few weeks back, I let you in on one of the rare machines that would be featured in our upcoming MotoCops -- a 1954 Harley-Davidson 50th Anniversary Police Servicar. I came across the bike at the AMCA National Meet in Wauseon, Ohio in late July and new it was something special. My good friend Hegel Campell found the bike in Wisconsin in rough shape, and after a rigorous 2 year restoration process, he had it finished just in time for Wauseon.
Keeping in mind our upcoming exhibit, I looked the bike over, admiring each and every one of its unique and rare features. Hegel has been restoring servicars for sometime now, and is reknowned for his fantastic work. He's been collecting parts and accessories for these machines for about 20 years, and each bike he finishes is of the highest quality and made up of countless impossible-to-find parts. Hegel and I got to talking at the meet, and both decided it would be a great addition to Wheels Through Time and would make a great feature piece for our MotorCops exhibit. Shortly after, we made a deal and agreed on a delivery date since we had a full load in the trailor on the ride home from the meet.
Well, the day finally came. Yesterday, Hegel drove down to Maggie Valley from Eastern Kentucky with the servicar ready to run. My son, Matt, met him at the museum shortly after we closed and got it put into place. I, unfortunately, was out of town until later that night, so I made the decision to wait until the morning to have a look.
 That decision lasted all of about 30 minutes. I pulled back in the driveway about 11:00p.m. and jumped out of the truck with one thing on my mind -- the servicar. Matt had the garage door open, waiting for me to get back. I could see it from across the lot. By the time I got to the door, I was basically running.
I've seen a lot of servicars in my time, but never one like this. Hegel brought together all of his rare parts for this one, from the Motorola Radio to the double headlight mount to the original fire extinguishers mounted on the handlebars and frame. Tire marker mounted to the windshield, rear wheel driven siren, and a windshield mounted spotlight to top it off. It even had the genuine Harley-Davidson issued notepad next to the right grip. What a machine.
This morning, Hegel and I caught up and continued to talk the bike over for an hour or two. He even agreed to bring his brother down for the opening of the exhibit. If you ever need work done on your servicar, he's your guy.
Keep an eye out for this machine in the MotorCops exhibit this fall. The exhibit opens on September 26th and will run through our closing date of November 30th. Its going to be one heck of an exhibit, filled with countless rare police machines and memorabilia, including one of the world's best police servicars.
Talk to you soon!
--Dale
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Update: Charlie's '36 |
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Monday, 11 August 2008 |
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A while back, I shared with you one of the current projects going on in the Wheels Through Time restoration shop -- Charlie's 1936 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead. When we last spoke, we'd made great progress on Charlie's '36, bringing a big pile of rare parts to the beginnings of one of Harley-Davidson's rarest machines.
I finished the motor a few months back, and after a 1936 transmission rebuild, we had the pile of parts looking like a real motorcycle. Motor and transmission were in the frame, clutch and primary chain were assembled, and the tanks and fenders, painted in gold and black, were temporarily bolted on. Since the last update, the bike has come together to near complete condition. My friend Myron and I have been working long hours on the machine, finessing each part into perfect placement.
 First step after John brought back the fenders and tanks was to bolt up both fenders to the chassis. I had the sheet metal worked on by my friend Larry Medwig who's quite and expert at making old fenders look brand new, so I knew that mounting them would be no problem. The rear fender went on without a problem, but when we started to mount the front fender, we ran into our first serious problem of the restoration -- the fork stem was bent. Since this machine has to be perfect, we did a bit of backing up. We disassembled the front end (which is always tricky when your working with fresh paint) and made the proper adjustments. After a few minutes, we had it bolted back on and working correctly.
After mounting both fenders, we made a few more big leaps. Using new old stock exhaust components, we got the pipes set up, with everything going together perfectly. I always consider this a big step, even if its just a psychological thing.
Next was to install the oil lines. This would normally not have gone so smoothly, but I happened to have a brand new old stock set of '36 Knucklehead one year only oil lines....and they went on like a glove. After we got everything sealed up, it was time to test my motor and transmission work -- fill it up with oil and see if it leaks. Its been full for about a week now, and hasn't leaked a drop.
With all of the main assemblies put together, Myron and I jumped in on many of the little tasks that must be done before a bike is finished -- speedometer, amp guage, oil switch, taillight, shifter linkage. We even got the front and rear brake dialed in so I can take her for a ride right when its finished. Myron took care of the horn, which is quite a tedious job, and managed to fit up the footboards without me noticing.
I think after one or two more good sessions in the shop, this bike will running with the best of them. I'll be sure to keep you updated on the progress and will let you know how it rides when its finished.
--Dale 
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My Friend Louis Gerencer |
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Wednesday, 06 August 2008 |
What a day at the museum. We started off to a busy morning with visitors coming in from all over the country, many of which were first time visitors. I jumped in with a group of about ten folks from Michigan, showing them many of the highlights of the collection, and of course starting a few of my favorite machines every time I got the chance.
As we rounded the corner by the board track racers, I got quite a surprise. Who was it....none other than my old buddy Louis Gerencer. Louis was a Harley-Davidson dealer in Elkhart, Indiana for many many years and has been around the block a time or two. He spent countless years conquering the hills in hundreds of hillclimbs around the country, and was quite the drag racer as well. I've even got a picture or two of Louis on a few of his hillclimbers going "over the top" on one wheel. Amazing.
Louis and I have been friends for years and years, and this was the first time we'd seen each other in at least a decade. He immediately hopped in on the tour, interjecting his comments, memories and experiences to everyone's delight. We toured around the hillclimb exhibit at the museum for what could have been hours or just a few minutes (I'll never know), sharing stories about early racers and several of the machines housed at the museum. Its just so happened that Louis knew almost every bike on the hill, and the racers that rode them to years of success.
We even got a couple of bikes out to ride. I pulled out the old 1920 W-Model sport solo, Harley's first opposed cylinder deviation from the famous V-twin. Louis hopped right on and rode the bike around the parking lot for a couple of minutes, taking to the machine like he had just ridden it yesterday. I fired up the '47 Knuck that Matt, Myron, and I just finished and did a few burnouts for our visitors. All in all, it was a fantastic day. Its folks like Louis who got me into motorcycles, and having the chance to catch up with him after so many years was quite a thrill.
So next time you're at the museum, keep an eye out. You never know who's going to stop in for a visit!
--Dale
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Harley-Davidson Artifacts |
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Sunday, 03 August 2008 |
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 Here at the museum, we've got an ever-growing collection of rare artifacts from the Harley-Davidson Motor Company. Over the past forty years, I've come across some of the most interesting peices and continue to search far and wide for historical memorabilia from the early days of American motorcycling. From photos, to old oil cans, to factory literature and promotional materials, I'm always keeping an eye out for great pieces that will add to the overall experience at Wheels Through Time.
One of my favorite peices in the museum sits right in the showcase in the museum's front foyer. Its a roladex of paint chips from the Harley factory. Now before I get to in depth, I'll share a bit of history as to Harley-Davidson paintwork.
Back in the early days, the Harley-Davidson motorcycle was known as the "Silent Grey Fellow". This name was given, I believe, for two reasons. First, the "silent": Harley-Davidson motorcycles were renowned for their quite nature. The machines featured single cylinder motor, with an "atmospheric" combustion chamber -- the intake valve was opened via a pushrod, and the exhaust was opened via suction. This proved to be a somewhat docile motor, and was quieter than the side-valve or "I over E" design used by countless other companies. These machines were also equipped with an exhaust cutout, which would allow the rider to close the exhaust for quite running. "Why?" you ask. Because it was the polite thing to do. Many folks back then still used horses as their means of transporation, and such a cut-out would allow motorcyclists to pass without spoking the horses. A little known fact, but indeed true. As for the "Grey" in Silent Grey Fellow -- you guessed it....they were Grey. Actually from 1906 through 1915, the only colors that Harley offered were Grey and....Grey.
 In 1916, Harley-Davidson changed it up. Optioning out of the "old-style" Grey Fellow paint scheme, the H-D Motor Company went a new route, painting each of their machines, from factory racers to road models, green. It wasn't until 1932, that the tides would change again.
1932 brought new light into the eyes of Harley-Davidson customers. Although the well-known green from the past 15 or so years was still an option, the Motor Company introduced color options for their new models, and by 1933, the old green was a thing of the past. Offering colors such as Mandarin Red, Sunshine Blue, and Orlando Orange, the company began to let customers "individualize" their machines with different colors. And by 1936, the motor company was encouraging dealers to have their customers order custom colors.
The paint roladex at the museum is made up of just that -- custom colors and color schemes from the Harley-Davidson Motor Companies Juneau Avenue Paint Department from the 1930s and 40s. Incredible stuff. Theres at least 25 or 30 different color combos, showing the primary color, secondary color, and different stripe options. And these are no ordinary paint schemes -- orange, red and silver; Green, red and gold; Yellow orange and green. We're actually doing a 1936 H-D Knucklehead with one of the custom colors right now -- Gold and Black with a red stripe -- and its almost finished. I'll be sure to post a picture when its done.
So next time you're visiting the museum, be sure to check out the Custom Color Roladex in the big showcase up front. Its quite a piece of history, and it still gets used to this day.
-- Dale
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