The Art of the Engine #3 & 4, Grime Time

It's been a long time since I last did an Art of the Engine post, so here's two old crusty nuggets.

A recent non running barn find. 1948 UL in a '51 frame.


A 1938 Knucklehead Bob Job at Born-Free 3. It features many chromed parts including the forks, which leads one to think it was a real pretty bike back when it was first bobbed.... It's still a beauty in my book.

I actually prefer old bikes with their "earned patina" over ones that have been freshly restored. At most gatherings, bikes like these usually get more onlookers than clean fresh bikes, but many still don't get it and hastily erase all the signs of time and originality. The guys that get my goat, are the ones that take real nice original bikes, and repaint and re-plate them just because they ain't perfect. Keep in mind, any old pile can be re-plated or painted but an old motorcycle or part is only original once!

Remember When...

..you were different, a rebel, or thought it was cool to wear a Harley shirt?

From the Pre-Evo era. I bought this one at the Orange County M/C swap meet around 1979-80.


A friend of mine (not pictured) had this one. This design was being sold around the same time as the one above. In case you can't make it out, it's a big Harley tattooed arm squeezing three little cartoon (and not very flattering), Japanese dudes. Their hats read, Honda, Suzuki, and the other either said Yamaha or Kawasaki ? (from the Harley Porn photo page)


I thought this one was funny and wore it until it was a tattered rag. I believe it's dated 1988. Acid wash and graphics certainly date it.

I'm sad to say, I pretty much stopped wearing factory shirts about 10 or so years ago. It felt like it went from cool to bandwagon way before that. I just don't dig to be lumped in with the stereotype image of today's Harley rider or how corporate or marketed it's all feels. Most of the new shirt's designs aren't my style to boot.

Now don't go thinking I'm ALL anti the Factory or new bikes. Sometimes I cut them slack and sometimes I don't. Maybe it's just because "Nothing's Cool Anymore"!!

Noot's Dresser

Actually, he just thought I'd like this old school '67 dresser from Sturgis. The tail piece is outrageous and those lanterns really crack me up. It's cool to see these old land barges are still being ridden.

Blog Blahs

I've been slow posting. Once you start one of these dang blogs, you constantly feel obligated to keep posting new stuff all the time. Usually I have a bunch of stuff to post and feel like I'm holding back, but lately I just haven't felt like spending the time scanning, or photo editing, or writing. Maybe it's just August. It's the month of no holidays, nothing much happening and everyone goes on vacation before summer's over. I kind of hate just throwing photos up, but...

...For now, here's a groovy space filler. Retouched photo (removed photo insert), of the cover feature bike.... make that trike, from the Feb. 1972 Street Chopper.

I need to "snap out of it"!

Gunther's Knuck

A little while ago, Joe Hurst sent this shot of a buddy's Knucklehead from an old car/bike show.

Joe was a judge at the show and gave it First Place in it's class. When some others protested it was favoritism, Joe replied, "show me a nicer bike"!... they couldn't.

Looks cool, I'd like to see the whole bike. Dig the paint and the skinny matching seat.

Born-Free 3 #4 The last post

This will likely be the last full post I do on the show. Not to mention, by now, you've probably seen most of the same bikes over and over again.

I like old Triumphs the best when they tight and simple. That is not to say that it's simple to build a bike like this.


It's not hard to make a rigid look good, so I'm always interested to see how different guys handle a swing arm bike.


Hogan, who won the best bobber also owns this Panhead. I sort of have a problem with white frames... not the most practical color for and old Harley.


VL frames have made a comeback. Some make room for an overhead mill better than others. This is one of the better ones. Also, It appears the hard tail was replaced with a EL/FL rear section.


Josh resets the knuckle just before the winner is announced. I think he's doing a double take to make sure it ain't gonna fall off it's side stand. The guy with all the camera gear is the famous biker photog Michael Lichter.


One different way to set up a shovel. The rear seat doubles as an auxiliary fuel tank.


Shameless Self Promotion. A few goodies in my booth. I hand color (paint), black and white line art prints. The goal is to make and sell affordable one off original art.


This very cool 1938 knucklehead was runner up for the Best Bobber Award. It was a very tough decision between it and the Panhead I ultimately picked.


It wasn't just choppers. Todd had his own display full of antique bikes. This all original cop bike ran like a sewing machine.

I may post a individual shot of a particular bike here and there, other than that... That's all folks!

AEE's Big Twin Lives...

...well, sort of.

I thought I had read somewhere that it still existed.

Blog reader Stu, sent an email to let me know it's on freewh33ler.blogspot.com explaining that it's for sale on ebay right now. Item#170675591779. Note the outboard wheel is just placed here for the photo since it is both unbolted and inside out.


The replaced fork and front wheel assembly totally sucks and betrays Ed Newton's original elegant design. It originally showcased a narrow AEE Springer (which is how it looked the best). When AEE repainted it to this color scheme, they replaced the springer with a rigid girder style fork (not the current forks). You'd think that if anything would have been pirated, it would have been the engines.


Someone had the brilliant idea (NOT!), to modified the frame to accept a blower.


Besides the fact that they shouldn't have modified a classic show piece, the blower mod kind of ruins the effort of the reversed heads of the left side. The original intention was for the pipes and carbs to be a symmetrical mirror image of each side. The listing mistakenly states that machining of the flopped heads was done by Harley, it was actually performed by AEE's own machine shop. Good God, what happened to it's seats?!!


Note that it was licensed and tagged up to June 1980, meaning it was likely driven on the streets.


My vote would be to put it back to it's first incarnation's paint and forks.

I guess it's better that it has survived in this shape than not at all. Now all that is needed is for a rare individual who has the means and desire to rescue and restore it to it's former glory.

This Month's Header-Under The Influence

I did this drawing sometime in 1973 and you can clearly see the influence of the two bikes below.

Much of the general design was inspired from Joe Hurst's White Bear, but I used a Cone Motor instead of a Generator Shovel.

The bike from the center spread of Big Bike Magazine Sept. 1972 was the other source of influence. Borrowed from it were the rear fender, polished mags, rectangular headlight, pullbacks, and much of the style of the paint. It was also a South Bay bike but had more of a AEE Choppers look rather than the Dick Allen/Fats South Bay Style. The photo looks to be taken at the break water in King Harbor Redondo Beach, CA. with the Palos Verdes Peninsula in the background.