On any given Friday or Saturday night way back in the 60s you would drive around practically any area in America and you would probably find a classic Harley like this left at the front of a bar or tavern.
Odds are, too, that the Harley Davidson shines beneath the beam of street lights or neon lights that illuminated the streets. These motorcycles were good, straightforward, vintage machines, too, that although not fully stock, carried a liberal dose of genuine Harley Davidson parts.
A lot of these motorcycles were modified over time and were dressed with more modern components, all in the name of maintaining the bike updated right up until such time as sufficient cash has been saved to get a new motorbike. Saddle posts were bashed straight back to make room for more recent motors. Following the renovation fad hit in the 90s, most of these bikes were returned to factory configurations or gave up their parts to a more ambitious renovation undertaking. The ones that remained, we called them "ham and eggs bikes" due to their mixed parts.
Like older choppers and custom bikes from an earlier time, only a few still exist, and people who do signify that can-do approach and mindset that reminds us of our traditions and our nation's success as of yet. In the 1970s, I took off with my mom's station wagon to Kentucky from our home in New York to buy a 1948 FL wearing 1954 sheet metal as well as a Glide on the front. I was so in love with 1948 Fls and afraid that I would never get a fully stock one that I purchased it without even looking at it in close detail. Soon I realized that it was an EL originally equipped with a 61' V-twin.
This particular bike is owned by Wes Hogue of Gentry, Arkansas. The bike began life being a police force bike that worked with the Manila (Philippines) Police Department. The EL was part of Harley-Davidson's foreign trade batch that produced overseas sales and profits during that time. The motorbike was in service from 1948 right until 1970 when it was discontinued and was left permanently in the police force's bone yard. A few years later, sometime in 1974, "Greasy" Collins, a sergeant in the US Marine Corps positioned in the Philippines, was in search of some liquid refreshment when he went in a Manila bar to buy one.
From where he was sitting, there was a nice peak to the rear door. What he spotted was a Panhead sitting in the police department's bone yard. He asked if someone knew anything about the old Harley Davidson; and then he was forwarded to speak with the local gendarme. A deal was arranged for the motorcycle, and he had it shipped home to his shop for a reconstruction. Immediately after examining the motorbike Arlen determined that merely the motor, transmission; backside rim, and front were functional; all of the other corroded parts were discarded. Arlen began with a new body as the basis for the motorbike, and the build grew from there. The brand new bike also featured a Sportster fuel tank, custom oil tank, a signature Ness color coats, and plenty of attitude. Wes also explained that Greasy's bike "included a sissybar over it taller than the Empire State Building."
Around 1984, Wes acquired the bike from Greasy and planned to make it a more road worthy bike, so he started altering things and gathering parts to achieve that goal.
The earlier motor unit cases are standard, reinforced with a big welding in strategic spots to keep stuff intact. It sports a 61'' base end mated to a 74" top end with low-compression pistons. The refurbished motor sips gas through an older Mikuni carburetor.
The luggage bags and windshield are genuine H-D items from the 80s. Wes says these come in handy; too, as he rides this motorbike most of the time. As of this writing, the bike's bottom end has burned 130,000 miles, and it is even now looking good.
Odds are, too, that the Harley Davidson shines beneath the beam of street lights or neon lights that illuminated the streets. These motorcycles were good, straightforward, vintage machines, too, that although not fully stock, carried a liberal dose of genuine Harley Davidson parts.
A lot of these motorcycles were modified over time and were dressed with more modern components, all in the name of maintaining the bike updated right up until such time as sufficient cash has been saved to get a new motorbike. Saddle posts were bashed straight back to make room for more recent motors. Following the renovation fad hit in the 90s, most of these bikes were returned to factory configurations or gave up their parts to a more ambitious renovation undertaking. The ones that remained, we called them "ham and eggs bikes" due to their mixed parts.
Like older choppers and custom bikes from an earlier time, only a few still exist, and people who do signify that can-do approach and mindset that reminds us of our traditions and our nation's success as of yet. In the 1970s, I took off with my mom's station wagon to Kentucky from our home in New York to buy a 1948 FL wearing 1954 sheet metal as well as a Glide on the front. I was so in love with 1948 Fls and afraid that I would never get a fully stock one that I purchased it without even looking at it in close detail. Soon I realized that it was an EL originally equipped with a 61' V-twin.
This particular bike is owned by Wes Hogue of Gentry, Arkansas. The bike began life being a police force bike that worked with the Manila (Philippines) Police Department. The EL was part of Harley-Davidson's foreign trade batch that produced overseas sales and profits during that time. The motorbike was in service from 1948 right until 1970 when it was discontinued and was left permanently in the police force's bone yard. A few years later, sometime in 1974, "Greasy" Collins, a sergeant in the US Marine Corps positioned in the Philippines, was in search of some liquid refreshment when he went in a Manila bar to buy one.
From where he was sitting, there was a nice peak to the rear door. What he spotted was a Panhead sitting in the police department's bone yard. He asked if someone knew anything about the old Harley Davidson; and then he was forwarded to speak with the local gendarme. A deal was arranged for the motorcycle, and he had it shipped home to his shop for a reconstruction. Immediately after examining the motorbike Arlen determined that merely the motor, transmission; backside rim, and front were functional; all of the other corroded parts were discarded. Arlen began with a new body as the basis for the motorbike, and the build grew from there. The brand new bike also featured a Sportster fuel tank, custom oil tank, a signature Ness color coats, and plenty of attitude. Wes also explained that Greasy's bike "included a sissybar over it taller than the Empire State Building."
Around 1984, Wes acquired the bike from Greasy and planned to make it a more road worthy bike, so he started altering things and gathering parts to achieve that goal.
The earlier motor unit cases are standard, reinforced with a big welding in strategic spots to keep stuff intact. It sports a 61'' base end mated to a 74" top end with low-compression pistons. The refurbished motor sips gas through an older Mikuni carburetor.
The luggage bags and windshield are genuine H-D items from the 80s. Wes says these come in handy; too, as he rides this motorbike most of the time. As of this writing, the bike's bottom end has burned 130,000 miles, and it is even now looking good.
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