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Vintage, Antique, and Classic Motorcycles - Harley-Davidson
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My First Bike! I couldn't ask for anything more! It is a 'Real' 1950 Harley-Davidson WL. It holds a 1950 45" Flathead engine and 3 speed (no reverse!) solo trans. The slugs are 20 over and runs an H-D mag. It is jockey shifted and foot clutched with the original style heel-toe rocker clutch assembly. Currently running the original left side fuel tank but the right side oil tank is damaged and is serving cosmetic duty 'til winter. I am using a octagonal style frame mounted oil bag under the seat for now. No front brake! No front fender! But the chromed original front springer is there with the brake arm tab that will probably serve duty later on. To keep the story short, a friend of a friend of a friend worked for a recreational vehicles dealer in Northern Illinois and had always seen the bike in storage. For two years he never said anything. I bought a custom built 200 rear tire softail and really had no interest in the bike or its antiquity but knew I had wanted one to tinker with. The company started to clear their (now known!) repo shed out and decided it was time to dump the old hog off. My friend found out the deal, if there was a title, and how it was to be sold. I was there to pick it up the next day! All mine! Rusty pitted chrome, no purr from the engine, and tanks full of scale. Not to mention no air in the tires! But it was a real Harley on my trailer! This was in mid May of 2003. About two months later, consisting of a complete tear down to nothing but the frame and neck cups, reading, studying and polishing, I stuck the magneto in, checked the flywheel timing mark through the inspection hole, filled her with oil and armed myself with some starting fluid and a lot of hope! About five kicks later it coughed! About three more and I heard my first new heartbeat! The next week consisted of taking it out before work and futzin' with the little shiny linkert and tweakin' and turning the mag while driving for power! And here she is, 53 years old and just went to and from Milwaukee (It's only an hour away!) without a hiss! I couldn't have been happier on any other motorcycle than the one I brought back to life. It was a killer feeling to have swarms of people drawn to that little 45 at the stop signs along Water Street among all the other newer machines that were everywhere! Thanks for all the compliments. Happy 100th to all you other riders who rode through nights and days to get here and all of you other Harley lovers out there who have shared this feeling with me! Thanks! -- Justen Parello
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