Vintage Harley experts...your opinion please...

[sunhuntin]

ive attached two pics to this thread, one i took, another i found on trademe. can you tell me if you think these two bikes are one and the same? they are both 1929, and im sure the bike on trademe is the same i bike i took photos of. the first photo is trademe, the second is mine.

the seller does have the license plate in their photos, but the mechanic pressed it against the wall so i couldnt read it, so that doesnt help. [smart mechainc though!]

much appreciated from those who have an opinion.

[crashe]

Link to the Trade Me pic please to check out what they are saying.


I have a "Concise history of Harley Davidson" book in front of me...
so I will have a look in that.


EDIT: The "Baby Harley" made in 1929 is a single cylinder...... and doesnt look like that bike.


But I have found a pic of a 1932 74 cu in model V, Olive green with vermillion striping. The 74 cu in machines had been pocket valve from 1922, side valve from 1930 to 1936.
This looks just like the two bikes pictured.

[sunhuntin]

the info checks out....just wondering whether the photos are of the same bike, not just two idenitcal bikes. have asked the seller if he had his bike at a certain mechanics...if he says yes, then ill know. but im too damn impatient. lmfao

heres the link the "D"

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/List...px?id=66411921

and the seller is also selling a sidecar set *drool* i want both

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/List...px?id=66411458

[T.W.R]

Whats the issue with it ?

It's a 29' 750 sidevalve twin which was it's 1st year of production. the pictures look like the same bike but the 1st pic isn't clear enough to spot identifying marks shown in the 2nd pic

[sunhuntin]

no issue....just nosey, lmfao.

it is the same bike. had another look at the seller photos....theres a black patch under the shifter, on the tank. in my photos, the bike i saw also has black under the shifter. to me, that says same bike. also, the other side has dents, same place as my photos show.

[T.W.R]

EDIT: The "Baby Harley" made in 1929 is a single cylinder...... and doesnt look like that bike.

that was a 493cc single sv motor introduced at the same time as the 750 v-twin

[Motu]

Dunlop K70 front tyre on both bikes....I reckon they are the same bike....or near enough not to matter.Pretty hard to restore 2 bikes that close,unless you specialised in those bikes.

[TLDV8]

All this talk of old Harley Davidson's reminds me of the time i was staying in a village and was asked if i wanted to see an old bike from the War.... ......... The bike of course was a side valve HD made in Japan in the 1930's.It was in remarkable condition considering it had been sitting under a banana tree for some 40 years at the time.

http://www3.plala.or.jp/takihome/bike.htm

[popelli]

bike is 1929

only year they fitted twin headlamps and also the vertical generator hence the nickname of the 3 cylinder harley

[sunhuntin]

ltd...never knew that!!

pop...the generator is the black thing under the shifter?

[TLDV8]

Although not wanting to push the thread off target.I believe the bike i saw was based on the bike in Sunhuntin's picture and the drawings were bought/obtained by the Japanese around 1932.... I think after the War it went on to be called something like the Ryukyu ? made in civilian trim until the 1950's,maybe 1960's.....fwiw

[sunhuntin]

nah, go push all you want, lol. i answered my own question, so do whatever you want with it, lmfao.

they do look similar eh? never read anything about japs producing authentic harleys.

[limbimtimwim]

That bike looks like fun. To ride and work on.

Pity they want $15K for it, but that is probably a good price.

Maybe I'd sell the RVF if they wanted $5K for it!

[sunhuntin]

agreed, id love one of those to ride...only in the summer though...would keep scuff for the winter months and for touring.
not long after i first got into bikes, i "found" and 1920 sitting in my main street. great bike, started first kick. had a slightly rounder tank i believe. never forgot, and never seen it since.