Snag List - Headlight

Hi

Today I want to get the headlight to work.

I have found a wrongly connected wire in the toggle switch, which I have just swapped around.

But the light is not working. So, I'll investigate further.

Snag List - Horn Button

Morning

To resolve the problem with the horn button I had to buy a replacement horn button.

I've fitted the replacement horn button and it is now working.

Snag List - Adjusting the Gear Shift

Hi

On the cards for today is to adjust the gear shift linkage properly.

Last week and Saturday I wanted to take the bike for a spin around the block. After I started the engine, and while the bike was up on the rear stand, I engaged 1st gear and released the foot clutch. Everything was going fine at this point.

I then disengaged the clutch and - after a couple of attempts - got 2nd gear selected. Again, everything was hunky dory.

I then tried to engage 3rd gear, but just couldn't find the gear.

The issue is that the gear shift linkage has to be adjusted properly. I just didn't have the time to resolve this issue last week. But I want to do that today.

And hopefully I will be able to drive the bike around the block for the first time.

Snag List - Resolving the Carburettor Flooding

Morning

Last Saturday I resolved the issue that I had with the constant flooding of the carburettor - on a number of occasions the petrol started to run out of the carburettor when I opened the fuel shut-off valve.

Initially I thought that it was a problem with the needle and seat and I replaced the needle. When I tested the fitment of the needle (after replacing the needle), by sucking on the seat to see if the needle closes properly, it worked. But the problem reoccurred.

So...   I took off the carburettor and disassembled the carburettor bowl and took out the needle and seat. I then took an ear bud and installed the ear bud in my drill. Next, I put some metal polish on the ear bud and I ran the ear bud up and down the inside of the seat, until the seat was shiny. I also polished the needle in a similar fashion. I then used carburettor cleaner to clean the muck off the parts. This meant that the needle should not stick in the seat. I tested the needle and seat again and the needle did seal properly.

Snag List - Resolving the Wiring Short

Hi There!

I have been fairly busy and have not had time to provide some feedback on the restoration of the SAUDF 1941 Harley-Davidson WL.

I have encountered a couple of issues that I am trying to resolve, namely:

1. There was a short in the wiring and fuses kept popping when I switched the lights on;
2. The carburettor has been flooding;
3. The horn button has a short in it;
4. The brake light does not come on;
5. The front headlight does not come on either.

The Wiring Short Issue

There is (was) an issue with the wiring.  I used a 1946 wiring diagram for a 5 point switch (because my Harley has a 5 point switch) to wire the Harley.

Killarney Motor Show

Morning, morning

Yesterday I have exhibited my vintage Harley at the Killarney Motor Show.  There must have been in the region of 6,000 cars, motorcycles, tractors, military vehicles, etc. on display at the show.

I was supposed to display the Harley with the Cape Vintage Motorcycle Club in the pit area of the race track, but was waylaid at the entrance gate (I got there at about 7:00) and was told to rather display the Harley with the Military Vehicles.

Here is a photo of the display.

The exhibit actually drew a lot of attention during the day.  And I got roasted in the sun - I did not plan to spend most of the day in the sun, as the CVMC display was under cover. 

During the course of the day a couple of people wanted their photos taken on the Harley.  I have included a couple of photos of particular interest to me in this post:

• The one is a photo of someone wearing a SAUDF uniform as worn in South Africa during training and then in combat in Europe (South African soldiers were also involved in the Italy Campaign in 1944 and 1945);
• The other photo is of my soon-to-be Daughter-in-Law (they are getting married in January 2017). 

Note: The SAUDF uniform in North Africa was a desert Khaki colour and of a lighter material .

Update - 31 October 2016

Hi

Just a quick update:

• There is the vintage car and motorcycle show this coming Sunday at Killarney in Cape Town . 
• I have said that I will exhibit the 1941 Harley-Davidson at the show. 
• I don't want to just take the Harley to the show, as the rich military history of the Harley-Davidson's in the UDF will not come through . 
• Consequently I have prepared the wall hanging, so that I can also exhibit that along with the Harley. 
• There are a number of small issues that I have to fix before I can take the Harley for roadworthy. 

These issues are:

• Firstly , the primary cover was touching the primary chain and making an awful noise.  But I have managed to fix the problem . 
• The generator light does not go on. I'll try to resolve this issue on Saturday. 
• Then the wiring to the front does not work -maybe the cable got pinched? 

I'll try to resolve these issues over the next weekend or two. 

Harley-Davidson WL Restoration Wall Hanging

Hi

I have previously mentioned that I am busy with a man cave wall hanging for the vintage Harley.  This is what the wall hanging will look like - it is 1,200mm long and 650 mm wide and should be around 80 mm deep.

The left side of the wall hanging tells the story of the use of the 4,500 Harley-Davidson's used by the South African Union Defence Forces in the East Africa, Madagascar and North Africa Campaign of World War 2.

This is followed by the high-lights of the restoration process.

I then want to mount a number of the new old stock (NOS) part packaging in the area that does not have any photo's or text that will look something like this.
 

This morning I stopped at a print shop to have the A0 sheet printed and it came out beautifully!  I took a couple of pictures of what the end product should look like . 

She Runs!

Hi

We have started the Harley!

Switched On

Hi.

I've switched her on, but only the oil warning light comes on - not the generator light as well.

I suspect that I have a wire missing or incorrectly connected on the generator or the coil.

In addition, the horn went off. The good news is that the horn is actually working. The bad news is that the horn button is likely defective. 

But these small issues should be relatively easy to sort out next week. I just have something on just now and have to call it a day.

Petrol in Fuel Tank

Hi

I have also put some fuel into the fuel tank!

But when my wife went downstairs to the garage, she said that the garage smelled strongly of fuel. 

When I went downstairs, there was a pool of fuel below the motorcycle. I drained the fuel tank to prevent more fuel from spilling. 

But I have two issues here - firstly the fuel shut off valve is not closing properly and secondly the needle and seat is not closing properly. 

Again, these small issues can be resolved fairly quickly and easily. 

Battery Filled with Battery Acid

Hi.

The battery has also been filled with battery acid.

Gearbox Oil Filled

Hi.

I have also filled the gearbox with oil.

Filled the Oil Tank!

Hi

I have just put oil (SAE 40) in the oil tank - the first time in several years that she had any oil in the oil tank!

The oil is still very clear and it is difficult to see the oil level on the photo, but she is right on the mark! 

PS: The oil has been standing in the tank overnight and there doesn't seem to be an oil leak on any of the oil lines. 

Oil Pressure Sensor Fitted

Afternoon

I have also fitted the oil pressure sensor and can now fill the oil tank with oil.

This photo was taken with me lying flat on my back, from underneath the motorcycle. 

Fire Extinguisher Fitted

Afternoon

Today I have sandblasted and spray painted the fire extinguisher bracket and have fitted that.  Here is a photo of the bracket fitted to the motorcycle. 

Finished!

Hi

Finally! After about two years of hard work, I'm finished with the restoration work! This is what she looks like. 

Prepping, Painting and Fitting the Front Fender

Hi

I've previously done some work on the front fender (did a metal repair, panel beating, a bit of body putty repairs, removed rust, etc.) which meant that I had to take the front fender brace off. To prevent the fender from rusting, I have spray-painted the fender with a grey primer. 

Sources Used for Military History of the SAUDF's Harley-Davidson's

Hi

I have used the following sources to compile the information relating to the military history of the South African Union Defence Force's Harley-Davidson's:

“6 SA ARMOURED DIVISION IN ITALY” Scientia Militaria, South African Journal of Military Studies, Vol 4 Nr 2, 1974.  http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za;

“ARMOURED WARFARE - THE SOUTH AFRICAN EXPERIENCE IN EAST AFRICA, 1940-1941” by Evert Philippus Kleynhans - Thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Military Science (Military History) in the Faculty of Military Science, Stellenbosch University;

My Last To-Do List

Hi.

I'm nearly, nearly finished with the restoration of the Harley-Davidson WL.  Over the next 3 weekends I have to :

• Make a small adjustment to the exhaust pipe to ensure a proper fit of the rear cylinder exhaust port - completed;
• This will require that I touch up the spray painting of the exhaust - completed;
• Fit the exhaust - completed;
• Fit the two handlebar pinch bolts - another one bites the dust;
• Fit the 3rd headlight mounting bolt and nut - and another one gone;

Tanks and Seat Back On

Afternoon

I have managed to fit the tanks, as well as, all three oil lines. I must admit that I battled with the one oil line - the line must align perfectly with the connector otherwise the nut does not want to screw onto the connector. But I eventually managed to get the line fastened.

Oil Tank Rinsed

Hi

Doepie tells a story about a WL that he restored a while back, where the oil tank had about 3 inches of sand in the oil tank. He said that when he looked into the oil tank, the oil had cut a pathway through the sand to the oil pipe.

But what was more amazing was that when he opened up the motor, the entire inside of the motor was coated with sand. Despite all of the sand in the motor, the motor was actually running before he started with the restoration!

Because a large number of the WL's were used by the Union Defence Force of South Africa in the Western Sahara desert during WW2, they did pick up a lot of sand in the oil tanks.

I really don't want sand in the newly rebuilt motor and have rinsed the oil tank:
1. I started by pouring about 1/2 litre of thinners into the tank (obviously after blocking all of the outlets) and I then swirled the thinners around the tank. After about 2 minutes I poured the black gunk into an old container.
2. I repeated this process again, using thinners again.
3. I then switched to petrol and rinsed the tank again.
4. I repeated the process again, using petrol.
5. To prevent the tank from rusting I poured a bit of oil in the tank and swirled the oil around, which I poured out.

Next, I want to fit the oil and fuel tanks and connect all of the fuel and oil lines.

Spark Plugs Connected

Hi.

I've connected the spark plugs, using the old style copper connectors with cooling fins.

If you zoom in to the spark plug on the left you will notice that even the spark plugs are vintage original Harley-Davidson branded spark plugs. 

Distributor Control Cable Bracket

Hi.

The distributor control cable is used to retard the ignition timing to around top dead centre, to enable the rider to kick start the motor.

Once the motor is running, the rider can advance the ignition timing to the required degree before top dead centre.

Without this control it would be very difficult to kick start a 45 cubic inch (750 cc) motor.

The bracket just keeps the cable in the correct position.

Carb Support Bracket

Hi.

To fit the carburettor support bracket I had to take off the carburettor. There are just 3 screws to loosen.

I then fitted the carburettor support bracket to the carburettor. This bracket just keeps the weight of the carburettor off the 3 mounting screws.

The bracket rests on the engine block between the two sleeves - in the middle of the V.

Another job on the To-Do list completed. 

Cylinder Heads

By way of background - when the motor was rebuild I had the head nuts and bolts on order. This arrived after I got the rebuild motor back. Consequently Doepie only put two of the head nuts on. I've fitted the nuts just hand tight when I received the package. But they were not properly fastened. 

OK.  Here goes.  First off is the seat T-bar. 

What I want to do This Weekend

Morning.

I'm nearly, nearly finished with the restoration work on the vintage Harley. So. The plan for this weekend is to:
1. Remove the dashboard cover, both tanks and the seat T-bar so that I can remove the two cylinder heads.
2. Then I have to put copper gasket sealant on the one copper head gasket, put the head back on and torque the head bolts to the specified torque.
3. Do the same with the other cylinder head.
4. Fit the carburettor support bracket.
5. Fit the distributor control cable bracket.
6. I can then fit the tanks properly.
7. After that I can fit the various fuel and oil pipes.
8. Then the seat T-bar can be fitted properly.

Wish me all the best for this last push.

Tool Bag Fixed

Afternoon

When I bought the vintage Harley in November 2014, the motorcycle came with a rather beat up canvas bag that had some holes in it, the straps were ripped off and it was full of oil.

The canvas bag has a 1945 manufacturing date stamped on it.

I took this bag and asked Faik to fix the canvas bag for me. Which he did.

Front Tyre Fitted

Hi

This afternoon I had the front tyre fitted - I took some photos in the fitment centre. 

Front Wheel Respoked

Morning

Grant - the guy that is respoking the front wheel for me - called yesterday afternoon to say that he has finished the respoking of the front wheel. He was supposed to have the wheel respoked last week, but came down with a really bad bout of flu. He will deliver the wheel to me during the course of the day.

I have actually brought the tyre with me and I intend to stop at a motorcycle fitment centre on the way home to have the tyre fitted.

If all things go according to plan, I should be able to fit the front wheel this evening. But things have not been running to plan - Murphy has been rather active.

Rear Wheel Fitted

Good afternoon.

It was a busy weekend.

Yesterday I drove out to Doepie for some help to fix the speedo drive ring gear on the rear wheel - the gear was cracked straight through.

We have managed to fix the gear and he then heated the gear and dropped it on to the brake drum. As the gear was hot, it just slipped into place. To make sure that the gear doesn't slip, he clinked it at three points.

On the way back home, I stopped at a motorcycle fitment centre and had the rear tyre fitted. I also bought a good quality, sealed chain for the Harley. 

Back home, I started with the fitment of the rear wheel. I finished up this morning and then installed the chain.

With the chain fitted, I could adjust the chain tension and then adjusted the two rear wheel adjusters to properly align the wheel.

This allowed me to do the final adjustment to the rear drum brake. 

It is really looking great! Here is a photo.

Our 1st Show!

Hi

The Cape Vintage Motorcycle Club, in conjunction with the Cape Multi Motor Club, is planning to hold a Vintage Car & Bike Show at the Kilarney Race Track on the 6th November 2016.

 

I have indicated that I would like to participate by exhibiting the 1941 Harley-Davidson WL in SAUDF military colours at the show.

UDF (SA) Harley Davidson's in North Africa during 1940 to 1943 (Part 3) — and the destruction of a large number of the SAUDF Harley Davidson's

FROM SIDI REZEGH TO TOBRUK

Immediately after Sidi Rezegh and “The Sunday of the Dead” 

(See "UDF (SA) Harley Davidson's in North Africa during 1940 to 1943 (Part 2)").

After the destruction of the 5^th South African Brigade by the Panzerarmee Afrika on the 23^rd November, the 1^st South African Brigade had to retreat to Taib el Essem, where it beat off determined Axis attacks on 25 November.  On the same day, the brigade had to retreat further, but on 28 November again had to advance to support the New Zealand Division's attack on Sidi Rezegh.  After being further involved in heavy fighting between 30 November and 1 December the 1^st Brigade again had to retreat south to Taib el Esem.  On 20 December, they were sent back to Egypt to recuperate.

In the meantime the 2nd South African Division was detached to the 13th Corps and participated in the fighting at Bardia, Sollum, Cova and Halfaya.  The 3rd and 4th Brigades participated in the heavy fighting in the capture of Bardia on 2 January 1942.  A total of 7 775 prisoners of war were taken, while the South Africans lost 353 men.  On 12 January the 6th South African Brigade captured Sollum and on 17 January, the Axis forces at Halfaya surrendered.  During the operations at Bardia, Sollum, Cova and Halfaya, the 2nd South African Division lost 500 men, killed, wounded or taken prisoner of war.

The Expansion of the War to Include Japan and the USA

With Japan's (and the USA) entry into the war in December 1941 and an increase in the activities of German U-boats in the southern oceans brought the war closer to South Africa – there was a danger that the Axis forces could threaten traffic along the Cape sea route.  In spite of these developments, Genl Jan Smuts was adamant that the Union Defence Force's largest contribution should still be in the Middle East.  Thus, according to him, the Union had to contribute as much as possible to the effort to defeat Field Marshall Rommel's forces.

NOTE TO READER: The SAUDF’s Harley-Davidson’s have been used for more than a year in the East African, the Madagascar and the North Africa Campaign BEFORE the USA was sucked into WW2 following the attack of Japan on Pearl Harbour.  Logically, the SAUDF were using their Harley-Davidson’s in combat months before the USA entered the war.  Some of the Canadian forces might have been equipped with Harley-Davidson’s, but the Harley-Davidson WLC’s for the Canadian Defence Force was only ordered in 1942 and supplied to the Canadian Defence Force in 1943 onwards. Hence my view that the SAUDF’s Harley-Davidson’s were the first Harley-Davidson’s in WW2 to be seriously used in combat.

Revised Plan for the Week

Morning

When I phoned Doepie on Saturday morning past, to find out what time would suit him the best for me to stop by, he said that he had picked up a bout of flu that has turned into lung infection. Which meant that I could not drive out to visit him.

Grant - the guy that has done the re-spoking of the rear wheel and is currently busy with the re-spoking of the front wheel - has not been able to finish the re-spoking of the front wheel.  I should get the front wheel back from him during the course of the week.

I consequently ended up fetching the parts from the Post Office and fitting the front brake assembly on Saturday.

What's up for this week? The following:

• Fitting the tyres to the two wheels and the balancing of the tyres.
• Then fitting the wheels on the motorcycle.
• I also have to torque the two heads.
• That will allow me to finish the installation of the tanks and I can also fit all of the fuel and oil lines.
• If I have time, I want to fill the battery with battery acid and check that all of the wiring works properly.

Assembly of the Front Brake

Hi. 

I have previously assembled the brake shoes. 

I have already assembled the front brake shackle and have partly assembled the brake lever. 

Parts Arrived

Morning 

The couple of items that I needed to finish the rebuild of the front brake have arrived. 

Revised, Revised To-Do List

Hi

The To-Do list is getting shorter and shorter - from an earlier post titled "Outstanding Work" and "Revised To-Do List":

• Complete the spray-painting of the front fender and fit it;
• Complete the dash board rebuild;
• Complete the re-wiring of the motor-cycle;
• Assemble the rear rim and put a tyre on;
• Complete the front rim and spokes and assemble the rim and put on a tyre;
• Refurbish the handlebars and fit them, with the control cables;
• The heads still have to be torqued;
• The seat must be covered and fitted; 
• Fit the fuel and the oil tanks and connect the various hoses;
• Fill the battery with battery acid;
• There is a small adjustment that I have to make to the exhaust to ensure that it fits properly;
• And I have to fit the horn;
• The couple of parts that I need for the front brake has arrived and I must fit that.

I could not take the Harley WL to Doepie for a final check on the 27th August 2016, due to the small number of missing parts on the front brake.  But these parts have arrived. At the moment I'm thinking of taking the motorcycle to Doepie for a once-over on either the 10th or the 24th September. Should all be fine, we will start the bike at that time.

Wish me luck!

Plan for the Week

Morning 

My plans for this week are as follows:

• I will drop the front rim, hub and spokes off at the guy that has respoked the rear wheel. He should be able to finish the respoking of the front wheel by Friday afternoon.
• On Saturday I'll take the two rims, pick up the inner tubes and have the tyres fitted and balanced.
• I want to pop in and visit Doepie to see how he is doing. I have one or two small items that I want his help with.
• When I get back to the house, I will fit the two wheels.

I'll then have a rolling chassis!

The following week or two I'll finish up the outstanding items and get the motorcycle ready to start the 24th September.

Front Rim Spray Painted

Morning

I have spray painted the one side of the front rim yesterday and am busy mixing Celemix for the other side.

Dispatch Rider Patch in Wall Hanging

Morning

Today I went to fetch the patch and the vintage tyre levers.

I want to use the patch and some of the other memorabilia to put together a man cave wall hanging - similar to the one that I have done for my 95th Commemorative Edition Sportster.

In this wall hanging I have fitted the following items:

• Top left is a 95th Commemorative Edition patch. 
• Below that is a 95th Commemorative Edition pin. 
• Bottom left is a post card of the 95th Commemorative Edition Sportster. 
• Bottom right is a Maistro model of the 95th Commemorative Edition Sportster. 

In a similar wall hanging of the WW2 SAUDF Harley-Davidson WL, I would like to put together the following:

• A short history of the H-D's during WW2 service in the SAUDF, with some WW2 photos of the H-D's in East Africa, Madagascar and North Africa. I'll include the Dispatch Rider's patch, the early WW2 SATC badge and some of the other memorabilia in this collage. 
• A summary of the restoration process with a before photo, some photos that I took during the restoration process and an after photo. I also want to use some of the packaging of the NOS parts that I have used in the restoration process. 
• I have managed to get a Maistro model of a 1942 WLA (see post “1942 Harley-Davidson WLA Memorabilia”. I will include this in the collage as well. 

What do you guy's think of such a man cave wall hanging? Anything that you would suggest that I include in the wall hanging? 

Busy with Another WW2 Article - The Disappearance of the UDF Harley-Davidson's

Hi

As I have mentioned before, I have done a lot of research on the use of Harley-Davidson motorcycles by the Union Defence Force of South Africa in World War 2.

I'm currently busy writing my last article on the use of H-D's by the SAUDF in WW2. The SAUDF procured 4,500 H-D's early in WW2 and has used the motorcycles in the East Africa and Madagascar Campaigns. 

They were then moved to North Africa to fight against Rommel (nickname was the Desert Fox). This ding-dong campaign between Britain and Italy / Germany saw Italy gaining valuable ground into Egypt initially. 

The British then pushed them back hundreds of miles into Libya. When Rommel arrived on the scene he quickly took action and pushed the British back into Egypt. 

A small contingent of Australians managed to hang on to Tobruk - a small town with a deep harbour in the Mediterranean Sea. The British managed to resupply this force until it was relieved later.

But this meant that Rommel had to supply his Panzers with fuel and ammunition from a harbour about 400 kilometres to the west of Tobruk. His supply line was about 800 kilometres long. 

After replenishing their forces, the British pushed Rommel way back into Libya. Rommel then replenished his forces and went on the offensive again. But... This time he realised that he has to capture Tobruk and it's harbour. The British have since replaced the Australian troops with two divisions of South African troops (almost 30,000 troops).  So... Rommel focused his entire Panzerarmee on Tobruk. 

Read what happened in the article.

Dispatch Rider Patch from World War 2

Good morning

I was really lucky to buy a British Dispatch Rider patch from WW2 on eBay a while ago. This is what the badge look like.

WW2 Dispatch Rider Patch

This looks very similar to the insignia worn by motorcyclists in the Union Defence Force in both World Wars - see post titled "SA Motocyclist Insignia".  After all - the Union Defence Force of South Africa formed part of the British Forces and used a lot of British kit in WW2.

I want to mount all of the memorabilia, some of the NOS packaging, and a short history of the Harley-Davidson's that serviced the Union Defence Force of South Africa in the East Africa, the Madagascar and the North Africa Campaings in a frame that one can hang on a wall.

Wiring Completed

I'm finished with the wiring (except to connect the horn, once I have mounted it).

What a finicky job!

Note to self - don't do this ever again!

Fitting the Rear Light Harness

Hi. 

I'm busy connecting the rear light harness to the tail lamp. 

Exploded View of Tail Lamp

I have managed to pull through the two wires to the tail lamp. 

Test Fitted the Dashboard Cover and Tanks

Hi. 

I'm finished with the wiring of the dashboard and have test fitted the dashboard cover and tanks to see if I have to shim the dashboard. 

It is fitting like a glove and is really looking great. Judge for yourself. 

Vintage Tools have Arrived

Hi. 

I have collected a parcel with a number of vintage tools that I have bought over a period of time. Some eBay'ers in the continental USA doesn't ship internationally and I have shipped these tools to a friend of mine is the USA. He graciously collected the parts and after all the parts have arrived at his house, he shipped all of the tools in one parcel to me. 

In the process I saved hugely on shipping costs, as the shipping cost for the individual tools would have been more than 3 times what I paid for the one parcel. 

Here is a photo of the vintage tools. 

Note the NOS package for the chain breaker. Still in the "For U. S. Ordnance" packaging. 

The toolkit is coming along nicely. Here is a photo of the tools. 

 

This is seriously starting to look like an early WW2 H-D WL Toolkit.

 

Not shown above is the tyre levers (on it's way). What I am missing is the following:

•  The spark plug spanner;
• The Rear Wheel Lug Tyre Wrench.
• The tappet wrench.

 

Fitting the Front Terminal and Wiring

Morning. 

I'm busy with the front terminal. I have fitted the terminal (the horn is mounted to the terminal). Here is a photo. 

The 1941 WL Horn Mount

Hi. 

Last night I had a good look at the horn mounting to try and figure out how the lot all fit together. The best exploded view that I could lay my hands on for the early models (prior to 1941) are provided below.

Exploded Views of the Horn Mounting

This is not the 1941 WL Horn Mount, but it is very close. This exploded view was in the 45 Restoration Company catalogue.

I have test fitted the horn mounting and it looks pretty much like the photos that Palmer have in his book. Here is a photo of the the horn with the horn mountings fitted. 

I'm going to fit the top mounting and connect all of the wires to the horn terminal. I will have to install the front fender before I can complete the horn installation. 

Palmer on the 1941 WL Horn Mount

Hi. 

Following on from my previous post - this is what Palmer has to say about the 1941 WL Horn Mount. 

Started Fitting the Horn

Afternoon 

I have also started fitting the horn. Just a reminder:

• The Harley was fitted with a 6V car horn when I bought her. I wanted to replace the car horn with an original Delco-Remy horn and the correct Harley winged face plate.
• A while ago I managed to buy a Harley horn with the winged face plate a while ago. It went very cheaply, but I was after the winged face plate - not the horn body as it was not Delco-Remy.
• After watching eBay for more than a year, I managed to buy a used Delco-Remy 16 6V horn (without the face place) - see "Finally, a Delco - Remy 16, 6 Volt Horn".

Between these two purchases I can assemble an original Delco-Remy 16 6V horn, with an original Harley winged face plate.

The first step to fit the the horn was to fit the horn bracket and thread the horn wires through the bracket. Here is a photo. 

 

Steering Dampener Fitted

Afternoon 

This is what the steering damper assembly looks like in the parts manual.  I have sand-blasted and re-sprayed the individual parts and have assembled them to check if they fit properly. 

I've actually fitted the steering dampener. I initially thought that I need a steering dampener spring, but when I test fitted the steering dampener unit, I realised that the spring was actually still in the fork. 

Fitting the Tyre Pump

Morning. 

In a previous post "Vintage Air Pump for Toolkit" I have mentioned that I have managed to get a used, brass motorcycle tyre pump on eBay. 

The pump has arrived a week or so ago. I have taken it apart, resprayed the pump body black, greased all of the parts and reassembled the pump. It is working great!

With the pump working, I have fitted the pump, using the original pump clamps that I have sandblasted and painted many moons ago. 

Here is a photo - notice that I have used friction tape on the rear crash bar to prevent the clamps from sliding around.

More Parts Ordered

Hi

I have ordered the following from 45 Restoration Company in the USA:
- an angled zerk fitting
- a lock tab washer for the right springer fork
- the front brake adjusting screw that is missing
- a zerk fitting extension with the specific zerk fitting that fits the extension
- a steering dampener spring
- the fibre washers for the steering dampener
- a spring for the brake pedal.

I've asked them to ship the parts with international priority shipping.

Fitted Brake Cable and Oiler - and hit a Snag.

Hi. 

I have fitted the front brake cable and the oiler - see the photos on the previous post.

An Exploded View of the Front Brake Assembly

An Exploded View of the Brake Cable Oiler

But I then ran into a snag. I'm missing a couple of crucial brake components - which means that I have to order a couple of parts from the USA (see post “More Parts Ordered”). 

It normally takes about 6 weeks from the time that I place the order until I have the parts in my hand. Which means that my time frame to have the bike completed will be extended by about 6 weeks.

I'm disappointed, but it is what it is. I'll try to place the order for the two parts tomorrow.