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Another Harley

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Ishmael

Active Member
Hi Folks,
Making some good chili for supper, getting my mind right for a return to work tomorrow, hittin' on the computer and H-D Talking for entertainment and information, waiting impatiently for a little warmer and drier weather for a ride around the block. Realized I haven't been entirely truthful on the information I've been giving on the site and thought I'd better set the record straight. I've been telling everyone I ride a 2000 Fat Boy and also have half ownership of a 99 Electra Glide. All well and true but there's a little more to the story and a lie by omission is still a lie, so I'll reveal my third bike. No, its not a rice burner although I had a few of them in my younger days. It's a Harley! Hope you like it.
Ishmael
 

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So the year was 1971 as I recall. I'd been through a Yamaha 55, Honda 160 and was currently riding a "big" bike, a 1965 Triumph 500, single carb and stock except for the apehangers. Neighbor up the road says he knows where a Harley is for sale about 20 miles away. Off we go in his pickup. Fellow says he wants $XXX dollars for it. Totally stock but not running, leather bag in tatters, just sitting in his back yard. My buddy "Chick" counters with a lower offer and after giving us a sound cussin', the old boy says "OK, take the (actual words omitted so I won't get edited) thing. Chick already has a 250 cc Harley so I begged him to let me buy it. Chick to his everlasting regret let me have the little jewel. I removed the bag and headlight, made a new head gasket from cardboard, mixed some fuel and fired it up. I rode it for several years on the deadend dirt road where I lived, managed to lose the headlight (to my everlasting regret) and eventually parked it when grad school, kids and 9 moves in 14 years intervened. I got back to western NC in and live in the old homeplace of my grandparents, the house I grew up in. Praise be, the old Harley was still in the shed where I put it over a decade before.
It's a 1952 "Hummer", 125 cc, pretty much still original except for that lost headlight. Strictly speaking, its not a real Hummer, but most folks call all the 1948? through 1965? singles Hummers and who am I to argue. Fortunately I had the title changed over into my name so a lotta work and many $ and maybe it will run again someday. There's actually a Hummer website, so help and restoration is possible, especially since I'm about a year from retirement and just finished my new shop where the Hummer will live with the Fat Boy to keep it company. The major problem I've noticed so far is that this is an unusual bike in that it had no battery, but rather a magnet in the flywheel, lawnmower magneto (I guess that's what its called) arrangement and the magnet is so weak it won't produce a spark. I know you can recharge the magnets in hit and miss engines with the proper equipment, but they're in the shape of a horseshoe and set atop the remagnetizer. I don't have a clue how one remagnetizes a flywheel magnet. I hope to retire in a year or so, get on the website and restore the little Harley to running condition. Well, that's the story. Not too exciting but I've waited better than 35 years to get back into biking and the little Hummer has waited patiently too! Wish me luck!
Ishmael
PS Sure wish I had had the good sense to keep that Triumph.
PS to the PS I gave the princely sum of $35.00 for it. I bet I could double my money now. Nah, think I'll keep it.:)

You're right David! Maybe better go for some cast like the Fat Boy!
Ishmael
 
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Wow! What a lucky man. Your will have a great time with that as a project. Now, why can't I make find like that?
 
looks like a nice project,but if your not going to start the resto soon you might consider putting a stop to the rusting , spraying it down with some WD 40 every now and then .Also keep the cylinder lubed,the longer you let it rust the more parts will be subjected to lose there integrity. The magnet should be ok most of the time (again rust )buld up on the flywheel just take some fine emmry cloth to the flywheel and clean it up ,also clean the magnet.
 
Crocker said:
looks like a nice project,but if your not going to start the resto soon you might consider putting a stop to the rusting , spraying it down with some WD 40 every now and then .Also keep the cylinder lubed,the longer you let it rust the more parts will be subjected to lose there integrity. The magnet should be ok most of the time (again rust )buld up on the flywheel just take some fine emmry cloth to the flywheel and clean it up ,also clean the magnet.
Click to expand...

You are dead on with that advice. No excuse for letting the little Harley deteriorate. Maybe it will forgive me when it gets moved into my new, climate controlled shop (took me ten years to save enough to build). Thanks for the advice on the magnets. I'll bet some of the folks on the Hummer website can offer some advice too. I just hope my health holds out and I can refurbish it and ride off in a cloud of smoke. Best regards.
Ishmael
 
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