Electra Glide In Blue

Last Sunday I did my annual visit to the 32nd Annual Colorado Motorcycle Show and Swap.

This year’s event, as far as finding older parts, was prime for anyone with the money to grab up almost what ever one was looking for. I think the economy had everyone pulling out the old stuff and putting it up for sale. I have seen a few posts around the web stating the good old days of the swap-meet are gone thanks to sites like eBay and Craigslist. This year the Colorado swap proved this wrong. Old parts were easy to be had, if you had the green and the legs to do the walking along with the eyes to do the searching over and under the swap tables.

The Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Museum had to best display as usual in the show arena.

This year they featured their 1941 Harley EL and a 49 Indian “249” Scout. The 41 Harley EL was pretty special considering the bike was sitting there in all its glory.

This 1941 61 cubic inch EL Knucklehead is completely original.

The story goes, this bike was rescued from the original owners’ garage. After sitting for years the drive train was seized, and the engines internals were in question. The Museums’ staff, with some outside help, re-built the engine, transmission, drive train and wheel hubs while maintaining the external patina of the bike. Can you say “Barn Fresh”, off and runn’n.

This bike would have set you back a cool $425.00 back in 1941. Throw in the deluxe solo package option, fender tips, lights, crash bars, saddlebags and some chrome extras, this would have increased your total out-of-pocket expense by an outrageous sum of $60 bucks.

Click on any pic to get a larger view.

Here are a few other bikes from the show that caught my eye.

Enjoy and share.

I don’t have any information on this one, but just looking at this vintage photo you can see what looks like a 1931 Harley Davidson VL motorcycle with a happy young man showing off a very nice studded leather kidney belt.

This is another one of those old Harley Davidson pictures I have received from Restoman.

This is a picture of his dad when he was in high school.

I don’t know about you, but I would have loved to have a motorcycle like this to ride to high school.

Produced from 1930 to 1936 the VL was the top of the line for Harley Davidson.

The specs:
• Engine Type V-Twin
• Cylinders Two
• Displacement 74 cubic inches
• Bore & Stroke 3.4″x4.0″
• Carburetor Linkert
• Ignition Battery & Coil
• Transmission 3-speed, with reverse
• Forks H-D spring fork
• Brakes Drum, front & rear
• Tire Size F 4.00×19,-R 4.00×19

Ride Safe.

Whenever I am doing anything to my 68 FLH, I wish I had just one of these guys to hand me a wrench and offer some Harley tech advice. This picture was taken back in late 1940, at the one and only, Harley Davidson Mechanic School, Milwaukee WI. Just look at the smiles on those faces. Hanging on the wall, to the far right is the cut-away of the newly introduced Harley-Davidson Panhead motor.

This photo was emailed to me from Restoman, his dad is the forth one from the right in the front row.
Ride Safe.

I am starting to get some nice old photos emailed in, to post here on Electra Glide In Blue. Here is a good one for starters…..This picture was taken back in the 40’s around the Chicago area. 80in flathead I have been told, with 1949 caddy 6 volt chromed horns, from back in the day.
They don’t make’m like that any more.