A Neglected 1924 Harley Gets a Facelift

Motorcycling Lifestyles

A Neglected 1924 Harley Gets a Facelift - Part I

Enjoy this four part series as Neale Bayly follows the journey of a 1924 Harley-Davidson from neglected relic to beautiful antique.

Neale Bayly | Posted December 22, 2008 Charlotte, NC

The Harley-Davidson to me looks like a very old, rusty bicycle, with an engine attached to the frame. (Photo: Neale Bayly)

Editors Note: This is the first in a four part series highlighting the restoration of a 1924 Harley-Davidson by the Wheels Through Time owner Dale Walksler.

There are snowflakes swirling and swollen, gray clouds hanging low in the winter sky. A chill wind is ripping up through the valley, and there is not much sign of life on the streets. Parking my bike and hopping off, a small pick up truck bounces toward me, a huge smile shining through the muddy windshield. Pulling a 12-point turn, it backs up to the waiting semi-truck, loaded down with a strange assortment of bikes. A modern Gold Wing, a four-cylinder Kawasaki, and a Harley clone reach the eye first. But we are not here for these shiny modern bikes. We are outside theWheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, where owner Dale Walksler and I are waiting for a 1924 JD Harley Davidson to be unloaded. The bike that is going to feature in our four-part article, as Dale brings the old girl back to life without undertaking a major ground up restoration.

Suitably aided by the sturdy truck driver, the JD is unceremoniously dragged out to be loaded onto the waiting trailer. Dale’s grinning like a Cheshire cat and leaps onto the bikes kick-starter. Waiving his right leg and arm high into the chill air, he demonstrates his theory about the bike’s motor being locked. Ducking and weaving around, what to me looks like a very old, rusty bicycle, with an engine attached to the frame, Dale is pleased to see how original the bike is, and how few pieces are missing. It comes with a sidecar, but unfortunately it is of 1925 vintage and won’t work with the 1924 frame. I knew that of course!

See the Photo Album

See the Photo Album

Read Part II

Read Part III

Read Part IV

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