A Neglected 1924 Harley Gets a Facelift

Motorcycling Lifestyles

A Neglected 1924 Harley Gets a Facelift - Part II

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 23, 2008 Charlotte, North Carolina

Once the transmission has been filled and drained a couple of times, Dale adds some Valvoline 60 weight and runs the bike through the gears, which all seem to work correctly. (Photo: Neale Bayly)

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

Part II...

Spinning up to Maggie Valley, to track Dale down for part two or our article, the blue sky and warm air are sending positive signals that spring is coming. Dale is positively beaming, and we get immediately head back through the museum to get started. Last month we left the bike soaking in Aero Kroil, the engine turning over and a valve pocket and various new parts of order. Dale has a plan of attack formulated and today we are going to suck out all the fluids and work on the electrical system.’

The first order of the day is to check out the new battery box Dale has had fabricated by Chuck Lipsky an enthusiast and metal crafter from Illinois. It is beautiful job and as has me shaking my head once more as I think about what I would do if I needed an exact replica of a 1924 battery holder whipped up for a project. Dale sets about antiquing it to match the rest of bike but is not too happy with the color match so we move on.

Next the crankcase and gearbox oil are sucked out and a mixture of oil and solvents added. These are then drained and the process repeated a couple of times. The same solution is also squirted down inside the cylinders. To aid with the draining process Dale repeatedly and vigorously kicks the bike over and enthusiastically grins over at me and says “listen to how it has smoothed out in there.” This means the bores are rust free and cleaning up nicely.

See the Photo Album

See the Photo Album

Read Part I

Read Part III

Read Part IV

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