Saw an article years ago in a bike magazine where the journalist heard of a bloke who had bought sight unseen at auction several cases identified as "parts". When he opened them there were about six (I think) brand new WW2 HDs. Kept one (which still had zero miles on the clock when the journo first saw it) and sold the rest. The journalist asked if the owner could take the bike for a run so they could photograph it for the feature and in a moment of insanity the guy said ok. When he got back with a few clicks on the clock he was heartbroken. Good photos though - an old faithful complete with kahki and star with the suicide box.
Personally I think you should do all possible to ride things like that. Such a waste otherwise - likely leaving old wine in the bottle. "But I'm saving it for a special occasion" .(When you open a bottle like that, THAT is the special occasion!).
jeez you guys,doncha know that the old bikes are all buried under the Ekka showgrounds in Brissy,right next to the 20 Spitfires,10 Sherman tanks,50 jeeps and assorted military firearms etc,fuck everybody knows that. or was it the Redcliffe showgrounds,or maybe Caboolture.but then again it might be out Kilcoy way.
chopaweeza is correct. There is no mythical cache of WLA Harleys still existant in Australia. All that could be auctioned, were auctioned after WW2. Chopaweeza correctly mentions Johnno (more likely his father Jack) having sold some in crates after the Army Auctions. Johnno and his father Jack had a Harley shop in Wells Lane Redfern Sydney. The shop was simply known as "Johnno's" yet the official name was Redfern Motorcycles. Low key in a small alley yet they were legends. Old Jack had bought just about all the ex-army stock of WLA Harleys after WW2 and the shop survived into the 1980's as an icon of early Harley parts. The stock was so huge that Johnno had offers from USA to buy it back. The largest store of original army WLA parts perhaps in the world. Now of course there are repro parts. I dealt with these guys for over 20 years and true gents. Jack was in his 80's and yet regularly did sorties on his 1200cc U model sidebanger with sidecar, then would feed the pigeons in the lane, boil a billy behind the counter and want to chat about the troubles of today's youth. Their shop had a black floor from trodden in grease and an old fashioned feel reeling you back into a past era, yet what a place. A wonderful place. John became the main man once Jack began to lose his eyesight and diagnosed with the big C. Father and son team to the end. Both knew their Harley stuff inside out.
About 1983 Johnno scoffed at the myths of any more WLA's in crates as they had all been sold decades before and he would laugh at any buried stashes. He said to me that he had just recently assembled (while he had all stock of individual parts left) a complete WLA from original USA Army parts. I asked if he had started it. His reply was "It's the very last of the new old stock parts to build a complete bike. If I start it, it will be used. It's valueable as it has zero miles on it. It's the last of them that can be called new. All the crates went decades ago".
Old Jack sadly died in the mid 80's. John kept the shop open for about another 2 yrs yet he was at retiring age. He eventually sold up and retired, keeping many of his favourite bikes.
Many wondered who bought Johnno's vast stock. No secret now. Someone from Corrimal near Woolongong snavelled it all up, spent about 5 yrs sorting and re-categorising, then opened up "Redfern Motors" at Corrimal. They even have old Jack's U Model and sidecar. Still huge stock of Johnno's and Jack's original Army parts to be bought. I have been there only the once to buy a part for my 1938 1200 U Model. Nice layout. Yet not like Johnno's. The guy that served me was not of this planet. Wierd ideas of impossible metalurgy. I was glad to get my part and be gone. Been riding tank shift Harleys for 30 yrs and know my stuff. This guy was decidedly odd. The shop is still there yet perhaps the wierdo that served me has been weeded out. One strange dude. It was like buying a part from an entranced psychopath.
Swampheathen.
I found them i found them praise Budda I found them...hang on a minute ...nah just a container load of Victories, burn them burn them for the love of god burn them...
Bit late in replying Choppa, but the "Elvis" bike stuff blew me away. I didn't realize they were fakes, good reading. As for that "New"Redfern M/cycles, I did think the guy a bit ,let me say "different". I was chasing bits for my '29J, and generally have a good perve. I was going to let them have my Burling & Simmons T-shirt for their collection of other T's, but fuck it ,not now. I bought it about the time I bought my 1984 FXST.One of the last batch of Harley's before Frasers took over( I think?)
I remember going to Refern M/cycles at Redfern on my ol BSA ("69 250 single Starfire) and getting stuff to make up control cables and the like. Yeah, that shop was a blast, bikes stacked on top of each other!! The most mind blowing shop I ever went to. After there,me and me mate would go to "Omedies" (spelling could be wrong there) They had a free spinning wheel just inside the door? and "All Parts" after that. Our Sat morning ride into Sydney city from Sutherland Shire (Heathcote).. Nice memories Chop,
Anyone here familiar with the SNOPES.com site? It's a site dedicated to contempory urban legends and myths (and investigation of those iffy e-mails we all get from time to time). The mention of the Elvis bike reminded me I'd looked on SNOPES yonks ago. Here's the link to their Elvis motorcycle story:
http://www.snopes.com/autos/dream/elvis.asp
If you've got a few hours to kill have a troll through the site; plenty of interesting stuff (and grisly photos if you're so inclined).
Digging for the story on the internet was finally successful, the story briefly was that a small town young guy has a new Harley shipped to him in Belgium. Eventually he crashed on it, put it in the backyard, had a family, and in 1961 his young daughter was playing on it, fell, and it made the guy so mad he buried it. So the man dug up an old well and dumped the bike into it. Just recently in Oct 2009 the story made it into the news http://www.editiepajot.be/regios/15/articles/9032 after months of trying to talk the (now Old man) reluctant grandad into allowing an excavation, and a bottle of gin to lubricate the deal, he got some buddies to help shovel... and unearthed it after 48 years of a dirt nap.
