Here's a couple of pics of my step-grandfather's Harley taken in Copenhagen in the 40's. My father told me it was a '29 J model but it only has a single headlight. It was totally restored in their 2nd floor apartment so it may have been changed. Can anyone tell me what year this bike is?

 

The rebuild was necessary after going over a cliff in Norway with my pregnant grandmother in the sidecar. The young lad to the left in the second picture is the one she was pregnant with at the time so the bike obviously stayed in the family for some time. It was eventually swapped for a holiday house in Copenhagen.

 

I reckon '27 at a guess Canbro. I suppose no more pics? The other side of the bike would be good to see.The horn looks later than '29. '26 was the first year for the fatter front guard which yours has. Front wheel brake and air cleaner come out in "28. Don't look like yours has them? Hard one mate. So many options available for J's (and other models) when they come out. It could be a 29J with other model bits on her?  On my 29J, which is 61 cu in 1000 cc, the dual headlight bracket is part of the top yoke (tree) A cast one piece item. When I first bought my J, the original bracketry had been sawn off with a single headlight roughly fixed in place, fucking spewing!! All good now after scoring genuine bracket and h/lights after seaching for many many years and 100's of hours later.And this was pre-computer days! Lot's of after market  stuff available,which I didn't want.  The original h/lights are as rare as rockin horse shit, and the glass was made in Sweden, making them an even rarer item to find.   

Thanks for the info Philthy. Unfortunately I don't have any other pics but have asked my uncle if he has any. I've only recently established contact with him again (thanks to email/facebook) and his English is about as good as my Danish so communication is somewhat limited. It seems I should have kept contact with him all those years as I was unaware of our shared passion.

My understanding was that the bike was restored to original however, I suspect that parts availability in post-war Denmark would have dictated a few changes. I've also heard that the twin headlight set-up was abandoned as it was blamed for an increase in accidents as cars would pull out in front of the bikes at night, assuming the twin headlights were of a car in the distance.

Beautiful bike Roadtrain! Any pics of you bike Philthy?

Nah mate, no pics. It's in bits,boxes etc. I'm in the middle of sorting me shed out (having a break right now from doing it)  I'm trying to work on 3 bikes at once and it's mind boggling. My 29J was in very bad condition when purchased in the early 80's. My first Harley too. The condition now isn't much better, just been chasing bits for years and I haven't gone full bore into restoring it. Scored some magic original bits over the years, such as a messenger seat in top nick, generator coil, H/light bracket, H/lights, luggage rack, chainguard,front mudguard,taillight lens, footboard rubbers, 1 only spark plug, workshop manual,parts manual,i think that's it.  Yeah,long process. Ha! I think I'm too scared to get her going!!!   Fucknose how to ride it. Advance/retard is operated with the left twist grip, front brake lever on left side of handlebar, and  it's a "total loss oil system" which means I have to use the plunger pump on the left side of the fuel tank (left side is oil)to pump oil into the top end every coupla mile or so! Fark!!  It's all good though. When I hear my first Harley fire up for the very first time, I think I'll shoot me load!  It'd be like a yoghurt truck hitting a brick wall at 800 kmh  

I'm in a similar position re: 3 bikes although the Harley was supposed to be my reliable daily driver. I suppose it was until I dropped it at 90kph. I hopefully get my hardtailed triumph frame back tomorrow so I can start the initial mock-up/assembly. 

My first project purchase (71 Bonneville) still hasn't progressed much and yet it had the least to do for completion.

Sounds like you've got some great gear there- it will be great to see it finished! I would love to swap my dyna for something a little more classic and will probably do that when I get the Bonny on the road. Riding something like that would test my concentration though- I'm bad enough swapping between left foot/right foot gear shifts. Ironically, once I got used to right foot shift a couple of years ago it seems to have taken over as the default foot in my mind, even though I've ridden left foot shift bikes most of my life.

Got any colours in mind yet?

 

"Singles and 45 twins: Olive Green with broad Maroon striping and a Gold center pinstriping"  All the other models had a multitude of colours. So mine will have to be the olive green if I want to keep her stock. In my "shedcleaning"  process, I'll get her out and unload every single piece from boxes and take some pics real soon. It's been years since I've seen the bits so it won't be a chore!!  The part which will be tricky to find/make, is the four tube "Pipes O' Pan" muffler set up, which was the only year that system was used.      

Canbro, great pictures. Partly because it has no front brake I’m thinking the bike is no later than 27. Even though it was rebuilt after going over a cliff I can’t see it being rebuilt without a front brake if it was a 28 or later model.

The frame may be 1925 or later. And I can’t tell if that’s a transfer on the tank but if it is then it appears to be the 1934-35 Flying Diamond style. But apparently it was fairly common for people to adapt transfers and/or paint schemes from other-year models.     Eric

 

Thanks Eric. Yes, it seems to be a bit of a mix of parts & detailing. Unfortunately I don't have any other photos and the owner died in the 50s so it's been out of the family for a long time. I'll try digging a little more and see what I come up with.