I have many more acquaintances than euros. One of those acquaintances is the kind of Man they are very happy with at the Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Company Milwaukee, USA. He is not yet of the age where a Harley Davidson is a midlife crisis symptom. He's way too civilized to be mistaken for an MC. He visits the gym, has a well-groomed full mustache & beard and a few cool, yet civilized tattoos. Instead of putting on what is on top of the pile, he dresses thoughtfully.
Totally his thing, but then again
He doesn't see himself as a motorcyclist, but Harley-Davidson is just his thing. An extension, an essential part of his life. He also has a cool, recent Milwaukee twin. And to fully fulfill life, he impulsively bought a Harley side valve via an auction site. Because that would be the definitive confirmation of his masculine - yet emotional - existence.
And however the lifestyle-technical may be put together: such an old V twin is a completely different thing. Andrew got his oldtimer from Italy and the machine was just as he had dreamed it. Only the split between a ZGAN Road King and the ex WLA was bigger than he could have dreamed.
For such an old side valve you have to be a driver rather than a motorcyclist
After some thought, he thought he could ask me for advice without losing my face. The side valve was indeed a nice thing. But for the amount that you have to pay for an 750 cc flathead I never dared to buy such a machine from just a handful of photos. But with good auction sites, the risks are apparently not too bad.
The 750 cc flat head had stolen the hearts of tens of thousands of Europeans after the liberation as Liberator. And did so again almost 90 years later at Andrew.
A different way of driving
The first journeys went as expected, which was a bit careful. Manual gear, foot coupling and playing with the time of ignition are things you need to learn. The fact that the side-valve brakes are no longer of this time was no problem. A question of anticipation in conjunction with a travel pace of just over eighty does not require four-piston Brembos and ABS. Another eye opener was the amount of maintenance you have served on such a long time ago. So it is really important for every ride to check if everything is still stuck / it does / has sufficient lubrication. The valves and ignition must also be closely monitored. Andrew's 'bubble' expanded with a completely different type of Harley owners than he knew until then. He learned where he could buy SEA 50 single grade oil for a normal human price. His once neatly manicured hands began to look more human. And he started seriously mileage on the old flat head: “I know it's rare, I know it's expensive and I know it doesn't have brakes. But this is the best buy I have ever made ".
Not too long ago I figured out that there are about 1500 HD 750s on license plate in the Netherlands, not even mentioning the many license plate-less projects etc ...
So rare….
Yes; driving such a machine is a profession in itself, and that takes some practice… and no doubt the neighbor's hedge.
But it is indeed not comparable to which modern row-iron with solid brakes.