Ron Everett of Grandview, Texas, sent us these pics of his 1947 Harley-Davidson FL Knucklehead.
Ron purchased the bike in the early 1980s. It was raked out with a long home-made Springer front-end. Most of the components are original 1947 Harley FL, with the exception of a 1948 lower-end.
He stopped riding the bike in '86 in order to raise a family and make some changes to it, but the bike sat in Ron's shed for 24 years.
Unfortunately, Ron's wife passed away in October of 2009, and he started the restoration process to keep his mind occupied. The original '47 frame was badly rusted so Ron replaced it with a '59 Harley Straight-Leg replica, with the only differences being the toolbox mount and the neck lock.
The motor had clean cylinders and spun over freely, so Ron replaced the oil and carburetor and it runs fine. The bike starts easily, usually with just one kick. Other changes and additions include a replica 3.5 gallon tank without emblems or shifter mounts, an original 1947 2-into-1 exhaust system and muffler, original '49 hinged rear fender with tombstone taillight, original '47 rear brake and star hubs. The bike also has the original 4-speed tranny.
Ron reduced the Springer front-end to stock length and added a 21-inch front wheel with original star hub. He sandblasted and painted the bike himself and finished the ground-up project in approximately 6-months. The paint is a 2-part Expoxy urethane. Body parts are painted bright orange pearl and the frame is gloss black.
Ron purchased the bike in the early 1980s. It was raked out with a long home-made Springer front-end. Most of the components are original 1947 Harley FL, with the exception of a 1948 lower-end.
He stopped riding the bike in '86 in order to raise a family and make some changes to it, but the bike sat in Ron's shed for 24 years.
Unfortunately, Ron's wife passed away in October of 2009, and he started the restoration process to keep his mind occupied. The original '47 frame was badly rusted so Ron replaced it with a '59 Harley Straight-Leg replica, with the only differences being the toolbox mount and the neck lock.
The motor had clean cylinders and spun over freely, so Ron replaced the oil and carburetor and it runs fine. The bike starts easily, usually with just one kick. Other changes and additions include a replica 3.5 gallon tank without emblems or shifter mounts, an original 1947 2-into-1 exhaust system and muffler, original '49 hinged rear fender with tombstone taillight, original '47 rear brake and star hubs. The bike also has the original 4-speed tranny.
Ron reduced the Springer front-end to stock length and added a 21-inch front wheel with original star hub. He sandblasted and painted the bike himself and finished the ground-up project in approximately 6-months. The paint is a 2-part Expoxy urethane. Body parts are painted bright orange pearl and the frame is gloss black.
