Cyclemo's Motorcycle Museum

February 2, 2011

Rolling right through winter here at the museum finds us finishing up some incredible projects that have kept us VERY busy and the wrenches flyin! After our show in September, We enjoyed a wonderful and busy fall hosting visitors from all over the United States! October found us the honor of hosting two wonderful benefits at the museum...the first being a breast cancer benefit followed up by our annual Butterfly run the following weekend. The butterfly run is a benefit for Make A Wish and was a tremendous success! I would personally like to thank everyone for his and her efforts and hard work!

After spending WAY more hours on the BONNEVILLE TRIKE than I had intended, I really needed a vacation!!! Not only was my body trashed from the intensive build, the shop looked like a bomb went off in it! I swear it felt like it took a month to get things back in order.

We were blessed to have a decent backlog of restoration work that kept me feeling pretty behind for the most part, so we sprang right into action on some wonderful projects. I did manage to sneak out of here on a slow Sunday and ride the trike down to Lebanon for the first annual vintage dirt track races. WHAT A BLAST!!!! Just for kicks we entered the trike in the bike show and took first place in the custom class! If you haven't seen our BONNEVILLE TRIKE in person yet, you really need to come visit and check it out for yourself. It flat out hauls the mail!!! I made it to Lebanon in about 27 seconds!!!!!

We just finished up a 1947WL Harley Davidson for a customer in Nashville that fell victim to the spring flooding. The bike survived under six feet of water but not without some issues that we easily took care of here at the restoration shop. We performed a total nut and bolt restoration on her and she turned out just stunning! When we pulled the front forks off the bike we dumped about two quarts of floodwater out of the fork majors!

Along side the 47 project, we were honored to work on a completely original 1953 Harley Davidson Hummer. Original factory green paint and patina that we completely left alone, we mechanically refurbished the entire machine for many more years of trouble free service. What a fun little machine!!!! The 59 Panhead is finally off the lift after a much need engine restoration. We are looking forward to breaking her in when we get the weather to cooperate with us a little better. I built a Customer's 47 Knucklehead motor and transmission right along side the 59 Pan motor. Man I am running out of bench space...

Having finished Brian Foster's 47 knuck motor was a TRUE INSPIRATION for me. I just had to get mine back on the road. She had sat long enough. She was a little noisy when I parked her during the construction of the museum. Sounded like the bottom end was pooped out from all of my travels back in the day. I yanked that motor apart in November and had the bike back on the road before the cold weather hit.

I fire that bike up regularly to the delight of museum guests, and they are blown away by how quiet the motor is. I cover the muffler with my hand and watch their eyes bug out. She runs like a Swiss watch!!!! MANY MANY THANKS TO MY BUD MIKE JAVERNICK IN COLORADO!!! THE BEST ENGINE BUILDER IN THE COUNTRY...WHEN YOU LEARN FROM THE BEST... YOUR COMPETETORS HAVE A TOUGH TIME KEEPING UP! (IF YOU WANT YOUR MOTOR WORK DONE RIGHT, GIVE US A CALL)

While going through these three projects, the craziest thing started to happen...Harley Davidson 45 Flatheads started coming out of the woodwork! One after another after another started to roll in (or be carried in). We are in the process of rebuilding seven motors. Yes, I said SEVEN! As well as a gluttany of transmissions to boot.

It got me pretty pumped about Harley's little workhorse, and I was getting pretty dead set on building a Crash Brown 45 for the exhibit. No bike in sight...no cash...one can dream right???? Dream I did...all winter.

Low and behold, a knock on the shop door about a month ago, and a pile of CRASH BROWN GLORY awaited me! The whole bike! In boxes mind you, but the WHOLE BIKE!!!! What a find! I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT!!!! Here I am dreaming about doing this Crash Brown build and it shows up at my shop????

Now, how in the world am I gonna come up with that cash????? Forget that!!!! But I HAD to get this bike!!! Thank goodness my buddy was hunting a Panhead basket project. I just so happened to have a 58 chassis sitting up on the catwalk above the front desk. (I am SURE that Mac and Avery are delighted not to be tripping over it anymore!!!!!) A deal was hatched, and I was off to the races!!! We have so many 45 parts and projects laying around the shop that I knew I needed to get a bit more organized before we got any further tearing into another 45,so we streamlined the shop a bit too and inventoried our 45 parts and made a plan. Poor Dave had his head glued to that blasting cabinet for a month straight,and he has probably parkerized more parts than the factory!!!!!! I got to work on motors and transmissions. I snuck a couple of four speed big twin trannies in the mix as well that I have had laying around for years!!!!

I CAN'T WAIT for you all to see the CRASH BROWN 45!!! I should have her done in another month or so. As I type this, the painter is laying down some way cool original Harley Davidson Birch White paint that I have had sitting on a shelf for quite some time now. Remember everything that Crash ever drove, road or launched was painted white!! We are currently working on a killer military Harley WLA 45 gun scabbard and all, as well as an ULTRA RARE 1937WLD Harley Davidson 45.

With spring fast approaching, make your plans to pay us a visit! Many changes here this winter, and a ton of new bikes will surely be worth your trip out! Looking forward to seeing everybody soon!!!!!!

Back to work!!!!?I have some motors to build!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mike