Hi All! New guy here in the far-off land of Hawaii! Military, and very new (totally green) to riding. So, thought this would be the best place to get to know all about Harleys and the culture! I've already taken my MSF course but do not currently own a bike. But hey....when in the land of 1 season all year long, I have to take advantage, right?!?! So this leads me to the title of this thread......

I totally dig old bikes! Call it the nostalgia of growing up with Indiana Jones and the bikes he rode (as well as the German bikes, too). So, that's what I would like to do. Build a replica WLA/XA. I totally dig that design! Are there other designs like it? All the ammo cans and the holsters and the look. Here's where I'm at....

I have little knowledge in what I'm doing.
Where do I start? I love research, so point me in the right direction. Library or internet, it's all good. I'm not asking for all the answers, but man, I have no clue how deep the "harley rabbit hole" goes.....but I'm pretty sure it's deep. All the options, custom parts, one-offs, frankenstein, etc.

I've found info on the WLA/XA specs. My guess is....start with the frame and build from there. The Softail models are my rookie guess as the frame for the replica - the look of a hardtail is there, but with current tech under the hood (Sorry for the car analogy - that's my only experience). Is that a good frame? What years? Dependability? Price? Styles? Engines? Parts availability? Aftermarket, or stay with OEM? Any/all opinions are welcome.

To use the analogy of cars again (sorry), I'm trying to build a restomod. The look of a WLA/XA with the dependability/availability of today's bikes/parts/tech. Able to ride, but obviously not cross country (Island isn't that big!) and I'll take it with me when I move back to the mainland.

So, start me on the right road to knowledge. I'm an empty canvas and want to learn the correct way - the first time - from the pros/vets at hdforums!

And the model letter nomenclature....that is crazy trying to learn them all!

Mahalo from Hawaii!
BJ

P.S. - I've talked to the local dealer here (they are super nice!), but I have so many questions that I can't take up their time while they're trying to sell bikes. That isn't fair to them. I've already tried.....
Thanks!

 

So....I just found the page of the Warboy 883 XWL from France. That is cool! That's almost exactly what I'm going for! Didn't know you could build a replica from a sportster, but then again, I've heard you can do anything with a HD. Is this a less expensive route? Is starting with a newer bike the better option? Money? Dependability? Still more questions.....

 

For the Captain America movie, they had a shop build WLA replicas using a modern Harley Crossbones

http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-...ike/18698.html

They looked good, although they were truly much bigger than a real WLA.