The folks over at Revzilla have asked me to contribute to a new site they are calling "The Hub". It's basically going to be a place where you can read articles about all aspects of motorcycling. Since my niche is in vintage motorcycles, that's what I'll be adding to the mix. To get things started, I'm doing a new series about my 1933 Harley-Davidson VL build. Since the bulk of their readers are not vintage bike enthusiasts, these articles will not be the "how to" and "nuts and bolts" type of articles I've written in the past. Instead they will delve into the back story on my project, my thoughts along the way and "other behind the scenes" subjects. I hope to make them entertaining and interesting for anyone who loves motorcycles.

Check out my first article here: Cross Country on a 1933 Harley



I'd appreciate any feedback here on the forum and if your into social media, you can show your support with likes, +1's, tweets, etc.

 

A +++

 

Thanks for the heads up. Looking forward to it!

 

Ditto

 

Ordered a set of 14" chubby outlaws and burly extensions, service was excellent and now I have a 14" chubby

 

Hehe, I had to look that up to know if that was a joke or real
Too young and HD engine history challenged I guess.


It turns out the one feature that discourages most people from considering a VL is the lack of recirculating oil. Unlike Harley-Davidsons built after 1936, the V-series engine did not have a system for filtering oil and returning it to the engine. Instead, the oil goes from the engine into the primary to lube the primary chain. From there it leaves the primary and lubes the rear drive chain before ultimately ending up as a puddle on the ground. This actually can be considered an advantage, since the engine always has fresh oil. You just have to make sure you don’t run out!

 

Old Harleys leak by design. A strange concept nowadays, but back then it was the norm.