I built this bike in 1996-97 and had it in display a the local Harley Shop in Visalia,Ca. in which one night some crack heads broke into the shop and stole a trailer and 5 bikes and one was mine ! T As they had a Car bust and big drug bust in Fresno ,Ca. and had a shoot out and couple people where killed including some FBI and local police . As we where watching TV on local channel they where telling about it and there scanning the scence and all of a sudden there our gas tanks and frame apart on the ground and I mean it was apart ! Been some 30 years ago and it was in the courts for several years and received it back in box es . As it's really been hard to get motivaded to put it back together. But Finished up the 1949 WL flat head , as you can see in my posts here ,got motivaded to start it and here we go ! Hope ya enjoy as I'm having fun trying to figure this out one more time ! So now im fixing the damage on the parts such as broken and hammered of parts that they did and of coarse scratched paint etc. etc.

Fixing the paint work on the frame as this is a Atlas pro magnum frame out of Victorville Ca.

Cleaning up the engine and put back together as taking off all the finger print dust film that was on all over the bike from the police .

 

30 years and home again. Hope you got most of the parts. Good Luck

 

What a story - following along and hope to see this complete!

 

Yes that's a great story, with a happy ending. Do you have pictures from back in the day you could post?

 

That would be cool!!!
Interesting story and history on this bike too!
So, (don't wanna pry) but simply ask... Assuming there wasn't any insurance on the bike at the time? I've actually had friends who "found" a car that was stolen years ago and, since there was no insurance paid, they got it back. Not in the same condition. They got it back since they still "owned" it.
And, at the rate the other bike came together, we'll see this one moving around before Memorial Day, perhaps. No rush...
Need to go check out the build on the other bike to see it finished.

 

Great story with a somewhat happy ending. Keep posting on the rebuild process, build threads are great seeing the passion and the progress as it comes back together.

 

Hopefully out of all the shooting, the majority (or *ALL*) of the thieves were recipients of many pieces of metal and didn't survive.

I hate a thief and a liar with all my being. Call me one or the other and be prepared to defend oneself. BEG.

 

Yeah My Dad made sure I was neither.. You know back when it was normal to beat your kids for doing wrong...

 

Good story, I guess. I’m glad you got it back and can now make it look good again.

 

Following. Nice story (sort of). glad you got some of it back.