7 Harley-Davidson Barn Finds
As with sought after cars, barn find motorcycles typically have great stories as to how they were found, why they were stored, or how they were brought back to life.
1. 1940 EL Knucklehead
This rust-covered Knuckle was inherited by a son after his father's passing and has a ton of great stories behind it. An interesting aspect of many barn finds is the history behind the finds. This particular bike was owned by a WWII aeronautics instructor who used it as his sole means of transportation for many years. It once towed a blown up Indian several hundred miles, ran off the road and crashed into a tree, and even caused a woman to break her ankle when trying to kick-start it without retarding the spark timing. The bike ended up in a leaky storage shed where it sat for 48 years. The motorcycle eventually changed hands a couple of times, has since been refinished, and is now in running condition. Check out this short video of the bike as it now sits.
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2. 1942 EL Knucklehead
The owner of this 1942 Knucklehead claims he found the bike listed in a local newspaper advertisement. Upon arrival, the motorcycle was sitting in the back of a pickup truck, where it had been left untouched since 1969. Apparently the original owner used to desert race the bike back in the 50's out in California before the bike swapped hands and ended up in Canada. The motorcycle came with a toolbox full of vintage Harley tools and a sealed can of engine oil. After a quick wash, the bike shined up quite well considering it sat unused for over 40 years.
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3. 1927 FHA 8-Valve V-Twin Racer
Perhaps the most noteworthy Harley barn find over the last few years has been the 1927 FHA 8-valve sidecar racer from Australia. The backstory goes that the bike was shipped down under and was raced there until the mid 1930's before being placed in a storage facility in as-raced condition. The bike has been owned by the same family for over 50 years. It is believed that fewer than 50 8-valve racers were produced by Harley between 1916 and 1928, with many of them ending up destroyed by the natural crashes that occur in a racing environment. This example ended up at auction in 2015 and sold for a staggering $423,700. At the time of the sale, this old and dusty racer ranked in the top 10 most expensive bikes ever sold at auction.
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4. Parts Bin Knuckle
The story for this old Knucklehead is that it was involved in a race with an Indian in the summer of 1952 when the engine let go and spat engine parts all over the asphalt. The broken bike was then rolled into the a tobacco barn where it sat for several decades. When the tobacco farmers needed more room in the barn, the old Harley was kicked outside where it rested for a good 20+ years before being rescued in 2015. The new owner opted not to go for a full restoration, but instead rebuilt the bike with much of its patina left intact. Even cooler is the fact that it now sees regular use as a weekend rider.
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5. 1964 Panhead
Technology has made the world a smaller place as is evident with this '64 Panhead. The backstory is that a young man was tipped-off about an old Panhead that was seen sitting under a tarp 8 years ago. The problem was that the only known information about its location was that it was outside of an old white house in an unknown small town along the Mississippi Delta. After scouring Google Earth, the young man located the house, drove 1.5 hours to its location, and eventually met with the owner (pictured on the right). The two of them struck a deal and the bike that was left for dead 20 years ago is now in the process of being built into a classic chopper.
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6. 1932 "32c" Single
This 1932 Single surfaced after AHRMA racer Randy Hoffman was visited by a neighbor asking if he was interested in buying an old motorcycle owned the neighbor's late grandfather. To Hoffman's surprise, the little bike tucked away in a Long Island shed was an original '32 Harley-Davidson side-valve single. The bike apparently had a re-paint prior to 1945, as that was the last time it was used, but otherwise it was a prime example of one of Harley's smaller motorcycle offerings. After toying with the bike, Hoffman discovered the engine had a bent valve, which is most likely why it was parked in the first place. Having owned the bike for a year, Hoffman offered the bike up for sale and it was immediately purchased by a Wheels Through Time Museum enthusiast who is likely to repair the valve and get it back in running shape.
>>Join in the conversation about Harley-Davidson barn finds right here in Harley-Davidson Forums.
7. 1938 UL
Everyone loves to see a seemingly old pile of scrap go to a good home where it will be resurrected into a usable classic motorcycle. Matt McManus has completed this type of journey with a 1938 UL sidevalver that was left to rot in New Jersey. McManus claims the bike was completely disassembled when he took possession of it, but 90 percent of the pieces were accounted for. The engine was gone through and the body pieces were taken to the local paint shop for a resto-patina finish. After repairing wiring, suspension, and wheel hubs, McManus and his father assembled the bike and it fired right up with the first kick. This build is quite impressive considering it was disassembled by the previous owner in 1969 and was left in pieces for the next 40 years.
>>Join in the conversation about Harley-Davidson barn finds right here in Harley-Davidson Forums.
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