Down Under 1947 Knucklehead is Immaculate
Dream bike was built to ride, and also ready to party.
Unfinished Dream
This 1947 Knucklehead rolled off the factory floor as a 1948 FL Panhead. Purchased as an unfinished restoration project, Rob, the FL's Australian owner, decided to build it into his dream bike. The result is one gem of a machine. Far from being a dusty museum piece, this vintage FL is definitely ready to ride.
Photos courtesy of Throttle Roll.
Grail Power
After selling the Panhead engine, Rob began his search for a new mill. He managed to score a 1947 Knucklehead motor with good cases. Sometimes called the 'Holy Grail' of motorcycles, 1947 was the last year Harley-Davidson built FLs with Knucklehead engines. It was replaced by the improved Panhead, with aluminum cylinder heads and distinctive pie plate rocker covers.
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Accurate Iron
With his set of genuine Knucklehead cases in hand, Rob turned to professional help. He headed to Redgraves Motorcycles in the Upper North Shore of Sydney, Australia. Keeping vintage iron on the road for over four decades, Redgraves was established in 1979. They specialize in 'hard to find' parts for “accurate restoration, repair, and upgrading of Harley-Davidson motorcycles.”
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Cool Setup
Rob's build plan was simple, capture everything he had ever wanted in a classic Harley-Davidson. Starting with a set of original Fatbob gas tanks, he narrowed and joined them together, then added some round bar as a backbone and relocated the filler cap. The end product is a functional stock-looking setup, but with a bit of 'cool' chopper attitude.
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Popular Look
The next step in the process was to rebuild the original VL springer frontend. Introduced in the 1930s, the springer fork has become a nostalgic 'must-have' for custom builds. Simple and rugged, the frontend is an early example of a leading link fork. The look proved so popular that Harley-Davidson reintroduced the frontend in 1988, on the aptly named, Springer Softail.
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Broadway Oval
Unique finishing touches abound on Rob's 1947 FL hybrid. A rocker foot clutch is tied to a custom shifter fabricated from a brass rod courtesy of a local machinist. The peculiar oval headlight was sourced from an unnamed vintage American car. Dating back to the 1930s, the 'Broadway Oval' headlight was produced by the S&M Lamp Company in Los Angeles, California.
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Shakedown Run
A pair of 'mud catcher,' dual flange alloy wheels were laced with stainless steel spokes. The rear fender was hand fabricated and painted to match the stylish tank. A fancy sissy bar holds everything in place. The exhaust was an aftermarket purchase. The initial plan was to chop the pipes short, but after a shakedown run, it was decided that they looked and sounded just right.
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Mishmash Steel
The 1947 Knucklehead was then put through its paces. With plenty of miles logged, Rob determined that the only improvement needed was a bottle opener affixed to the handlebars. Like the Johnny Cash song, One Piece at a Time, Rob's FL is also built from a pile of mixed parts, but it's certain that no one is laughing his mishmash of vintage steel.
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For maintenance and repair guides for your Harley, browse our technical How-to articles right here on HDForums.
