1949 Harley-Davidson Flathead

Up for auction is my 1949 WL. I have owned this bike for eight years, and have always treated with tons of TLC. Last year I did a complete major clean-up which included all new paint, some re-chroming and some new parts. I had never intended to sell this bike, but it might be time to part with it.

The bike is 100% in perfect condition, both operating and visually. The bike needs nothing. It runs and rides great and could probably be ridden coast to coast. I have always babied it, only riding on nice days and then it goes back under the cover in the garage.

The clean-up last year involved complete disassembly down to a rolling chassis with the motor and tranny in place. From there every piece was inspected, and then was either cleaned up and put back on, repainted, re-chromed if needed, or replaced. The motor and tranny had just been rebuilt by the previous owner when I purchased the bike. In eight years, I probably put a total of only 1,200 miles on the bike. The tires and brakes are also eight years old. The bike stops perfectly, and the tires are still soft with no signs of age.

Other than being done as a bobber style, this is a very correct 49WL. The front end is a true 45 springer with the correct rocker inside the forks setup. The front brake drum is also correct, pulling from the bottom, not the top. The tabs for the front fender were not shaved, so if you chose to put one on one day it would not be a problem.  The frame is correct for 1949, with the 3 bolt transmission plate and coil brackets as part of the frame. The frame has never been cut or raked. The loops for a rear stand are in place. The frame is nicely painted black.

The motor is properly stamped 49WL followed by the vin. The carb is an M-88 which has been rebuilt and polished.  The tank fuel shut-off works properly, however since this type always drips, and the bike sits alot, I hard plumbed an additional fuel shut-off into the fuel line.  The motor has been detailed and painted. The tranny is a correct matching three speed solo, with 3 bolt mounting. It was detailed as well. Both chains were replaced about 800 miles ago. 

The tins are all in excellent condition. The tanks are correct original harley.  They are correct for 1949, with the 1947 and up dash console recess.  I used a modified dash mount plate to fit the catseye dash. The rear fender might be after market. It was just too clean when it was sanded down to be repainted. As you can see the bike was custom painted with scallops to give it an old style bobber racer feeling.  The paint job is a nice single stage hand rubbed two-tone. 

I went with a catseye dash and old style speedometer. The original 49 speedometer is green, so I did not buy one as it just would not look right on the bike.  A nice black and silver bullseye aftermarket speedometer was used. 

With the major clean-up I replaced nearly every nut, washer, and bolt with stainless steel. All wiring was inspected, replaced if necessary, and then wrapped. The battery is about two years old and works fine.  The bike runs on 6 volts.  The headlight is nice and bright, so no need to convert it to 12. 

All other parts are a mix of stock and aftermarket which are all in either new, like new, or excellent condition.

Please note that bike ships once cashier's check clears by bank.  I will check with my bank, but I assume that it would take about 8 business days for the check to clear. 

Please ask about anything that I might have missed.  Thank you.