First Start in Almost 60 Years. 1938 Harley 61" EL Knucklehead Period Modified

After about 2 weeks of preparing to start the bike after it has sat since 1964, I was able to fire it up on the first kick with the ignition on. people familiar with this era Harley Davidson will know that you turn on the gas, close the choke, and give it 2 kicks to prime the intake charge, then open the choke, turn on the ignition and a properly set up bike will fire the next kick when cold. Warmed up, usually no prime kicks are required. This bike had sat for nearly 60 years under burlap sacks and when I acquired it, had been turned over by hand supposedly every month since. This must've been accurate info, because all that was necessary was to soak the carb overnight and install a new float gasket and float, add a battery and put some Marvel Oil in the cylinders to help free up possibly stuck rings. I had to mess with the wire inside the timer cap to get the spark to happen at the points which still looked brand new. At this point I knew it should be ready to fire, but still had a little doubt due to the unknown condition of the inside of the motor. A cleverly placed rag in the mouth of the carb had saved the bores from pests, and thusly I was able to get it to fire on the first kick, which is almost unbelievable. God was smiling down on me that day and it is a moment I will never forget and will hold dear for the rest of my life. I think my excitement is pretty evident in the video ;)

[@Montuckymadness406]

Congrats! That’s gonna be a hell of a ride once it’s all cleaned and tuned.

[@truthbetold-jq8iw]

No other feeling like it, congrats on a sweet ride. Don't ever make the mistake like me and sell it.

[@gorn9161]

Hell, even I was excited!💨

[@Hanks1938ELKnucklehead]

You should have been there! It was an amazing moment that you hear about and maybe see a few videos of, but never believe would be possible to experience first hand. It is, indeed, spiritual!

[@MichaelMordor]

Beautiful Bike and sound 🤩

[@Hanks1938ELKnucklehead]

Thanks ✌️

[@Hanks1938ELKnucklehead]

To all the nay-sayers and second guessers that inevitably show up in the comments, this video is not monetized and there is nothing for me to gain by not telling the truth. This was an amazing moment in my life and I simply wish to share it with others! Enjoy and check out the other vidoes that show the condition upon first arrival just a few weeks earlier. I had to order a battery and some carb gaskets to get to this point and it took some further work on the primary and clutch before It was ready to ride, but, all in all, was in incredible condition for a bike that had not been ridden since 1964.

[@bargeman100]

That laugh when it first fired is priceless. Good on you man, that's excellent. First ride yet?

[@Hanks1938ELKnucklehead]

Yes! Amazingly smooth running bike. And fast for a 30s bike!

[@GearHead-Moto]

1st start in 60 years???? Is that documented?

[@Hanks1938ELKnucklehead]

Yes, it's called this video.