by hayleyl » Mon Aug 10, 2015 9:12 pm
Thanks all, sadly machine is not complete. I purchased the frame, swing arm, complete engine (with 2 sets of spare heads) from a swap meet here in Australia a few years ago. The gent who had it purchased a shipping container of Panhead and early Shovelhead parts from Amarillo Texas. The remains of the K-Model was buried under a pile of tin and fibreglass parts. That's as much as I know about the bike. I think it's been a back yard club racer or similar at some stage. Engine, frame, (modified Hummer tank) and front end (early Ceriani or Redwing I think) were all as one (no wheels). Engine cases and heads have all the usual stress cracks etc. and there has never been any aluminium repairs carried out. Apart from being very tired in condition, there are some interesting things I've discovered. Cylinders are 750cc but have had extensive modifications to ports, pistons crowns have been hand shaped, KHK stamped cam set has been installed, carb is modified 53a linkert on a (what looks like) a KR manifold. It has a wide clutch with a smooth pressed tin primary cover. Gear box has weird gears (teeth numbers). Appears ratio 1st & 2nd are really close and 3rd and 4th are close but 2nd to 3rd are in different postcodes.
Frame is a shorter rake than standard, no side stand lug, no provision brackets or mounts etc. for oil tank or battery, lugs on frame to hold T bar on seat have been removed, seat plunger and fender strut casting is one piece, plunger holes are smooth with a step about an inch down into the frame. There are some different number here and there, some stamped and some cast. The joints from tubing to cast sections are all welded and it it much much lighter than say a stock 77 XL frame which I have. The journey of this machine is anyone's guess. It's never going to be anything than a bitsa', but It will be recommissioned as say an example of what a 52KRTT looked like.
I am simply intrigued by the belly numbers - 552 (ModelK1952) 1742(I take as sequential or mating number) but I don't know what 1050 means. The numbers are matching and in the same font.