I am humbled by the beauty the Pacific Northwest shows me.
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I am humbled by the beauty the Pacific Northwest shows me.
Not a bad way to wake up.
Sure my day to day is boring but when I get out into the world, the colors and sounds are pretty amazing.
Pear and apple orchards all around and a big craggy mountain resting in the morning light.
#motorcycle #roadtrip
Edit - updated with panorama shot. -
Wedding is over, it’s time to complete my ride. If you have been keeping up, today I finish circumnavigating Mt. Rainier
Today will be an easier ride. Getting started a lot earlier and only a stretch of interstate between Vancouver, WA and Centralia before cutting back north east through Yelm/Roy to 512 to 167 for the boogy to the house.Not sure the miles back but close to 220 or so, guess I am gonna find out. #motorcycle #roadtrip
A few of the #harleydavidson’s I saw yesterday at the flight and auto museum. Both are running and are beautiful with their leather accessories.
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@leerayl That Harley is a beauty!
I assumed it didn't have any suspension because I couldn't see a shock, but Wikipedia says it uses "springer" front suspension:
> The WLA also features springer front suspension. Harley-Davidson would not adopt telescopic front forks until after the war. The rear wheel had no suspension, giving this type of motorcycle the nickname "hard tail".
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harley-Davidson_WLA
I guess that's what the springs at the top of the forks are?
Thanks for sharing the photos!
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@dHeinemann it is a springer front end, hard to see in my pics and yes these are the original “hard tail”. It’s why the seat pan springs were added to provide rider comfort.
The telescopic front ends came out mid 50’s. The 2024 H-D Revival HydraGlide from the Icon collection is modeled on that front end.
I love the WLA for its heavy duty work horse platform, as reliable as bikes could be and the foundation for post war club bikes here in the US.
I would really love to get on one and give it a go. I have only seen them in museums and bike shows. We do have a riding troop here in the Seattle area that runs old WL’s. Maybe before I get too old, I will find one to try out. I love my springer, I love all springers, they remain the last real mechanical function of motorcycles since day one.
Hope someday we can chat bikes like this in real life, we can talk about shovel heads and pan heads, kick starters and bobbed out cafe racers!
I will try to grab some of the other bikes they had, like their Cushman collection! A couple early Honda modified “choppers”, a decent Guzzi, and some odds and ins. Not a bad bike collection for an airplane museum!
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@leerayl Sounds good to me! I don't have any plans to visit the USA at this stage, but it'd be awesome to catch up if we had the opportunity.