When I was there many years ago Dale did the 105' burn out on the Crocker stopping in a skid just short of a Duesenberg! The holy grail of motorcycles and the holy grail of classic cars. Something I will never forget.
Do you guys have any info about Paul Bigsby on display? From what I gather he was Crocker's master mechanic & shop foreman (& OHV designer) after exiting the race circuit... but when Crocker ceased cycle production to manufacture aircraft parts during WWII, Bigsby started building guitars & electric mandolins. Soon enough he had quite a few illustrious clients, & his heavily-sprung vibrato tailpiece is still in production today. The shape of Bigsby's headstocks was even adopted by Fender for their Jazzmasters & Jaguars & Stratocasters to boot. 🎸
Spent a day at Wheels thru time. Stayed locally at a motel so we could be there early. That was 7 years ago. Now a donation to help with Fire Suppression System. I was a Certified Fire Inspector in my town. Fair Lawn NJ Volunteer Fire Dept. Just wanted to help. Peter
i would love to work at the museum just to be around all those wonderful machines.Matt you have the best job on the planet and the love for what you do shines threw just like your father!
You gotta love this stuff! Matt you’re doing more then restoring old bikes. You’re keeping American Ingenuity History Alive. Plus the bikes are super cool!!
Did you see the arms-crossed spectator club in the background? That's how you watch another man work on his vintage motorcycle when you can't help out or have a beer to sip.... you go arms crossed, legs shoulder width apart, occasional nod. I wish I was there watching Matt do his thing. : ) 16:20
Very much enjoyed watching the video. Crocker oiling systems were less than perfect. I rode #58 for years. First off, there is NO scraper in the cases. So after a while at high speed running they will wet sump. You first notice a slowing down and then SMOKE out the tail pipe. You have to pull over and lean the bike over and let the sump pick it up and send it back to the tank. Ask me how I know . . . Anything under 55 - 60 mph was OK. Also, the chrome screw and lock nut in the pressure pump is your adjustment. You can change to flow with that screw. It should be an interm8ittant spurt at an idle to the head(s). Additionally, Hemi Heads were not used in 1940. They had the parallel valve heads. Richard Morris put those heads on a 1940 set of cases. That bike WAS # 39 - 61 - 55. It belonged to the Ross Brothers in Chico Ca. before Richard acquired it. I had my breather out too trying to figure out why it seemed to not drain fast enough. I learned some tricks with the parallel valve set up but don't have a clue about the Hemi Heads.
Nice to hear somebody that actually knows a lot about those bikes. When he took that vent gear out I was cringing, why didn't he Mark that so he would know where it was at and how much he changed it. More like a private collection that they play with there are bikes, and make money from people that want to look at them, rather than a true museum.
@@bnghjtyu767 In my opinion it is an amazing museum, one where everything actually just works. If you have not yet visited, you should, I bet it will change your mind!
@@bnghjtyu767 I cringed also. The guy knows his stuff so I'm guessing he did put it on TDC #1 before starting the video. Never having split the cases I don't blame him for not knowing there's no scraper. In fact my cases and flywheels were polished smooth inside which only worsens the oil drain back. The flywheels are like Indian as in both wheels are the same. There's a little pocket on the R. case where a 1/8" pipe fitting screws in for the return line. Not very well thought out IMHO. But I have utmost respect for the brand and Paul (PA) Bigsby. He did all the castings. The transmission case cast in the frame is a work of art with two trap doors holding it all together. There was a man named Ernie Skelton who made a "dam" and screwed it in each side of the cases to make a scraper. He claimed his son got pulled over on the freeway doing over 100 MPH. I don't doubt it.
@@blueridgerider2023 don't get me wrong I'm in all of the pieces on display and the bikes that are there but a true museum has a Restoration group that knows the units whatever they would be airplanes bikes cars inside and out as well as the original manufacturer and designers. This place is more amateur than that. In essence what this guy did on the floor is something like I would do and I am no curator of a museum that have crockers and or Vincent's and the like.
I always tell people the best motorcycle show ever on television was "What's In The Barn?" Dale was so likeable and I was really saddened when I heard of his passing. I hope to visit your museum someday and tell you about my old neighbor Bob Beatty who rode for Indian from 1937 until the war.
Great as always Matt ! Crocker lovers, there's a YT video, Mecum Auctions, 2019, a '39 Crocker that sold for $640,000. As a motorcycle hotrod guy I ABSOLUTELY love this !
Such amazing work of art and engineering. I’ve said this on Pacific Mike’s channel and I’ll repeat it here… I really enjoy consuming content from people who have a genuine passion for what they do. It doesn’t matter if it’s classic motorcycles (like this), making knives, or whatever the heck… it’s awesome to see. Having said that, I’ve GOTS to get out to your establishment to see the collection.
The videos you guys do they're always awesome, and crocker always said if someone got beat in race crocker would buy it back and he never had to. The sears bike is pretty awesome as well.
Hi Matt. I visited last weekend. I wanted to see three bikes. Dale’s trike, the Crocker and the 41 red white and blue flat tracker. What a treat! We saw them all. And to take a photo with Dale’s trike was an honor. The Crocker is a work of art. Thank you to Andy for the great visit. Can’t wait to visit again. Chris W
When I was a young child (maybe around 8 or 9), I wanted a motorcycle like my dad. He had a pristine 68 FLH in the early 80s. Then I learned how expensive they were and my 9 yo self needed to find an alternative. It was around the same time when saw a few pictures of Crockers in a magazine. I didn't read any accompanying articles, but I fell in love. I thought they were beautiful. However, I never heard of them and never saw them on the road. I figured guys didn't really want them. I didn't know why. Oh well, their loss. These were my affordable alternative!These poor unwanted machines had to be pretty cheap. Right? I believed I had discovered a hidden gem! ...then I grew up.
Had an amazing time at the WTT museum Saturday as always, and the 2nd time i got to see the wall of death there in the last few years. Looking forward to seeing you grow. Happy 20th anniversary!!👍🏻👍🏻🇺🇸
Learn all you can about that engine. Check everything. And make sure there's oil everywhere it's needed. As you see in this video. And have a hose nearby.
I'm pretty sure I can get it running. I need to wire up the generator. Check fluids and change fluids. Clean fuel system, carburetor. It has good compression and it has spark it's been about 20 years since it's ran so I should be able to fire it up
I am just doing my first Harley (Evo) motor rebuild and just wrapped up the cam chest so watching you make an educated guess on the breather timing (and pour gas near that beautiful paint) was a bit stressful, haha! Keep up the good work!
Matt I love your channel it's friggin awesome I would love to be able to visit the museum it would make mine and my wife's day my friend just visited it last month and love not been able to get anytime off or had the funds to make the trip but I love bikes and can't wait to get to make the trip
Having good Fire Insurance is one thing, but having a Great Fire Suppression System is quite another thing. Gota keep those Bike safe Matt. Thanks for the Show, as always it was superb. Love these old classic Harley's, Indians and all the other there in Wheels Trought Time. I Ride a Classic Harley for the Love of it all.
Excellent. I had a guy build a Knucklehead engine for me decades ago. Good job except he didn't put in the right breather valve. Knuckleheads are different than Pans and Shovels. Caused me a lot of grief and oil leaks till I figured it out.
Great video! Very informative. My dad would keep the screws in the same holes when doing a job like that. It reduces wear on the threads. Also he used a tiny amount of molybdenum paste. Wonderful to see inside.
Great museum and beautiful bikes. Makes me wonder what gasoline (and oil) considerations you have, with machines ranging over a hundred years in age: octane, unleaded or leaded, fuel stabilizers, additives, empty or full tanks. Proper storage could be a video. I will be contributing to your fire suppression project.
I met Al Crocker Jr. at church twenty five years ago... I had a Harley-Davidson shirt on and Al Jr. asked do you like motorcycles...Yeah and he started telling me of his Father and the Crocker motorcycle at the time I think Jr. was in his eighty's super cool dude....
Beautiful bike my grandfather had a knucklehead harley davidson don't know what year it was but he always told me when we would talk about his motorcycles he had over the years that the knucklehead was always his favorite and he had quite a few Harleys over his riding years he's long passed away but I still have the memories of him telling about his life riding back in the golden years of these beautiful bikes
Excellent video and footage. Always been curious about the Crockers valvetrain, I wondered if it was similar to the Indian setup but wasn’t sure. At a younger age I also had a curiosity to know if it was setup with a bevel drive like the Ducatis but common sense eventually ruled that out. Really enjoyed seeing your Dad’s Servi Car in the background, been a while since I’d seen it and put a smile on my face to see if today. Great job Matt !!!
I was at Accurate Engineering in Dothan Al a few years ago and saw these castings for a motor. I asked what motor they were for and they told me it was a Crocker that they want to start building... The castings were not machined yet but they were smooth and very good quality.
Oh to have been a Crocker rider in the late 1930's. Gotta love the Knucklehead Harley but sweet as it was, the Crocker was the beast to beat if you wanted to go fast.
Matt, it would be fascinating to watch & listen to you do a side-by-side comparison of the 1936 Crocker Motorcycle to the 1936 H-D Knucklehead. Love your museum tour videos; sadly they are as close as this old rider will ever get to your (fine) Motorcycle Americana TREASURE-trove. Have subscribed & will donate to The Cause. Ride On !!
Just wonder if the Red Glyptal is factory or is it something added afterward? It's been a while since I've seen any of that. Keep the good stuff coming guys.
