BEST OF THE BEST Harley Davidson Haul | American Pickers

A few years ago Mike bought a 1911 Harley, and it has been his goal to rebuild this bike ever since.
Now, the last piece to this puzzle was a motor that Mike scored in New Jersey.
[whistling] I’ve been looking for you for four years.
An amazing, very rare mag model motor.
For being over 100 years old, this thing is in great shape.
Hey.
Hey, girl.
– How are you doing? – Good.
How are you?
I’m awesome.
It’s great to see you.
Really great day, because guess what I have for you?
Tell me.
1911 Harley motor.
– Oh, it’s here? – It’s here.
Yeah, I got it.
Well, there’s the project right there.
Wow.
This is beautiful, Dave.
Mikey’s been working really hard to get all of the parts to put together his 1911 Harley.
And that motor, if you want– he told me it was nice and sweaty, and greasy, the way we want it.
Yep.
And that guy you got it from, I’m shocked you got it from him.
He’s tougher than boiled owl.
Yeah, he is.
We’re talking about, like, me giving you three motors and– Three sets of– [interposing voices] And all of this stuff for that motor.
I’m gonna do the deal with you.
Really? All right.
Thank you.
Great job.
These are one of my favorite Harleys, right here.
Belt drive.
They’re just simple.
Mike and I both like these early bikes.
They’re like an old tractor.
They run good, they’re smooth, they’re dependable.
And you can imagine these old belt drive bikes going down these dirt roads with ruts, and everything.
They didn’t have these nice roads that they have now.
They used them, big time, for delivering mail, whatever.
You know?
I’m pretty excited about it.
I think I’ve got everything now.
I’ve got to rebuild the rear wheel yet, and build a fuel line, and an oil line, and things like that.
But the hard part was that motor.
We’ve accumulated all the pieces that I need to finish this thing, and it’s about time, because it’s been so long.
I don’t know if you’re ready for this.
There it is.
The condition looks really nice.
It’s going to go with that bike perfectly.
And the fins were nice.
The motor’s free.
It turns over.
It’s just a really nice piece.
Mike’s going to be so excited about this thing.
I know.
Does this thing still run?
Yeah.
I just put a new rubber band in it last night.
Frankie, and Danielle, and I are opening the shop.
You know what I mean, we’re moving stuff out here, and all of a sudden I thought I heard something.
Thought it was a moped.
I look over, it’s the 1911 coming around the corner.
Yeah!
No way!
You got it going?
Oh, my god.
Dude!
Awesome, dude.
This thing is sweaty.
It’s scarred.
It’s rusty.
I’ve been dreaming about it.
Finally, we got the heartbeat for it.
Now, he’s the first guy to ride it.
Dude!
4 and 1/2 years.
I wish I could say I was the only one that helped bring these all back to life, but there’s a community of guys that have helped do this.
Like Jim Long, straightened the frame and fork.
Ben [inaudible] straightened the fenders for me.
It’s kind of neat how they all come together and help resurrect these things and bring them back from the dead.
How do I look, Danny?
Hot.
I’m going to give you a quick lesson.
All right.
First of all, you know you’ve got a pedal to start it?
Yeah, I know that.
Put some tension on it.
Put some tension on the belt.
All the way over, right?
– Hang on there, Chongo. – Wait, come on.
Get it on. – No, stop.
Stop.
All right.
He hopped on that bike, and he was all excited.
I thought, slow down, there.
Slow down.
He’s pedaling away and everything.
You tighten the belt all the way.
OK.
All right?
Make sure your gas is on.
Your oil dripper’s on. – [inaudible] Now, wait a minute.
Now flap this– [inaudible] Yep.
There you go.
Yeah!
Yes!
I’ve sat on these things before, but I’ve never actually ridden one.
Aw!
Oh!
I’m sitting on it.
I’m like, OK, fist in the wind, baby.
[inaudible] Oh!
That was great.
Man!
So close.
A little more, right?
I was almost there.
Oh, my god. – You’ll get it down.
You’ll get it down.
That thing is insane, man.
I’m freaking awesome.
Nobody can do what I do.
[music playing] MIKE (VOICEOVER): Danielle gave us a lead to a guy named Michael.
She said he’s got a couple storage units.
She really doesn’t know what’s in there, but he’s ready to sell.
This seems pretty kind of upscale here for us.
FRANK (VOICEOVER): As I’m looking around at the horses, and the stables, and the land, and how pretty this place is, these guys got some money.
But that’s great in a picker’s world, because that means they’ve been able to buy quality things.
Howdy. BOTH: Hey.
How are you?
– How are you doing? – You Michael?
I am.
Talked to Danielle on the phone?
I did.
Welcome!
Nice to meet you.
– Good to see you guys. – I’m Frank.
How are you doing?
Dani said you had, like, a couple of storage units.
But this is a little different than that.
Yeah.
I guess you could call these storage units, but we got plenty.
This is a farm that my family’s lived on for generations.
We have about 300 acres here and a number of buildings.
How long have you guys been here?
Well as a family, we’ve been on this property for five generations, and in this town for 10.
For 10?
Yeah, started in 1750.
Wow.
That means 10 generations of accumulation.
Where should we start?
I wanna hit the barn.
Yeah, let’s start at the big barn first.
[laughter] MIKE: Whoa.
Frank, there it is!
MICHAEL: I think it’s a ’69 Sportster.
FRANK: There you go!
FRANK (VOICEOVER): Harley Davidson produced Sportsters.
They were 900cc bikes.
They were like an entry-level bike.
Sportsters are still made today, and they’re one of Harley Davidson’s most popular motorcycles.
This is the total opposite of what you’d expect to see in here, isn’t it?
Right, right.
FRANK (VOICEOVER): This bike is a great piece, but it’s been customized.
The frame’s been chromed, a lot of the parts have been chromed.
That’s great, if you’re looking for that type of bike.
But most people are looking for stock.
That’s where the real money is at.
I’d probably be in it.
On the high side, maybe $1,400.
$1,400?
Uh-huh.
Yeah, I’m looking for something more around $2,500.
Something like that.
Yeah.
25, I can buy these down done.
I buy them for $2,500 running.
Because you can buy an 883 Sportster for 35.
And that’s Evolution motor, that’s push start kick– boom, bang.
FRANK (VOICEOVER): At $2,500, I’ve got to take a step back.
I just hope that everything else isn’t going to be expensive.
We do have an attic that might be, uh, might be interesting to you.
It’s a little different stuff.
But it’s up on the top of the main house.
We would love to look anywhere.
Love to.
So how many bedrooms?
Uh, 12.
MIKE: This place is a mansion!
I mean, it’s huge!
How many bathrooms?
Geez, I’m not sure I’ve ever counted them.
[laughter] I can’t believe that he’s going to let us walk into this house and pick it.
Wow.
Nice place.
Thanks.
God, it’s like three stories.
Yeah, it’s crazy.
MIKE: Oh, my god.
[music playing] Michael, I got a couple of smalls over here.
Smalls is how we make a living.
I got a truck somebody painted.
This is just a little lighter fluid.
And then, I’ve got a dealing machine.
$50.
Good.
All right. We got it.
Look at this thing.
Buck Rogers.
MIKE (VOICEOVER): It’s actually a Buck Rogers costume for a little kid.
Buck Rogers– I find a Buck Rogers holster.
MICHAEL: And then, you’ve got the spurs here.
How about for all of it, $95?
$95.
[register dinging] It’s a doll house.
It’s made to look like a train car.
MICHAEL: Yeah.
I’d take a chance for $30.
OK. [register dinging] – Hey, look at that. – Cool.
Like superheroes.
FRANK: I was thinking they were squash.
$10 apiece.
Sounds all right to me.
[register dinging] – OK.
You’re cleaning up today.
As much as I love smalls, I’d love to leave this pick with a big item.
Can we take another look at that bike?
Sure!
Doesn’t want to roll too good here.
There you go. Just help me pull it.
There you go.
MIKE (VOICEOVER): ’69 Sportster.
I thought, you know what?
You don’t see these every day.
But I had to get it at the right price.
Well, I was at like $1,400 last we talked.
How about $1,500?
I could come down maybe to $1,900?
$1,900?
Yeah.
Just hard to buy something.
Doesn’t look like it’s really been sitting that long, but I bet it’s been sitting for 10 years.
Could be.
How about $1,700?
[dramatic music] The idea is get stuff out to these buyers, not to keep putting them back in.
– All righty. – Thank you.
Good deal. I’m glad we came to terms.
Thanks.
MIKE (VOICEOVER): I paid $1,700 for the ’69 Sportster.
I think it’s worth at least $2,800.
Hey, thanks for sharing your family’s history with us.
Yeah, it was fun.
It was great.
It was really nice to see them taking the stuff that was just sitting in those barns, that would continue to sit in those barns, and really take a liking to it.
And it’s going to get out, and somebody is going to really cherish these things.
And there’s more!
When you come back next time, we got more for you.
All right.
My business is called Antique Archaeology.
And when we’re digging through a family that’s got 10 generations of stuff, that’s exactly what we’re doing.
We’re unearthing the past.
And that’s why this pick is going down in pickin’ folklore.
[horn honking] Sweet picking!
See you, Michael!
Thanks, guys!
FRANK FRITZ: Mike, here it is.
MIKE WOLFE: Wow, this doesn’t look like a pick.
This place looks full-on “Leave It to Beaver.” It’s not the kind of place we usually pick.
Here.
Handle it.
It can be pretty sketch when you go to someone’s front door and you knock on it.
You never know who’s going to behind it.
Hello.
KATHY: Hi.
Is Jim around?
Yeah, hang on a second.
You never know what you’re going to come across.
You never know what sort of situation you’re going to encounter.
Hey, Jim. What’s up, man?
Hey. How you doing?
– Hey, I’m Mike. – Hey, Jim.
How you doing? – Nice to meet you.
– My name’s Frank. – How you doing, Frank?
You talked to Danielle on the phone?
Right.
MIKE WOLFE: Danielle said you were wanting to relieve some pressure from the big barn you had.
Right.
I sell Harley Davidsons and Indians for a living.
And I’m a collector.
All right. Show us around.
Come to the barn.
All right.
All right.
But when I was in sixth grade, I borrowed $100 from my father.
I started buying [inaudible] Honda 50s, Harley Hummers, whatever.
Made a lot of parents around here angry, because their kids got on bikes at such an early age, you know.
Yeah.
I was a bad influence.
Oh, my god.
Look at this barn. oh, yeah.
Wow, this is huge.
Barn was built in 1955.
OK.
Yeah.
And there’s two floors.
Probably the top floor you’d be more interested in, but there’s still treasures on the lower floor.
OK.
[chuckles] FRANK FRITZ: Oh, man.
Whew. OK.
[whistles] All right.
This is why we’re here.
So you’ve been settin’ stuff up here for a long time.
I’ve been in this barn about 10 years.
10 years.
About 25 years ago, I had a vision for this barn.
And about 10 years ago, I got the property.
And this is what I’ve done.
MIKE WOLFE (VOICEOVER): I didn’t expect to see this kind of stuff when I pulled into this place.
He’s got a ton of smalls.
He’s got a lot of signs.
He’s got a lot of memorabilia.
It’s gonna be a good pick.
What’s up?
You’ve got a JD frame over here.
Where’d you find this?
That was actually buried underneath a bunch of model A parts behind the farm.
MIKE WOLFE: It was fresh picked.
Fresh picked.
[chuckles] Early Harley motors are extremely collectible.
And the best way to display ’em is in the frame itself.
FRANK FRITZ: This is definitely a wall hanger.
It’s a really, really nice item, and it’s an unusual item.
I absolutely love it.
200.
And I’d go 100 on the frame.
Yeah.
Almost there.
You’re almost.
[laughs] So right in the middle of a negotiation, Jim’s wife Kathy materializes out of thin air.
What do you think?
I think you need to take it home.
[interposing voices] It’s basically– it’s a motor stand.
Let’s do 150 on the frame.
Mike and I were negotiating on the JD frame.
And he wanted to pay considerably less than what I really wanted for it.
I’m at 100.
Yeah.
I told him, I have a very rare part upstairs.
And if you can identify what the part is, you can have it for your price.
So if I can– Let’s go look at it.
–identify what the part is, I can have that for 100?
Yep.
All right, let’s do it.
Oh, OK What the hell, you ain’t got nothing to lose.
I never shy away from a challenge.
It keeps things interesting, and it keeps me on my toes.
Here you go, Mike.
If you can identify that part– Is it car or motorcycle?
Motorcycle.
I consider myself to be an expert on bikes, but you know what?
This is a freakin’ tough one.
I want to say it’s– you know, it’s a main gear, you know.
It’s a full team effort here.
We need to stay focused to pull this thing off.
What is it, Frankie?
This is a reverse gear.
Oh, for a three-wheeled knucklehead tri-car?
FRANK FRITZ: Yeah. This is a– [interposing voices] FRANK FRITZ: –reverse gear.
That’s what it is.
MIKE WOLFE: Boom.
There’s only six made in the world.
I was really surprised that they guessed what it was.
I couldn’t believe it.
So 100?
I was shocked.
MIKE WOLFE: [laughs] Yeah.
That’s awesome for us.
MIKE WOLFE (VOICEOVER): This place was stacked.
Jim was extremely passionate about his collection, and that’s always really cool.
Can you believe I got that?
MIKE WOLFE (VOICEOVER): This section of a Harley JD frame cost me $100.
I’m going to ask 250.
[cha-ching] All right.
Jim– I think that’s it.
–thanks for lettin’ us in– come in.
Thank you, boys.
– Nice to meet you. – Yes, you, too.
– All right, buddy. – Nice to meet you.
– Come back again – Great to meet you.
All right, we will.
All right, thank you!
They’re great guys.
They’re a lot like me.
You know, they’re regular guys.
They have the interest.
All right.
They’re welcome to come back here anytime and pick again.
[car honking] See you, guys.
[car honking] [upbeat music] Looking good, looking good.
Oh, this is my perfect kind of place.
Slow the roll a little bit.
This a place looks good already, dude.
As soon as Frankie and I pull up on the property, I’m coming out of my skin, OK?
I’m already in third gear.
I’m at 4,000 RPMs.
Hello.
Hello.
Hi.
How are you doing?
Just fine.
Hey, I’m Mike.
Good to meet you guys.
My buddy Frank.
Nice to meet you.
Pleasure.
We’re sorry to bother you guys.
We’re pickers.
You ever heard of pickers?
Yeah.
We got a lead from a gal that works for us, and she told us that you guys might possibly have Bonnie and Clyde’s motorcycle.
Bonnie and Clyde’s motorcycle.
I feel like I entered the Twilight Zone.
He’s looking at her.
She’s looking at me.
I’m looking at him.
We have a motorcycle.
You got a motorcycle?
From Bonnie and Clyde?
Oh, it says right on his shirt, Clyde.
– You’re Bonnie and Clyde. – Right.
– OK. – OK.
All right, Bonnie.
Because we know a little bit about Clyde– it’s not the notorious Bonnie and Clyde that we were expecting.
It’s a little sweet mom and pop Bonnie and Clyde that we got.
So what kind of motorcycle you got?
Harley Davidson.
’34 Harley.
So it’s not the Bonnie and Clyde motorcycle, but hey, I’ll take a 1934 Harley any day.
That was a big year for Harley Davidson.
It was the first year of the Big Twin VL Flathead motor.
But we just rolled up on these people.
Who knows if they’re interested in showing it to us, much less even selling it?
Hey, if you guys got a little bit of time, I mean, you know?
Can you let us look around a little bit?
If you can uncover it.
Is it buried?
[laughs] Lead the way.
If you’d have told me this morning when I was in the shower singing that I’d be digging out of 1934 Harley out of a garage, I wouldn’t have believed you.
But in our business, that’s how it works.
One door closes, another one opens.
All right.
All right.
This might be the first time it’s seen light for a while.
Yeah, I was going to say.
So we get in there, we start digging.
It’s packed, too.
Here, let me get you guys a seat so you can watch.
There you go.
Here’s a backrest.
There you go.
That’s 30 years of then piling stuff in front of it.
All right.
Sewing machine, one in every barn.
Got it?
Yeah.
It’s got the right tail light.
There you go.
How are you there? How are you?
Good? – Good.
I’m good. – Good.
My handlebar is going to catch here.
Wait. – Whoa, no.
OK, let me go forward.
Straighten the handlebars now.
There we go.
All right, grab the front brake.
Oh!
I’m thinking once it’s out, who knows?
Maybe we can buy it.
All right.
Scratch and dent.
Wow.
My main concern also is– We don’t have a title for it.
Is do you have a title for it?
No title?
That means I can’t prove that I own this, and that cuts down on my buyers considerably.
Now, I got to shell out more money to get a replacement title.
Bonnie and Clyde, if you guys were to sell this, what were you thinking?
Well, I’ve kept up with the prices.
I’ve checked the internet.
OK.
We was thinking 15.
$15,000?
OK.
It sounds reasonable if it was just in a little bit different condition.
The condition it’s in, I don’t really know what I’m getting here physically.
$15,000?
I can’t go there.
I was thinking more the way it is– not running, the condition, the no title, I was thinking more like around $10,000.
How about 13?
I’d come up to 11.
You have to come up a little bit more.
Does it run?
Does the transmission shift?
I mean, there’s a lot of things– you can get really stuck, and you get in over your head real quick.
I’d have to be right at $11,000.
$11,200? $11,200?
$11,000.
$11,200?
$11,000.
200?
Bonnie didn’t have a Tommy gun in her hand, but she was trying to hold Frank for the last buck he had.
$11,200?
Sure.
What’s $200?
All right.
I can’t believe I just spent $11,200 on a motorcycle that doesn’t even run.
But you know?
I think maybe after 3 to 4 to 6 to 9,000 into it, I should be able to get it going.
Thank you so much.
It was great to meet you guys.
See anything else motorcycle, call us.
OK.
I will make sure that bike has a happy home.
– OK. – Thank you.
Appreciate it.
Did a good job. – All right.
You guys have a great day. – Thank you.
Thanks.
Oh, it was great hanging out with Mike and Frank.
We really enjoyed it.
You guys be careful.
We will.
Bonnie and Clyde were really sweet people.
Super nice.
I mean, you don’t roll up onto people like that too often.
And have them welcome you in.
See you, Bonnie.
See you, Clyde.
Come back any time.
Take care.
I think the bike found Frankie.
It was a good day.