The Liberator Story.

Going to try and explain and get it into perspective, how it came into being, that one takes the step and decides, to ride a Harley Davidson type WLA of 1942, as a bike-lover.

As a "normal bike-rider" it will probably be hard to comprehend, how it could come this far.

Part 1 : Moped-period.

First we will need to go back in time for a few years. A "few years" meaning: going back to the moped-period. Here it is, where your preference originates, for riding vintage bikes or not and conciously be willing to tinker with those bikes.
With "conciously tinkering", I mean, that in this stadium the interest originates, the desire to understand, hoe such a piece of technique is working and why it has to work this way and not in any another way.
Practice makes perfect, learn by bitter experience, more often bitter, I have to admit.

It must have been halfway the seventies, in the Kreidler & Zündapp period.
Tuning up mopeds and make them look well too, by using the right colours and then think about, if this is what you wanted.
Never had the preference for the Yamaha FS1 or such a Honda four-stroke, the anti-Japan-feeling had probably already struck me and has increased over the years even more.
I've even driven a 50 cc ex-police DKW for a very short wile. It was back at the policestation within a week. It was a bike, not a moped.
Was a pity really, because it drove only about 50 mph, but it was too easy recognised by the police.

As according to getting older and the age of 18 is coming closer, your thoughts are going towards bikes more and more.
But before I started biking on the road, there was previous a hard way to learn how to drive in moto-cross.
First there is the start with building a moto-cross-bike for myself. A 50cc Zündapp with a 5-gearbox.

In this very period, I was in good contact with Peter van der Heyden. He himself was a moto-cross-fanatic and wanted to learn the hard way and make everything himself.
With tuning he was quite advanced already. I remember the Zündapp of his brother that ran so fast.
In this period he was quite busy, mill all sorts of transfer ports, alike to adjust the inlet- and exhaust ports.

In those days, a wellknown figure in this world was: Jan de Groot from Havelte, builder of AGS moto-crossbikes.(Akkerman Groot Special).
The easiest way, was buying a complete moto-cross-bike, but it had its price as well.

The other option was to build it yourself. Parts were for sale here: steeringhead, tank, mudguards, wheels etc. etc.
Well, making it by yourself (I mean Peter). First making moulds for the frame, the right steeringhead-angle and so forth and so on.
After a lot of tinkering, bending and welding there was a frame emerging.
After finishing all this, a testdrive would take place. To itself: it did not even go that bad.
Lots of problems with the gear-shift device. Something broke off all the time. Eventually I got hold of a factory-made one, that was more solid.
In this period I learned a lot about bike-control, feeling, cutting and trees and so on.

At a certain moment I closed this period and got myself into the 250 cc. This time a Husqvarna.
After I got bored with that, I drove 500 cc for a while, but this I found to brutal.
This pasttime cost me a fortune. Every practice or race, something got trashed or broke down.
So quit and aim myself to some more culture. For some reason I came into vintage bikes.

I think I started off with the DKW RT125, 2-stroke and with a restricted speed and reliability.
Then rather something Brittish. An Ariël KH 500 was for sale in Opmeer, Noord Holland.
Ugly as sin and a totally violated bike. Exhausts ŕ la Easy Rider and an engine-block full of worn and broken parts.
I did not feel up to do the engine-block myself. Did not know anything about it and had it done, for repair and overhaul.
When this was done, after almost a year, reassembled the bike and try and get the thing running.
That was most certainly not easy. What a bastard, what a heavy bike.
Giving it a push and then turn round, because it would not start anyway, I almost had it falling upon me.

That was it. Get rid of it and flog it. This was not a nice hobby anymore and I really had it. I was totally fed up.

Then I see a Jawa/CZ 175cc bike for sale at Jan van Veen. That looked good, 175 cc was something to start with. Reasonably heavier than the DKW RT125 and easier to handle than the Ariel KH 500.
Well that's what I thought!
Rare, what a trash! Gear-change and kickstart with the same pedal. On the highway the cruising speed was to be reduced to a life-threatening (slow) road-speed.
When it would rain 10 kilometres away, the thing already started to stutter and missing out from here to Tokio (again Japan).
Sell it and now?

Part 2.

Yes, now what?
Did not know, what kind of bike I wanted. Not the faintest clue!
Reading through the adverts of the weekly magazine "Motor", my eye fell upon the advert of an FN Sahara 350 cc, Type M70, side valve engine from 1930.
Was for sale in Amsterdam, for the reasonable amount of Hfl 500,-.
That sounded good. Called the man to make an appointment to drop by for a look. Took the Simca Fourgonette. Imagine, if it looked good, I'd take it home straight away, right?
We're talking about 1975. Pieter Aartzstraat in Amsterdam, small bicycle shed of Mr. Draaijer if I remember correctly.
The bike had to go. He was gettin on in years and was going to quit with the bicycleshed and would not have any space for the bike anymore then.

The bike had been adjusted to a foot-gear in stead of the handgear and was in quite a good original state of maintenance.
There was a nice rack on the back for a pillion, a rack for luggage and a sidebag.
The paintwork needed attention and was quite disintegrated.

The deal was done soon and I was the new owner.
I promised the man, that I would send him pictures, as soon as the bike was fixed up and was nicely painted.
So we loaded the bike up and set to go home. The old man had tears in his eyes, when we left, but he probably had a good feeling, that the bike was in good hands and would start a new life.
Later he thanked me, after I indeed had sent him the pictures. The pictures would have a special place in his house.

On arrival home, we first tried to get this bike running. That took some doing, slider this way, another slider that way, ignition this way, carburator that way.
A complete starting-procedure.
Eventually we menaged to get this machine running and immediatly the 4-stroke virus grabs on to me. What a magnificant sound when it runs idle, so nicely quiet/slow.

The disassembling can begin. All parts that needed to be painted (everything) were professionally blasted with steelgrit, by brother Henk.
This happened in the socalled shed # 2. For the ones who know us, a fact.
Shed # 1 was for flower binding, shed # 2 was for the storage of plants and later there is shed # 3, for the larger jobs. Here we could do the spray-painting, next to a potbelly stove (that was totally safe and no explosion-danger what so ever with the open fire, I did not know that then).

The engineblock was taken away for adjustment to the original handgear, to someone in Dieren. He still had stuff laying around and knew an awful lot about it.
When, in my vieuw, everything was painted neatly, we could start assembling again and make some test drives.
There was some difficulty with the flywheel coming loose all the time. The axle-shaft of the rear wheel would not stay into place and the gear lever would go out of the third gear all the time.
So, tuck up the sleeves again! Had new axle-shafts made at a not to mention, after all, very expensive adres and with appropriate conical Timken bearing.
This problem was solved.

The 3rd gear was more of a troublesome problem. The teeth were so worn, so that they did not grab on enough, as soon as there was power on it.
By chance there was a broken engineblock with a good cogged wheel in it at Jose Franssen in Balkbrug.
So disassemble the engineblock and start playing around with this. It gave the expected result and another problem was solved.
The flywheel did not fit properly on the crankshaft pin and the screw thread of the crankshaft pin had better days as well.

Here the solution came from Klaas Steenhuis. Klaas was a retired teacher in metalworking and he solved this problem very well and with the necessary optical creativity.
The flywheel was given an new conical bushing, pressed and made on the crankshaft pin. Crankshaftwheel was given new thread and an new nut and everything ftted perfectly again.

A few years ago, this bike has once more been disassembled and spray-painted. Did not touch the engineblock, because it runs perfectly and does not give any trouble.
All bolts and nuts were again chrome-plated and where necessary, were replaced by new polished stainless steel ones.
The final thing that needs to be done, is the exhaust-muffler and I need to get the headlight loose from its support, because it is too losse. The problem is the nut, I've fastened it with Harley-Davidson Loctite, so never to be loosened again.
I'm the owner of this bike for 31 years now and I don't think I will ever part from it. She simply looks good and drives miraculously good and the breaks are excellent.
Well so far the FN. This bike has probably given me the right base, to maintain motorcycles from the grey past.

Next: Peugeot 190 S (and this certainly has to do with the Liberator).

Part 3

The Peugeot 190 S from 1929.

This car has, as I will later reveal, a direct link to the Liberator.

In the seventies, my father had a flowershop in the centre of Assen. This was between 1970 and 1979.
The flowers that had to be delivered, were transported in a bright-yellow Simca Fourgonette, obviously with painted flowers on the side.

I had already been struck by the old-timer-virus and tried to pass it on to my father.
Like this: wouldn't it be a nice publicity stunt, to deliver the flowers in an antique car? I must have struck a nerve there, because on a certain moment, Jose FRanssen in BAlkbrug had this car standing there and it looked perfect for the job.
The car had to be restaured totally, the base was good and complete, but the engine was broken.

I do remember the proivince it was fron: Ničvre in France, from a place called Couloutre.
The car had probably been made over to be a deliverycar before the 2nd Worldwar, to avoid collecting by the Germans.

Once it had arrived in Assen, we could start smarting it up. It had an awful lot of woodwork, that was simply spray-painted in the same colour. Blank wood would look much better, painted with a clear boatvarnish, it wood look brandnew.
That was a lot of work, the old paint was scratched off with broken pieces of glass.

After the car was tidied up, there was quite a going on to get it registred and get a license-plate. That took some time, this type did not have type-approval by the State of the Netherlands.
Eventually we got it, but what an officialdom, in one word: dreadful.

Mid seventies, due to family-circumstances, everything deteriorated and was on a low profile.
The final ambition, to use the car as the deliverycar, as a publicity stunt, has never reached its goal.
The car stood still and was pauperizing. It even stood outside for a while and that did not improve its condition.

The flowershop was cosed in 1979. My father did not feel like it anymore and none of the kids was interested, to take it over and keep the business going.
I did finish my study in Agricultural school in Eelde and have my diploma for flower arranging.

The car was moved to Dwingeloo and was not touched anymore. From time to time a short testdrive, but I must admit, it did not drive that good.
The whole car was creaking, due to the amount of woodwork and the speed was not something to be joyful about. Topspeed stopped at 40-50 km/h (25-30 mph).
Solexes and people that were leving their dog out, would overtake you left and right.
At the end of the eighties, my father asked me, if I would like to have the car. He did not make it to good use and he did not have the courage to start.
I agreed with it. By the end of the eighties my father died, far too young at the age of 59.

In 1988 or 1989 I started to strip the car again, in order to restore it in a better way, then in the seventies.
Body-parts were replaced and most of them were made by hand. Many a part was nailed to the many wooden parts that were on the car.
After working on it on a daily basis for nearly a year, the car was finished, claret-red with the heraldic family-colours painted upon it.
Naturally done by myself, I was trained to be a painters aprentice, so I was supposed to be able to.
From 1979-1985 I worked for Manak Decorations and I had learned quite a bit up there.

In 1990 I got a full-time-job at Smid tyres. I needed a place to store the car and I could do that in their warehouse.
There were more antique cars, so it would not deteriorate there.
The car has been stored here for a number of years, untill it was noticed in the end of the nineties by a tyresmerchant from Engelbert.

Every time he dropped by to fetch tyres and walked through the small museum, his eye would fall upon the Peugeot.
One day, I got a phonecall from a collegue, telling me, there was somebody there, who wanted to buy the car.

So I went there and made it clear that the car was not for sale. I did not want to get rid of it.
On a certain moment I did mention a price, of what the car would have to cost, if I ever would sell.

He said he had something to trade. Out of curiosity I asked what that would be.
An old Harley Davidson Liberator of 1942. Had no idea what such a machine looked like and went to the man to have a look.
WE were led to an old shed full of junk and there she stood. At that moment I already had a feeling of: Wauw!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a machine.

The bike was pushed outside and the engine started. Never a bike made such an impression on me as just this one. Had no clue what happened to me.
Obviously I came to hear the Wild-West stories, that the bike had been dropped in the 2nd Worldwar by parachute and had been stuck in the clay in the province of Groningen.
Many a merchat will come up with a story like that, to express the exclusiveness of the bike. I also bought it. Now I don't believe that much of those stories anymore.

I didn't want to buy straight away. First I gathered some information regarding this type of motorbike.
Got in touch with Jaques Nieuwenhuis, who had driven a bike like this for years.
Wanted to know it's value and how about getting spare-parts etc.
This was all very convincing and I went for it!!!!

I had some problems with the emotional value of the Peugeot. But the practical possibilities, of how to ride the Peugeot and where to stall it.
A bike was more practical and easy to put in the shed.,

Called the man that he had a deal. He would bring the bike on a car ambulance and take the peugeot on the way back.
And so it happened with the wallets closed.

When the car was standing on the car-ambulance and he was driving off, I had a hard time for a moment. Did I do the right thing?

Well, as soon as he was out of sight, the engine was started and carefully the first meters were driven. In the first curve, things went almost wrong, you had to do everything at the same time and illogically.
Gearing was left, ignition was left, clutch was left, frontbreak was left, everything was left.
What an experience was this, unique, never experienced something so exclusive.
My wife noticed and knew: he will never, ever part from this bike, no matter what. He's in love!

Part 4

The beginning of the misery with Libby.

There she stood, and now?
Driving obviously and study how such a machine works and is put together.
And that is in the beginning very vague and hard to find out.

You go for a ride with 30 degrees above Celsius, nothing wrong, runs good. Suddenly she stops spontaniously, nothing, nada, njente anymore. The engine is dead as a doornail.
And keep on treading the kickstarterpedal and she does not make a sound, I don't understand this and decide to walk her home. Hardly ever carry my cell-phone to call for the troops, to bring some tools or tow me back.
This is all very nice. Every few hundred metres I take a rest, because of a too high heartbeat running up.
Eventually I pushed the bike from the 2nd railway to Gorkum. Here the troops came with some tools.
No idea what to do, so I jumbled a bit with the carburator. You got to do something and to my surprise she started again. It did not come easy and the kickstarterpedal was red-hot from the treading.

This problem came only 2 or 3 times and then in all the following years it never happened again. She probably finally recognised me as her new driver.
But all is well, while doing and driving one learns and the distances became longer. Until close to home the key of the crankshaftgear broke, well, that's it at that moment and I had to walk her home again.

On a certain moment, walking with a heavy bike becomes rather irritating. So the dicision was made to make her more reliable, she was during the war, so it should be possible now as well.

Nothing was checked obviously, how you had to deal with the oil in the tank, oil in the box, just drive!
One of the first tours was at Queensday, something was organised with "Keep them Rolling".
All kinds of army-vehicles and bikes from the 2nd worldwar and after.
Decided to drive this tour with Libby and it went actually quite good. At the beginning of the day, I had 3 gears, by the end I only had 2 left.

Now I must say, that she released from the 2nd gear quite a few times that day. Thought it was a matter of adjusting. The lever could be mounted on different lengths.
This did not give the expected result, kept releasing from the 2nd gear, all very annoying.

Then I decided to dismount the gearbox, something had to happen, was not good anyway.
Got the fright of my life when the gearbox was dismounted. There was no oil in there, but some sort of dregs. Probably the former owner did not keep an eye on it or checked it.
Through this the cogged wheel and gear-shift forks were not lubricated. That's how it could break down.
The oil-filler plug gave a problem as well, had probably been turned on too tight in the past and by this the aluminum was tearing and pieces started to break off.

Reassembling gearbox.

So I went to Eppie Nijboer in Paterswolde, of the HD Shop for Oldtimers, for new parts: the cogged wheel for the 2nd gear had to be replaced, gear-shift forks were broken, bearings were broken, oil seal-rings were broken, clutch discs looked like war, shortly: a complete gearbox-overhaul was coming up.

Luckily I had at that very moment my Citroën DS23 Pallas for sale. Was beyond repair, after over 20 years of faithful and comfortable service.
With the money that the car would bring, I would have enough money to buy the parts and engagement. This took quite a sum, a good start.

The defected oil-filler opening for the oil in the gearbox could be welded with aluminum, by Peter van der Heijden, you met him before in this story.
New screw-thread was tapped in. I purchased an Aprilia filling-plug from him and the original pawl was welded upon it, so that it looked original. This was what I had in mind, right from the beginning: it had to be original or at least look original.

Juggling with the
wiring.

After the box was ready, it could be mounted again, tuned up and get filled with the right amount of SAE50 oil.
I could drive again. After a few testdrives the gearbox seems to be in good condition now. At least it stays in gear.

One of the next repairs was the wiring. All the present wiring had one thing in common, the colour: they all were black and tied together with a piece of inner-tube on a distributo-box near the battery.
This did not look good, not reliable and not original either.
Rear-lights did not have the right shape and the right ones needed to be mounted there and they should read: "Guide".
Stroling over the bikemarket in Hardenberg, Hans spots an original Blackout light for the front mudguard (this was also the wrong one).
After paying € 30.-- I had one. We asked the man if he had any original rear lights. Well he could not help us there, but he knew an adress.

Blackout original (watch Guide brand).

I approached this person and a week later I had 2 Blackoutlights for the back end in the house, packed in the old, very greasy paper. That's another step.

Milwaukee Iron-USA.

Ordered an original wiring at Eppie. Seems still to be made in either New Zealand or Australia, but nevertheless made a substantial financial hole in my pocket.
Been fooling around with it for a while and the fittings of the wiring fitted perfectly on the original rear-lights.

Now slowly but surely it is time again to go out and drive around with it.
This goes fine for a long period, but: on a certain moment the power decreases. The bike did not get to its cruisingspeed and when standing still I got an awful lot of smoke around my head.

When coming home, I decide to dismount the cylinderhead and see if I could discover the problem. Oh Yes: I'd made an extra transfer port in the front cylinder. I was spontaniously fed up, how on earth could this happen.
So I went on with dismounting both cylinders. The lock-spring ring of the piston had run loose and now the piston could nicely move to and fro in the cylinderwall.
Took the engine-block out completely and started dismanteling everything.

There it was: the valves of both cylinders were mounted the wrong way. The inlet-valve was in the exhaust-valve seat and the other side just the other way about.

Connectingrod 100% mounted the other way around, bearing rotten, crankshaft journals damaged, valve-roller tappets totally worn and so forth and so on. This will be a total overhaul, I'm afraid.
Well, the cylinders will get new bushings, pistons will be new with standardsize, crankshaft will be revised and get new crankshaft journals, new connecting-rod journal and all the matching bearings will be replaced.

Cylinderheads will get glassbeaded and be made plain again.
All bearing bushes that are still inside the engine-block, will be replaced by new ones, as well as the valve roller tappets (and on those it reads in very small letters: Made in Japan).
I fear a bit for those roller tappets in future, they will undoubtedly be the first things to break down.
As soon as the engine block was ready, everything could be cleaned and sprayed in "Olive Drab". This is done with just a synthetic paint, with lots of thinner in it for the right thickness to spray and then sway the spray-pistol, so that everything turns out nice and frosted.

Cylinders were cleaned very well and degreased, sprayed them outside, again with synthetic black.
After everything had its colour, I walked around the garden to check if I had left anything.
When everything was dry, she could get assembled again. Everything was unsparingly provided with the well known SAE50 engine-oil, so that everything would run and turn smoothly with the first strokes she would make.

Miracles do happen, she started after this complete overhaul almost immediatly. Right from the start, idle running was smooth, this gave me a good feeling. We were on the right track.
After all this trouble I could finally drive, what a pleasure, what a thumping, what a nice rough and raw feeling.

Next: The progress in the quality of Libby will be in part 5.

Part: 5

OK, the engineblock is now ready to break-in. The whole bike looks reliable and complete now.

Might make a longer tour for a change, for instance to Termunten, scoring a fish.
Etaman is coming on the BMW. We're ready for it, all packed and start driving.
Not yet 50 metres away from home, the rear-brake blocks and the anchordisk wants to play with the chain, shit!
The bike only wanted to move backwards. So pushed her home backwards and tricked Etaman out of the BMW (sorry Eta).

Made the tour on the BMW (with very strange noises). The following week operation rear-brake. Disassembled the thing and evaluated the damage.
Needed another anchordisk, new brake lining and segments, springs, bushings, levers and more.
Scored a neat original anchordisk at Hans in Zuidlaren and the rest I puchased from Eppie.

The somanyest reassembling could begin. The machine starts acting weird in the steering-head.
The bike has a nasty habit when braking, there should be some clearance on the steering head. So on the stand and dismantel the front forks.
Oh yes, the steering-head bearing is to smithereens. Cups have dints in them and the balls were probably out of the crankaxle of a Polish or Russian bike.

Again a tour to Eppie in Paterswolde, for a new set of steering-head bearings.
After this was mounted and neatly adjusted, I could drive again.

Now Libby had driven a classics-tour in den Ham once and this went fairly well. Untill on the way back near Zuidwolde, the dynamo does not load anymore.
Engine started to stutter and threatened to quit.
So I stopped, engine off, rolled a cigaret and then mount up again and drive home without lights on. That went well, I call it the self-reparing ability for under way.
On arrival home, took the dynamo off and it seems that the carbon brushes were worn. Already!

Good, she was quite reliable by now! A forumtour could be made. We're talking about 2005 now and we start in Apeldoorn.
Drove there with Henk and Betty. Most B-roads, but also a piece of highway and that is very scary for Libbies. They drive fast there and so it is essential to be alert.
Under way the light of the dynamo starts burning again.
This tour will be completed without any problems and proves the reliability of this bike.

Recently I had to fix one of the last problems: the front break.
Had the intention to meet my brother at the TT-track, rain or shine.
On arrival on the Jack Middelburg square, I see they are busy with the tarmac, so be carefull.
I decide to try and stop the engine by using both front- and rearbreaks.
Suddenly I stand still with a bang. There was obviously not a sleeper on the road and neither a hole, so what caused this?
Frontfork broken or something? No, the brake shackle was broken, so that the brake anchor-plate turned around and fastened it.
Great, you finally expect that everythings was ok by now, somethings breaks down again.

The Japanists that stood there, found this a funny happening, well I didn't.
Willingly they came to me and offered pieces of rope and used tiewraps, to keep the thing in place. Very friendly I thanked them for it, but refused to take it, I drove home without the front-brake.

On coming home, she is parked in the shed. The whole thing is removed and the damage is evaluated.
Seems that the shackle is made of either copper or bronze in stead of Milwaukee Iron. In the past someone has been very creative, fixing the bike, by making a part himself (thanks mate, you creative mind).

Again to the famous adress in Paterswolde for the necessary parts. Pressed new bushings in, new anchorbolt mounted an welded and everything could be mounted without clearance.
Now she is good.

In the next episode: How to drive with a Liberator.

Part 6

How to ride with a Liberator.
This too is a chapter to itself. In any case, it is a motorcycle with directions for use. If you don't do what she pleases, you can forget a ride.

Take for instance the cold start:

Don't you dare to turn the contact key first. First you need to open the fuel-tap and place a peg to keep it in position. Then open the choke on the 2nd or 3rd tooth.
Now, with feeling, you touch the kickstarter-pedal and kick it 2 or 3 times, so the fuel can flow into the mixing-tube, which the engine has to suck in, in order to fire-up. If you don't, she won't.

Then the ignition needs to have the right timing. Ignition is operated on the lefthand side of the steeringrod. Works the same way as the throttle. I myself always put it on after-ignition, in order not te get a kick-back from the kickstarter-pedal. When it kicks back, that's not a good feeling.

At this moment it is time to turn the contact key and then kick-start, to get the engine fired up. As soon as she runs idle, you close the choke. Then you put it on the maximum pre-ignition for more power.

In order to get the motorcycle moving, you operate the clutch with your left foot. You do this with both your heel and toes.
When declutched, the engine can be put into first gear and you can start riding.
The biggest problem is the left side. When you have to make a turn to the left, right after starting or make a curve, then this will be a problem.
Your knee is in the way and your balance will be truely be disturbed, it is very tricky.

Well, once you are on the move, you can gear up, into the second gear. You need to have a feeling for it and you will feel it as soon as it takes. Then you can go up to the highest gear, the 3rd.
Now you can exceed speed and go to cruising-speed. The motorbike will tell you what its cruisingspeed is. When your feet tremble from the foot board, then either you have it in the wrong gear or you are cruising with the wrong revolution.

Once you are used to this (and that may take quite some time) then you can pay attention to other things.

First you take the highway:

Try to avoid this road as often as you can. The motorbike has a topspeed of 105 km/h (65 mph) and the cruisingspeed is around 80-90 km/h (50-55 mph).
You can imagine that you don't feel comfortable here, when everybody passes you by with mega-speed. In 1942 bikers did not know this phenomena.
Greeting to other bikers is not possible here, you need to hang on to the steering rod.

Then take the b-roads:

This is where the bike feels more at ease, but you need to be aware of the dangers, to make emergency-stops (with barely any breaks, this is not an easy job). So be on the look out for crossing dogs, tractors, kids and Opel-drivers etc. A Liberator is not made to give way to them.
Greeting other bikers on these kind of roads, is just possible.

Then take the clinker-roads:

Now that is crafty & dangerous. By the many holes and unevenness of the road-surface, speed that exceeds 50-60 km/h (30-35 mph) is irresponsable.
Remember that the fore-forks only have some suspension and on the rear part, suspension is not present.
The bike can beat viciously, both with the rearwheel as well as the frontside. Now you really have to hold on to it, knees against the fueltank, feet stuck on the side-boards and God's blessing.
The ratteling of the springs will not fade, what a noise! Greeting other bikers can not take place, due to security-reasons, which may be clear to you, no hard feelings about this. If this has been succeeded then the sandpaths and other unhardened paths follow.

Then take the sandpaths and unhardened roads:

This is fun, the bike feels in its element here. One or other is adjusted in 2006 and is done with an appropriate speed, in order not to break things.
In wartime they didn't have a choise, in those days they won't have treated her gently.
If there has been talk of for instance a monsoon period or at least a long time of rainfall, these roads will be transformed into mudpools. Now it is fun to wade through the mud, the mud and the water will be up till your knees. Your feet will be soaked in your bikerboots and you hope you can pass through and won't come to a fall. The whole bike looks dreadful after a tour like this and that's how I personally think she looks best. Can't immagine things went differently in former days.
Those guys would not polish the bike after a long tour, was no use, because the next day she would be filthy again.
Strengthened by this thought, I never clean te bike. This is how it should be. Oil here and there on the engine-block, with stuck mud-remains, twiggs and grass makes her even look prettier.
This is how you can see, that the engine-block is hardly ever or never touched or tinkered with. An engineblock that is spotless an does not have any sign of leakage or use, they either don't drive with it or they are always polishing the bike, to remove every sign of leakage and remove it for the outerworld to fool them.
That is not what I'm like. I try to stay as close to reality, driving this type of motorcycle.

Then take the tresholds in the road-surface:

More and more the government is building speed-hindering objects in or on the road-surface, for a safe traffic-flow.
That this is not always without danger, I will point out here: On a tour over the beautiful Frisian island of Ameland, on a certain moment I drove towards a village at cruisingspeed.
Now the ministry of traffic and public works had decided to place a treshold there, in order to reduce speed, when entering the village.
Obviously I could not reduce speed that quick and I drove with cruising speed over this obstacle.
At that very moment I felt the rear side of the bike jump up, through the saddlepin and this blow ended in my jaws with a good crack. That was frightening, my complete backbone was jumbled and my jaw was a bit stangely situated on my head.
First took a break and rolled a cigarette to calm down. Carefully and very slowly I drove back to the camping Duinoord and took it easy the rest of the day.

Taking trasholds that are seen in time:

After this expreience on Ameland: When you spot a treshold or other hole/obstacle in de road-surface: You stand on the sideboards, raise the bottom of the driver a few centimetres from the saddle, adjust speed and try to take this object, without damage to human or machine.

Take the use of brakes:

It is common knowledge, there is really not a Harley-Davidson that is provided with good brakes.
Possibly that with the newer types they have improved them, but in the year 1942 certainly not.
Using the brakes needs to be done with a forseeing glance. When it is known, where to stop, the driver can keep count with it by reducing speed already.
This is a matter of experience and a great mileage. But when having to make an emergency-stop, you need the help of Gods and hope that you stand stil in time.
Until today I did not need to and I hope I don't have to either in the future.

Then the check, before the intention to go for a ride:

First you make sure that there is fuel in the fueltank. Oil in the righthand tank is checked by dipstick.
The level of the oil-content in the gearbox is checked. You turn the contact-key for a moment to see if the lights for the dynamo and the oil-pressure are burning.
That's all really. What you could do is have a stroll around the bike and check if all the parts are present, that were there with the last tour. Sometimes it can happen, that you loose something, that is not tightened enough. Everything you dismount and mount on again, should be turned on very tight or should at least be glued together with for instance Loctite.

Summary:

Well, that was shortly, how to drive this engine. Forgot one thing, very important and not to be forgotten with this type: The siren.

This is a very useful and also beautiful accessory. Driving underneath fly-overs or in a tunnel, the heel of the left foot automatically slips on the pedal to get the siren going.
The faster you drive, the more noise it makes. I advise you, it is a must. In and out of season it is often used with bike-tours. Some collegue-bikers don't appreciate it after some time, because you really become deaf.
In combination with the exhaust, the emission-value of burnt gasses and the siren, it is important not to drive too close.

Hope you learned a bit of what it is like to drive a bike of yesteryears. Obviously with the underlaying thought that I don't hold a grudge against the modern motorcycle.
With the exeption of:…………………………………………………………….