I was going to say exactly the same thing! Bullshit like the Internet and youtube wouldn't have meant anything to him, but to know that his bike would still be running and people would still be talking about it in 2020 would have been an amazing thrill. Thanks for the vid.
Looks like an old Cushman Eagle. I still have a 1957 Eagle with it's original cast iron engine. I bought it when I was 14, I'll be 75 in March. I still ride it as well as my old "48" Harley.
22 here and bought a 2011 1583cc superglide, Hope to be in my 60s-80s with the bike still in my name lol. Bought it 3 years ago when I was 19. great bike
If you rode this anywhere you'd probably get stopped and checked since it looks like if someone made it by himself (which is true) from parts from a scrapyard which were welded together. Only a person knowing its history can apprceciate its value.
I would figure the small tank on the fuel tank would possibly be an oil drip. Many of these very old bikes had a pretty rudimentary oiling system, often needing a hand pump to get more oil into the crankcase, this may have been added to improve top end oiling.
Quad sprung front end is sick as well as the gearsets. Bellisima. Simply magnificent. Ole Arthur deserves this sliver of immortality. Quite a marvel indeed.
As a young boy in Oklahoma in the 60's used to watch a group of these as a club. Some were Cushman, but I remember a few were very customized. My dad knew them and was amazed by their creativity. They were all very loud! And fast.
When I was a teenager a friend's dad had a bike that I thought was a Frankenstein creation because of all of the custom fabrication he did. This beast makes that bike look like a factory model.
That’s seriously really cool. Some of the home made items made back when are so sweet. You don’t see much of this kind of thing rolling out of the shop now a days.
Extremely unusual, I would have loved to have seen this machine being riden and put through its paces..The shifting mechanism is to me the most interesting...
@@jaycreate7701 not if a drunk redneck hits you in a F250 at 80mph while you pull out the deiveway. There’s nothing left after, neiter of you or the bike.
You guys have some of the coolest bikes i have seen in my life. Soon me and the wife will be coming to see them in person that is if Covid allows us too. Keep doing what your doing love you guys . God bless
1969 bought a 1953 Harley Hydra Glide ( 50 year anniversary) $350. , add oil ,charge the battery good to go . Rode it to high school. I weighed 120 lb. . After the military 71-74 I rode a 1960 pan head chopper visiting my old Army buddies for several years . With my Army buddy we rode from San Francisco to LA , 400 miles down HW 1 ,, took us 4 days. Playing with the Hippie Chiks drinking wine on the beaches camping in the foot hills.
The small tank on top could have been for water injection, to raise the octane rating of cheaper fuels, thus eliminating pre-ignition, or pinging, when the engine is hot. This was common on old kerosene farm engines from the same era.
I love that machine. That cacophony of sound is amazing bet it was real fun to ride that around and get the looks from people over it especially in the 1950's.....
The throttle control linkage on the handlebar, is worth the price of admission alone. That little thing, is an engineering Marvel and Masterpiece. Clearly Steampunk, years before anybody had even thought of Steampunk.
Back in the day trucks had a set of sticks usually a 6 and a 4.You went through 6 gears 4 times. Never drove them but it was cool to watch the driver shift them.
First thing I thought of when you started it was something my dad used to say, "It's all out in front of God and everyone." Way kewl wheels. I like that he combined a 40 year old engine with cutting edge tranny and other parts.
Strange vehicle, it resembles an ante litteram scooter, weighs like a car and has the sound of a Harley-Davidson. The cylinder head just under the tank and close to the driver's body, to live dangerously. Fantastic exercise in style. Thanks for showing it to us.
Lol me too..definitely looks like he went for the scooter type look..not sure why but I guess there are tons of scooter obsessed people who have a thing for them. But he'll I couldn't make that so what do I know! Lol
I would say it probably is a heavily modded Cushman despite the narrative, give it another 60 years and people will say the engine was built from scratch to. And I'll bet the "Direct injection" feature is all about starting it in the cold Michigan winters, I'm sure that's to get some gas directly into the intake port to eliminate having to prime kick it multiple times in cold weather, especially with yesteryear's straight weight oils, believe me I ran a kick start only Troublehead in Pennsylvania winters for years and without multi weight oils the engine stops dead the moment the kick mechanism disengages, even with straight #30W, it takes #15W/40 to start one below freezing, there's no way you could turn that system on while the engine is running and warmed up it'd definitely flood it out, without some sort of boost system or something like that you can't just dump gas into an engine with a carb, it's already jetted to run on a particular amount of gas that's mixed with the amount of incoming air.
@@dukecraig2402 hah your right that soon people will say/think a 1974 Firebird was "built from.scratch".at least from the insane behaviors,over all ignorance, and lack of critical thinking being displayed by current young people..even some.older people..
Harley could put this into production next year to try to hold onto their dwindling market. They could call it the Low Power Boy Springer Heritage Glide and charge $40,000 for it. Maybe $45,000 with the optional atmospheric intake valve
5:20. What on Earth is the tank on top for? Dripping gas straight into the combustion chamber? Is that because it wouldn't start, even with the choke on? The real question is, did he actually fill that tank with oil or kerosene to lubricate the cylinder like a 2 stroke? That seems more likely.
Way cool and thank you for the video, love this stuff. And over 30 years ago I saw, in a magazine I think, a giant home made motorcycle. The man made two of them. I saw the bike again on TV. I am having no luck trying to find anything about this bike on the internet. When you see it you will know right away, that is the machine.
Why do some people NOT like this video? How come...? What I think is this: Each and every piece of automotive history should be worth repairing and restoring. These items show us the mental greatness with which we could actually develop into the level that we have today. I am Hungarian, and in my country the communist regime after World War 2 basically demolished everything that was not related to the communists, including automotive achievements, designs, buildings etc...I really know what it is like looking at a photograph of a national (prototype) bike, knowing that ALL its component were intentionally destroyed and melted somewhere at a metal factory. So sad. And don't forget those innovators who created something great in their shad in their backyard... some made it great, some not unfortunately (just let me remind you of the great late Mr. John Britten, may he rest in peace!) So guys, keep up the good work, cheers and Great Like y'all!
Hey Matt you have twice the number of front springs that you need. It has two assemblies for the front spring mechanism, all you need is one. I'm going to be building a custom chopper electric bicycle with a Springer, perhaps you want to get involved? Mine will have a tow in design, to keep the bicycle geometry more or less where it should be.
Are you sure that small tank Is not a Marval Mystery oiler? On some engines, where oil didn't circulate well, people added drip oilers to compensate. Marvel made kits for ford y-blocks that solved the problem of rocker shaft failure
I liked it till moment I realized wheels size. Now I adore its style. I Think, that it wouldn't be problem for rebuild it for bigger wheels but better is stays like it was build.
I have a question. What do you with the kicker before riding this bike. Wouldn't it be dangerous to ride it in the down position after starting. I don't know much about old bikes so this might seem like a stupid question. Thanks
"Why would somebody build this?" You have no idea how many times I've said that about some of the custom choppers and baggers I've encountered throughout my life. 😆
Way cool bike. Awesome. Wished you had talked about the tires. The are small scooter like and was wanting to know why he chose that style tires. Probably due to the weight? It looks heavy. But cool.
Wow the dales Harley Davidson sign on the wall is awesome to see I’m from Herrin il jus south of mt Vernon was the place to get a bike back in the day Realy cool to see that I remember a few years ago when they were bought out and changed hands Realy cool to see in your shop
That fuel dripper was probably used to aid frigid starts. Like an affixed, refillable can of starting fluid. I can’t imagine there being any performance gains.
I bet Ol' Arthur would be so happy to know someone is talking about his machine in the year 2020 !!!
he made several of them . It is not a one off .
I was going to say exactly the same thing! Bullshit like the Internet and youtube wouldn't have meant anything to him, but to know that his bike would still be running and people would still be talking about it in 2020 would have been an amazing thrill. Thanks for the vid.
@@wegert1
a. Bullshit like the Internet
b. Thanks for the vid
Pick one.
Agreed , would likely warms the fellers heart.
His name was Gunther not Arthur
Arthur was an engineer with absolutely no since of aesthetics. This is perhaps the homeliest motorcycle I've ever seen, but it worked!
Looks like an old Cushman Eagle. I still have a 1957 Eagle with it's original cast iron engine. I bought it when I was 14, I'll be 75 in March. I still ride it as well as my old "48" Harley.
Wow, that is cool. I'd love to even so much as see old bikes like that one day
I'm seriously envious, Tom!
22 here and bought a 2011 1583cc superglide, Hope to be in my 60s-80s with the bike still in my name lol. Bought it 3 years ago when I was 19. great bike
Yup, just what I said before reading your posting.
Tom Boyte can you make a video on that?
Human ingenuity never ceases to amaze me. That bike is a real gem! Well done for keeping it running.
Its cool to see you coming up in my feed. Enjoy your winter. Hoping to get down your way again this spring
The transmission reminds me of the six speed set up in the German Kettenkrad tracked motorcycles from WW2.
A great engineering masterpiece.. and just now red that Dale has passed. Condolences to his family. I watched EVERY SINGLE episode of his TV series.
It is so cool to hear these old engines run. We appreciate you starting them up.
You ride this thing into Sturgis you'll be the talk of the Town
If you rode this anywhere you'd probably get stopped and checked since it looks like if someone made it by himself (which is true) from parts from a scrapyard which were welded together. Only a person knowing its history can apprceciate its value.
Mostly because you'll be one of the 3 guys who actually rode their bikes to Sturgis :- )
RockstarFarmer 😂😂😂
@@wegert1 lol
@@wegert1 that’s so true lol!
Wow, an honest to goodness one-of-a-kind homebrew bike! Thanks for showing it to us.
I would figure the small tank on the fuel tank would possibly be an oil drip. Many of these very old bikes had a pretty rudimentary oiling system, often needing a hand pump to get more oil into the crankcase, this may have been added to improve top end oiling.
Cheers for preserving these oddities as frustrating as they can be.
Why would anyone thumbs down this??!!!! Love you guys can’t wait for you to be able to be back open
Quad sprung front end is sick as well as the gearsets. Bellisima. Simply magnificent. Ole Arthur deserves this sliver of immortality. Quite a marvel indeed.
I like the way you explain things in detail so even us laymen can understand . I think this bike couldn't be in better hands .
As a young boy in Oklahoma in the 60's used to watch a group of these as a club.
Some were Cushman, but I remember a few were very customized. My dad knew them and was amazed by their creativity.
They were all very loud! And fast.
When I was a teenager a friend's dad had a bike that I thought was a Frankenstein creation because of all of the custom fabrication he did. This beast makes that bike look like a factory model.
Love kickstarts.theres something special about using your own force to get a machine going
That’s seriously really cool. Some of the home made items made back when are so sweet. You don’t see much of this kind of thing rolling out of the shop now a days.
Extremely unusual, I would have loved to have seen this machine being riden and put through its paces..The shifting mechanism is to me the most interesting...
But please on a dyno… don’t wanna see that creation getting wrecked
@@tronixfix *learns about every nanometer on how it works before riding* "I think I can handle repairs"
@@jaycreate7701 not if a drunk redneck hits you in a F250 at 80mph while you pull out the deiveway. There’s nothing left after, neiter of you or the bike.
@@jaycreate7701 can you see my answere besides this text?… it looks like answeres r getting deleted on my phone 🤔
@@tronixfix if you mean the text after ellipsis points then yes
You guys have some of the coolest bikes i have seen in my life. Soon me and the wife will be coming to see them in person that is if Covid allows us too. Keep doing what your doing love you guys . God bless
That video is a Diamond in the Rough, which TH-cam can by at times. Thank you very very much good sir...
One comment. Your camera person does a great job. The panning is always smooth, he always stays with you and what you want us to see. 👍
old motorcycle guys like me really do appreciate your channel,been riding since the early 60's.
1969 bought a 1953 Harley Hydra Glide ( 50 year anniversary) $350. , add oil ,charge the battery good to go . Rode it to high school. I weighed 120 lb. . After the military 71-74 I rode a 1960 pan head chopper visiting my old Army buddies for several years . With my Army buddy we rode from San Francisco to LA , 400 miles down HW 1 ,, took us 4 days. Playing with the Hippie Chiks drinking wine on the beaches camping in the foot hills.
Wow!!! Unreal. Thanks for sharing!
Good memories with dad. I love hearing about it.
Already learned something in your last video. You just gained another fan, I love these old bike and the history they carry.
wow. that is incredibly cool. love the homespun engineering.
Takes a brave man to kick that on camera, lol
Wow that's amazing! Absolutely love it. Thanks for sharing it & your knowledge!
Beautiful. Two kicks you guys are masters.
Extraordinary. Thanks for your work, showing us these machines, especially seeing them working.
The small tank on top could have been for water injection, to raise the octane rating of cheaper fuels, thus eliminating pre-ignition, or pinging, when the engine is hot. This was common on old kerosene farm engines from the same era.
Yeah, that line seems to go to the intake manifold so that's entirely possible
As a host you have gotten a ton better as the summers went along. Great job.
I love that machine. That cacophony of sound is amazing bet it was real fun to ride that around and get the looks from people over it especially in the 1950's.....
"Down the road faster than you want to". Well said
The throttle control linkage on the handlebar, is worth the price of admission alone. That little thing, is an engineering Marvel and Masterpiece. Clearly Steampunk, years before anybody had even thought of Steampunk.
Back in the day trucks had a set of sticks usually a 6 and a 4.You went through 6 gears 4 times. Never drove them but it was cool to watch the driver shift them.
I drove a cement mixer with one, you could skip A LOT of gears empty but not so much with ten yards of mud in the barrel.
First thing I thought of when you started it was something my dad used to say, "It's all out in front of God and everyone." Way kewl wheels. I like that he combined a 40 year old engine with cutting edge tranny and other parts.
If that is not art .nothing is. truly amazing work.
Pretty cool! I'm happy it still runs!
Thanks for your loved of motorcycles great history and machines cheers
I LOVE everything about that Bike !!!
He did it with time and love !!
I love seeing these old bikes they are awesome as hell 👍
Holy crap! It sounds like a monster! I love it!!!!!!
Amazing, keep up the great work and thanks for keeping the knowledge alive.
Wonderful, Thank you.
Very neat to see history. I've never ever heard of that person or that early cycle.
Thanks so much for your videos! Very informative and fun!
When you buy the mystery crate at a junkyard auction and a kilo of grass, this happens.
Well done arthur n well done guys for keeping his existance worth it ... a true pioneer in self engineered fabrication
A beautiful machine.
I has a '54 Harley Hummer 3 speed parade bike.
Looked like a small Sportster.
Great show man.Thanks.
watching this makes me feel proud of humanity in a way
Another great video,,,,I'm in quarantine, so I really look forward to them!
Ocala Fl
Strange vehicle, it resembles an ante litteram scooter, weighs like a car and has the sound of a Harley-Davidson.
The cylinder head just under the tank and close to the driver's body, to live dangerously. Fantastic exercise in style.
Thanks for showing it to us.
I thought that it was a modded Cushmn
Lol me too..definitely looks like he went for the scooter type look..not sure why but I guess there are tons of scooter obsessed people who have a thing for them. But he'll I couldn't make that so what do I know! Lol
Me too
I would say it probably is a heavily modded Cushman despite the narrative, give it another 60 years and people will say the engine was built from scratch to.
And I'll bet the "Direct injection" feature is all about starting it in the cold Michigan winters, I'm sure that's to get some gas directly into the intake port to eliminate having to prime kick it multiple times in cold weather, especially with yesteryear's straight weight oils, believe me I ran a kick start only Troublehead in Pennsylvania winters for years and without multi weight oils the engine stops dead the moment the kick mechanism disengages, even with straight #30W, it takes #15W/40 to start one below freezing, there's no way you could turn that system on while the engine is running and warmed up it'd definitely flood it out, without some sort of boost system or something like that you can't just dump gas into an engine with a carb, it's already jetted to run on a particular amount of gas that's mixed with the amount of incoming air.
@@dukecraig2402 hah your right that soon people will say/think a 1974 Firebird was "built from.scratch".at least from the insane behaviors,over all ignorance, and lack of critical thinking being displayed by current young people..even some.older people..
Thanks for the tour! When you said "chek this out Steve" for a second I thought you were talkin to me. Guther is a guy who lived out his dreams!
Harley could put this into production next year to try to hold onto their dwindling market. They could call it the Low Power Boy Springer Heritage Glide and charge $40,000 for it. Maybe $45,000 with the optional atmospheric intake valve
Looks like a souped up Cushman scooter. I love it.
Want sum koosh man
WOW !!!
A SCOOTER THAT IS TOTALLY
BAD-ASSED CLASS!!!
Nice work all of you. The camera guy is awesome.
That is one of the coolest things I've ever seen thanks so much for sharing subscribed, I absolutely love this bike
5:20. What on Earth is the tank on top for? Dripping gas straight into the combustion chamber? Is that because it wouldn't start, even with the choke on? The real question is, did he actually fill that tank with oil or kerosene to lubricate the cylinder like a 2 stroke? That seems more likely.
I have to come to see this collection in person ! Amazing!
I always called this thing "The Tugboat" when I saw it in the museum:). Very cool!
a combination of simplicity and watch making
Dale's Harley Davidson, Mt Vernon, IL. Love that sign. I've been there.
What would love to see those who get that bike running. He's going to have the most amazing memories with his father.
Way cool and thank you for the video, love this stuff. And over 30 years ago I saw, in a magazine I think, a giant home made motorcycle. The man made two of them. I saw the bike again on TV. I am having no luck trying to find anything about this bike on the internet. When you see it you will know right away, that is the machine.
Once started how do you reset the kicker? Does it just drag below the bike?
What an impressive piece of machinery
Why do some people NOT like this video? How come...? What I think is this: Each and every piece of automotive history should be worth repairing and restoring. These items show us the mental greatness with which we could actually develop into the level that we have today. I am Hungarian, and in my country the communist regime after World War 2 basically demolished everything that was not related to the communists, including automotive achievements, designs, buildings etc...I really know what it is like looking at a photograph of a national (prototype) bike, knowing that ALL its component were intentionally destroyed and melted somewhere at a metal factory. So sad. And don't forget those innovators who created something great in their shad in their backyard... some made it great, some not unfortunately (just let me remind you of the great late Mr. John Britten, may he rest in peace!)
So guys, keep up the good work, cheers and Great Like y'all!
Great video...The rigid swing arm is unique, as is the whole bike. Oh...Why would someone build this?? Because, Arthur Gunther could.
Amazing piece of motorcycle history!
I wanna see it moving under its own power, see it shifting would be cool. How fast does it top out at?
Appreciate the solo genius effort with the trans.
I'm amazed every video I see with such unique machines
What a wonderful machine!
Hey Matt you have twice the number of front springs that you need. It has two assemblies for the front spring mechanism, all you need is one. I'm going to be building a custom chopper electric bicycle with a Springer, perhaps you want to get involved?
Mine will have a tow in design, to keep the bicycle geometry more or less where it should be.
This channel is SO COOL! Great work!!
Second down "kick". Awesome. Best video I have seem in a long time.
Outstanding. Thank You.
Are you sure that small tank Is not a Marval Mystery oiler? On some engines, where oil didn't circulate well, people added drip oilers to compensate. Marvel made kits for ford y-blocks that solved the problem of rocker shaft failure
I liked it till moment I realized wheels size. Now I adore its style. I Think, that it wouldn't be problem for rebuild it for bigger wheels but better is stays like it was build.
I have a question. What do you with the kicker before riding this bike. Wouldn't it be dangerous to ride it in the down position after starting. I don't know much about old bikes so this might seem like a stupid question. Thanks
"Why would somebody build this?" You have no idea how many times I've said that about some of the custom choppers and baggers I've encountered throughout my life. 😆
How do you get the kicker back up with it running??
I think he used the mini tank fuel driper as a cruise controle and help on a steep hill
I live in Michigan and my grandpa used to talk about him my grandpa has been gone for 6 years now so that thing is so cool
That is probably the most incredible motorcycle I've ever seen. He'd be happy to know it's still running.
A twin stick motorcycle. That's genious! Seriously !
How do you pull the kicker back when the engine is running?
Way cool bike. Awesome. Wished you had talked about the tires. The are small scooter like and was wanting to know why he chose that style tires. Probably due to the weight? It looks heavy. But cool.
Wow the dales Harley Davidson sign on the wall is awesome to see I’m from Herrin il jus south of mt Vernon was the place to get a bike back in the day Realy cool to see that I remember a few years ago when they were bought out and changed hands Realy cool to see in your shop
Dose the kick start stay down when riding it. It seems a little low.
He spent so much time on whether he could do it, he never thought about whether he should do it.
One Incredible Mind put that together!
That is mechanical art if there is such a word. best of luck to your channel sir.
I'm going to watch the 2-minute 54-second mark like a million times and recreate that awesome throttle
That fuel dripper was probably used to aid frigid starts. Like an affixed, refillable can of starting fluid. I can’t imagine there being any performance gains.