9 July 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT) – A local Harley-Davidson technician has a vintage bike up and running.
Topeka’s dealership is one of few in the country that will work on bikes over 10 years old, and this one is far beyond that 10-year window.
The 1916 J Model is the oldest motorcycle David Larson has worked on in his 30-year career. In December 2022, a customer from Western Kansas trusted Larson to bring the bike back to life because he’s considered a professional when it comes to restoring antique motorcycles.
“[He] asked me if I could get the old bike running for him, and it came in as a rolling chassis with a motor in it,” Larson said. “And the motor had to be taken apart and gone through, but of course he wanted to leave it looking old.”
That’s because the bike itself is the essence of vintage. Luckily, this kind of restoration is one of Historic Harley-Davidson’s specialties.
“If it says ‘Harley-Davidson’ on it, we should be working on it,” Mike Patterson, the owner of Historic Harley-Davidson, said. “We get jobs from people all over the country. They bring their vintage motorcycles here and we’ve, over the last 20 years, developed ourselves as being a premiere Harley-Davidson dealership that works on vintage motorcycles.”
Patterson’s family has owned the Topeka dealership for over 70 years. He said restoring vintage bikes is just one way to embrace the rich history of Harley-Davidson, making it an honor to work on bikes such as this one.
From studying its history to hunting down the right parts, Larson loved every minute of the 45 hours he poured into assembling the 107-year-old puzzle. Larson said older motorcycles are much simpler than modern ones, but they ride much differently. After his first test drive, he said the 1916 bike felt almost like riding a horse.
“You sit straight up, the handlebars come way back, and you’re just kind of like bicycling around,” Larson said. “It’s really interesting the way it rides. Motorcycles have come a long way, but that’s where they started.”
Harley-Davidson celebrates its 120th anniversary this year, meaning this bike, at 107-years-old, is almost as old as the company itself. Larson said it’s rare to see a motorcycle like this in today’s world, and that working on one is a privilege.