Happy 90th Birthday Mr. Motorcycle Designer – Former Senior Vice President & Chief Styling Officer of Harley-Davidson Motor Company Willie G. Davidson Namesake and grandson of Motor Company co-founder William.

In 1911 the company presented their first V-twins and very soon these models became the customers’ favourites; it seems singles were most popular for utility uses and in the export markets.
In 1910 almost 3,200 singles were sold; in 1913 this number had almost doubled but in 1914 the output of singles had fallen to a little more than 3,200.

That same year some 15,000 twins left the factory, so we can safely conclude that a ’14 single is a rare beast.
The Model 10 was available as a single speeder with belt drive as Model 10A and chain driven as Model 10B. In C-trim the machines had a two speed gear in the rear hub and a clutch, which was new for the 1914 model year. Other novelties included an externally contracting band brake acting on a separate rear drum and a Step Starter, an early form of a kickstart but with a forward stroke.
Bore and stroke dimensions were 84.14 x 101.6 mm and the engine delivered about 5 hp @ 2,200 rpm, good for a top speed of 80 km an hour.

The 1914 V-twin model was good for 9 hp @2,400 rpm. With a weight of 90 kilos the single was as much as 50 kilos lighter than the twin. (Source: “Harley Davidson, all the Motorcycles 1903-1983” by Matthias Gerst.)
The rare 1914 single we offer here has an interesting history.
It was once part of the collection of Otis Chandler, one-time publisher of The Los Angeles Times and was also owned by Bud Ekins, who, in the late 40s, began riding off-road motorcycles daily in the hills above his Hollywood home.

As a result of his diligence, he developed into a highly talented motorcyclist and started entering local off-road races in 1949.
By the mid-1950s, Ekins was the top motocross and desert racer in Southern California, winning the AMA District 37 championship seven times.
By the mid-1960s Ekins owned a Triumph motorcycle dealership in Hollywood which became a popular destination for many young film actors including Steve McQueen, Paul Newman and Clint Eastwood.
Ekins became friends with McQueen and introduced him to off-road racing.
Through his association with McQueen, Ekins began a career as a film stuntman.
He is best known as the actor who jumped the fence on a motorcycle in the 1963 film The Great Escape, and one of the stuntmen who drove the Ford Mustang 390 GT in the car chase scene in the 1968 film Bullitt. After retiring from the film industry, Ekins continued to operate his motorcycle shop in Hollywood which featured his impressive collection of vintage motorcycles.

During the 1980s, Ekins became one of the top collectors of vintage motorcycles in the USA.
One of his prized possessions was this Model 10C, which is a good runner in excellent mechanical condition.
Its stunning authentic and slightly weathered appearance combines eminently with the sturdy and purposeful design of the machine.

Just delving into a little dna … according to family tree dna theese are the results

So I’m here on a spiritual journey … detoxing from others.. cleansing my body .. meditating … working on me … making my home a sanctuary of love .. peace and just being …

Going through things tossing them out I found this … I am first generation American … my parents from war torn Berlin Germany growing up through the Berlin blockade .. airlift … hitler snd the such… they came to this county first my dad on the Ss amerika in 1961 and then mom ( pregnant with my brother ) on the Ss United States ( now docked in Philly ) … he was born in 66 and I was born in 77… my cousin trevor and my cousin Jasmine were there the year I was born as exchange students … my cousin going through her own family stress and battles … well until recently ( I’ve found her to be very toxic in the sense of materialistic.. superficial .. you have to dress and act a certain way for people to notice you .. for men to love you ..you know .. fake fake fake … so we stopped talking as I do not want that as a part of my own life and light … I came across this …. A photo of my brother .. she drew.. in 1977 the year I was born … now my brother and I had a great relationship until I was about 12 … then he got very jelous.. very mean.. saud snd did things to me a brither shoukd not… going through my own verbal abuse from him and physical.. mental and emotional from my parents while he kind of shielded me from … until I was about 5 when he left and moved out… he was later diagnosed bipolar schizophrenic never took medication or therapy after attending and signing himself out of the NAMI program …. Could this be a sign that he’s here around me??