Vintage Snapshot: Happy Independence Day!
– Posted on July 4, 2019
-
-
-
American Brands: GM 
American Brands: Ford 
American Brands: Chrysler 
American Brands: AMC, Jeep and All Others 
Automotive Histories and Misc. 
Asian Brands 
UK Brands 
Australian Brands 
European Brands 
Cars Of A Lifetime & Auto-Biography 
Buses 
Trucks, Pickups and Vans 
Design 
Trains, Planes & Ships 
Motorcycles, Trikes, Bicycles 
Engines, Transmissions and other Tech 
Tractors, Lawn Mowers, Off-Road Equipment 
RVs, Motorhomes, Trailers, Campers
Happy Independence Day folks.
I already had Canada Day on monday, which also had a motorcycle theme. I got up early and had a nice ride out in the country. Mrs DougD was still sleeping and did not hear me leave, or return.
Nice knucklehead, the only Harley I would consider owning. But the C10 keeps doing the job and it’s vintage now too.
Love seeing the flag respectfully displayed on a vehicle like this; that is, not able to touch the vehicle, and not placed in such a way as to face certain damage or heavy soiling.
From a few years ago…
Great vintage photo. I wonder if he was a WWII Vet. Knuckleheads were built from 1936 to 1948. This is what a Bobber is supposed to look like.
Looks to be a 48 star flag in background. Not sure of flag on bike. Based on quality of photo (pixel and B&W) I guess 1948 thru 1952.
I was curious as as well – I shamefully admit that I didn’t pay enough attention in my public school education years (more focused on cars and girls) so once again I’m forced to consult wiki to help my “rememory”. I’m seeing 48 on the small flag (6 x 8, 1912 – 1959) and I’m guessing, as the top is cropped in the photo, that the large flag is the 49 state edition (7 x 7 staggered, 1959 -1960). Which would date the photo to probably 1959, which looks about right. Happy Independence Day everyone –
Philip, I’ve been perplexing over the large background flag this morning, as you state, the 49-star flag had 7 staggered rows of 7 stars each, but this flag has only 6 rows, so my assumption would be that it may have preceded the 48-star flag, prior to 1912. But without being able to see what is beyond the cropped top, I can’t figure it out. Maybe someone had it packed away and decided to bring it out for the occasion years later.
The background flag most resembles a 43 or 45 star flag, but the stars are staggered like they were on the 49 star flag with the 2nd, 4th, and 6th row of stars extending beyond the 1st, 3rd and 5th rows and as mentioned there are only 6 rows while the 49 star flag had 7. Weird! Happy 4th to all!
Thanks Guys, for catching my error. Apparently I daydreamed my way through mathmatics class as well as history. With six rows, and counting 40 full / partial stars, I suppose that it could be a 43 – 48 star flag, although the top row is typically a longer one. Without the header being visible, it’s hard to figure.
As an aside, I note that when we adopt a fifty-first state, we will again return to six rows.
My curiosity has gotten the better of me today, I’ve been researching past American flag pictures, and it seems likely that this is the 45-star flag that existed from 1896-1908, after the admission of Utah in 1896, but prior to Oklahoma in 1908 and Arizona and New Mexico in 1912.
If you flip the flag in the photo right side up and so it reads from left to right, it has what appears to be 3 rows of 8 stars each and 3 rows of 7 stars each, in a staggered pattern that has the 1st, 3rd, and 5th rows of 8 stars each starting at the “hoist” end of the canton, and the 2nd, 4th, and 6th rows of 7 stars each extending beyond. Anyway, that’s my best guess.
Nice! That knucklehead bobber or a KHK for me. The only two H/Ds I’d ever own.
I put 40K on my ’87 Concours. Great touring bike and sporty too, despite it’s 650 lbs. I nicknamed it the Freightliner.
Nice, mine’s “The Ballistic Packhorse”
They sure can carry a load! A sleeper if there ever was one. I had mine up to 125 mph once. Once was enough…
That Knuckle is most likely pre-war guessing from the front fork and brake. We call them bobbers now to differentiate, but it would have been called a chopper back in the late 40’s/early 50’s. The term bobber (at one point used concurrently) got a separate meaning in the mid 60’s when choppers started getting outlandish (see Easy Rider, etc.).
And that’s what a real biker looked like in the beginning.
Two weeks ago I traded my 16 Gold Wing with 12k on it for a 11 Electra Glide Ultra Classic with 17k. Two years of riding the Wing and I could never really get comfortable on it, especially at low speeds. For motorcycle riding, the Harley is totally superior, in fact the Wing is the most disappointing bike I’ve owned. Unfortunately, it was also the most expensive. And probably my last new bike.
Happy 4th everyone!
And belated Happy Canada Day to our Canuck friends!
Every year I put these out (and now you all know their stories)
ooops picture didn’t load, here it is
Now THAT’s America! 🙂
Oh, Yeah! That’s my idea of some great Mopars and patriotism all in one great package! Thank you, Lt. Dan.
Nice pic, my guess is circa 1950. There was a 49 star flag from 4 July 1959 – 3 July 1960. The State Star is added on the 4th of July. Hawaii entered the union on 21 August 1959. The present 50 star flag debuted on 4 July 1960.
According to my younger brother there was a 49 star flag in the neighborhood I grew up in. I was more interested in the circa 1969 Toyota Land Cruiser Station Wagon parked across the street from the 49 star flag.