Harley-Davidson Classics 1903-1965: Illustrated Buyers Guide [Paperback]

Jerry H. Hatfield (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1997

The classic collectibles! From the highly collectible singles built in the 1900s to the Flathead, Knucklehead, and Panhead powered machines, Hatfield winds his way through Harley-Davidson history up to 1965. Packed with information on where and how to find these machines, how to identify rare and unusual models and how to determine the value of the classics.

This book contains a delightful mix of original and archival photographs of each model while it rates the collectibility of the model's value with the traditional Buyer's Guide 5 star rating system.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Motorbooks International (November 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760303088
• ISBN-13: 978-0760303085
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,757,099 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great overview of the classic Harleys, May 30, 2010

By 

David Holubetz (Telluride, Colorado) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Harley-Davidson Classics 1903-1965: Illustrated Buyers Guide (Paperback)

This was written back when MBI was still a great publisher. The content is deep and serious, while still being lighthearted and interesting. Lots of good info on the bikes you love. Very readable - not a tech manual - but with enough nitty gritty to satisfy all but the most diehard fanatics.

Chapters cover all the usual sidevalves, knuckleheads, panheads and sportsters, and also the 2 strokes, racers, hillclimbers and Italian bikes. Also has a brief section on collectibility, buying, restoring and riding. This was particularly helpful to me, and could have been a whole chapter.

I would have taken off half a star for the lack of color photos, but most of the originals were in black and white anyway. The majority of the photos are from archives. It's funny to see the cheesy old promo shots with the dweeby looking guy in his riding attire. Such a far cry from the leather clad hardass hog riders of the modern era.

Highly recommended for anyone into classic HD wanting to move beyond the coffee table books.