On "American Pickers" , Mike Wolfe was stoked to discover what he called "one of my holy grails" -- the Von Dutch XAVW motorcycle.
Created in 1966, the bike was a combination of Harley-Davidson XA frame and a Volkswagen engine, and its whereabouts were unknown for years. "Everyone in the freaking world wants to know where this bike is," said Mike.
Luckily for him the owner was willing to part with the bike so Mike bought himself a piece of history for $21,000.
Mike made a deal to lend the bike to the National Motorcycle Museum for display. The museum has lots of bikes and memorabilia on loan which keeps things there changing, always new.
You can head over to Anamosa, Iowa any day and sit down right beside the bike, study it and consider all the thought and the work Von Dutch put into it.
It appears he had to stretch the frame, make it wider to get the VW engine to drop in.
Amazingly a lot of other pieces lined up well as he mated the engine to the XA clutch and trans.
He even made the kickstarter work.
Forks are early 50′s Moto Guzzi and the seat may be as well.
Visually the components all fit together really well, even the form of the Guzzi fenders connects well with the mid-sixties Honda CB450 gas tank, especially with Von Dutch’s two tone paint and striping.
Even the VW badge fits well artistically.
Anyone who has done work like this knows the challenges. Looks easy, maybe, but this was a lot of work and the outcome must have made Von Dutch grin.
You can head over to Anamosa, Iowa any day and sit down right beside the bike, study it and consider all the thought and the work Von Dutch put into it.
It appears he had to stretch the frame, make it wider to get the VW engine to drop in.
Amazingly a lot of other pieces lined up well as he mated the engine to the XA clutch and trans.
He even made the kickstarter work.
Forks are early 50′s Moto Guzzi and the seat may be as well.
Visually the components all fit together really well, even the form of the Guzzi fenders connects well with the mid-sixties Honda CB450 gas tank, especially with Von Dutch’s two tone paint and striping.
Even the VW badge fits well artistically.
Anyone who has done work like this knows the challenges. Looks easy, maybe, but this was a lot of work and the outcome must have made Von Dutch grin.
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