[NBR] A wonderful old photo of riders...

[Buell_Buddy]

Please allow me to submit for your approval this absolutely wonderful photo, taken in 1925 in front of a Harley dealership in Washington, D.C.

This photo contains the greatest collection of mugs, lugs, thugs and general loose characters that I have ever seen. I look at these faces and I can't help but laugh. What a crew! What I wouldn't give for a time machine, so I could ride with these guys just once.

You must click through to the full-size image to see the details; its worth a look, believe me.

http://www.shorpy.com/node/7964?size=_original

(The website is Shorpy --- one of my favorite places on the 'net.)

[Keys]

That's beautiful!

--Keys

[dakotamouse]

Impossible to look at without breaking into a big smile!

[TVB]

I think I'm in love. No, I'm not saying which.

A little depressing to scroll down and see the Google Streetview of the scene: the building is gone.

[iwabj]

oops

[rajron]

I have many old Harley rider pictures; here is a photo from Hanauma Bay Oahu, Hawaii, around 1938 – that’s my dad with the chopped fender. The bike was stroked, ported and decked, with the shifter moved down to the foot.

[BuddyLicious]

Wait a minute,where is the old Genuine Scooter Company history pics? I want to see a 1930 Buddy!

Well ok,I'll have to settle for my grandkids seeing the Buddy from 2006-?

[Coffeejunkie]

Great photo, from on perspective I just love seeing all walks of life with one thing in common, and on professional perspective I'm in awe of the quality of this photo. You can tell it was a longer exposure to get added detail, and even with one blurry head, the quality is amazing for the time it was taken.

[KABarash]

Gotta just love pictures like that! The 'Harley Image' has certinaly changed since those days.
One guy could have been my 'Uncle' Joe, the fat man with a tie & suspenders (braces, as he called them) holding a knife.
Another could very well have been my Dad, except the picture was taken the year he was born.

Side note:
I do have a 1941 Harley that was my dad's by default, he was 'taking care' if it for a buddy of his that was drafted in '42 and was KIA somewhere in Europe. Dad held on to it, it was put in storage from '43-'47 when he was overseas, it moved 3 times with him and mom. He NEVER in my memory rode it, but kept it 'running' up to the late 60's. In memory of his friend.
I was unallowed to even touch it untill after dad passed away in 1988, I then had it restored, what a ride!!

And the 'head gear' why don't men wear hats any more? The 'old time' helmets, I need to get one just for laughs! And how many of these guys are wearing ties, Who wears a tie anymore even to go to the office? Am I just getting old??

[Howardr]

Fantastic photos. Things like like kind of make our history more alive.

Howard

[Dooglas]

and on professional perspective I'm in awe of the quality of this photo. You can tell it was a longer exposure to get added detail, and even with one blurry head, the quality is amazing for the time it was taken.

Actually fairly typical of the incredible resolution of photos in this era and even much earlier. Large format cameras were capable of capturing beautiful detail. Just were limited by slower exposures to landscapes and posed subjects as you note. We all got spoiled by small, portable cameras and color film. Go out today and take a few photos with a hundred year old plate film camera. The detail is astounding.

[TVB]

A few years ago I had the pleasure of seeing a show at the local art museum about the history of photography. One of the stand-out pieces was (unsurprisingly) an Ansel Adams print of his photo "Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico"... something like 5-6 feet wide. Even close-up, it was sharp. Digital sensors have come a long way, to the point of surpassing 35mm film in resolution, but they still haven't caught up with an 4x5-inch sheet of fine black and white film.

[Rippinyarn]

This photo contains the greatest collection of mugs, lugs, thugs and general loose characters that I have ever seen. I look at these faces and I can't help but laugh. What a crew! What I wouldn't give for a time machine, so I could ride with these guys just once.

I posted that up on the Rovers forum on Friday, and I said that it looks like us (members of the Rovers) in that pic!

Now that I think about it, we are a great collection of mugs, lugs, thugs and general loose characters!