I need parts for a VL
What kind of motorcycle is that? It's a VL. What's a VL?
There are a few places that sell reproduction parts for the 1930s Harley Davidson V/VL series motorcycles but regardless of what those Google results tell you sorry, J&P Cycles and RevZilla are not one of them (they do sell great parts for '90s Evos though).
There are a few places that sell reproduction parts for the 1930s Harley Davidson V/VL series motorcycles but regardless of what those Google results tell you sorry, J&P Cycles and RevZilla are not one of them (they do sell great parts for '90s Evos though).
Most of the places that sell reproduction VL parts don't have the latest website technology out there so you are often better off giving them a call if you have questions or can't find exactly what you are looking for. There is a pretty steady listing of VL parts on Ebay just search for "harley vl". I have seen just about every possible part for sale at different times from different sellers over the last couple years. Some ok prices to be found amongst overpriced parts. Don't be afraid to message people to ask for a lower price. You will also often find parts mislabeled with inaccurate descriptions with wrong years listed so study the photos, ask questions and do your research.
A great example of a mistake I made buying on Ebay, I bought a complete VL transmission that looked complete in photos but it was actually a mix of JD parts, early VL and late VL parts that didn't work together. It had an early side/starter/kicker with a later case. It fit and looked fine but the early starter gears are not constant mesh and the case is missing a way to release the starter gears. It also had a JD pull rod which does look exactly the same as a VL pull rod but it is one inch shorter. I also bought a complete clutch that was completely useless. I ended up parting-out both purchases, salvaging what I could and learning way more about the VL transmission and clutch than I ever thought possible. The learning experience was worth more than the sum of the parts.
As far as reproduction parts go, in general there are some really good companies out there selling high quality parts. How they make some of the more obscure, complicated parts in small batches is still a bit of a mystery to me but I'm not complaining.
A great example of a mistake I made buying on Ebay, I bought a complete VL transmission that looked complete in photos but it was actually a mix of JD parts, early VL and late VL parts that didn't work together. It had an early side/starter/kicker with a later case. It fit and looked fine but the early starter gears are not constant mesh and the case is missing a way to release the starter gears. It also had a JD pull rod which does look exactly the same as a VL pull rod but it is one inch shorter. I also bought a complete clutch that was completely useless. I ended up parting-out both purchases, salvaging what I could and learning way more about the VL transmission and clutch than I ever thought possible. The learning experience was worth more than the sum of the parts.
As far as reproduction parts go, in general there are some really good companies out there selling high quality parts. How they make some of the more obscure, complicated parts in small batches is still a bit of a mystery to me but I'm not complaining.
If you are looking for new, basic bolts and nuts type hardware, Colony Machine makes a lot of the common parts but beware sometimes parts say they are for all years of VL but aren't quite the same as the early VL hardware. The best and cheapest place to buy Colony parts is online from Lowbrow Customs
| Harbor Vintage | http://www.harborvintage.com |
| Good Old Motorcycle Company | https://www.thegoodoldmotorcyclepartscompany.com |
| Competition Distributing | http://www.competitiondist.com |
| Replicant Metals | http://replicantmetals.com |
| VL Heaven | https://www.vlheaven.com |
| Mike's Indian Parts | http://www.mikesindianparts.com |
| Geloman sheet metal | http://geloman.com |
| W & W Cycles | https://www.wwag.com |
| Tom’s NOS parts | http://www.tomsnosparts.com |
| AAOK | https://aaok.com |
Do you know of another good website that has VL parts?
Let us know in the comments section below.
