When it comes to pulling vintage motorcycles back from the brink, what’s the first thing you think of? A lot of people would say restoration, or possibly restomodding. Those are definitely two popular options, but they’re far from the only options available. One of the roads seemingly less traveled is getting it into good running order, but leaving a desirable patina of age as-is, as much as is practically possible. That’s exactly what Wheels Through Time has opted to do with one of its current projects, which it’s dubbed the 1939 Harley Rustoration.
This bike is a survivor, and rather than cover that up with a shiny new coating of paint and chrome, Matt Walksler and his guys have instead opted to help it proudly wear its age for all to see. The project came to the WTT museum in several big storage totes, as a project that someone had apparently taken apart sometime in the 1970s and never completed. It’s not clear whether it ran at the time it was taken apart, but getting it running now is Walksler’s goal.
