my 2 cents worth, to my thinking, every point written thus far should be well taken.
the one thing i have worked hard over the years, when one participates on this forum, is to leave our egos at the door. having a fellowship of camaraderie is necessary in order to best help each other. egos driven by smart-assed arrogance DO NOT WORK FOR ME. i have seen forums where people are stripped to the bone and then roasted on the fire by know-it-all "experts" who like feeding their ballooned ego, it's hurtful and no one deserves such treatment. WE DON'T HAVE THAT HERE.
i am really proud of and thankful for every member who participates on this forum. EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATES ON THIS FORUM AND IN PARTICULAR HELPS ANOTHER MEMBER IS A VALUABLE ASSET TO OUR FELLOWSHIP.
that being said, i KNOW i have written things that have been misinterpreted and it is very easy to be misunderstood when writing our thoughts, especially considering we all do not speak the same language and some have to use translators to participate on OUR forum.
so that being said, your "10 to 9" hole cover is going to get your bike running, which in my humble opinion is totally understandable and commendable for your ingenuity. for certain, i can say without reservation, if i did not have a part and knew i could modify a part to get my bike on the road, i would do it in a heartbeat. 9 hole covers don't grow on trees. from the outside, only the keenest of eyes might spot the modification. i don't know if a 10 hole converted to 9 looks the same on the inside as an authentic 9 hole, but if it does not, then a purist who bought the bike and discovered the conversion could be unhappy. when i sell a bike, speaking for myself, i feel bound to disclose the parts that are not correct or original for any motorcycle i were to sell. not everyone feels that way, each to their own. in the end, how an individual represents their bike is left as their conscience dictates. i'll leave any further comments on ethics unsaid for the sake of my time and energy.
i will tell you, restoring this 90 year old 1927 Harley Davidson has been the biggest project i have ever taken on. i literally started with a frame, an engine, a transmission and a rear wheel hub. there comes a point where the chances for finding some parts for any motorcycle are likely to never be found. Compromise and common sense HAVE to take precedent to a hard core, line drawn in the sand purist mentality. my 27 would not be where it is at without the reproduction parts i have on it made by devoted and passionate artisans who commit their entire being to manufacturing parts. as it is, i have three and one half years and over 500 hours in my Harley and would NEVER be in the final restoration stage without using reproduction parts. in fact, i'd be long dead and gone, before every original part was ever found to make this 90 year old motorcycle 100% original. and i am quite proud of the fact i built my old Harley starting with so few parts and damaged at that; i used as many original parts as i could find.
i will never smack on any any vendor for their efforts, but i will report my findings to the vendor and on a forum when a part is different from original and in particular when a part is simply flat out lousy quality. a vendor owes it to be told the parts they are making are incorrect so they can correct the problem. i do find it dismaying, considering the effort that goes in to reproducing a part, that certain manufacturers spend their time producing unacceptable parts. i would suspect many sandcast 750's have at least 1 non-oem (reproduction) part on them.
Good job, Don. 9 hole covers are out there; i hope you can find one someday for your bike. imho, every sandcast deserves a genuine 9 hole cover if they are available for a price the owner can afford.
on the other hand, not having a 9 hole cover should not hold anyone back when a 10 hole can be modified in order to get your bike on the road.
