American Pickers Barn Find 1938 Harley-Davidson UL Bob-Job Is All Rust, Holes, and Awesome

The 58-year-old describes himself, among others, as a vintage motorcycle rider and fan of Old School Country. The world knows him not as a rider, though, or music lover, but as the driver/passenger of a van that tours America in search of relics that have no value for current owners, but could mean a lot for others, both emotionally and financially.

This business proved so successful for the man he turned it into a TV show back in 2010. Called American Pickers and presently airing on the History Channel, the series is already 23 seasons and 325 episodes long, showing that the general public finds pleasure in barn finds and the likes just as much as the pickers themselves.

Over the years, Wolfe’s travels allowed him to come across a very large number of old two-wheelers, among many other objects, so the man, a lover of such machines, quickly put most of them together in something he describes as being “a massive collection of some of the world’s rarest and most highly sought-after motorcycles.”

From the end of January, this collection will shed some 70 examples from its ranks, as they’ll be sold in Las Vegas during the Mecum auction there. The As Found Collection's (that's what it's called) presence on the auction block is too rare of an opportunity for us to pass, so we’ll try to bring before you some of the greatest two-wheeled examples being offered in the weeks ahead. And we’ll start with a 1938 Harley-Davidson UL described as an “original-paint barn find bob-job.”

Bob-job is what the people of the time (and some even today) liked to call the modified motorcycles they rode, and is a precursor of today’s bobber term. Just like now, it meant the bike comes with several changes compared to stock, the most important of which being a shortened rear fender and the absence of a front one.

These things first came to be in the years before the Great Depression and the Second World War, and initially started out as modified Harleys from the J series. Aside from making the bikes look good, the removal of parts for bob-jobs also made them lighter, hence more enjoyable for people looking for faster rides. In time, the bobber style transformed, and we now get much more customized motorcycles.

On this one, a skinny and dust-riddled frame holds in its embrace a rusty-old 74ci engine, V-Twin in configuration and tied to a 4-speed transmission. The powerplant looks in such poor condition that it probably no longer runs, so the remarkably well-preserved exhaust ending in a batique tip no longer spits out any of the bike’s toxic fumes.

Up front, the springer fork is still there, holding in place a multi-spoke wheel with an incredibly good-looking tire, given the more than eight decades that have passed since the ride was first assembled.

Further back, the fuel tank still wears the period-specific Harley-Davidson markings, in red, white, and what once might have been shiny gold, placed over what is likely the original black paint. Behind it we have the saddle seat, seemingly floating above the bike’s frame and supported only by the tip of a pipe that looks ready to impale someone.

The overall state of the motorcycle is dire, but given its age, it doesn’t look all that bad. There are some portions of the bike that are in need of immediate attention, and the list includes the rims, the engine, and its supports, the fuel tank (especially the upper side), and even the frame.

Most of the bits listed above are probably unsalvageable if someone decides to go for a rebuild, but there are others, like the fenders of the headlight, that could probably be given a second life.

The listing showing this bike does not provide any expectations from Wolfe when it comes to the selling price of the thing. We do know it goes with no reserve, though, and that means it could sell for pretty much any sum: for little, if attendance is poor, or for a lot, if the right crowd flocks to the South Point Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas starting January 24, 2023.

We’ll get back on this story (and the ones about Wolfe’s other bikes we’re about to run) as soon as we learn for how much it went, even if only to give you a sense of how much a bucket of rust wearing the Harley-Davidson logo is worth nowadays.