A few of you may find an original-paint bike from the first owner who rode it one summer and then stored it in a nice dry heated garage for the last 50 years. The owner will dig out the original title, warranty card, owner's manual, and even the first license plate and registration and pass them on to you. And the cow jumped over the moon...

The rest of us will find something a little different. Most of the parts on the lightweights are interchangable. This was Good News way back when - if you dented a fender or blew up the motor - you could simply find a wrecked bike, and transplant the needed parts into your bike. You could take a 1948 engine and bolt it into a 1966 frame. Or vice versa.

You've just purchased a bike to restore, and are wondering just what year it is. Well, the Bad News is: most of the parts on the lightweights are interchangable. A lot of swapping has gone on over the last 50 years, so your bike may have a mix of components.

The Bike that started the Hummer Club? it's now: 1955 Hummer 55B 1234
Wheels:	1955 or 56 Hummer
Front fork:	1955 or 56 Hummer
Engine:	1960 Super 10
Magneto:	1962 Ranger
Frame	1957-1959 Hummer
Gas tank:	195? Model 165

Some bikes are so "hybrid" that it's difficult to decide just what year they are! Sometimes, the choice is easy - if you have a nice original frame, sheetmetal, speedometer, etc., but the wrong year motor, the choice is easy - just find the correct year motor. No title for the motor? No problem! There are many title services that can fix that. Other times, the choice is more difficult.

So, where to start? First, try to identify just what you've got. First - How To Restore will give you the basic information needed to identify your bike and its parts. Some of the topics get quite detailed, so you may need to consult a later chapter for additional details.

Second, look at the pictures in the Members page - in the Years/Models section. We've selected these bikes because they ARE good examples - but they are NOT neccesarily restoration standards!

Third, determine the expense and difficulty in obtaining the correct parts. A perfectly restored speedometer can run up to $500. Fenders for a 1948-1950 model might take years to find. So take an inventory of what you've got, and what you will need. And hopefully, the direction will be obvious.