Art of discovery, early vs late model
Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2025 4:40 pm
Yanked out the handbrake lever today.
Having restored a '25 decades ago, now that I'm cleaning up a '14 I'm constantly amazed at all the engineering differences I'm finding between the two. Some things you see improvements, while other things changed became cheaper quality (obvious cost/time cutting, but as such also not as strong). I know this is nothing new for many of you, but has been eye opening for me.
Three major differences seen is the rectangular hole in the frame bracket for a compressed felt oiler:
The hand brake lever is not only pinned, but also keyed:
The 'clutch' cam is forged vs stamped steel (quite a sharp ramp up as well):
Having restored a '25 decades ago, now that I'm cleaning up a '14 I'm constantly amazed at all the engineering differences I'm finding between the two. Some things you see improvements, while other things changed became cheaper quality (obvious cost/time cutting, but as such also not as strong). I know this is nothing new for many of you, but has been eye opening for me.
Three major differences seen is the rectangular hole in the frame bracket for a compressed felt oiler: