Racine Co. man works to restore old Harleys, finishing up a 1913

RACINE CO. (WITI) -- It would be hard to find someone as committed to their hobby as a Racine County man who restores old Harley-Davidson motorcycles! And Dan Rognsvoog is on the verge of finishing his biggest project yet -- just in time for Harley-Davidson's big 110th anniversary celebration.

Rognsvoog is almost done restoring a 1913 Harley-Davidson bike after spending years on the project.

"I'm waiting on a few carburetor parts and a few other little minor things," Rognsvoog said.

Rognsvoog says the thought of getting the 100-year-old Harley on the road puts a lump in his throat.

"It's a piece of history and I'm personally bringing this thing together again and running," Rognsvoog said.

Rognsvoog says bikes have been his passion as long as he can remember.

"There was a guy when I was growing up that lived across the street from the first place I lived at. His name was Marvin. He had a Harley, his buddies had Harleys and I remember thinking it was the neatest thing and when I get older, I'm gonna get me a Harley-Davidson," Rognsvoog said.

In 1971, Rognsvoog bought his first Harley-Davidson. It's still in the garage, flanked by bikes we rarely see outside of the Harley-Davidson Museum.

Rognsvoog says the internet has made it much easier to find those parts -- even for a bike celebrating its 100th birthday.

"I was looking for some parts for my '13, and I probably made 20 phone calls - East Coast, West Coast, middle of the United States to look for parts I needed, finally found the person," Rognsvoog said.

Some may wonder why a man would spend years restoring a bike he'll rarely ride, and Rognsvoog says he doesn't have an answer for them.

"It's hard to explain until you do it yourself. It is what it is. It's neat," Rognsvoog said.

Rognsvoog was recently in a car accident and hasn't been cleared to ride his motorcycles. However, he's meeting with the doctor this week and hopes they'll clear him to ride in Saturday's parade.