The early days
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VonGruff
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Re: The early days
George Smith Sr., founder of S&S Cycle, Inc. on his Harley-Davidson Knucklehead
Gruff.
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VonGruff
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Re: The early days
Not Harley but interesting and important in the early days of Motorcycling history all the same.
On this date, December 30, 1912, Lee Humiston, using a 1,000 cc twin cylinder chain driven Excelsior circled the banked one-mile oval track at Prince’s Playa del Rey, California in 36 seconds flat to become the first motorcyclist in the world “officially” timed at 100 mph.
One week after his milestone accomplishment, “The Humiston Comet,” as he was promptly nicknamed by the press, surpassed Jake DeRosier’s record for 100 miles, trimming nearly seven and a half minutes from the fatally injured rider’s best time. Excelsior had won the race to the magic 100 mph mark and they had smashed the Indian-held record for the 100-mile distance as well.
The publicity was enormous. Every school boy in America knew that a man had traveled at 100 miles per hour on a motorcycle, and that he had accomplished this feat on an Excelsior built in Chicago.
On this date, December 30, 1912, Lee Humiston, using a 1,000 cc twin cylinder chain driven Excelsior circled the banked one-mile oval track at Prince’s Playa del Rey, California in 36 seconds flat to become the first motorcyclist in the world “officially” timed at 100 mph.
One week after his milestone accomplishment, “The Humiston Comet,” as he was promptly nicknamed by the press, surpassed Jake DeRosier’s record for 100 miles, trimming nearly seven and a half minutes from the fatally injured rider’s best time. Excelsior had won the race to the magic 100 mph mark and they had smashed the Indian-held record for the 100-mile distance as well.
The publicity was enormous. Every school boy in America knew that a man had traveled at 100 miles per hour on a motorcycle, and that he had accomplished this feat on an Excelsior built in Chicago.
Gruff.
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VonGruff
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VonGruff
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Re: The early days
On this date, January 12, 1970, George Brough, motorcycle racer, world record holding motorcycle and automobile manufacturer, and showman, died at the age of 79. He was known for his powerful and expensive Brough Superior motorcycles which were the first superbikes.
The name Superior was suggested by a friend but his father reputedly took it personally. George’s motorcycles lived up to the claim, however, and he brought together the best components he could find and added distinctive styling details.
He had a flair for marketing and in 1922 rode a Brough Superior SS80 which he called Spit and Polish at Brooklands, managing an unofficial 100 mph lap. All told, 3,048 motorcycles of 19 models were made in 21 years of production. Most were custom built to customers’ requirements and rarely were any two of the same configuration.
Each motorcycle was assembled twice. The first assembly was for fitting of all components, then the motorcycle was disassembled and all parts were painted or plated as needed, then the finished parts were assembled finally. Every motorcycle was test ridden to ensure that it performed to specification, and was certified by George Brough.
The SS100 model was ridden at 100 mph or more prior to delivery. The SS80 model was ridden at 80 mph or more before delivery. If any motorcycle did not meet specification, it returned to the shop for rework until it performed properly. His legacy lives on in the many Brough Superior motorcycles maintained by enthusiasts to this day. Pictured is George Brough in 1938 on his Brough Superior motorcycle powered by a Matchless engine.
The name Superior was suggested by a friend but his father reputedly took it personally. George’s motorcycles lived up to the claim, however, and he brought together the best components he could find and added distinctive styling details.
He had a flair for marketing and in 1922 rode a Brough Superior SS80 which he called Spit and Polish at Brooklands, managing an unofficial 100 mph lap. All told, 3,048 motorcycles of 19 models were made in 21 years of production. Most were custom built to customers’ requirements and rarely were any two of the same configuration.
Each motorcycle was assembled twice. The first assembly was for fitting of all components, then the motorcycle was disassembled and all parts were painted or plated as needed, then the finished parts were assembled finally. Every motorcycle was test ridden to ensure that it performed to specification, and was certified by George Brough.
The SS100 model was ridden at 100 mph or more prior to delivery. The SS80 model was ridden at 80 mph or more before delivery. If any motorcycle did not meet specification, it returned to the shop for rework until it performed properly. His legacy lives on in the many Brough Superior motorcycles maintained by enthusiasts to this day. Pictured is George Brough in 1938 on his Brough Superior motorcycle powered by a Matchless engine.
Gruff.
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VonGruff
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Re: The early days
A good bit on the Brough Superior among other early days aspects of the British motorcycle industry, the riders and usage in this video. The Glory days of British motorbikes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNNUYHhoDiU&t=132s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNNUYHhoDiU&t=132s
Gruff.
Re: The early days
A good watch!VonGruff wrote: ↑13 Jan 2024, 9:50 am A good bit on the Brough Superior among other early days aspects of the British motorcycle industry, the riders and usage in this video. The Glory days of British motorbikes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNNUYHhoDiU&t=132s
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VonGruff
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Re: The early days
No pictures but in the 20's great uncles from both sides of the family had motorcycles.
The great uncle on mothers side of the family had an old Indian with a sidecar and to suit NZ the sidecar was on the left of the bike which was the same side as the throttle and on the winter rides to and from Dunedin to his home in Oturehua he would get it up to road speed out of the city and climb over into the sidecar and ride all the way home up the Pigroot that way.
The great uncle on my father side of the family had a Harley but only had it 3 months when he died so it was put up on blocks in their shed and sat till the early 50's when the great aunt asked dad if he wanted it for me or my brother (but just under 5 at the time) He said no, they will never be into old motorcycles so it went to another member of the family never to be seen or heard of again.
The great uncle on mothers side of the family had an old Indian with a sidecar and to suit NZ the sidecar was on the left of the bike which was the same side as the throttle and on the winter rides to and from Dunedin to his home in Oturehua he would get it up to road speed out of the city and climb over into the sidecar and ride all the way home up the Pigroot that way.
The great uncle on my father side of the family had a Harley but only had it 3 months when he died so it was put up on blocks in their shed and sat till the early 50's when the great aunt asked dad if he wanted it for me or my brother (but just under 5 at the time) He said no, they will never be into old motorcycles so it went to another member of the family never to be seen or heard of again.
Gruff.
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VonGruff
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Re: The early days
When you blow your entire engineering budget on the motor and have nothing left for suspension, brakes, or aerodynamics.
Gruff.
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VonGruff
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Re: The early days
This Day in Harley-Davidson History – March 13, 1937 – a Harley-Davidson set the land speed record for two-wheeled vehicles with a speed of 136.183 mph!
On March 13, 1937, Joe Petrali set a land speed record of 136.183 miles per hour at Daytona. He rode a blue 1936 EL equipped with a 61 cubic inch Knucklehead engine that was specially designed for the attempt. It featured low-slung handlebars, a fairing made from a cut and reshaped gas tank, and a rear tail fin assembly for aerodynamics.
The tail fin had to be removed for the official attempt, though, because of the vibration it caused. This race marked the beginning of Harley-Davidson’s pursuit of land speed records. Since then, Harley-Davidson has built a variety of vehicles that have broken several different classes of land speed records.
On March 13, 1937, Joe Petrali set a land speed record of 136.183 miles per hour at Daytona. He rode a blue 1936 EL equipped with a 61 cubic inch Knucklehead engine that was specially designed for the attempt. It featured low-slung handlebars, a fairing made from a cut and reshaped gas tank, and a rear tail fin assembly for aerodynamics.
The tail fin had to be removed for the official attempt, though, because of the vibration it caused. This race marked the beginning of Harley-Davidson’s pursuit of land speed records. Since then, Harley-Davidson has built a variety of vehicles that have broken several different classes of land speed records.
Gruff.
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VonGruff
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Re: The early days
It’s time to go way back in time for today’s Road and Sport longer Sunday post.
How far back? Maybe 1907, 1908, or 1909… maybe even 1911. We’re looking at a key – iconic – part of Harley-Davidson, something which has survived in essence uninterrupted for 117 years to this very day.
It’s the first ever Harley-Davidson V-Twin engine. Just like today’s Milwaukee-Eight Big Twin, the first V-Twin was a 45-degree configuration, with knife-and-fork conrods on a common crankpin. (Our post here today goes into some engineering aspects, so be ready!)
The Harley V-Twin was first shown publicly at the 1907 Chicago Automobile show, and a prototype V-twin engine was used in 1908 by Harvey Bernard to win a hillclimb event in Algonquin, Illinois. The first V-Twin powered Harley available to the public was the 1909 5D Model. However, the engine was flawed and only 27 of the 5D machines were produced. The Factory did not offer another twin until 1911!
The Motor Company’s success and growth with single-cylinder motorcycles in the very early years led to continued buyer demand for increased speed and horsepower, and it became obvious that HD was not going to be able to keep up with demand without making a major change in their design. One uncomfortable downside of the single cylinder motors was that they vibrated badly, and power gains from increasing their displacement would only worsen the problem.
Moving to a V-twin design was the logical next step for the engineer of the Four Founders - William S Harley - as an additional cylinder promised more power and a better balanced motor.
Bill Harley chose to use an engineering solution called the "knife-and-fork" or "fork and blade" conrod, on a single crankpin, for several reasons…
1) Single cylinder engines of the time didn't produce enough power
2) A “regular” V-Twin, or parallel twin, could produce the power but was wide and placed painfully hot engine cases too close to the legs of shorter riders
3) The comfort of the rider would be compromised if the vibrations of the single-cylinder engine (vertical and fore-and-aft) were combined with the "rocking couple" side-to-side vibrations of a parallel or traditional V-Twin.
The solution? Put both conrods on ONE crankpin, and the knife-and-fork design allows this in a single-plane, narrow, and efficiently smooth engine. Fore-and-aft vibrations remain, although less than a single cylinder engine, but there is zero rocking-couple effect.
This design has been used in almost every H-D V-Twin engine from the original 1909 V-Twin to the Milwaukee-Eight engines today. (As an aside… other renowned engines using the knife-and-fork include the legendary Rolls Royce Merlin V12 aircraft engine! Good enough for a Spitfire!)
The term F-head was used for the new V-Twin because the intake valve was located inside the cylinder head and the exhaust valve was on the side of the cylinder which put the valves in an "F" formation. IOE was another name, and simply stood for Intake Over Exhaust. Unlike newer design intake valves which are opened using pushrods or other mechanical methods, atmospheric inlet valves were opened using suction from the piston.
This design worked well on single cylinder motors, but the atmospheric inlet valves refused to behave when sharing the same intake tract between two cylinders.
The result in that 1909 5D was a 49 cubic inch V-twin that was no faster than the 35 cubic inch single it was supposed to replace. Harley discontinued the motor in that format after just one year and those 27 motorcycles, and went back to the drawing board.
For the 1911 model year, Bill Harley had created the improved V-Twin which became known simply as the F-Head. It lost the atmospheric inlet valves, replacing them with intake valves that were mechanically opened using external pushrods.
(We don’t really need to tell you this ‘cause you already know, but for styling consistency and efficient engineering simplicity, those external pushrods have been a striking feature of EVERY Flathead, Knucklehead, Panhead, Shovelhead, Evolution, Twin Cam, Milwaukee-Eight, Sportster, K-Model, and XR-Race Bike until now, today, 2024.)
Back in 1911, the valve configuration remained an F-head, but the addition of the pushrods meant that this motor could rev higher and produce more power than its predecessor. The 50 cubic inch motor was capable of producing 11 big fat horsepower!
We’ve featured William S Harley several times before in our Sunday posts, and it’s noticeable that he often got things “right”, and those astoundingly reliable designs lasted and were used for decades after their introduction! The F-Head was so successful that it powered Harley’s motorcycles from 1911, through the vast production years of the First World War, all the way to 1929.
There was even two-cam 74 cubic inch model designed for racing!
Here’s another little aspect of the ongoing influence of that 1909 First V-Twin, and those knife-and-fork conrods. This is the engine responsible for the distinct, uneven, pulsing “potato-potato-potato” sound that's been Harley's signature for 117 years.
The unique sound results from the pistons firing on every alternating engine rotation.
The rear cylinder fires after 315 degrees from rotation, the front cylinder then fires after another 405 degrees of rotation (an engine rotates a total of 720 degrees in the full 4 cycles). The result is a unique, asymmetrical, and instantly recognizable potato-potato sound.
So now you know.
One last thing for today. We all know that Harley-Davidson is extremely proud of its 121-year history, and consistently offers products, apparel, accessories, features, and reminders (such as the brand-new release Hydra-Glide Revival motorcycle) of that wonderful and amazing history. You and Road and Sport… we are all a part of that history.
As you’ll see in the photos here today, back in 1997 the Motor Company released a Limited-Edition belt buckle, celebrating that 1909 First V-Twin. And it’s a beautiful piece.
We wish, sometimes, that we had saved and held onto so many Collectibles like this, but on the other hand, we were (and are) delighted to pass these on to our wonderful, passionate, and enthusiastic customers.
Have a great Sunday, and maybe think that the Harley you’re riding today has the fingerprints of William S Harley and the three Davidson brothers STILL in its soul.
How far back? Maybe 1907, 1908, or 1909… maybe even 1911. We’re looking at a key – iconic – part of Harley-Davidson, something which has survived in essence uninterrupted for 117 years to this very day.
It’s the first ever Harley-Davidson V-Twin engine. Just like today’s Milwaukee-Eight Big Twin, the first V-Twin was a 45-degree configuration, with knife-and-fork conrods on a common crankpin. (Our post here today goes into some engineering aspects, so be ready!)
The Harley V-Twin was first shown publicly at the 1907 Chicago Automobile show, and a prototype V-twin engine was used in 1908 by Harvey Bernard to win a hillclimb event in Algonquin, Illinois. The first V-Twin powered Harley available to the public was the 1909 5D Model. However, the engine was flawed and only 27 of the 5D machines were produced. The Factory did not offer another twin until 1911!
The Motor Company’s success and growth with single-cylinder motorcycles in the very early years led to continued buyer demand for increased speed and horsepower, and it became obvious that HD was not going to be able to keep up with demand without making a major change in their design. One uncomfortable downside of the single cylinder motors was that they vibrated badly, and power gains from increasing their displacement would only worsen the problem.
Moving to a V-twin design was the logical next step for the engineer of the Four Founders - William S Harley - as an additional cylinder promised more power and a better balanced motor.
Bill Harley chose to use an engineering solution called the "knife-and-fork" or "fork and blade" conrod, on a single crankpin, for several reasons…
1) Single cylinder engines of the time didn't produce enough power
2) A “regular” V-Twin, or parallel twin, could produce the power but was wide and placed painfully hot engine cases too close to the legs of shorter riders
3) The comfort of the rider would be compromised if the vibrations of the single-cylinder engine (vertical and fore-and-aft) were combined with the "rocking couple" side-to-side vibrations of a parallel or traditional V-Twin.
The solution? Put both conrods on ONE crankpin, and the knife-and-fork design allows this in a single-plane, narrow, and efficiently smooth engine. Fore-and-aft vibrations remain, although less than a single cylinder engine, but there is zero rocking-couple effect.
This design has been used in almost every H-D V-Twin engine from the original 1909 V-Twin to the Milwaukee-Eight engines today. (As an aside… other renowned engines using the knife-and-fork include the legendary Rolls Royce Merlin V12 aircraft engine! Good enough for a Spitfire!)
The term F-head was used for the new V-Twin because the intake valve was located inside the cylinder head and the exhaust valve was on the side of the cylinder which put the valves in an "F" formation. IOE was another name, and simply stood for Intake Over Exhaust. Unlike newer design intake valves which are opened using pushrods or other mechanical methods, atmospheric inlet valves were opened using suction from the piston.
This design worked well on single cylinder motors, but the atmospheric inlet valves refused to behave when sharing the same intake tract between two cylinders.
The result in that 1909 5D was a 49 cubic inch V-twin that was no faster than the 35 cubic inch single it was supposed to replace. Harley discontinued the motor in that format after just one year and those 27 motorcycles, and went back to the drawing board.
For the 1911 model year, Bill Harley had created the improved V-Twin which became known simply as the F-Head. It lost the atmospheric inlet valves, replacing them with intake valves that were mechanically opened using external pushrods.
(We don’t really need to tell you this ‘cause you already know, but for styling consistency and efficient engineering simplicity, those external pushrods have been a striking feature of EVERY Flathead, Knucklehead, Panhead, Shovelhead, Evolution, Twin Cam, Milwaukee-Eight, Sportster, K-Model, and XR-Race Bike until now, today, 2024.)
Back in 1911, the valve configuration remained an F-head, but the addition of the pushrods meant that this motor could rev higher and produce more power than its predecessor. The 50 cubic inch motor was capable of producing 11 big fat horsepower!
We’ve featured William S Harley several times before in our Sunday posts, and it’s noticeable that he often got things “right”, and those astoundingly reliable designs lasted and were used for decades after their introduction! The F-Head was so successful that it powered Harley’s motorcycles from 1911, through the vast production years of the First World War, all the way to 1929.
There was even two-cam 74 cubic inch model designed for racing!
Here’s another little aspect of the ongoing influence of that 1909 First V-Twin, and those knife-and-fork conrods. This is the engine responsible for the distinct, uneven, pulsing “potato-potato-potato” sound that's been Harley's signature for 117 years.
The unique sound results from the pistons firing on every alternating engine rotation.
The rear cylinder fires after 315 degrees from rotation, the front cylinder then fires after another 405 degrees of rotation (an engine rotates a total of 720 degrees in the full 4 cycles). The result is a unique, asymmetrical, and instantly recognizable potato-potato sound.
So now you know.
One last thing for today. We all know that Harley-Davidson is extremely proud of its 121-year history, and consistently offers products, apparel, accessories, features, and reminders (such as the brand-new release Hydra-Glide Revival motorcycle) of that wonderful and amazing history. You and Road and Sport… we are all a part of that history.
As you’ll see in the photos here today, back in 1997 the Motor Company released a Limited-Edition belt buckle, celebrating that 1909 First V-Twin. And it’s a beautiful piece.
We wish, sometimes, that we had saved and held onto so many Collectibles like this, but on the other hand, we were (and are) delighted to pass these on to our wonderful, passionate, and enthusiastic customers.
Have a great Sunday, and maybe think that the Harley you’re riding today has the fingerprints of William S Harley and the three Davidson brothers STILL in its soul.
Gruff.