Harleys At Work: Coca-Cola Delivery Vehicle

Pictured above is a 1930, Harley-Davidson V-series motorcycle with a custom package truck which could hold 288 bottles of Coca-Cola.  This was most likely a VLC model, with the “C” denoting commercial.  It would have featured a 74 cubic inch sidevalve engine with low compression heads mated to a three-speed transmission.  The dual headlights had been introduced the previous year, but would not be kept for the 1931 models.  It also featured a front drum brake, which had only been available since 1928.

The V-series was first introduced in 1930, an upgrade to the J-series which Harley had produced since 1915.  The major difference between the two being that the V-series used a side-valve engine where as the J-series used an F-head engine.  It is easy to tell the two apart as the F-head engines required cut outs in the gas tanks so their exposed valve-train had room to operate.