Panhead Jim, Author at Harley Davidson Forums - Page 6 of 9

In 1936, Harley-Davidson began producing motorcycles powered by their new “Knucklehead” engine.  The Knucklehead was a major leap forward in engine design, going from the older side valve arrangement to one in which the valves were located over the piston.  The basic overhead valve layout is still used today in all current Harley-Davidson engines.  The […] More »

In the 1960’s, Burbank, CA motorcycle policeman would train monthly at the Lockheed Air Terminal in order to insure that they were ready for whatever might befall them while on patrol.  Leaving their uniforms behind and dressing in street clothes, they would practice a number of maneuvers including riding across a wooden seesaw and jumping […] More »

Chances are if you served in any part of the US Military’s supply chain during WWII, you saw a lot of wooden crates being shipped in from Milwaukee.  During the war, Harley-Davidson built more than 60,000 WLA’s, so the sight of a Harley-Davidson being unpacked would have been fairly common at US and Allied bases […] More »

This interesting piece of motorcycle history was recently offered on eBay for the price of $125,500.  The price alone warranted a further look, so I did a little digging to find out more about Jimmy “Daredevil” Washburn. Jimmy Washburn purchased the 1932 VL you see pictured here in the mid 1930’s.  It started out as […] More »

At the end of WWI, a new motorsport was sweeping across the US.  Based on the simple concept of riding a motorcycle to the top of a steep hill, hill climbing was so popular that clips from recent races were shown at movies theaters as part of the preview reel throughout the 1920’s and 1930’s. […] More »

This group of photos was taken in the 1930’s down under in Sydney, Australia.  The police stunt team was riding a pre -1935 Harley-Davidson V-series with attached sidecar.  You’ll note that in a few of the images, the sidecar is missing it’s wheel.  This was no accident and was a popular stunt of that period. […] More »

In recent times, the term “factory custom” has been used to describe various new models coming out of Milwaukee.  This of course is just marketing hype, but in 1933 Harley built a true factory custom which was the first machine produced by the Motor Company that did not bear the name “Harley-Davidson” on the gas […] More »