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William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson developed the first prototype of a Harley Davidson motorcycle in 1903. The engine was designed according to the system De Dion-Bouton, had a displacement of 167 cc and made about 2 ps (1.5 kW). Since Harley and Davidson were dissatisfied with the performance, in 1904, cubic capacity was increased to 405 cm ...
That first engine was a single cylinder model, based on the French developed De Dion-Bouton internal combustion engine. The company was soon fully committed to producing its own proprietary engine designs, and by 1909 the first Harley-Davidson V-Twin engine had been designed and made, setting a template for engine design that continues today.
The first Harley-Davidson motorcycles were powered by single-cylinder IOE engines with the inlet valve operated by engine vacuum, based on the DeDion-Bouton pattern. [135] Singles of this type continued to be made until 1913, when a pushrod and rocker system was used to operate the overhead inlet valve on the single, a similar system having ...
Recirculating oil system introduced on all H-D engines in 1936, R became W to denote this. WLA and WLC were military models, WR was a racing model Servi-Car: 45.1 cu in (739 cc) flathead 1932–1936 (R-series engine) 1937–1973 (W-series engine) From 1964, the first Harley-Davidson to have electric starting. [2] Model K and KK
The flathead engine saw service in Harley-Davidson motorcycles beginning with the Model WS flat-twin, produced from 1919 to 1923, [6] and continuing in 1924 with single-cylinder export-model 21-cubic-inch (340 cc) and 30.5-cubic-inch (500 cc) singles and continued in Servi-Cars until 1973. In the domestic U.S. market, the 45-cubic-inch (740 cc ...
[4] [5] He co-founded Harley-Davidson with Arthur Davidson in 1903 and served as chief engineer and treasurer until his death in 1943. [4] [6] While in college he worked at a Madison architect's office and as a waiter for the Kappa Sigma fraternity house. The first Harley-Davidson factory opened in Milwaukee in 1906, and the company began ...
The Harley-Davidson RL 45 is a model of the R-series range produced from 1932 to 1936, preceded by the DL range (1929–1931), which was Harley-Davidson's first 45 cubic-inch and first flathead V-twin motorcycle, and succeeded in 1937 by the WL. The R-series range included 45-solo, R, RL and RLD models.
The Model W engine was Harley-Davidson's first flathead engine, [7] and its transmission was the first in a Harley-Davidson motorcycle to be housed in the engine cases. [6] [8] The transmission included helical gear drive, a wet clutch, and a three-speed gearbox. [8] The engine was a stressed member of the frame. [9] [10]