Classics
Words & photos: Rhys Jones
American V-twins
T
he importance of early motorcycle
design and production in America
is often overlooked. Although
the first motorcycle is said to be
the 1871, steam-powered, French
Michaux-Perreaux, an American
inventor Sylvester Roper built a
steam powered two-wheeler as
early as 1867. Too close, I believe, to
say which one really came first. Especially when,
in the late 19th Century, the geographic distance
between the two was considerable. The first petrol
engined two-wheeler came in 1876 in Germany.
Two marques, Indian and Harley Davidson,
dominate most of the motorcycle history of
America. Indian began with a single cylinder model
in 1902 that looked very much like a bicycle with
an engine attached, and Harley Davidson in 1903.
However, as we looked at iconic European twins in
the last issue, I think we should do the same with
the Americans. With both Harley and Indian the in-
line V-twin configuration was dominant, but there
were a few others; the 1911 Flying Merkel, but that
company only lasted until 1915. Another V-twin was
the Cyclone, but again it lasted only until 1915. It
could be that the Indian 8-valve Board Track Racer
V-twin, with a top speed of 212km/h, which was
first offered to the public in 1916, sealed the fate
of many rivals. Yet another American V-twin, the
Iver Johnson Model 15-7 also went out of business
in 1916. The first Harley Davidson attempt at a
V-twin was 1909, but it was a failure. In 1911 they
came back with the winning twin Model 7D. Their
1923 8-valve Board Track Racer proved to be a
huge success on race tracks. The sporting tradition
continued over thirty years later with the launch of
the Harley Davidson KR750, a 209km/h ‘over-the-
counter’ race bike. The model was made available
to the public following criticism that specialised
race machines were too expensive for amateur
racing enthusiasts. The Harley Davidson Sportster
XL with the 883cc V-twin motor kept the strictly
road-going enthusiasts happy in the late 1950s, as
Harley Davidson 8-Valve Board Track Racer 1923
Harley Davidson XLCR 1000cc Sportster 1977
Indian winner of the Isle of Man TT 1911, Oliver Godfrey