110 years ago Harley-Davidson presents its first V2

• (Neu-Isenburg, 11.02.2019) The year was 1903 when Harley-Davidson sold its first motorcycles built in a backyard shed in Milwaukee - from then on, the company grew and prospered magnificently. The machine develops from 811 cm³ 7 hp and can reach over 100 km/h
• The further developed version appears in 1911

The reliable single is constantly being further developed and just three years later the first 200 m² large Harley-Davidson factory in Chestnut Street, later to be called Juneau Avenue. In 1909, 35 employees were already working here, producing 1,149 motorcycles. A completely new heart beats in a few dozen of these two-wheelers. Their name is Model 5-D and their engine has not just one cylinder, but two.

With customers thirsting for more power, William „Bill“ Harley, technical director of the young company, spent several years designing this groundbreaking innovation for the company. 811 cm³ A displacement of 440 instead of the previous 440 and 7 hp instead of the previous 4 ensure an almost unimaginable speed of over 100 km/h when required.

The two cast iron cylinders of the first Harley-Davidson Twin are positioned at an angle of 45 degrees to each other, two fat pistons move up and down in them, their connecting rods transmit the power to the mighty crankshaft by means of a common crank pin, the housing and bearings of which Bill Harley has reinforced. Bare steel parts were copper-plated and then nickel-plated, light metal parts polished. There is no gearbox, the brakes are applied to the pedals by back pedaling. The lower beam of the tubular frame wraps elegantly around the engine. The fuel tank holds 7.6 liters, 3.8 liters for the loss oil lubrication system. Contemporary comfort is ensured by the Cushion Springer fork and a sprung saddle. At a price of 325 dollars, the Motor Company offers the stylish machine in the colors Piano Black or Light Gray with Carmine Striping.

As with all Harley models of this era, the V2 breathes in via atmospherically controlled valves, so-called sniffer valves. They open when the downward-sliding piston creates a vacuum in the cylinder. This principle, which works perfectly in the single, proves to be the Achilles heel of the V-twin, as it makes it difficult to start and causes it to run unclean at times. In addition, the belt that drives the rear wheel tends to slip due to the high engine power. Weaknesses such as these do not let Bill Harley rest. So he and the Davidson brothers suspend V2 production for a year until the design fully meets the company's requirements. In 1911, the time had come: the snifting valves were a thing of the past and the intake valves were now also mechanically force-controlled. In addition, a new rear-wheel drive with clutch mechanism, high-strength steels and an even more stable frame are used. Finally, nothing stands in the way of the V2's triumphant advance.

Although Harley-Davidson tried out a number of concepts in the following decades, from the two-stroke to the boxer principle to the four-cylinder, the classically beautiful V-twin with its four-stroke principle, 45-degree cylinder angle and fork connecting rod remained the style-defining engine for the company. It shapes the look, sound and soul of the machines from Milwaukee and has become the company's trademark. In 2019, the descendants of the early V2 engines - matured over decades and always at the height of their time - can be found in more than 30 machines in the Sportster, Softail and Touring series. The fascination of the concept is unbroken.

You can find out more about Harley-Davidson at www.Harley-Davidson.com.