Chassis No.
4797
Estimate:
£20,000-£26,000
AUCTION DATE:
To be auctioned on
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
12 bhp, 348 cc OHV one-cylinder engine.
Harley-Davidson remains the definitive American motorcycle manufacturer, and though it is known for big V-twins today, the company has built nearly every configuration of engine in the past 108 years. The first Harleys were belt-driven single-cylinder models, and progress was rapid: 50 bikes in 1906, 150 in 1907, when it incorporated, and 18,000 in 1917. The first V-twin was built in 1911 and the first three-speed transmission in 1915.
While V-twins took hold, Harley-Davidson also continued with single-cylinder bikes, and when the AMA launched a 21-cubic inch racing class in 1925, Harley scrambled to build a bike to compete. The result was a 348-cc OHV single, which was introduced in 1926. Known as the “Peashooter” for its distinctive popping exhaust note, the model became famous as a board and dirt track racer and, at only 215 pounds, was capa