Harley-Davidson model 5D

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The Harley-Davidson model 5D from 1909 was the first two-cylinder - Motorcycle of the American manufacturer Harley-Davidson . This model, which sold for $ 325 , produced 27 units, fewer than the manufacturer's first motorcycle, the Model 1 . Today there are still two copies worldwide, one of which is owned by the manufacturer.

prehistory

While the single-cylinder from Harley-Davidson already reached four-digit sales figures in 1909, the trend towards more power was there. Other manufacturers have been relying on more cylinders for a long time. The V-engine, which is easy to manufacture, was common. However, the long-awaited first 45-degree V-engine from Harley-Davidson was not what the customer had in mind. American manufacturers such as Excelsior, Indian , Merkel and Royal were further in the technical development. Only the successor model , the model 7D from 1911, had controlled inlet and outlet valves and a belt tensioner.

technology

Interestingly, the engine housing of the "Model 0" was used and provided with stronger connecting rod bearings. The bore (76 mm) and the stroke (89 mm) were retained so that a cylinder capacity of 810 cm³ was achieved with the flanged cylinder. In the SV valve control , only the outlet valves were controlled, the inlet valves designed as sniffer valves . In contrast to the battery ignition most commonly used by Harley-Davidson , this engine had a magneto ignition . A central carburetor supplied the cylinders of the 125 kg heavy machine with fuel. The wheelbase of the belt-driven motorcycle was 1435 mm. According to Rafferty, the Harley-Davidson model 5D is said to have "jumped heavily" and, despite the specified additional power, was not faster than the single-cylinder models (72 km / h).

obituary

Although Harley-Davidson had no technical or economic success with the model 5D from 1909, the manufacturer's image and myth is based on the V-engine that is characteristic of the brand and has been built since that time.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Jerry Hatfield: Standard Catalog of American Motorcycles 1898-1981. Krause Publications, 2006, ISBN 0-89689-949-7 , p. 118.
  2. ↑ a b c Tod Rafferty: Harley-Davidson. 1st edition. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-613-01796-2 , p. 16.
  3. ↑ Jerry Hatfield: Standard Catalog. 2006, p. 118.