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Depression and the Knucklehead
In 1929 – the year the stock market collapsed – Harley-Davidson was the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world, with annual sales of nearly 24,000 units. With the economy in disarray and used Fords selling for as little as $50, motorcycle sales began to decline. For Harley-Davidson they reached a shocking low of less than 4,000 units in 1933. To expand the use of motorcycles, Harley-Davidson introduced in 1931 the three-wheeled Servicar, which was an instant success. However, it was an all-new high-performance machine at mid-decade that secured the troubled Motor Company's future. In late 1935 Harley-Davidson introduced a totally new motorcycle – the 61 cubic inch EL – featuring a new frame, stylish new sheet metal, an overhead-valve engine, and a recirculating lubrication system. The new Knucklehead - as it was later called because of the four large nuts on the rocker boxes that looked like knuckles on a fist - produced twice the horsepower of a 61 cubic inch side-valve engine. An outstanding success, In 1941 it was increased to 74 cubic inches and designated the FL (top). The Knucklehead remained in the model line until 1948 and became the platform from which all Harley-Davidson pushrod big twins have evolved to the present day. It also introduced the styling hallmarks – the teardrop tank, the mid-tank instrument panel, the wrap-around oil tank – that are still retained by the Motor Company and have been so often imitated by other manufacturers. |
