FEATURES
30 Cover Story:
1921 Harley-Davidson Sport
Harley Davidson and V twin engines are
practically synonymous, but Harley has built
many other kinds of engines besides the V-
twins. One example of a non-V-twin Harley
is the Sport, an opposed twin cylinder model
that was produced from 1919 to 1923. Our
cover bike this month is a beautifully restored
1921 Sport.
Photography by Nick Cedar
16 Van Order Collection
In Pail X of our series from the A.F. Van
Order photo collection, we present photos
from various din track races in the 1920’s.
20 The Friedman Files
We feature a look at the Laguna Seca
Road Race National in Monterey, Calif, in
1973.
22 The Story Of
The Mitchell Motorcycle.
Part two of two parts. In this second
installment, we learn more about how the
Mitchell motorcycle fared both on the race
tracks, as well as in the market right after the
turn of the century.
28 Resource Spotlight
Frank and Mary Stankovich started a
business known as “Forking By Frank” in the
late 1960’s. Tragically, Frank died in 1976 in
a plane crash. Mary had always handled the
bookkeeping end of the business, but after
Frank died, she took over the complete oper-
ation. Today, after more than twenty-five
years in the business, Mary is still going
strong.
44 Motorcycle Hibernation
Part Two
Part two of a two part story. Some useful
tips on preparing your classic motorcycles for
storage over the winter.
60 The Best
Of Vintage Mounts
A selection of color photography
acquired by MCM from the files of Vintage
Mounts Magazine, a publication that was on
the market in the late-1980’s.
COLUMNS
Over The Handlebars by Don Emde 4
Collector’s Insight by Charles Falco 18
Vintage Racing by Matt Benson 46
DEPARTMENTS
Letters 6
News & Comments 8
Collector’s Bookshelf 12
Event Reports 36
Calendar of Events 48
Classifieds 49
Index to Advertisers 62
Harley Davidson and V twin engines are
practically synonymous, but Hailey has built
many other kinds of engines besides the V-
twins that made Milwaukee famous. The first
Harleys were rugged single cylinder
machines. After Harley developed its twin, it
continued to produce different types of single
cylinder engines until 1966, when it dropped
the domestic lightweights for Aermacchi
made Italian imports.
Harley may have put together its first
twin in 1907, but no details of this machine
have surfaced. The first production Harley V-
twin was introduced in 1909. Harley then
dropped the model for a year and reintro-
duced it in 1911. The 1909 twin had cylin-
ders angled at 45 degrees and a displacement
of 49.48 cubic inches (810.83 cc). Like many
antique machines, it had automatic inlet
valves over cam operated exhaust valves.
Drive was by belt.
For 1912 Harley introduced a sprung
seat post, which was surprisingly effective at
absorbing bumps, and the first Harley clutch.
A 60.32 cubic inch V-twin was produced
with a chain drive. The next year, Harley
offered a mechanical inlet valve on the sin-
gle, and the year after that, a two speed trans-
mission located in the rear hub. In 1915,
Harley came out with a three speed counter-
shaft transmission and optional electric
lights.
For the next three years, Harley refined
its road models, without making significant
innovations. The United States entry into
World War One focused the factory on war
production. The frame was strengthened in
1916 and the road bikes received the four
lobe cams used on the racers in 1917. but
there were no major changes in the Harley
lineup until the introduction of the Sport in
the middle of 1919, some months after
Armistice Day.
The Sport was a major departure for the
Harley factory. Indian had experimented
with a similar, but smaller motor for the pre-
ceding three years, but the opposed twin
cylinder layout was not used on many other
motorcycles, American or otherwise. In
addition to the unusual cylinder positioning,
the Sport had many other features unique to
this model. While other Harleys were “F
heads” (inlet over exhaust), the Sport motor
used side valves.
It had a bore and stroke of 2 3/4 inches
by 3 inches, producing a cubic capacity of
35.64 cubic inches, or 584.03 cc. The intake
and exhaust manifolds were combined in a
single casting, an experiment derived from an
engineering theory of the time that heating
the intake was beneficial to combustion.
The engine and three speed gearbox
were combined in one unit. The crankshaft
and lower ends of the connecting rods turned
on roller bearings. The flywheel was on the
outside of the engine, with a pressed steel
cover to keep it from snagging pant legs.
The cylinders and heads were cast in
one. Oil was supplied by a plunger pump
through a rotary valve. Power was sent
through a foot operated wet clutch to the slid-
ing gear transmission and from there to a
fully enclosed chain. Ignition was by either
magneto or battery and coil. The bike could
be ordered with optional acetylene lights.
The engine acted as a stress bearing
member of the rigid frame. As with other
Harleys of this era, the sprung seat absorbed
the bumps of the road. Bumps and potholes
were plentiful in the 1920's, as pavement...