Hog on the High

This is the rarest and most desirable of all Harley-Davidson V-twins, built during a period when the Milwaukee firm ruled the racetracks of America.

Words: ALAN CATHCART

The tribal warfare between Indian and Harley-Davidson, not only in the showroom stakes but on race tracks too, dates back to more than a century ago, when the Motor Company took the fight to its dominant Indian and Excelsior rivals (see following history section) with its all-new Model 17 FHAC 61ci (998cc) eight-valve racer, which made its competition debut at the gruelling Dodge City 300-mile race in 1916 – and won! This was the equivalent then of the Indianapolis 500-miler on two wheels, held on a two-mile oval track in the heart of the Midwest. Harley’s Irving Jahnke won at a record average speed of 79.79mph, including pit stops, with Ray Weisharr, a fellow member of the Harley-Davidson factory team known as ‘The Wrecking Crew,’ third. Jahnke’s victory ushered in several…

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The Classic MotorCycle (Digital) - 1 Issue, May 2024

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