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1904 Harley Davidson
The picture above shows the second prototype, the first one dated on 1903. Significant was a bicycle frame as origin for the engine space created by a large cranking curve. The tank was angular but shaped around
the
upper horizontal bar and fastened accordingly.
The air-cooled cylinder was made of gray cast iron and forms a part together with the cylinder head. On a side opening, here on the back, a kind of T-piece was cast-on. It contained the inlet valve, which was actuated
against a spring only by air vacuum and the outlet valve controlled by a type of cam.
There was no gearbox. The torque of the engine was transmitted directly to the rear wheel via a leathern driving belt, when the clutch lever was disengaged the tension was loosened and the motorcycle undriven. The
connection to the rear wheel forces took constant care also because of many environmental influences. Additionally there were normal bicycle pedals acting by a chain to the rear wheel and allowing the engine to start
or, in the event of a failure, return home by muscle strength.
There was a battery ignition but no generator. So before driving you had to pay attention not only on enough fuel, but also on a fully charged battery There was also a certain supply of oil needed, because the engine
was manually lubricated with injection oil from time to time. 11/16
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