SPLIT THE AIR Like a Rocket! (Dec, 1931)
SPLIT THE AIR Like a Rocket!
FLASHING acceleration — from start to full speed in a few seconds — is a motorcycle thrill that only a “rocket motor” could equal.
Just ride a 1932 Harley-Davidson and feel what real pick-up is. See how it shoots you away from tangled traffic. You are down the road, safe and clear, before cars are really rolling. Then the whole countryside is yours — for swift jaunt or long tour. And motorcycling costs so little!Look over the 1932 Harley-Davidsons at your nearest dealer’s. See for yourself how little they cost — at the new reduced prices — and what a convenient Pay-As-You-Ride Plan he has.
Ride a Harley-Davidson
I’ed think getting a decent shot going at speed would be impossible...
Break the wind?
Comment by TomB — October 27, 2010 @ 10:11 am
Trying to imagine a Harley as being like a “rocket”… I think/guess cars back then were heavier, and had less power, so a Harley could easily “take off”. If only you could transport one of today’s “crotch-rocket” bikes back to 1932…
Comment by Andrew L. Ayers — October 27, 2010 @ 10:25 am
More like break the eardrums as so many harleys run with straight pipes.
Comment by Kosher Ham — October 27, 2010 @ 10:55 am
to full speed in a few seconds – how is that necessarily good? Same for my single-geared bicycle …
Comment by Christoph — October 27, 2010 @ 11:28 am
@KH – Harleys generally come stock with mufflers; it isn’t the bike’s fault.
Comment by TomB — October 27, 2010 @ 12:45 pm
Ya gotta love the price though.
($195 in 1932 is roughly equivalent to $2900 today)
Comment by Tim — October 27, 2010 @ 3:40 pm
@Andrew L Ayers… well, some of the modern harleys can do 0-60 in 6 seconds or less. Since the single made about 8HP I doubt it would actually make it to 60… but, to put that in perspective, the Chevy inline 4 of the 1920s made 20 horsepower, the Buick inline 6 made 50, the Cadillac V8 made about 80HP. The late 20s Fords ranged from 20-40HP. I didn’t look up weights, but suffice it to say I think an 8HP bike would in fact considerably outrun most of these vehicles (the Caddy’d probably give it a run for it’s money.)
While looking for acceleration figures (which I never did find), I did find a link showing this 1926 model B (which is apparently just about the same bike but *without* the 3-speed) was $235. Instead of emphasizing acceleration, this earlier ad emphasized getting 80MPG and that it cost 1 cent a mile to drive (versus 8 or 9 cents a mile for a car). With the current economy, I’d LOVE to see an 18% price drop in some items 8-).
Comment by hwertz — October 27, 2010 @ 10:41 pm
Christoph: Overtaking slower vehicles in 2-lane roads? At least there’s a “slight” difference in acceleration from let’s say 80-100 km/h between my current cars 133 bhp/ton vs. my very first cars 53 bhp/ton.
Comment by Jari — October 28, 2010 @ 10:49 am
most bikers I know, the first thing they modify with their new bikes is modify or remove the mufflers.
Comment by Kosher Ham — October 28, 2010 @ 4:50 pm