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Video: Harley-Davidson already had a scooter in the '60s, and it could now return as an electric motorcycle of the 21st century
2024 Author: Nicholas Abramson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-10 16:34
Now what Harley-Davidson It is immersed in a profound process of change, as part of its future strategy we could see that a few days ago, together with the prices of its first electric motorcycle, it presented two urban mobility prototypes.
One was something like an electric bike and the other a model you might never expect to see: a small Harley-Davidson citizen scooter. But be careful, because it turns out that the Milwaukee firm already has a history in this sector, because something similar with the name of Harley-Davidson Topper.
Milwaukee's first and only attempt at making a scooter (so far)
For many, many years, we have associated the name of Harley-Davidson to the great American road bikes. XXL-sized bikes built to eat up the miles and enjoy the asphalt comfortably with a 100% imposing Yankee style.
This identity has had some exceptions throughout the 115 years of life of the North American brand, but its fidelity to the original concept implies that each year they sell less as is happening to them and hence the sudden turn of the wheel to change their course towards a more sustainable form of mobility, more mainstream.
Looking into the trunk of the brand's memories, an attempt to open up the Harley-Davidson market was already started in the 1960s with the launch in 1960 of the Harley-Davidson Topper. That small motorcycle was and continues to be today the only scooter created by the American firm.
Aesthetically, the Topper was a mix between a conventional scooter and some elements from the custom segment at the same time that some lines typical of the futuristic trend of the early second half of the 20th century were included. The result was a massive looking little motorcycle, reminiscent of a self-propelled cooler and a large round headlight.
It was a small scooter powered by a motor single cylinder two stroke with a displacement of 164 cubic centimeters and a maximum power of 6 CV with which it was capable of reaching a top speed of 74 km / h.
Within the particular proposal of this scooter, the Topper included a starter by rope pull (like a lawnmower) and air cooling without a fan to force the flow. To ensure cooling, the engine was placed horizontally, between the platforms and only exposed from the bottom to take advantage of the air passage, but many units suffered from overheating.
Other technological innovations that Harley-Davidson introduced in its Topper were a mixed body of stamped steel and molded fiberglass, storage space under the seat or a Parking break.
In the development of the Harley-Davidson Topper the brand also launched the transmission system called "Scootaway Drive", a scheme that used a continuous variator associated with an exposed belt. The system also included a safety mode whereby it prevented the scooter from starting if the engine was turning at more than 1,800 revolutions per minute.
This system turned out pretty bad due to road debris settling and causing the belt to slip. User criticism forced Harley-Davidson to introduce a system overhaul in 1961, just a year after its launch, with a sealed primary transmission.
In 1961 precisely the Topper H, with a completely new cylinder head that increased its compression ratio (from 6, 6: 1 to 8, 0: 1), a new air filter, new intake and a refinement of the intake and exhaust ports, all to improve its performance up to 9 CV.
On the other side of the scale, the Topper U, a decaffeinated variant of the Harley-Davidson scooter with a power cut to just 5 hp intended for some of the American states where regulations allowed the use of motorcycles without a license if they did not exceed this power in an attempt to boost their sales.
That attempt by Harley-Davidson to get closer to the icons of Lambretta and Vespa and at the same time counteract the Japanese offensive on its side of the pond did not catch on, not even wrapping itself in the national pride of the stars and stripes, nor offering versions with sidecar to enjoy with the family and replacing the sidecar with a cargo space to distribute merchandise. He finally succumbed 5 years after his birth, in 1965.
Now, almost 60 years after the appearance of the Topper, Harley-Davidson will seek success in one of its least successful concepts in history, because although what they have now unveiled is little more than a prototype, we cannot doubt that the Milwaukee are willing to change their trajectory and perhaps do so by recovering the Topper name. You just have to see the irruption of the electric LiveWire in 2019 or the next maxitrail and streetfighter that will arrive soon.
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