can you do this on a bike?

[Rough Edge racing]

 Famous bike drag racer Joe Smith in the 1950's hand shifting his two speed gear box on a  100 plus HP Harley...

       

[kevdog3019]

That's when men were men and were willing to do what it took. 

[Chuck in Indiana]

Hell yeah!  ;D
What could possibly go wrong? Check out the sturdy forks and brake..

[Lannis]

Hell yeah!  ;D
What could possibly go wrong? Check out the sturdy forks and brake..

AND the bare hands and street shoes ....

This was back in the old days when a stock Harley clutch was man enough to transmit torque from a full-on drag-racer motor .... !!

Lannis

[oldbike54]

 Not positive , but I think that pic is from the early 1960s , and the lever is to an in-and-out box . He is probably taking the bike out of gear after a short burn out. Most of these early fuelers were high gear only . Once again , every possibility I am completely wrong , anyone know for sure ? Oh , and not a stock clutch , probably a Barnett assembly , custom basket and all .
  Dusty

[Lannis]

Not positive , but I think that pic is from the early 1960s , and the lever is to an in-and-out box . He is probably taking the bike out of gear after a short burn out. Most of these early fuelers were high gear only . Once again , every possibility I am completely wrong , anyone know for sure ? Oh , and not a stock clutch , probably a Barnett assembly , custom basket and all .
  Dusty

Well, the clutch looks pretty stock in configuration anyway, I took apart my '54 clutch quite a few times and it looked a lot like that.

Has to be mid-1960's, though, Bell didn't come out with those helmets with shields until '65 or so.

Jeez we're getting old ....

Lannis

[oldbike54]

Well, the clutch looks pretty stock in configuration anyway, I took apart my '54 clutch quite a few times and it looked a lot like that.

Has to be mid-1960's, though, Bell didn't come out with those helmets with shields until '65 or so.

Jeez we're getting old ....

Lannis

 Yes we are , getting old that is  :D The bubble shield also dates the pic . Notice his thumb is not on the kill button and the clutch is fully engaged , signs that he is probably taking it out of gear .

 Dusty

[Two Checks]

I used to know a guy with a HD drag bike. First time I saw it I asked him what the forks came off of. He said he didn't know, so I said "look at yours" then showed him the forks on my T.
He said, "they look identical! Where did you get them?"
He liked them because of the outline of the eagle on the lowers.

[arveno]

Famous bike drag racer Joe Smith in the 1950's hand shifting his two speed gear box on a  100 plus HP Harley...

       

Wishbone frame , knuckehead engine ,  stock was 4 speed trans , how do you know it is a 2 speed ?
Like every hd back then , they were all hand shift bikes.

I talked to Joe Smith few times over the shovelhead forum , great guy .

[oldbike54]

 Arveno , most top fuel HDs ran the Knucklehead cylinder heads well into the 1960s , the Panhead design was mostly deemed unsuitable .

  Dusty

[Cage Free]

My mtn bike has bigger forks, and probably a more rigid frame..Those old racers really rode some shakey stuff.

[RickTReloaded]

Famous bike drag racer Joe Smith in the 1950's hand shifting his two speed gear box on a  100 plus HP Harley...

       

Wait for it... wait for it... HIPSTER.  Can't believe no one mentioned it yet.

[arveno]

Arveno , most top fuel HDs ran the Knucklehead cylinder heads well into the 1960s , the Panhead design was mostly deemed unsuitable .

  Dusty

Dusty , yes probably was a panhead engine with knuckle heads .
 i remember the pan head being aluminium were too "soft" , so knuckle heads were used instead of pan head in pan head bottom engine .
Until 69 when the shovel head was introduced.

Joe Smith also ran a twin shovelhead engine powered bike .... ;D  those days those guys knew how to have fun....lol

[oldbike54]

Dusty , yes probably was a panhead engine with knuckle heads .
 i remember the pan head being aluminium were too "soft" , so knuckle heads were used instead of pan head in pan head bottom engine .
Until 69 when the shovel head was introduced.

Joe Smith also ran a twin shovelhead engine powered bike .... ;D  those days those guys knew how to have fun....lol

 The shovelhead was introduced in 1966 , albeit on a panhead bottom end . Yeah the first real ones were 1969 . Just like today where most full on dragbikes are powered by 1980's design engines , those boys raced engines that were older but well developed . Yeah , Smith , the Sunset Motors Norton , Boris Murray , those guys did indeed know how to have fun . I remember the days when 20 bikes would show up in the T/F class , mostly stroked out Sportsters built in someone's garage , and you got a real show . The boys from Kenosha kind of began their demise , and Russ Collins finished them off . Funny , pro street bikes are faster than fuelers from 1975 , just not as visceral .
 

  Dusty

[Rough Edge racing]

 Joe Smith said today  ,

it's a two speed, second gear out of a three speed and forth...yes the shifting dog has the back side ground so it slips in gear...the shifting dogneeds to be changed every so often...i just pushed forward on the shift lever and when the gears caught up with each other it just went in fourth...had a funny thing happen at Irwindale one night, Big Daddy Don came to the bike pits looking for the bike that had the automatic trans in it... it had a best of 157 MPH and a best ET of 9.80 on 86 percent nitro

   He wasn't sure of the date but it does seem more like mid 1960's  he didn't say engine type but Knuckles and Shovels have intake ports on the right side...So something is going on there...

[Waterbottle]

I need a rear Tyre like that on my bike for the boring straight roads around here  ;-T

[dilligaf]

Oh to be young and foolish again.  ;-T  :BEER:
Matt

[arveno]

The shovelhead was introduced in 1966 , albeit on a panhead bottom end . Yeah the first real ones were 1969 . Just like today where most full on dragbikes are powered by 1980's design engines , those boys raced engines that were older but well developed . Yeah , Smith , the Sunset Motors Norton , Boris Murray , those guys did indeed know how to have fun . I remember the days when 20 bikes would show up in the T/F class , mostly stroked out Sportsters built in someone's garage , and you got a real show . The boys from Kenosha kind of began their demise , and Russ Collins finished them off . Funny , pro street bikes are faster than fuelers from 1975 , just not as visceral .
 

  Dusty

Sorry that was a typo.... yes 66 first year shovel here is mine frankesshovel , frame is 48 front in 49 etc....

And Rough E. R. is right , those carbs on the left side means that something is going on there , the only twin to have the carbs on the left were the flathead .... but obviously those heads cannot be flathead...anyway 100 hp are a LOT !! ;D

[Rough Edge racing]

 This looks like a different frame set up and the same type engine. Clearly a Knucklehead/maybe Pan or generator Shovel lower end with no intake on right and what appears to be the heads in the normal location. This photo was dated 1969. And a guy claims the first photo is also 1969 because he was at the track that day.

  

[Lannis]

. This photo was dated 1969. And a guy claims the first photo is also 1969 because he was at the track that day.

  

Here's a site with that original photo dated 1966, for whatever that's worth ....

http://irwindale-lions-drag-bike-nosalgia.blogspot.com/

Lannis

[oldbike54]

 Hmm , was Sifton , or Dytch casting bassackwards cylinder heads based on the Knuck design ? Not easy to find info from that era . Interesting how Smith and other HD fueler racers adapted side draft SU carbs which begat the S&S . Dang , this is a great thread  ;-T

  Dusty

[56Pan]

I believe George Smith of Smith and Stankos, (S&S Cycle), did the carburetor relocation to the left side first.  In the '50's on a knuckle.  Seem to remember he used two Amals, though.  Bike was called "Tramp".  Brought home some trophies with it.

[oldbike54]

I believe George Smith of Smith and Stankos, (S&S Cycle), did the carburetor relocation to the left side first.  In the '50's on a knuckle.  Seem to remember he used two Amals, though.  Bike was called "Tramp".  Brought home some trophies with it.

 That sounds right  ;-T Sounds like we both remember almost completely useless MC trivia  ;D

   Dusty

[rodekyll]

Thanks for asking.

Yes, I can.   8)



The shifter is that vertical shiny thing behind the throttle bodies, coming up from the transmission.  No linkage.

[pressureangle]

Joe Smith said today  ,
   He wasn't sure of the date but it does seem more like mid 1960's  he didn't say engine type but Knuckles and Shovels have intake ports on the right side...So something is going on there...

Those heads are very special, with the ports moved to the left to eliminate the single carb and straighten the tract. If you look at knuckle and pan heads, the carb on the right passes between the heads and enters through a sewer pipe T on the left. That's a stock H-D clutch, too, although it might have some Barnett plates and certainly heavier springs. It could be a two-speed, but if it's on Fuel it's probably got no gears but high in the box.

[56Pan]

That sounds right  ;-T Sounds like we both remember almost completely useless MC trivia  ;D

   Dusty

Yeah.  Now if I can just find my keys.