Here is my review of Wagner's book. It's a good un http://www.epinions.com/review/At_th...t_455701335684

 

Wow...thanks to everyone for your help on this! I am learning some interesting facts right along with my Grandson.

 

h-j, I see a couple of links at post #8. If you take the 'powerpassion' link at that post and then read the paragraph about the 1940s you will find the last sentence in said paragraph reads as follows: 'In 1949, hydraulic front brakes were introduced on the Hydra-Glide models.' But that is incorrect in the extreme.

Some Harley-Davidsons for 1949 were equipped with a Hydra-Glide front fork but the bike itself was not called a Hydra-Glide at that time. The other thing wrong is that the 1949 OHV did not have a hydraulic front brake. It had a mechanical front brake. It seems the author got confused between what constitutes a hydraulic front fork and what constitutes a hydraulic front brake.

The first Harley-Davidson Big Twin to receive a hydraulic brake was the 1958 Duo-Glide and even then it wasn't on the front. It was on the rear and it was a hydraulic drum.

There are other problems with the info on that 'powerpassion' site so I would advise you and your grandson to disregard the whole site.

Part of the reason I recommended Herbert Wagner is because he is known to check the stories before putting them into print. And as I mentioned in my previous post, even H-D state that some of their own info is not to be regarded as totally accurate. And lots of Internet sites with Harley stories often contain a lot of incorrect info. Please proceed with caution. Eric

 

I agree with Speeding Big Twin above. Lots of misinformation around. The Wagner book is good. Hydraulic brakes? Harleys came with mechanical brakes a lot longer than than 1949. Check your sources and then check again. Remember too that good mechanics are not necessarily historians.

 

The term "HOG", did this come from the fact that whenever a certain factory rider (which I don't know his name) had won a race, he would take the victory lap with his pet pig sitting on the gas tank?

 

According to Saladini and Szymezak "Harley Davidson - A Way of Life", was aunt Janet of the Davidson brothers that painted the first logo on the 1903 bike. The logo remained the same up until 1925, and the red-orange outline used has been the same ever since, and can be seen on some models even today.
NOTE: The logo was

Harley
Davidson

Not bar and shield, which came later.

 

Has NUTHIN to do, with the paint, BUT, it is history !!!

Check out the "attire". Man, there's some folx on here, woulda DIED, back then, the way they carry on 'bout how peeps DRESS, today !!!!

Grew up watching Sportsters flat trackin' and "motocrossin' " , and panheads, HILLCLIMBING !!!!!!! THANX, DAD !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Miss those days !!!!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50k52swAFcw






.

 

h-j, there’s another book I read called Heroes of Harley-Davidson edited by Ed Youngblood. It had some racing info but my notes from it don't include anything about the black and orange. I was going to get the book from the library this morning just to check it but it’s out on loan until 22 November.

RoadKing Bob, in recent times I have recorded several references about a hog/pig from different books:
1. 100 Years of Harley-Davidson by Willie G Davidson has a photo said to be of Harley racer Ray Weishaar with his hog mascot after the 1920 Marion Championship.

2. Harley-Davidson Lore: Origins Through Panhead 1903–1965 by Herbert Wagner contains the first photo below and it is similar to the one in Willie G's book. It is said to have been taken after Weishaar won the World Championship Marion International Road Race in 1920:



3. Harley-Davidson 100 Years: Celebration of a Legend by Tod Rafferty has a photo of seven bikes and riders with one said to be Ray Weishaar, who is holding his small pet pig. Text on the page says: ‘Ray Weishaar, usually accompanied by his pet pig named Hog (who enjoyed Coca Cola), was popular with the fans.’

4. The Ultimate Harley-Davidson Book by Hugo Wilson includes a written reference regarding the year 1920: ‘Harley factory race team parade on victory lap with a pig on a bike, so beginning the “hog” association.’

But I DON’T know if any of the above has been confirmed regarding the origin of the word hog in relation to certain Harley-Davidson motorcycles. And just to make it interesting, photos showing other animals are found at times—for example, the person said to be Ray Weishaar in the next photo isn’t holding a hog. Or a pig. Eric