The Harley Davidson marque epitomises everything that America stands for, and a Harley Davidson bicycle is a machine that every collector aspires to own.
A Harley Davidson bicycle is not ostentatious: it was designed with the minimum of fuss, the idea being to imitate the Harley Davidson motorcycle of the day. It was a subtle marketing exercise: boys could start out with a Harley Davidson bicycle and then, when old enough, progress to one of the company’s motorcycles.
As you can see in the illustration above, the top tube on boys’ models dropped down at the rear so they could be used by riders with shorter legs. But full size mens’ models were also sold: Harley Davidson (as well as other US manufacturers) provided them for American troops in World War One.
The bicycle featured here is the full size diamond frame mens’ model without the dropped top tube.
1920 HARLEY DAVIDSON Model 120 Diamond Frame
Sturmey Archer Tricoaster 3 speed gear
22″ Frame
28″ Wheels (Roman Aluminium Rims)
Persons saddle
(Now sold)
When I bought this Harley Davidson in the USA in 2017 its wheels were missing. Though 3 speed gears were popular in Britain in the 1910s and 20s as an upmarket option, they were not used in the USA.
So I fitted the best possible wheelset, ‘Roman’ aluminium rims with a Sturmey-Archer Tricoaster 3 speed gear, and it improved the Harley Davidson’s ride considerably.
I didn’t bother to find mudguards (fenders) as I preferred to keep the weight to a minimum – 1920s American bicycles are lumpy old things and not suitable for distance riding, whereas this Harley Davidson is fine on the open road …and, with its 3 speed, will also propel you uphill.
The only repair that was required on the bicycle was to the front fork, which was welded and repainted. Otherwise the paintwork is original, unrestored. The Harley is in excellent condition all round and ready to ride.
After using it as my daily rider that summer, I sold it to a friend in Denmark. He has now asked me to resell some of his bikes, including the Harley.
1918 HARLEY DAVIDSON CATALOGUE EXTRACTS
STURMEY ARCHER TRICOASTER 3 SPEED GEAR
ALUMINIUM ‘ROMAN’ RIMS
PARALYMPIAN LAUREN STEADMAN RIDES THE HARLEY
COLIN RIDING THE HARLEY AT AMBERLEY MUSEUM VETERAN CYCLE RUN
HARLEY DAVIDSONS: RESTORED v ORIGINAL PAINT
ABOVE: I featured the restored Harley Davidson in my book BAD TEETH NO BAR. A friend in Australia subsequently purchased it (his photo below).
