Launched within the depths of the Nice Despair, the Harley-Davidson knucklehead engine revolutionized The Motor Firm’s huge V-twins. The flathead design that launched the model 33 years earlier took a again seat to the pushrod-actuated overhead-valve structure of the knucklehead—a refined model powers modern-day Harley-Davidson bikes 86 years later.The 61ci motor—slightly below a liter—pumped out 40 horsepower and allowed the pilot of the 1936 Harley-Davidson EL to flirt with a triple-digit prime velocity. The only-cam motor was matched to a four-speed transmission with a tank-mounted shifter and foot clutch. A Linkert carburetor fed the knucklehead’s combustion chambers, with a coil and factors ignition system offering spark.
The 1936 Harley-Davidson EL used a double-downtube body with truss-reinforced castings. A hardtail design, a springer fork with oval downtubes suspended the entrance finish. To supply the rider some aid from tough roads, the seat publish was sprung. A wheelbase of practically 60 inches offered stability for the EL, which had a curb weight of roughly 600 kilos.Between the knucklehead’s energy and the delicate chassis, the EL was thought of a premium touring bike. Crash bars, 18-inch wheels (now shod with Coker Traditional Diamond Tread 4.50-inch large rubber), and a lighted tank-mounted speedometer added to the EL’s attract.
This instance might be auctioned at Mecum Auctions’ The Daytime Public sale Monterey 2022 occasion on the Hyatt Regency Monterey Lodge and Spa on Del Monte Golf Course. The public sale begins on August 18, with this 1936 EL going beneath the hammer on Saturday, August 20, alongside 4 different Harley-Davidsons—1910 belt-drive single, 1908 strap tank, 1920 Dewey Sims board observe racer, and a sidecar-equipped 1925 JD.HP Cycles’ Dino Paul in Berwick, Maine, carried out the restoration of the 1936 Harley-Davidson EL. Authentic components embrace the sprint, speedometer, fuel cap, toolbox, small brace entrance fender, fluid traces, and the impossibly uncommon open rocker heads for the knucklehead engine. NOS components had been additionally used within the restoration, which contains a Nightfall Grey and Royal Buff paint job.Images by Zachary Cliff, courtesy of Mecum
1936 Harley-Davidson EL Public sale Picture Gallery
