Vintage
The 1926 Harley-Davidson “Twin Sisters”
Story and Photos by Thunder Media Service, Frank Sander
Harley-Davidson was already producing heavy metal in the 1920’s. Harley-Davidson V-Twins had displacements of 1000cc and 1200cc back then. A long time has passed since the “Twin Sister” models presented here left the assembly plant in Milwaukee. The word “assembly plant” is appropriate at this juncture. Harley-Davidson produced 13,923 twins and 7,737 singles in 1926 and had thus grown into an industrial corporation by the mid-1920’s, although unit production back then was still a far cry from today’s production figures. Harley-Davidson was already exporting bikes to over 100 countries, and more than 1,500 employees worked at its plant. The “Twin Sisters” referred to in this article are a 26F model and a 26J model. Both of them were produced in 1926. The black one (26J) and the green one (26F) were technically similar; yet very divergent in terms of details.
Both bikes owe their survival and current roadworthy condition to the team at the Harley-Davidson dealership in Breitenfelde, Germany who has given them excellent care, ridden them and rescued them from ending their 84-year career on the scrap heap. Björn, the dealership’s proprietor, is an enthusiastic fan of older V-Twins, and repeatedly succeeds in snatching up one of the old time bikes via his family connections in Denmark. Both his Danish father and his grandfather had the Harley bug in their blood, and his family’s contacts to the motorcycle market are still well intact, even in the second generation. Vintage bikes naturally do not arrive in Breitenfelde, a small town in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, in roadworthy condition; rather they require detailed and complex restoration. Björn’s professional skills and excellent contacts in the United States enable him to restore old bikes to true-to-original condition. Björn admits that he is not a stickler for 100% true restoration. He does occasionally resort to using aftermarket parts to upgrade the bikess, like adding front brakes, which were somewhat unconventional when the bikes were built. A global economic crisis was already brewing in 1926, and the bikes sold for $300 to $400 back then. If you think about it for a moment, that was not a bad value investment, especially given that you can still ride that investment today!
Both bikes were built in 1926 and each was equipped with a twin-cylinder, inlet over exhaust (IOE) 1000cc engine. The engine had approximately 20 horsepower, which was adequate back then for earning victories in long distance and endurance races. Today, the bikes reach a top speed of about 56 mph, with 45 mph constituting a comfortable cruising speed. The so-called “bobber” also came onto the scene around this time. Prohibition was in full swing in the USA, and two-wheeled booze smugglers preferred Harleys. Harley-Davidson already had a fleet division in the 1920’s that sold motorcycles to police departments. The police were therefore riding the same bikes that the smugglers used, which meant that the smugglers had to be faster than the cops. Complex engine tuning was nearly impossible back then, so smugglers reduced the weight of their bikes by removing every unnecessary part to give them extra speed.
The bikes were available in two versions as you can see here. The black model has a 6-volt electrical system for the ignition and lighting. The green model has an aftermarket gas system which was not mounted to fuel the engine. Production models did not have lighting for the bike, and the only alternative was to mount an aftermarket gas light system! This system still operates today. The gas light is even still officially licensed as a lighting system in this bike’s German title and registration. Both bikes had very few accessories included stock. However, Harley-Davidson did have a good assortment of accessories available at extra cost in 1926. A rear wheel stand and kick stand were available. The police could order windshields. The accessories list also included a speedometer and, believe it or not, it even included a front brake. The 1926 models also had some technical and visual improvements. Wider fenders were integrated into series production and a so-called ignition dash was installed at the plant. The bikes also had a manual sound management / tuning system, which some suppliers praise today as an invention of the 21st century. The rider could kick open and kick close a swivel flap that was located in front of the muffler. This “town and country” system had a sustainable impact on sound and on the bike’s performance.
The “Two Sisters” in Breitenfelde were originally built at the Harley-Davidson plant for export and shipped to Sweden. Both of them have been completely restored at the Harley-Davidson dealership in Breitenfelde, Germany. The frames, rims and nearly all of the assembled parts were refurbished; yet the restoration involved its own unique task. Both bikes have so-called one piece cylinder engines: the cylinder and cylinder heads are made from one piece. The passage of time had nearly worn off the engines’ cooling fins, which meant that Bjorn either had to resort to the extremely intricate reproduction of the fins or have the blatant good fortune of getting a hold of one of the coveted engines at a parts market in the United States.
Björn and his team in Breitenfelde have successfully combined their profession as motorcycle mechanics with their hobby as cycle enthusiasts. This makes them one of the prime addresses for restoration of vintage Harley-Davidson motorcycles in Europe. If you ever hear or see an old Harley-Davidson with gas lamp lighting rumbling down the pike somewhere between Kiel and Hamburg, then it is probably Björn again on one of his extended test rides or Sunday excursions. The bikes were reliable back in 1926, and there is no reason why they cannot easily take 600 miles in stride today at their own, venerable speed.
For more information, please contact:
Harley-Davidson Breitenfelde GmbH
Dorfstrasse 17 • 23881 Breitenfelde, Germany
Tel. 04542-6403 or International 0049 4542-6403
Fax 04542/86334 or International 0049 4542-86334
E-mail: info@HDBreitenfelde.de