When Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Still Had Pedals (and Why They Finally Disappeared)

Bicycles came way before motorcycles. First motorbikes were basically modified bicycles that still needed pedals to help with propulsion. While modern tech gives riders tons of quick sport bikes to choose from, early Harley-Davidson models from the 1900s needed human power to get up hills. With a 10.2-cubic inch motor and single cylinder, these underpowered bikes could barely crack single-digit speeds. Miles away from modern models like the Fat Boy pumping out 103 horsepower.

Even by the second version a couple years after the first model, pedals were needed to charge the battery for starting. You had to manually pedal the bike for a while, giving enough juice to the battery for the engine to turn over. Wasn't like pedaling a regular bike either since the motion also built compression in the engine.

When Harley Ditched the Pedals

While early models from the iconic brand needed pedals to help with power and starting the engine, the 1915 Harley-Davidson 11F was the last three-speed model to have them. Over the next decade Harley kept adding power and better features, making bicycle pedals unnecessary. With the 11F, Harley certified in writing that every model would put out 11 horsepower, unheard of at the time. Produced around 37% more power than the previous year's model. With a 61-cubic inch F-head V-twin and three-speed transmission, what were the pedals even for?

On the 1915 11F, pedals in one of their last appearances on a Harley were used for starting the engine. Either pedal it to get going or kick-start it. Model had both a hand clutch and foot clutch that needed engaging to fire up the engine. Motorcycles started by just slapping an engine on a bicycle but quickly went their own way as tech improved. Interesting though, latest electric bikes are blurring the line between bicycles and motorcycles again, kind of like those early days when the two shared lots of similarities.

Pedals Weren't the Only Bicycle Thing

First Harley-Davidson led to the classic American bikes we know today but it shared way more than just pedals with bicycles. The 1903 Harley-Davidson was built on a rigid frame basically without any suspension, like a very basic bicycle. Both wheel hubs attached to the rest of the bike via a solid fork up front and metal seat stay in back. Only cushioning the rider got came from the rubber tires, making every bump super noticeable.

Wasn't until the 1919 Harley-Davidson 19W Sport Twin that a trailing-link suspension got added to the front fork. System's designed with a point in front of the axle acting as a pivot, with the 19W Sport Twin using a single center-mounted spring above the front wheel connected to the suspension arms. 1949 is when Harley offered a telescopic front fork suspension, still found on current models today. These models were influential even if not all of them made the list of 10 most iconic Harley-Davidsons, but their contribution still made waves across the industry.