00:00In the world of motorcycles, few names carry the kind of weight that the Harlow-Davidson
00:09knucklehead does.
00:11This isn't just a machine, it's the very soul of American motorcycling heritage.
00:16Built during an era of depression, war, and recovery, the knucklehead represents more
00:21than just metal and rubber.
00:23It represents freedom.
00:26Innovation.
00:27Defiance.
00:29Between 1936 to 1947, the knucklehead roared to life and left behind a legacy that changed
00:35the way Americans, and eventually the world, viewed motorcycles.
00:39It wasn't just the design or the performance.
00:42It was the attitude.
00:44The roaring 1930s, a need for a new Harley.
00:48Let's rewind to the mid-1930s.
00:52America was crawling out of the depths of the Great Depression.
00:56Most motorcycles at the time, including Harlow-Davidson's own lineup, were still running on flathead
01:01engines.
01:02They were simple, reliable, but they lacked the punch that riders were craving.
01:06Indian motorcycles was gaining traction, and Harley needed something radical.
01:13Something bold.
01:14So, behind closed doors in Milwaukee, the engineers worked on what would become the company's most
01:20significant innovation to date, the overhead valve V-twin engine, encased in an entirely new motorcycle
01:25design.
01:27And in 1936, the first Harley-Davidson EL was born.
01:32The engine, 61 cubic inches of raw American muscle.
01:36The EL wasn't just another model, it was a leap forward in performance and technology.
01:41The new 61 cubic inch, 1000 cubic centimeters, overhead valve V-twin engine was unlike anything
01:48Harley had released before.
01:50It was powerful, efficient, and smooth.
01:54The engine produced around 40 horsepower, which was a massive leap from its predecessors.
01:59This allowed riders to hit speeds that previously seemed impossible for a Harley.
02:04And while the engine was technically sophisticated, it was also brutally simple in its delivery,
02:09straightforward, no-nonsense American power.
02:13The design of the rocker boxes, resembling clenched fists, earned it the nickname, Knucklehead.
02:19Although Harlow-Davidson never officially used the term, the biker community embraced
02:23it.
02:25Technological firsts, ahead of its time.
02:28The Knucklehead introduced many features that were revolutionary at the time.
02:32Its recirculating oil system meant riders no longer had to rely on total loss oiling,
02:37which wasted oil and required constant attention.
02:41This innovation alone improved reliability and performance dramatically.
02:45The new four-speed transmission allowed for smoother shifting, and it worked in harmony
02:49with the more powerful engine to deliver a seamless, confident ride.
02:54The bike also used a dry-sump lubrication system, which was rare at the time.
02:59It was innovation after innovation, and yet it still held onto the rugged character Harley
03:04riders' love, design that turned heads.
03:07The Knucklehead wasn't just a mechanical marvel, it looked like nothing else on the road.
03:11The teardrop gas tank, the rigid frame, the Springer front forks, and the classic chrome and black
03:17color scheme gave it a silhouette that was instantly recognizable.
03:21From its deep-throated exhaust note to the swooping fenders, the Knucklehead was pure attitude.
03:27Harley also made sure to keep customization in mind.
03:31The bike could be easily personalized, riders swapped handlebars, changed exhausts, added
03:36leather bags, or even stripped the frame for that earlier bobber look.
03:40It became not just a motorcycle, but a blank canvas for rebellion.
03:45Into the war, the WLA connection.
03:48In the early 1940s, as the world slid into World War II, Harlow-Davidson was called upon
03:54to help the military effort.
03:56While the Knucklehead itself wasn't used in combat, its engineering directly influenced
04:00the design of the WLA model, a military-spec flathead V-twin bike.
04:06These bikes were used across Europe and the Pacific by Allied forces.
04:10They carried messages, weapons, and sometimes soldiers across difficult terrain.
04:16After the war, surplus bikes flooded the US market, and returning GIs, many of whom had
04:21learned to ride in combat, brought their love of motorcycles home.
04:25Their passion would later evolve into something new, a movement.
04:30Postwar freedom, the rise of biker culture.
04:33When American soldiers returned from World War II, many of them were looking for something
04:37that gave them the same sense of adrenaline and freedom they felt overseas.
04:42And what they found, was Harlow-Davidson.
04:45The Knucklehead became the bike of choice for many of these veterans.
04:49They modified it, stripped it down, and began what would become the custom motorcycle scene.
04:55Long before Chopper became a buzzword, it was the Knucklehead that led the way.
04:59This was the birth of biker clubs, many of which were built on brotherhood, shared experience,
05:04and love for the open road.
05:07The Knucklehead was always at the center of it all.
05:10The custom scene, choppers, bobbers, and pure individuality.
05:14By the 1950s and 60s, the Knucklehead was no longer just a motorcycle, it was a cultural
05:20statement.
05:22Builders and backyard mechanics were chopping fenders, stretching frames, adding ape hangers,
05:27and painting flames across gas tanks.
05:30What started as necessity, making bikes faster and lighter, became style.
05:35A way of life.
05:37Shows like American Chopper and films like Easy Rider would go on to immortalize this era,
05:42but it all traces back to the Knucklehead.
05:45Whether it was in custom garages or on the salt flats of Bonneville, the Knucklehead was
05:49always there.
05:51The final years, 1947 and the end of an era.
05:55In 1947, Harley-Davidson produced the last Knucklehead.
06:00By then, the bike had been succeeded by the Panhead, another revolutionary step forward for Harley,
06:05featuring aluminum heads and hydraulic lifters.
06:09But even as new engines rolled out, the Knucklehead never lost its mystique.
06:13It had etched itself into American folklore, not just as a motorcycle, but as a symbol of
06:18resilience, innovation, and raw freedom, collectability and modern legacy.
06:24Today, owning a Knucklehead is like holding a time machine.
06:29These bikes are among the most coveted in the world of classic motorcycles.
06:33Fully restored EL or FL models can sell for well over $100,000, while original, untouched
06:39versions are even rarer.
06:42Enthusiasts will spend years chasing down authentic parts to rebuild one from the ground up.
06:48Even custom builders today use replica Knucklehead engines, or modern reproductions from companies
06:53like S&S Cycle, to bring the spirit of the original bike back to life.
06:58The legacy lives on in modern Harley models, too.
07:01You can see echoes of the Knucklehead's design in everything from the fat boy to the soft
07:05tail slim.
07:07Why the Knucklehead still matters.
07:10Ask any serious Harley rider what their dream bike is, and odds are, they'll mention
07:14the Knucklehead.
07:16Not just because of its rarity, but because of what it represents.
07:20It was the first big leap into high-performance American V-Twins.
07:24It was the spark that lit the fire of custom motorcycle culture.
07:28It was the bike that helped define post-war freedom in America.
07:33Every Harley synths owes something to the Knucklehead.
07:36It's not just part of Harley's DNA, it is the DNA, closing, a roar that never fades.
07:43So what makes the Harley-Davidson Knucklehead a legend?
07:46It's not just its performance, or even its looks.
07:50It's the way it changed lives.
07:53The way it created culture.
07:55The way it defined generations of riders who weren't afraid to take the long road, ride
07:59into the unknown, and leave the rest of the world behind.
08:03As long as there are open highways, wrench-turning builders, and dreamers looking for freedom,
08:08the spirit of the Knucklehead will ride on.
08:11It's more than a motorcycle.
08:13It's a movement.
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08:35It's a type of item each thing on TV station and put a ticket.
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08:39Clearly it's a Hassan paid one more letter to say Evelyn.
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