For most of the 20th century, Harley-Davidson motorcycles have occupied the top rankings of professional competition. Founded in Milwaukee in 1903, it actually wasn’t until a decade later that the Motor Company first organized an official factory racing program. Still, in typical Harley-Davidson fashion, once it committed to the endeavor, the company quickly rose to the top of the sport and motorcycles like this racy back 1915 V-twin, once a part of the Ernie Harmon racing collection for more than 50 years, are a fitting homage to the excellence that birthed the dynasty. Beginning in 1908, a new craze, the motorcycle board track, took the country by storm, but Harley-Davidson’s founders were famously opposed to the perilous races. A sensation, motordrome racing proved invaluable publicity for the brands that partook, Indian, Merkel and Thor chief among them. However, by 1913, public opinion shifted away from the dangerous wooden saucers and organizers looked to new venues, specifically long-distance GP-style road races, as the future. By then, Harley-Davidson had risen through the ranks without a factory team, but in late 1913, Thor’s top engine tuner and competition specialist, William Ottaway, was recruited to develop a new factory racing program. Ottaway developed the 11K racer in 1914, tapping talented privateers like Leslie Parkhurst and Otto Walker to test them out. As the victories mounted, Harley-Davidson decided to officially support a team for the Thanksgiving Day 300-mile road race in Savannah, Georgia, and rider Irving Janke secured the company’s first podium, finishing third. In 1915, the team was expanded and supplied with new 11K racers in a variety of configurations with works engines designated the “M” prefix and “K” suffix, as found on this beautiful example. At the heart of this tribute to that monumental year in Harley-Davidson’s competition history is one of the 11K factory fast engines, modified with the 4-valve overhead- valve heads from a Pope V-twin. Other custom features are the auxiliary fuel tank, like those found on the classic Dodge City endurance configurations, a two-speed rear hub, Bosch magneto ignition, and a leather Troxel saddle. With the 11K factory racers, racing legends like Otto Walker, Leslie Parkhurst, Joe Wolters and Ray Weishaar mounted a campaign for Harley-Davidson in 1915 that resulted in nearly three dozen national professional victories and firmly established the brand’s enduring competition legacy. F128 1915 HARLEY-DAVIDSON V-TWIN RACER
