This Harley-Davidson Strap Tank is among the oldest surviving models of this extremely rare breed. In terms of Harley-Davidson history, there is no more important model than the legendary Strap Tank—it’s the first of the breed, and the earliest Harley-Davidson model one will ever find, as the prototypes that preceded it are long gone. The story begins in 1901, when 20-year-old William S. Harley drew up his own 116cc (7.07 CI) single- cylinder engine. Harley and his Milwaukee pal, Arthur Davidson, took two years to build that first engine, which was installed in a bicycle chassis. It proved rather anemic, so for their next effort, Harley and Davidson enlarged the engine to 405cc (24.74 CI) using advice from legendary marine engineer Ole Evinrude. That second project was finished in September 1904, and it famously competed in a race on September 8 of that year at Milwaukee State Fair Park, ridden by Edward Hildebrand, where it finished in fourth place. This second bike would climb hills without the pedaling that was the bane of turn-of-the-century motorcycles, and it established a pattern that served the nascent Harley-Davidson company well for the next century: build it stronger and build it bigger. In 1905, production of Harley-Davidson motorcycles commenced in a small wooden shed, and the small company built only five machines that year. These first production engines were enlarged to 440cc (26.84 CI) and produced about 4 HP, which was very respectable in the day. By 1906, a new factory was built on Chestnut Street—which was later renamed Juneau Avenue and is still home to Harley-Davidson’s headquarters today—and about 50 bikes were built that year from the single-story building. These first models are known as the Strap Tank because of the nickel-plated steel bands suspending the fuel and oil tanks from the frame. In 1907, the factory built around 150 machines, and by 1908, production leaped to 450 machines; Harley-Davidson wasn’t the biggest factory by a long shot, but the Strap Tank had gained a reputation for robustness, which is still a factory hallmark. These earliest Harley-Davidson Strap Tanks are the most coveted of all Milwaukee machinery. They established the pattern for all future production, combining a clean yet conservative styling, a somber color scheme, heavy-duty cycle parts and an engine a little bigger and stronger than the rest. This 1908 Harley-Davidson Strap Tank was discovered as a complete motorcycle in a Wisconsin barn by David Uihlein in 1941. That was only about 70 miles from Milwaukee, and Uihlein kept it in his home state for the next 66 years. The Strap Tank was expertly restored with the help of Paul Freehill of Fort Wayne, Indiana. This is one of only 450 motorcycles produced by Harley-Davidson in 1908, and survivors from this early time in Harley-Davidson history are extremely rare. Couple that with the fact that very few of those are as correct and original as this one, which includes the original tank, wheels, engine belt pulley, seat cover and muffler sleeve with its sale, and it becomes apparent that this Strap Tank is a truly exceptional machine.
