This beautifully and correctly restored 1910 Harley-Davidson Model 6A is a very rare model, as only 334 were built that year and few chose the black paint option, preferring the “Silent Gray Fellow” image the factory was promoting. While the V-twin engine is the very heart of Harley-Davidson’s brand today, for their first six years of production they built only single-cylinder machines, using F-head (inlet-over-exhaust) valve operation, just like their initial prototype of 1903. The Davidson brothers and William Harley commenced actual production in 1905 in a small wooden shed, a replica of which can be found in the Harley-Davidson museum. In the shed, the fledgling company built only five machines in 1905 with 26.84/4 HP motors, which was respectable power in 1905, when horses had real kick. By 1906, a new factory was built on Chestnut Street (later renamed Juneau Avenue, which remains the company’s headquarters), and about 50 bikes were built in the single-story building. In 1907, the Harley-Davidson company was officially incorporated and built 150 machines total, including prototypes of a 54 CI V-twin engine displayed that February at the Chicago Automobile Show. Big twins were already making a splash in the motorcycle industry, with brands like Curtiss and Indian boasting of their new V-twins, but it took four years for Harley-Davidson to actually produce its motorcycles. Harley-Davidson was one amongst 150 motorcycle manufacturers in the U.S. in 1908, when its production leaped to 450 machines. In 1909, the engine capacity of its sole model was increased to 30 CI. By 1910, the year of this single-cylinder machine, Harley-Davidson built a total of 2,302 motorcycles, all singles, of which 334 were equipped with Bosch magnetos. That year, options included battery or magneto ignition, and its single-speed final drive could be ordered with a chain or a belt drive and jockey tensioner, which many riders preferred for its silent and smooth running. Held by the seller since 1992 and refinished in its original rare black bodywork, this rare, magneto-equipped 1910 Model 6A with belt drive has been meticulously restored and includes a correct Schebler carburetor, Klaxon horn, Sager brand spring fork, Solar brand carbide headlamp and Troxel leather saddle and toolbag. It’s a very rare early Harley-Davidson in excellent condition.
