Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128208
1963 Ralph White resumes the winning of the Daytona 200 for HarleyDavidson, again on a KR750. o 1958 o The first hydraulic rear suspensions appear on the Duo-Glide. o Harley factory racer Carroll Resweber wins the first of four consecutive AMA Grand National Championships. 1970 1964 Roger Reiman wins the AMA Grand National Championship for Harley-Davidson. Reiman also scores the first of his back-to-back Daytona 200 victories on a KR750. o The three-wheeled ServiCar becomes the very first HarleyDavidson motorcycle to receive an electric starter. o 1965 The Electra-Glide replaces the Duo-Glide and is updated with the addition of an electric starter. The Electra-Glide is the first FL available with electric start, and the Sportster line will receive electric starters soon after. o In a Streamliner powered by a 250cc Sprint CR racing engine, George Roeder shatters the speed records for Class A and Class C runs, averaging 177 miles per hour. o Harley-Davidson dirt track racer Bart Markel wins the AMA Grand National Championship in 1965 and 1966. • In consideration of new AMA rules for Class C racing, a new Sportster-based competition motorcycle, the XR750, is introduced. • On the Bonneville salt flats near Wendover, Utah, racer Cal Rayborn breaks the motorcycle land speed world record. The vehicle is a 16-foot streamliner powered by a single Sportster engine. Its two-way average is just over 265 mph. o 1960 The Harley-Davidson Topper motor scooter is introduced. It is the only scooter platform to be produced by Harley-Davidson. o Harley-Davidson purchases a half interest in Aeronatica-Macchi, forming Aermacchi Harley-Davidson, a European division that will produce small, single-cylinder motorcycles. o In this year of Brad Andres' victory at the Daytona 200, the top 14 finishers are also riding Harley-Davidson KR750 models. o 1962 Harley-Davidson purchases 60 percent of the stock in the Tomahawk Boat Manufacturing Company. H-D recognizes the rising relevance of fiberglass in motorcycle production and begins manufacturing its own components. As a result, the Tomahawk Division is established and is operational as a Harley-Davidson facility by 1963. 1968 Cal Rayborn wins the first of back-to-back victories at the Daytona 200 on a KR750. o 1969 Harley-Davidson merges with the American Machine and Foundry Company (AMF), a longtime producer of leisure products. o Mert Lawwill wins the AMA Grand National Championship for team Harley-Davidson. o 1971 o In response to the customizing craze, Harley-Davidson introduces the FX1200 Super Glide, which combines a sporty front end (similar to that of the XL series) with the frame and powertrain of the FL series. A new class of motorcycle, the cruiser, is born. o First year of Harley- Davidson snowmobile production. o 1972 The new, more powerful, more reliable aluminum alloy XR750 debuts. It becomes the dominant dirt track racer through the next three decades. Harley factory racer Mark Brelsford wins the AMA Grand National Championship on the XR750. o 1966 o The first of the "Shovelhead" engines is introduced on the ElectraGlide models, replacing the Panhead. eye I e 1973 Motorcycle production is upgraded when all assembly operations are moved to a modern 400,OOO-square-foot plant in York, Pennsylvania. All other production operations remain in Milwaukee and Tomahawk. The Capitol Drive plant begins production of engines. o 1975 This year marks the first of four more consecutive years of Harley Davidson AMA Grand National Championships in dirt track racing. Gary Scott wins in 1975. The next three titles will be won by a young man destined to become a racing legend, Jay Springsteen. o n e _ s • APRIL 9, 2003 35