Silent Gray Fellow

From CycleChaos
Jump to navigation Jump to search

The nickname given to the early Harley-Davidson single: Owing to its standard color and quiet running. It was a typical machine of the time, with belt drive, inlet-over-exhaust head and atmospheric inlet valve. Top speed was around 45-50mph (72-80km/10 and the engine's peak was at about 500rpm: only when more positive valve operation was used could engine speeds rise. But of the thousands of similar machines which appeared in both America and Europe in the first decade of the 20th century. The Silent Gray Fellow was one of the few survivors, for no better reason than that it was well made and reliable.