Dick O'Brien

Harley's racing director from 1957 he succeeded Hank Syvertson, being only the third man to hold the post. He had worked for a Harley-Davidson dealer before the war and volunteered for pilot training when war broke out. O'Brien returned to his job as service manager afterwards, before joining Harley-Davidson's racing department which, under his leadership, enjoyed a run of success through the 1960s until 1969, when the AMA rules were changed to allow larger 45ci (750cc) ohv machines to compete with the side-valves. O'Brien's response was the XR750, a short-stroke version of the Sportster V-twin. It was a disaster, but the completely redesigned XR of 1972 had more success, going on to dominate American flat-track racing for the next quarter-century. Dick O'Brien retired in 1983.