1924 Harley Davidson JDCA
Large displacement 74 cu inch engine
Electric Headlight and Taillight with Battery
Lightweight aluminum alloy pistons
The J series Harleys were versatile and popular motorcycles. Originally designed to fill the needs of the US Military in WW 1, subsequent civilian models were offered in various versions with 61 cubic inch (1000cc) motor introduced in 1915 and a larger 74 cubic inch (1200cc) engine in 1922 up to 1928. The engine was an F-head (one overhead and one side valve per cylinder) air-cooled, V-twin design. It became a time-honored engine that has held up impressively well over the years.
This 1924 Harley Davidson JDCA still wears the original paint, and most of the original components remain as when it left the factory in Milwaukee nearly a century ago. A 1924 JDCA model sold new for $345, and the factory built and sold 3,014 of them. It featured a 74 cubic inch F-head V-twin engine with a hand operated three-speed transmission and a kick starter. The battery and electrical system were standard for this model as were the aluminum-alloy pistons. Slowing was achieved by a foot-operated rear band brake (Harley did not offer front brakes until 1928) and the oiling system was total loss with a hand operated auxiliary oil pump to augment the factory oil dripper.
Inexpensive automobiles such as the Ford Model T decreased demand for large displacement motorcycles in the US for basic transportation in the post war era. As a result, in 1924 Harley-Davidson reduced its workforce dramatically, from 2,500 to 1,000, and the company lost $119,143 that year. Nearly half of all Harley-Davidson motorcycles were exported outside the US, and many of those sold in the US were to police departments.
The motorcycle on display sat in a barn with a locked-up engine for many years when enthusiast and Audrain Concours motorcycle judge Buzz Kanter found it in the early 1990s and displayed it in the American Iron Magazine offices. Eventually Buzz brought it to Dale Walksler, at Dale's Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley, NC where they got it running and sorted but it remained otherwise unrestored. In this condition, Buzz put numerous miles on the bike prior to its acquisition to the Audrain Collection.
Specifications:
Engine: 74 cubic inch, V Twin, single cam, 3 speed hand shift transmission, foot operated clutch
Horsepower: 18 hp
Top Speed: 75 mph
Weight: 365 lbs.