Motorcycle Story, Pattaya
By Thomas Rossetti
I recently received an e-mail that read:
Dear Tom,
Thank you for your Pattaya Motorcycle story column. I find it a useful source of information and have my friends send copies out to Australia every month. I have been planning on coming out to Pattaya to live and am considering buying a Harley. Could you tell me approximately how many Harleys are presently in Pattaya and whether or not there are good Service Centers in the area.
Sincerely,
James Hastings
Australia
James,
There are approximately from what I hear over 300 Harleys presently being ridden here in Pattaya. Some Harley owners work outside of the country and will enjoy their ride when they come back to Thailand every three or four weeks depending. Others live here on a full time basis like me and enjoy the ride very chance we can. Regarding Service Centers. We are very fortunate in that there are now several places servicing Harleys unlike the time when I first arrived in Pattaya. Wranglers, on South Pattaya Road (advert on the adjacent page) has state of the art computerization systems as well as knowledgeable staff capable of doing excellent work. On the way to Jomtien, Hot Rod of Tappraya Road has been around quite awhile and seems to also have a good following. I have sourced some information that I will include in my next month’s column regarding Harley Davidson motorcycles that I hope you find useful. Hope to see you when you come out.
Sincerely,
Tom Rossetti
This month I will include a short history lesson on Harley Davidson Motorcycles. In future issues I will include the same on other motorcycles that I hope you will enjoy.
Harley-Davidson is a survivor. The Motor Company, as it is affectionately known, was founded in Milwaukee in 1903 by William Harley and the Davidson brothers, Arthur and Walter. Shortly thereafter, William Davidson joined the group. The first motorcycle that Harley sold was the so-called Silent Gray Fellow that had a single cylinder DeDion-Bouton engine. The Harley and Davidson families continued to be a part of the growing success of the company. Even today, the grandson of William Davidson, "Willie G." Davidson, is Vice President of Styling.
There have been numerous engines used by Harley-Davidson and each seems to have received a popular name to distinguish it from all the others. The first popular engine was the Flathead introduced in 1936 that was a side-valve engine. At the same time Harley introduced the Knucklehead, an overhead-valve design. The popular engine names are derived from the look of the top of the engine. The Panhead, introduced in 1948, was actually a new top end to the Knucklehead engine. The Shovelhead engine, introduced in 1966, was again a new top end to the previous Panhead design. Most recently, the Motor Company has produced the Evolution engine (Blockhead), the Twin Cam 88 and the Twin Cam 88B that is counterbalanced. The Twin Cam engines are being called the Fat Head engines.
Many Harley riders cringe when they talk about the AMF years. Harley was forced to merge with American Machine and Foundry (AMF) in 1969. AMF was best known as a manufacturer of bowling balls and sports equipment. These were the years that reliability of the H-D machine suffered most and Harleys "marked their territory" with oil spots. There were bright spots from the alliance though in that at least Harley-Davidson was able to stay afloat financially and grow. In 1981 the company was bought back by a group of H-D executives including Willie G. Davidson.
The Harley models have gone through a dizzying array of letter and number designations over the years. One almost needs a scorecard to figure out what someone means by FXRS, FLHTCUI, or FXSTSB. The ever popular Sportster model always begins with an X such as XLH. Sportsters were first built in 1957 making them the longest production run for a model currently being sold by H-D.
Harley-Davidson motorcycles are part and parcel of the American fabric. They have appeared in numerous movies. Who can forget the thrilling ride of Arnold Schwarzenegger on a Fat Boy in Terminator 2? What a ride! However, Marlon Brando in The Wild One did not ride a Harley. He was on a Triumph.
Harleys are known for their distinctive "potato-potato" sound and their characteristic shake. Rubber mounted engines have helped to dampen some of this shake but it took a new engine design to practically eliminate it. In 1999 Harley-Davidson introduced the Twin Cam 88 engine. This engine replaced the Evolution engine. In 2000, Harley introduced the Twin Cam 88B engine that effectively eliminated the shake by using counterbalancing. It was introduced in the Softail models while all other Harley-Davidson models except the Sportster retained the Twin Cam 88 engines. Even though new engines are being introduced, Harley-Davidson engineers still make sure that the "potato-potato" sound is still there so you know you're on a Harley.
For 2001 Harley did not add the 88B engine to any other models.
It did, however, do something that added to the value of a Harley. Harley-Davidson provided an optional electronic alarm system that disables the starting circuit and fuel supply. You could even get a siren attached.
The future looks bright for Harley-Davidson. In 2004, Harley-Davidson really unshook things by introducing a rubber-mounted engine for its Sportster series.
Things will keep changing as more and more people want to ride a Harley. The EPA requirements will probably force Harley-Davidson to refine their air-cooled engines. Perhaps they will eventually sell more liquid-cooled machines based on the V-Rod design.
One thing is sure. Harley-Davidson is a survivor and their mark has been made on the American rider as well as riders around the world. What other company can boast that they have permanent advertising on the bodies of thousands of their customers in the form of tattoos? — Only Harley-Davidson.
Ride safe and enjoy!
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