5. 1926 Harley-Davidson Direct-Action, FHAC 2-Cam racer.
This engine design illustrates the next step in H-D race engineering. The
direct-action two-cams were the immediate precursors of the production two-cam (JDH)
models offered in 1928 and 1929. On the 4th of July in 1925, the legendary
Joe Petrali, aboard a machine very similar to this example, achieved the
long-sought racing goal of riding a 100-mile race in less than one hour. The
twenty-one year-old Petrali was victorious at the 100-mile National Championship contested
at the Altoona, Pennsylvania board track, winning the race in 59 minutes
and 47 and 1/5th seconds. This machine is one of an estimated half-dozen examples
of a direct-action FHAC two-cam installed in a short-coupled race chassis. With
the exception of the frame, every major component of this motorcycle was made in
the H-D factory. The matched-case 1926 FHAC factory race motor features the
correct tapered-fin Ricardo cylinders.
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