Collection Inventory

7.  1928 Harley-Davidson factory experimental FHAD, OHV hillclimber. In 1928,  H-D modified OHV Peashooter heads and cylinders and mated them to an FH racing crankcase,  creating an OHV 45 cubic inch engine with which to contest the professional national hillclimb championship.  This experimental hillclimber was not successful in overcoming its competition.  The historian,  Herbert Wagner,  has noted that this factory-experimental OHV engine served as another precursor for Harley-Davidson's OHV production big twin that was introduced in 1936.  This example is complete and correct in every detail.  In addition to the beautifully constructed OHV FH experimental engine,  this machine exhibits the rare 3-bar hillclimb racing chassis that was modified in the H-D factory to accommodate the OHV engine.  This machine is exemplary of H-D’s race engineering and is considered the better of the two remaining examples of this rare specialized model.

	Installed:  April 12, 1997 Revised:  October 15, 2003