What was used as the carburetor in the first Harley Davidson?

MaggieG 5

a tomato can Nov 07 03, 4:19 PM

McGruff

The 'tomato can' carburetor may or may not be true, depending where you look. The first Harley-Davidson, built in 1903, used a tomato can for a carburetor. http://www.factorytoursinpa.com/factorytours/hightech/harley.jsp Hog Heaven (The Story of the Harley-Davidson Empire) HOG HEAVEN tells the Harley-Davidson story from the first carburetor, built out of an old tomato can, through the birth of the V-Twin Engine. Harley enthusiasts from Jay Leno to "Easy Rider" Peter Fonda share their love of tearing up the open road on the greatest vehicle ever created. http://www.hawgheaven.com/ushop/index.cgi?&task=show&cat=Videos The folklore that surrounds that first engine centers on the carburetor. Legend has it fashioned from a tomato can, and in my heart I'd like to believe that. But given the founders' seriousness and the efforts they put into developing exact drawings and patterns, I can't see them settling for something so primitive. http://www.twbookmark.com/books/42/0821228196/chapter_excerpt15892.html A number of other myths and inconsistencies surround the company's early years. The first carburetor may or may not have been a tomato can. The Harley and Davidson families appear as next-door neighbors in some accounts, even though they lived almost 3 miles apart. The firm's first "factory," a 10- by 15-foot shed in the Davidsons' backyard, was either built by an indulgent father for his sons or usurped by those sons from a resistant parent. http://www.jsonline.com/news/editorials/sep03/167565.asp Nov 09 03, 1:03 PM