Harley-Davidson Servi-Car

The Harley-Davidson Servi-Car was a three-wheeled utility motorcycle manufactured by Harley-Davidson from 1932 to 1973.

Concept and uses

The Servi-Car was designed during the Great Depression when Harley-Davidson was desperate to expand its product base to increase sales.Mitchel, D. "Harley-Davidson Chronicle - An American Original" p. 68-69 Publications International Limited, 1997 ISBN 0-7853-2514-X] . The vehicle was designed to be towed behind a car to be delivered to a customer; when the car was delivered, the driver would unhitch the Servi-Car and ride back to the garage.Mitchel, D. "Harley-Davidson Chronicle - An American Original" p. 88 Publications International Limited, 1997 ISBN 0-7853-2514-X] [http://www.dl45homepage.com/servihistory.html Servi-Car Homepage - History] ] For this reason, it was available with a tow bar at the front and a large 60 Ah battery. [http://www.is-it-a-lemon.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=926&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0 Auto Lemon - Used Car History Check - Motorcycle: Twins - Servi-Car, 1932 - 1974] ]

In addition to its intended use for car delivery and retrieval, the Servi-Car was also popular as a utility vehicle for small businesses and mobile vendors. They proved to be particularly popular with the police departments, some of which still used Servi-Cars into the 1990s.

Models

The models offered in 1932, the first year of production were:
*G - with small box and tow bar
*GA - with small box and no tow bar
*GD - with large box and no tow bar
*GE - with large box and air tank

In 1933, the GDT, with large box and tow bar, was added to the line. [http://www.dl45homepage.com/servistats.html Servi-Car Homepage - Yearly Statistics and Pricing] ]

In 1942, the small and large boxes were replaced with a standardized intermediate-sized box that was manufactured for Harley Davidson by the Chas. Abresch Co. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A gold, red, and black water transfer decal from this company was affixed to the top inside of the box lid.Fact|date=May 2008 This box lasted until 1966, after which it was replaced by a fiberglass box; all preceding boxes were made from steel. [http://www.aa-ok.com/HDGalleryServi.htm AAOK Servi-Car gallery] ] ]

Engine

The engine initially used by the Servi-Car was the 45 cubic inch flathead used in the 1932-36 R model. It was changed in 1937 to the engine used in the W model, which differed mainly in having a recirculating oil system instead of the constant-loss system of the R.Mitchel, D. "Harley-Davidson Chronicle - An American Original" p. 94-95 Publications International Limited, 1997 ISBN 0-7853-2514-X] The "W" flathead engine continued until the end of production in 1972, despite the "W" solo series being replaced by the "K" series in 1952.Mitchel, D. "Harley-Davidson Chronicle - An American Original" p. 150 Publications International Limited, 1997 ISBN 0-7853-2514-X]

An electric starter became available on the Servi-Car in 1964, making it the first civilian Harley with an electric starter, one year before the debut of the Electra Glide. [http://www.american-v.co.uk/heritage/timeline/index.htm American V History: Timeline] ] [http://www.conansclassics.com/harxahis.html Harley-Davidson XA History] ]

Transmission

When the Servi-Car was introduced in 1932, it used the same transmission as the R solo model. This was replaced the next year by a constant-mesh transmission with three speeds and a reverse gear. [http://www.dl45homepage.com/servicomparison.html Servi-Car Homepage - Changes: 1932-36] ]

Chassis and suspension

The Servi-Car was designed for the road conditions of the day, where surface roads might still be crude and unpaved. It had a rigid rear axle with a differential. [http://www.dl45homepage.com/servitech.html Servi-Car Homepage - Technical Diagrams and Pictures] ] The rear axle had a track of 42 inches, similar to the track of most available cars. This was done so that the vehicle could use the same tracks that had been made by regular cars.

A prototype of the Servi-Car with rear suspension had been tested and was found to be unstable. The production model had its axle mounted directly to the frame with no suspension at all. [http://www.heavydutycycles.com/rearend.htm Heavy Duty Cycles - Trike Rear Ends] ]

Until 1957, the front forks of the Servi-Car were the springer-type leading-link forks used on the R-series and W-series solo motorcycles. From 1958 on, the Servi-Car would use Hydra-Glide front forks.

Brakes

As introduced, the Servi-Car had a drum brake on the front wheel and another drum brake inside the rear axle housing, decelerating both rear wheels. In 1937, the braking system was upgraded to have a drum brakes on each wheel.Conner, R. "Harley-Davidson Data Book" p. 59 Motorbooks International, 1996 ISBN 0-7603-0226-X] A hydraulic rear brake system was introduced in 1951.Conner, R. "Harley-Davidson Data Book" p. 84 Motorbooks International, 1996 ISBN 0-7603-0226-X] The very last Servi-Cars, built late in their last model year, would have disc brakes on all three wheels.

References