Specifications:
40 hp, 61 cu. in. overhead-valve engine, four-speed handshift transmission

According to the semi-mythology that sometimes infuses Harley-Davidson history, it appears that gunshots heralded the introduction of the Knucklehead. Fired in response to the individual's first sight of the hot new EL, most of the hot lead ended up in the ceiling. The date was November 25, 1935. The occasion: The Harley-Davidson Dealer's Convention. The pistol-packing dealer who fired the celebratory shots goes unnamed.

Perhaps he realized that he was looking at the motorcycle that would rescue The Motor Co. from the bleak days of the Great Depression, its new overhead-valve design also meeting the threat from long-time rival Indian. Here was a 'musclebike' that could open a whole new chapter in the story of the Milwaukee Marvel.

In addition to being a winner in the looks and sales departments, the EL was also one of the best performing bikes of the day. In March 1937, Harley trumpeted Joe Petrali's new speed record clocked at Daytona Beach. At a speed of 136 miles per hour, the record bested even Indian's claim to top speed fame. The Knucklehead was on a roll. In the same year Fred Hamm set a new endurance record at California's Muroc Dry Lake when his Knucklehead carried him over 1,825 miles at an average speed of 76 miles per hour.

Police Departments were also pleased by the looks and performance of the EL. Criminals were using faster and faster automobiles so a competitive motorcycle helped even the odds. By 1936 Knuckleheads in law enforcement benefited from factory offered radios as a police option. In addition, some initial problems of oil leakage and difficult kick-starting were resolved by 1937.

Of course, owners were already customizing their Knuckles and the bike seen here echoes those sentiments with some tasteful personal touches, including the hand-painted Harley-Davidson emblem on the gas tank rather than a decal, and a small fortune in additional chrome. Of the relatively low production run of 1,829 Knuckleheads produced for 1937, those that still ply the highways and byways will always turn heads.