The Harley-Davidson Servi-Car is a three-wheeled utility motorcycle that was manufactured by Harley-Davidson from 1932 to 1973.
The Servi-Car was designed during the Great Depression when Harley-Davidson was desperate to expand its product base to increase sales. [1] Targeted at the automotive service industry, the vehicle was designed for assisting at roadside breakdowns and delivering cars to customers. For this reason, it was available with a tow bar at the front and a large 60 Ah battery. [2] It allowed one person to transfer a car from one location to another and drive themselves back; after driving the car to its destination, the delivery driver would unhitch the Servi-Car and ride it back to the garage. [3] [4]
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. It proved to be particularly popular with police departments, some of which still used Servi-Cars into the 1990s. [2]
The models offered in 1932, the first year of production, were:
In 1933, the GDT, with large box and tow bar, was added to the line. [5]
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.[ citation needed] This box continued to be installed until 1966, after which it was replaced by a fiberglass box; all preceding boxes were made from steel. [6]
The Servi-Car used variations of Harley-Davidson's 45 cubic inch flathead. From 1932 to 36, the Servi-Car used the engine from the solo R model. [1] 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. [2] [7] The "W" flathead engine continued until the end of production in 1973, despite the "W" solo series being replaced by the "K" series in 1952. [2] [8]
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. [2] [9] [10]
When the Servi-Car was introduced in 1932, it used the same transmission as the R solo model. [2] This was replaced the next year by a constant-mesh transmission with three speeds and a reverse gear. [11]
The Servi-Car was designed in the early part of the Great Depression for the conditions of its day, in which roads might be crude and unpaved. It has a rigid rear axle with a differential. [12] The rear axle has a track of 42 inches (1,100 mm), similar to the track of most cars at the time. This allowed it to follow ruts that had already been worn into the road. [4]
A prototype of the Servi-Car with rear suspension was tested but found to be unstable. [4] The production model's axle is mounted directly to the frame with no suspension at all. [13]
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's neck stem length and inner diameter were changed to fit Hydra-Glide front forks. [9]
Early production Servi-Cars have a drum brake on the front wheel and another drum brake inside the rear axle housing, decelerating both rear wheels. [11] In 1937, the braking system was upgraded to have a drum brake on each wheel. [14] A hydraulic rear brake system was introduced in 1951. [15] The very last Servi-Cars, built late in their last model year, have disc brakes on all three wheels. [2]
The company also introduced the first of their three-wheeled Servi-Cars in 1932, powered by the 45-cid V-twin.
Some suggested that it was inspired by Far East rickshaw-style machines; however, the Servi-Car was initially intended for the recovery of broken-down cars — hence the tow-bar and huge 60 amp/hour battery fitted as standard.
A model-specific brochure was produced for the Servi-Car for 1934, in which it was described as 'the practical method for profitable pick-up and delivery of automobiles.'
1964: KRTT DROPPED, FIRST ELECTRIC START HARLEY: THE SERVICAR