Here’s a little of the history of the one-lung Harley-Davidson Peashooter motorcycle. First, in 1925, the AMA introduced a 21 cubic-inch (350cc) racing class.
And Indian and Excelsior already had a 21 cubic-inch motorcycle, but Harley did not. HD’s focus was on their big-twin engines. But there was also a larger, but not as profitable, market for smaller motorcycles. And this was the case in Europe, Australia, and South Africa.
Next, the AMA created the 21-inch class, hoping lower speeds would be safer for the riders. But what was to become known as the “Peashooter” was fast. It could run on the track at 100mph. In addition, this new class was also created to lower the expense to racers.
In addition, back in the day, motorcycle racing, and especially winning, was a great way to market motorcycles. So Harley started working on creating a new 21 cubic-inch model.
In a short period of time, they came out with a 1926 model with a 21 cubic-inch. These had single-cylinder side-valve engines. The two road bike models were the A and B.
Then there was also a factory-built production racing version model – the SA. And it had OHV and some other engine upgrades. Also, there were other modifications to make these small Harleys lighter. So it was fast.
Due to the popping sound of the racing version engine, it was dubbed the “Peashooter.” And this name caught on for both the street and racing models.
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