The World's First Harley-Davidson Three-Cylinder Motorcycle

Nick Keating is the person behind the lens of one of the vital well-liked photos we’ve ever shared on Fb. It was a photograph of a 1926 Indian Prince on a mud highway, surrounded by luscious, summer time greenery. It’s a good looking shot, however we couldn’t have predicted the viral response to the picture that triggered Nick to achieve out and thank us. When he did, we realized he and the bike have been solely an hour north of us. Not solely was he was dwelling in our yard, however his father, Brian Keating of the Keating Wheel Co., simply occurred to be a steward for a number of the rarest and most fascinating bikes within the nation.

It was by means of this chain of occasions that we got here to discover a lengthy misplaced treasure: the Harley-Davidson Shovelhead triple. Sure, triple. It’s 111 cubic inches, and 1800 cc’s of pure American steel. So, we requested Nick to interview his father and discover out extra about this uncommon piece of customized motorbike historical past.

Over time, I’ve seen you drag some odd machines in by means of the doorways, Dad, however this definitely needs to be one of many strangest.
It’s an oddity for positive, and one which doesn’t leap out at you instantly. It sneaks up on you. At first, it seems to be like a crusty FX mannequin. It’s like a queen or king in a peasant’s clothes, maybe. It began out as a 1982 Harley-Davidson FXE mannequin. However with the extra cylinder, the machine work that wanted to be carried out, and removing of the unique serial and VIN quantity, it’s thought of a customized – a creation by the late, nice Bobby Labrie.

Who was Bobby Labrie?
Bobby was a skilled Harley mechanic. He went to the service faculty in Milwaukee in 1949. After his education, he labored for his father for a few years on the Harmony, NH, Harley-Davidson dealership. Round 1973, Bobby determined to go off on his personal. He arrange store in Harmony, calling himself Bob’s Cycle Restore. It was a small store just about run out of a two-car storage.

He was a person of character, at all times knee-deep in constructing and repairing bikes and different shenanigans. I personally solely spent a bit of time with Bobby at his first location in Harmony; just a few visits, parts-picking and social. He was at all times keen to assist with the numerous questions I had with initiatives occurring at the moment.

When Laconia/Belknap races have been occurring, Bobby was at all times busy with establishing race bikes for privateers, and even the manufacturing facility riders from Harley would cease in. He was good buddies with the XR-750 guru Dick O’Brien, who was the #1 man for the Harley-Davidson race staff in that period. The story goes that Dick O’Brien at all times went to Bobby first when visiting New Hampshire to get the bikes arrange and dialed in for the upcoming occasions!

There’s lots of fascinating historical past and a little bit of folklore to Bobby’s creation. When did you first come throughout the motorbike, and the way has it come to discover a house right here?
Bobby grew to become fairly a very good buddy of mine. For no matter motive – and I severely have no idea – Bobby took me beneath his wing, so to talk. It was by means of our friendship that I realized of his creation. When he relocated his store to Loudon, NH, from Harmony, I used to be capable of go to extra ceaselessly, normally getting there round 8 AM and hanging out, speaking, and shopping for elements and such. I needed to at all times carry my contribution of beverage of alternative, as was customary on the time.

After Bobby’s dying, I saved in contact with the household, and each infrequently, I might go to and purchase elements and items. However the dialog would finish rapidly every time we spoke of Bobby’s marvel. I understood that it was, and is, particular, each to the household and to all who knew of it.

Just a few years again, the time had come to do one thing with the machine. Many individuals have been . Even people from throughout this nation voiced curiosity. We let the chips fall as they might, and with out fanfare or marching bands, we have been the fortunate ones to amass this particular motorbike.

Most individuals encounter this machine for the primary time with a glance of delayed surprise. I like that metaphor – a king or queen in peasant’s clothes. There’s an “Aha!” second as you notice the third cylinder break by means of the down tubes. What is that this peculiar machine, and what technical and engineering feats needed to be overcome?
A mechanical marvel, with out query, and historic, as that is the world’s first Harley-Davidson three-cylinder motorbike. It was copied a lot later – or I ought to say one other instance was made – by Jim Fueling, circa the Nineteen Nineties. Bobby was only a one-man band understanding of a two-car storage, making this feat solely the extra spectacular.

He was very a lot a intelligent man. His information of engines was superb. He needed to do lots internally to the connecting rods and cams, the timing of the three cylinders, and the machining of the manufacturing facility instances to simply accept the third cylinder.

He additionally needed to design an consumption manifold that might have the ability to feed all three cylinders, fabricate an exhaust system, and modify the body to permit area for that third cylinder. Really, on this FXE Harley body, Bobby grafted on a wishbone body part (50s-era Harley body) coming down from the steering neck to permit the added cylinder to go between the down tubes. Bobby by no means spoke a lot intimately about what he did internally. A big a part of his course of stays a thriller.

Thriller, huh?
Many tales and tales have circulated, and a few will proceed as Bobby meant. The one which involves thoughts essentially the most is how he did the motor internals – the rods and cams. On the connecting rods, we’ll proceed the thriller as we haven’t been inside to look. My feeling is that if it isn’t broke, don’t repair it. On the cams, we are able to safely say this: Bobby was buddies with John Andrews [of Andrews Products, producers of high-quality performance motorsports parts], and it was together with his assist and information that they achieved the cams and timing.

One of many fascinating tales, or probably tales, was when Bobby was on the Harley Rendezvous showcasing his mechanical marvel for the primary time. A somewhat overly cooked or partied-out attendee was giving some lip to Bobby about that entrance cylinder being a dummy. Quite calm and funky, Bobby advised to the person that he seize ahold of that entrance header pipe and to let him know then if he thought it was phony. Evidently, we all know what occurred wasn’t fairly.

My understanding, additionally, is that Bobby by no means actually completed the third cylinder, not less than not utterly. When he was getting it prepared for the primary displaying on the Harley Rendezvous in 1982, he needed to borrow a entrance finish off one other motorbike. It seems Bobby had a restricted funds to work with, and that makes it much more intriguing. He additionally introduced it to Daytona Seashore Bike Week in March of 1983, presumably to show heads on the Rats Gap motorbike present.

Later, Bobby could have been approached by somebody at Harley as they wished to know precisely what he did to the within of the engine. Bobby wouldn’t inform, and because the story goes, he was supplied a giant chunk of cash for his creation. He didn’t let it go.

One other story that involves thoughts was that the motor had been sabotaged. Thankfully, that was not the case. We have now had it fired up, and hopefully quickly, will get it on the highway.

I feel we’re all a bit of curious: what sort of efficiency acquire does an extra cylinder like this present?
The third cylinder will increase the engine by an extra 600 cc’s or 37 cubic inches. With that, it’ll be smoother operating, and doubtless quicker off the road, however the general prime velocity could be restricted by its normal 4-speed transmission. With a complete of 1800 cc’s and 111 cubic inches obtainable at a twist of the throttle, I’m positive she has the ability and torque to tug a Mack truck.

The sound, though, just isn’t such as you would think about. One of the best ways for me to explain it’s to match a Triumph Triple to a Triumph Twin. A Triumph Triple seems like a Maserati, and the dual extra like a “thump-thump.” Bobby’s intention, nonetheless, was to not improve velocity, or consolation for that matter, however somewhat to point out his potential as an engine wizard, and in the end, to show heads.

You might be considerably of an performing steward for these machines. I’ve grown up alongside their infectious sights and sounds and smells for so long as I can keep in mind, however you’ve been at it for for much longer. What’s the position you prefer to play within the lifetime of a classic motorbike, significantly this one from Bobby?
No more true phrases have been spoken, as to being an performing steward on this motorbike and the numerous others which have come by means of the doorways for the previous 35-40 years. My begin on this world of bikes was my first trip, in all probability eight-plus years outdated, on the again of a Vespa scooter. It has been ingrained in my thoughts to today! That zeal has bloomed right into a livid hearth!

This motorbike will at all times be Bobby Labrie’s. I can’t actually change it – don’t need to. I’m solely the current caretaker or caregiver. It’s a private venture to point out respect to the builder. After we first acquired the machine, which was just a few years in the past now, it sat within the nook of a storage, lined with blankets, mud, and dust, and was lacking the borrowed entrance finish, together with many different bits. We wished to get it again on its ft, so to talk, because it was only a chassis and engine.

We tried a pair entrance ends, however nothing gave the clearance we would have liked till we bought the Wideglide on it. Kicking it over isn’t a straightforward process. On roughly each third kick, it’ll stand you up. Compression is an excellent factor; if it kicks again, you’re a goner! It does have electrical begin, however there are points with it, and that’s the following journey we’ll take to make it higher. The instances we have now fired it up, we use a curler starter, like what the racers use within the pits lately. In some unspecified time in the future, we’ll have it out at exhibits and AMCA (Vintage Bike Membership of America) occasions, however particularly native swap meets and exhibits as that is the place it was born and bred.

How about some closure? Thirty-plus years later, what would Bobby must say?
My feeling is that Bobby is smiling immediately to see that the thriller continues to be a thriller, and that curiosity stays in his creation. It’s thrilling for me, and I’m positive it could have been for Bobby as properly, to see so a few years later, his mechanical marvel again in print.