1953 Harley Davidson KRTT

[@alanstaffiero1317]

K models and right side shift sportster are my personal favoritez

[@NebukedNezzer]

This kr model was my dream motorcycle when I was 15years old in 1960. I had the 45 wl from 1949.

[@johndancer606]

As a motorcycle enthusiast, this is what gets me going. Oh yeah, absolutely love the museum. Wife had to drag me out.

[@hotrods27]

When I think of a HD flat head, I never thought it could sound like that engine. Very impressive.

[@whalesong999]

In the late '50s, saw the KRs mixed in with the BSAs and Triumphs at Dodge City, both for the half mile and then on the road race course at an old airport on the west side of town. The sounds of these echoing off the corrugated roofing of the grandstands was eerie.

[@michaelplantus2261]

That must have been amazing!

[@vaughnharris6404]

Every time I think I have seen the coolest bike you have you top it!!

[@iguanabelga8028]

Wow that bike sounds wonderfully

[@madden4306]

The 1952 - 54 KR Engine still used the Old WR Crankshaft Assembly with the Drilled Connecting Rods/Smaller Flywheels and Single Fire Wico Magneto. Don't know for sure if Brad used the OEM Drilled Rods for Daytona. Joe Leonard told me many years ago that he never suffered Rod Breakage on either WR or early KR Bikes. As Small as the Rods were (pre 1955) and the Scary incrementally Drilled Holes; I might think they chose to go with a non drilled WL Type Rod being the length of the 200 Race and extended RPM on the Straights. 6800-7000 doesn't sound like much in today's modern Race Engines but that was turning a Flathead Engine of the Day pretty high. Even H-D in 1955 when going to the Larger Rods/Flywheels chose not to continue with Drilled Con Rods. Great Video, The Racing Bike Section of the Museum is 2nd to None as they not only have a large number of Race Machines, but Frequently Start and Run these Race Bikes for their Patrons which you never see in other MC Related Museums...

[@luthfiadhityanto]

This is the history that we need back in the school days

[@scootergeorge9576]

In 1980, I purchased my first Harley, actually it was 3 or 4 boxes of parts for a 1957 KR. First step was to round up all the engine parts to take to a man in East San Diego known as "Insane Wayne" who owned "Wayne's 45's." He specialized in the HD 45 but rode a radical K model chopper. I was going to have him put the bottom end of my KR together. Ended up swapping the parts plus a little cash for a 1968 XLCH with fresh top end overhaul. Still wonder how that old KR would have run. The cam and valves looked radical. For years people would tell me that K production stopped in 1956. They simply could not grasp that the KR race bike continued in limited production after the Sportster came out.

[@revelationakagoldeneagle8045]

Viewing again in 2022! 1955, a good year. The first Daytona race win on that bike and the year I was born. 😁 ✌️ Bad To The Bone racer for sure! That'll wake the neighbors. ⚔️🇺🇸⚔️ 🤜🤛

[@joncard2941]

Best museum in the country. Love that upstairs exhibit.

[@brettwhitesides7595]

Thanks Matt, what an AWESOME bike !!! Your series the past year has really helped keep me grounded.

[@toddricketts9498]

Thanks Matt 🙏🇺🇸

[@scainstevenc3648]

Wow that thing sounds great !!!!!!

[@michaelplantus2261]

That sound is beautiful!

[@martinwall7297]

what is outstanding, is how many Harleys and different years you have, that you startup, and run. they all look and sound like they were made to use and race, no garage queen or fancy chrome jewelry, just original running grit, and grease.

[@robertrobb2367]

MATT, talk about "GETTING UNDER the PAINT" and "BEING HOOKED UP"!

[@masterwrench4252]

Hahahaha! Memories! Watched the vid to see the front brake hub...in my 20's (40+ ago) laced a K model hub to a 21" rim, mounted to a 31' vl I-beam springer. Put that in a 73' square swing-arm w/ rear disk. 58' lower with a mag...71' shovel upper. Rocker clutch w/ a hand shift rachet top 4 speed...beast! Now I got an 01 ultra...oh well, ya never forget your first 💖

[@DrMark920]

Okay Matt... I'm sold! It is a 14 hour Harley ride from home. But I have got to visit your museum!

[@eaglewi]

Fantastic sound. Must sound incredible at speed

[@ronny5840]

WOW, what a great pice of history !

[@richarddavidson262]

I had a 1952 K model SN 1011 which would make it one of the first off the production line. I got it in 1967 for 300 dollars. Keep the bike for over 20 years. It was a good bike, wish I still had it.

[@retromotors383]

Back in the day I briefly owned a non-running KHK. At the time a good friend, Anson "Campy" Holley, was racing the Class C flat track circuit. He had a set of KR cylinders that were worn to the point that another rebore would take them past the point of legality for AMA competition. He offered to build me a hot street engine using those and other parts. (The KHK was 900cc vs the KR 750cc, but he additional displacement was achieved by a longer stroke, bore was the same for both engines). Being young and foolish, I sold the machine or more likely traded it off for some other bauble that caught my eye. I've had a lot of neat motorcycles pass through my hands over the years, but that KHK was one of them that I regret most even though I never got to ride it.

[@BastardX13]

A heavily massaged kr motor is arguably the best sounding vtwin period. Unmistakable flat head sound!

[@danstewart8218]

Thanks Matt ! 👍 !! These bikes are also a great way to check your sound system - 😉 !!

[@mikejmcdonell]

Joe Lenard won in 58 a mile ahead of DICK Mann also on an HD.he averaged just under100mph! I Was there.Great work love it.

[@randalmontgomery4595]

Never heard a flathead rev like that. Amazing! And to think a 1953 sidevalver was still winning in 1960!

[@melodigrand]

There was little chance of an overhead valve bike winning in those years. Flatheads got a 50% displacement advantage and compression ratios were limited by the rules to as low as 6:1. AMA rightly banned the Norton Manx racing engine and after that flatheads won for the next 18 years. Compression ratio limits were raised to 9:1 sometime in the 60s and OHV bikes were somewhat competitive after that.

[@clavo3352]

Could listen to that music all day! Nice bike. Well organized video! You need to organize some bus tours all the way from Texas; before you run out of old geezers that appreciate this stuff!

[@davidalexander3990]

That bike was the inspiration for the sportster good show.

[@darrinclem2502]

Sweet sound!

[@sporty196071]

I had a 57KR didn't know what I had. I rode it every day for about a year. I traded it for a 72 super glide.

[@voodoowraith]

It's almost like you can hear the bike saying "Let's go racing"

[@martinwall7297]

THANKS,

[@thebeardedcoder]

Suggestion. Put a camera up in your work shop. Would love to follow a restoration

[@charliedallimore7909]

Sounds awesome!!!

[@redtobertshateshandles]

As a dirt bike fan, I love Sportsters and Flatrackers .

[@tonyhoward7840]

Oh Boy, now that is badass, thanks for info n video, WOW

[@jplav2952]

Wow that bike is definitely a screamer man when he hits that throttle she's got instant power

[@johnoakes3106]

THE KR and KR-TT Harleys were the greatest racers ever built. If you found a dealer who would work with you, a production KR flat tracker or KR-TT could be bought from a dealer. Part of the deal was parts would be sold at dealer cost. Harley would always find a horsepower or two for the factory guys, then put them on the production racers or sell the parts to you for cost. They were easy to work on also. The last one put out 60 very healthy horse power. Great bikes!

[@ronsampservice3066]

I see lots of, shall I say, "snobs", talk crap on old Iron Head Sporsters. The KR is the forerunner to the Iron Head. Basically same engine/trans setup, but with aluminum sidevalve heads, very low compression (6.5:1) 750cc (Iron heads are called "900" but are actually 883cc) (54 ci). Right side shift. The K models only made about 30HP, but were capable of about 140mph. Very important machine in Harley history. My old 1970 XLCH sounds just like this bike Matt is showing. LOVE THAT SOUND!

[@deckerhand12]

Gf lad you’re still doing videos. Hoping by summer time to check out wheels through time

[@benjeffweldingandfabricati251]

Love the duck tank!

[@edwinthompson159]

such cool bikes and content!

[@trickeydick5024]

The k models.. they were a premium that's for sure.

[@mikeskidmore6754]

Have to give some Credit to HD for being competative in that Era ... they sure fell behind in technology in the 1960's .. Innovation for hand grips on the forks wide open cruise and knee bars..

[@straightpipec6099]

That’s awesome

[@ludditeneaderthal]

Elvis had a K model (dressed out street model, not a racer). That is one sick little monster right there!

[@brianhaenlein8287]

Another great video Matt!!

[@rogerlawrencewhite1475]

I heard cal Rayburn’s KRTT was capable of hitting 150, but his had a full fairing and was on the road rather than the sand, when did the racetrack get built? TY for any info

[@pashakdescilly7517]

I would like to know how he gets such a light twist-grip throttle. No spring pressure or friction. I am suspecting a rotating drum carburettor and a second cable to close the throttle.

[@MURDOCK1500]

That is one impressive SV engine. But why use SV's when Harley had OHV Panhead engines way before then?

[@maxdavies5776]

Water cooled syphon system heads with thermo fan & pump. 1 unit.

[@markmark2080]

Wow, very interesting video, very well done except for a couple questions...Horsepower?... What "makes/other bikes" were they racing against?... And why were they still using the flathead instead of the ohv? Any help here, as I'm not a student of HD bikes or racing, would be appreciated, thank you. All this all took place during my preteen years, I didn't pay attention to any motorcycle racing until after "On Any Sunday" came out.

[@whalesong999]

I was just getting into motorcycles in the late '50s and I recall some basic things that might help. Most all the bikes in class C in those days had horsepower ranging in the mid 50s. The BSA Gold star single perhaps a little lower - a comparable Norton Manx 500cc (which wasn't legal for U.S. AMA class C competition) had maybe close to 60 in top tune for road racing. Dick Mann rode BSA singles and was highly successful back in the day, the handling of the British singles was a bit better than the Harleys if I recall correctly. Triumph 500cc twins were also competitive, Gary Nixon being a frequent winner on that make. Harley-Davidson was a considerable power in the American Motorcycle Association during the period and they helped cement the policy that made 500cc OHV machines have to compete with a flat head engine of 750cc max. Those were class C standards. They maintained the stance through some of the '60s until it was obvious Japanese makers were getting equivalent performance from smaller two strokes and the industry pressure caused class changes in '69 for overall 750cc class maximum displacement regardless of type. Harley wasn't keen on upgrading to OHV but the 883cc Sportster street bike came along in '57, based greatly on the KR/KH design (KH was the 55 cu. in. flathead version). They upgraded to a 750cc OHV based still on the basic flat head bottom end.

[@markmark2080]

@@whalesong999 Okay, so the 500cc OHV's were competing with the 750 Flatheads for a while, That kind of "rings a bell" in my memory and makes sense. Thanks for taking the time to give such a good reply.

[@mikeskidmore6754]

So it has a nobby tire on the rear ? Finally at 2:50 you mention that half of the track was on the Beach ..

[@waiting4aliens]

Magneto runs off the generator drive on a TT?

[@petestransit]

Sweeet Can I have a ride down the beach on that? I wont be able to do 120 mph, but I would be happy to do 60 for you 🇦🇺

[@frankphelps9812]

LOVE YOUR CHANEL, Got a 55kr seating in my garage tough finding info on this. You Guy's Got any Books?

[@frankphelps9812]

@@wolfdog7265 Thank You Wolfdog

[@derekcollins1972]

@@wolfdog7265 Tatro is a good mechanic,not much of a people person

[@derekcollins1972]

@@wolfdog7265 Thanks,good to hear

[@DHNetwork]

I had a 56 KH900

[@maxdavies5776]

Nice Flatty tune needs dual barrel carby.

[@PanheadJeff58]

Amazing that they could get an old Flathead motor to spin 7500 rpm😏

[@gabrielkloster4502]

locoooosssssss

[@jefffeudner408]

Had ball bearing crank. Not rollers..

[@craven9388]

That thing sounds like it means business.

[@Phillip-y6d]

I"m building a 56

[@spookydog6959]

👍mmmmmmmm

[@roberymcgoff1904]

So somebody tell this Triumph guy. Why some Harleys take 3 kicks to prime. And others you just kick them and they start.RMM

[@saintends7302]

Harley tick

[@maxdavies5776]

- suits turbo.

[@maxdavies5776]

KR

[@theone2be33]

Close up that exhaust and you probably would get more power