1921 Harley-Davidson

A 1921 Harley Davidson SCA (Single Cylinder Alcohol) board track racer. Considered the deadliest form of racing in the history of motorsports, it’s easy to see why. The bikes had no brakes. They could reach speeds approaching 100 miles per hour. They incorporated a ‘total loss’ lubricating design - meaning oil lost from the engines spewed not only over the bikes and racers but also transformed the rickety board tracks into greasy wooden nightmares. Couple that with the fact that the racers had virtually no protection, it's no wonder they called these motodromes “murderdromes.” This was absolute insanity.

Photographed at Wheels Through Time in North Carolina as part of a story on the history of Harley race bikes. A huge thank you to Dale Walklser for opening up his motorcycle museum, and letting us photograph a few of the hundreds and hundreds of bikes there. I think I could shoot there every day for a year and not even come close to documenting all that he’s collected there. The place is both overwhelming and magical.