Harley dealers got the facts at their annual convention in December 1935, and, although not as wild as the rumors had predicted, the 61-cubic-inch EL nevertheless set new standards for Harley-Davidson -- not to mention the rest of the motorcycle industry.
 The 1936 Harley-Davidson EL introduced ground- breaking design changes to the Harley line. |
Most important was the V-twin's switch from a flathead design to overhead valves. Due to the resulting shape of the new rocker covers, the engine was dubbed "Knucklehead" by owners, a nickname by which it is still fondly known today.
Equally significant was the new recirculating oiling system that eliminated the messiness and inconve-nience of the previous "total loss" setup.
Unique to the 1936 EL are the rocker-shaft covers and air intake. The timing case cover was changed three times during the model year, each design a bit
smoother than the last.
Fuel tanks were welded and much sleeker than
earlier examples, and the tank-mounted instrument cluster started a
styling trend that continues to this day.
Despite the efficiency advantages of the EL's overhead-valve arrangement, Harley-Davidson
continued to sell flathead V-twin motorcycles for many years to come.
But the EL would go on to become one of the most popular Harley-Davidson models of all time, and its overhead-valve engine established a configuration that has been used for all the company's V-twins ever since.
For more pictures of the 1936 Harley-Davidson EL motorcycle, go to the next page.
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