Harley-Davidson Topper
Encyclopedia
The Topper was the only motor scooter
that the Harley-Davidson Motor Company ever produced.
The Topper had a continuously variable transmission
, like most modern scooters. The engine was a 165 cc single-cylinder
two-stroke engine
requiring a premixed gasoline/oil mixture. The starter
was of the rope-recoil type similar to lawnmowers
or the Lambretta E model. Unlike most scooters with enclosed engines, the Topper's engine did not have a cooling fan.
The front body, front fender and floorboards of the Topper were made of stamped steel, and the engine cover and body were made of chopper gun-sprayed fiberglass
.
Scooter (motorcycle)
A scooter is a motorcycle with step-through frame and a platform for the operator's feet. Elements of scooter design have been present in some of the earliest motorcycles, and motorcycles identifiable as scooters have been made from 1914 or earlier...
that the Harley-Davidson Motor Company ever produced.
The Topper had a continuously variable transmission
Continuously variable transmission
A continuously variable transmission is a transmission that can change steplessly through an infinite number of effective gear ratios between maximum and minimum values. This contrasts with other mechanical transmissions that offer a fixed number of gear ratios...
, like most modern scooters. The engine was a 165 cc single-cylinder
Single cylinder engine
A single-cylinder engine is a basic piston engine configuration of an internal combustion engine. It is often seen on motorcycles, auto rickshaws, motor scooters, mopeds, dirt bikes, go-karts, radio-controlled models and has many uses in portable tools and garden machinery...
two-stroke engine
Two-stroke cycle
A two-stroke engine is an internal combustion engine that completes the process cycle in one revolution of the crankshaft...
requiring a premixed gasoline/oil mixture. The starter
Automobile self starter
A starter motor is an electric motor for rotating an internal-combustion engine so as to initiate the engine's operation under its own power.- History :...
was of the rope-recoil type similar to lawnmowers
Lawn mower
A lawn mower is a machine that uses a revolving blade or blades to cut a lawn at an even length.Lawn mowers employing a blade that rotates about a vertical axis are known as rotary mowers, while those employing a blade assembly that rotates about a horizontal axis are known as cylinder or reel...
or the Lambretta E model. Unlike most scooters with enclosed engines, the Topper's engine did not have a cooling fan.
The front body, front fender and floorboards of the Topper were made of stamped steel, and the engine cover and body were made of chopper gun-sprayed fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
.