Parked outside the Harley-Davidson museum in Milwaukee is a bronze statue of one of the Motor Co.’s most influential racers—’Smokey’ Joe Petrali. Joe was a force to be reckoned with in the 20s and 30s, competing in everything from dirt- and board-track racing to hillclimb events. But he’s best known for the motorcycle land speed record he set in 1937.
Joe flew across the sands of Daytona Beach at 136.183 miles per hour, setting a record that stood for over a decade. His bike was a factory special from Harley-Davidson—a 61 cubic inch overhead valve Knucklehead with streamliner bodywork and no rear suspension. The story goes that the bike’s tail fairing made it unstable in initial runs, so Joe removed it and eked out a win.…