c1964 Harley-Davidson 175cc Pacer Motorcycle

Description

Somewhat surprisingly, given its preference for large-capacity V-twins, Harley-Davidson's post-war history is littered with attempts at diversification and the Milwaukee Company constructed a bewildering array of scooters, commuters, mini bikes and even snowmobiles, a process culminating with the ill-fated purchase of the Italian Aermacchi company. Harley-Davidson made several forays into the smaller motorcycle market with two-stroke singles, nicknamed 'Hummers', beginning with the Model S-125 of 1948, essentially a re-hash of a pre-war DKW design that evolved through several iterations in the 1950s and into the early 1960s. The final ST-165 derivative shared its engine with another Harley-Davidson flop, the Topper scooter of 1960. For 1962 a new range of two-stroke singles appeared under the general guise of the Model B, including the BT Pacer, BTH Scat and BTF Ranger. These differed only slightly in design and intent; for example the Pacer was a street bike, the Scat a dual-purpose machine and the Ranger a proper off-roader. Powered by an enlarged 175cc version of the B-model engine, the Pacer's frame was extensively redesigned in 1963 after just a single year of production, using an L-shaped swingarm supported on a subframe in place of the original's rigid rear end. All were replaced by a single model, the Bobcat, in 1966 which sold in both on and off-road guises for a single year only. Rarely seen outside of its native country, the Pacer remains a real rarity today and a curio perfect for the Harley-Davidson collector.