Post-Sale Update: After being relisted, this Harley Davidson Servi-Car was purchased at a Buy-It-Now price of $15,000.
The Harley Davidson Servi-Car was a very interesting three-wheeler produced for nearly 40 years. During the Great Depression, HD was trying to figure out how they could further expand their target customer base – one of their selected targets was automotive mechanics. Mechanics put their tools in the rear storage box to make house calls, but if the problem couldn’t be addressed well enough, and the vehicle was still driveable, the bike came with a tow hitch so that both vehicles could be taken to the shop with one driver. When the car was fixed, the car towed the bike out to the customer’s shop, and then the mechanic rode the bike back.
The three-wheeled nature and the giant storage box in back lent the Harley Davidson Servi-car to a wide variety of uses. Many police departments used them as general runabouts, or as parking enforcement vehicles. Here’s a restored example of Watsonville, CA’s police department Servi-Car.
As a 1960 model, this Servi-Car has the 45 cubic inch, flat head V-Twin. The transmission had three speeds forward with a reverse gear, and the clutch was foot actuated! An electric start wasn’t introduced until 1964 (this was the first Harley with an electric start), so you have to kick start this beast. Braking duties were handled by a drum on each wheel, and the suspension used Hydra-Glide forks up front, and nothing in the back – the axle was mounted directly to the frame.
This specific Harley Davidson Servi-Car has had a frame up professional restoration, and is claimed to run like new. Extra goodies include a more efficient generator, upgraded Mikuni carburetor, and a parts manual. In addition, this bike has been done up in Police livery, specifically the Mayberry, NC livery from the Andy Griffith show. In addition to the livery, the bike is equipped with a police radio and siren. What’s possibly most important, is that it comes with the correct metal rear box and the hard to find tow bar. All in all, this seems like the complete package. While the decals aren’t our style, all you’ll have to do is just hit them with a heat gun to remove them.
Find this Harley Davidson Servi-Car here on eBay with bidding at $11,000 in Bedford, Ohio.