harleyKmodel

Hi all, I had the opportunity this past summer to pick up a small stash of KR parts from the estate of Bob Litten, a long time dirt track racer from north central Ohio. The questions I have are about a set of 60-R heads, a racing oil tank and a set of NOS KHR cylinders. Other questions may come later on some of the other stuff like - what's the value of a linkert MR4 carburetor? But for right now I have three burning questions.1) On the heads, the lip that extends down on the bottom of the head and meets the cylinders have both been milled down. The front head has a .015" lip left while the rear has no lip left at all .000" (Flat) A standard K head has about a .120" lip. The question is, was that a common practice to do that for some reason or even an uncommon practice. Would that not change your compression and certainly valve to head clearance? Were they milled down for wear of some kind and spacers introduced? I am just baffled at this but I will be the first to admit that I know very little about this racing stuff. 2) The oil tank, Has anyone ever seen an oil tank like this. It's about half the size of a regular 3 quart horseshoe tank. Really wondering if this was from the factory racing department or someones personal modification. I have to say that the welds on this thing look so good that it looks factory to me. There was still a KR bike in Bob's shop that had the exact same oil tank on it. Why would you run less oil? Could it be for weight savings? The only advantage that I can see is there would be no worries about chain rub. 3) The NOS KHR cylinders have a number etched in the underside of the bottom fin on both cylinders. Both the same number. (9913)It looks to me like it was done before they were painted but can't be 100% sure. Was that done at the factory or afterwards some time. Could it just signify them as being a matched set? I hope to list all the KR stuff in the parts exchange in the near future. In the mean time any thoughts, comments or even educated guesses would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Stan

Stan, I remember Bob Litten from Davenport races and a few other vintage races. He was a really nice guy, good fast rider, and really enthusiastic Harley KR guy. I was saddened when I heard of his passing. I got a couple of KR parts from him, and we would talk of Harley racers when I saw him. The milling of the heads would not be at all uncommon for racing heads. A piston change, rod length change, or piston deck height change could require milling the head to get the correct squish clearance. Even in a flathead engine you want to have a tight piston dome to combustion chamber clearance (squish) to enhance charge movent (swirl) and enhance combustion and flame travel. Important in a flathead. Some racers did everything they could to reduce weight. Witness some old race bikes with holes drill in everything. Less oil was not so important in dirt track races, or short track races where fewer laps were run, throttles were rolled off on turns, and oil consumption because of this wasn't a concern. Could be chain clearance too where a large sprocket may have been used for higher gearing on a short track or hill climb. As far as numbers on the cylinders, it is not uncommon for a head porter, race mechanic, or race machinist to mark his work with some numbering or lettering system to identify it for future reference.. As far as selling these parts in the future I would be very interested in the MR4 carb and what ever other parts you have. I have a KR I will be putting together this year and am still missing some parts. Please let me know when you are ready to sell. Hope this sheds some light. These are just my thoughts on these parts, not the gospel. Regards, Ron

Ron, Yup Bob was a good guy. I'd known him since 1974 when I got my '54 KH. He had a small shop in Ashland, Ohio and was the guy you went to if you needed K model stuff, at least around these parts. Kind of lost track of him after his crash and, I as you, was very saddened by his passing. Harley Bob Litten RIP. Thanks for the insight you gave on the heads. Not knowing that much about racing setups I didn't think about different rod lengths and different piston height. Valve to head clearance still has me a little puzzled because it doesn't really look like these heads were cut any deeper as the base lip kept getting shorter. Maybe there was a lot of extra room in the valve chambers to begin with. I thought maybe these heads were wall hangers but now maybe not? Still curious if the oil tank was factory or a personal modification. Makes sense on the cylinders as well just have never seen it before. Sent you a PM
Stan

Hi,

I am a bit surprised by the raduised shelf inside the head... I have never seen it on any head photos or documents, factory or private...

So probably an experiment!

Usually, straight shelf, either square as on K/KH or angled as the KR is the norm except for the very last dome piston heads where it disappeared...

As for your oiltank, if it looks moded, it is probably moded!!! And by an individual, not factory!!!

Put up another photo from the front so we can see if it is just a CH one or an early KR... It looks very CH to me...

A good way to look at KR parts is to look how they look...

If damaged or well worn, these are working parts that were giving lots of HP...

If brand new with an NOS look, they were probably useless and stayed on the shelves...

Cheers, Patrick

Stan, Yeah, usually with the high lift cams it gets pretty tight on valve to combustion chamber clearance.

Neat parts! Would like to see more of the KHR cylinders. They don't pop up often. The overshaved heads could be used with the .040" copper head gaskets that are available to gain some clearance over the valves. If you run .420" lift KR cams you will need clearance. Top tuners of the day agreed that flow is more important than compression with a side valve. Len Andres swore by 5.99 to 1 and no higher after countless nights on a dyno. His son Brad timed in 126 MPH at Old Daytona in1956 using this theory. High compression pistons did come out in the last 68 69 KR design but I don't know ratio numbers or how any of the other parts were matched to them such as combustion chamber size and cams which effect final CR. The tank looks like a home done down size for weight or clearance no doubt. The chamber looks odd on the first head...neat parts! Erik

Patrick, I think you are absolutely right about the tank being a modified CH tank. Didn't know there was a difference between a CH and a KR tank. Again, not a race guy but this is quit interesting. Can you explain the difference. The chrome one in the picture is surely a CH correct? They both have the drain in the bottom. Whoever did this modification though was really a hell of a welder. I will include a picture of the KR that was still in Bob's shop that had the same tank on it.
Erik, yeah when I saw those cylinders I kind of figured that there couldn't be too many of them left around especially in NOS condition but then I didn't really know for sure so I rolled the dice on them. Going to post 6 pictures so will be in two different posts.
Thanks guys for all the information. I appreciate it.
Stan

There are a few areas on the cylinders that have just the slightest bit of surface rust but overall they look nice.
Stan

Stan, Did you get the KR also, or do you know who got that? It was one good running KR. Ron

starcain wrote:Valve to head clearance still has me a little puzzled because it doesn't really look like these heads were cut any deeper as the base lip kept getting shorter. Maybe there was a lot of extra room in the valve chambers to begin with.
Stan

The valve to piston clearance on a KR was significant to start with, per the attached specification from the KR manual, so there was a bit of wiggle room to begin with. Factoring in the variables of valve form, seat depth, cam grind, etc there was certainly some "head skimming leeway" possible.