Flying high

Leslie “Red” Parkhurst races a biplane at the Wisconsin State Fair, circa 1915. Parkhurst began his racing career at age 13 after lying about his age, then became the first official member of the Harley-Davidson® factory racing team five years later, in 1914. Parkhurst’s height (a lanky 6’-4”) and shock of red hair made him stand out. His ready smile made him a crowd favourite and a natural choice to feature in Harley-Davidson adverts.

Parkhurst is perhaps best known for setting a number of speed and endurance records for Harley-Davidson in 1920. These included a new 24-hour solo endurance record of 1,452 miles at the two-mile Sheepshead Bay board track in New York. His feat was especially impressive considering it included two hours of waiting out a heavy rainstorm, which made the boards too slick to ride on. The airplane race was, of course, unofficial; such publicity stunts were common in those days. But let the record show that the biplane proved no match for Parkhurst and his Harley-Davidson Model 11K factory racer.

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