Very early horns did have a modest spout on them. Through the Knucklehead years, the horn (a shallow disc, like a larger version of a modern horn) was mounted front-and-centre up on the springer. In 1949, with the introduction of the radical Hydra-Glide front end, the horn was relocated. So important was the horn that Harley-Davidson changed the Big Twin frame a couple of times to give it a place to live.
Then in 1954, just after Harley’s 50th anniversary, the horn was redesigned with its ‘power pack’ on the left side of the bike, under a decorative chrome cover. That fed a tube that snaked through the carb support, hugged the right side of the Panhead’s cylinder, made a 90° left turn and exited at the front of the bike as a delightful chrome trumpet for all the world to see. The Jubilee Horn, as Harley-Davidson referred to it, even had a little screen in it to keep out debris, large bugs and small birds. The horn truly was a horn, by golly. (For those of you on unitised bikes, you should know the trumpet-style horn was first used on K models in ’52 and then on the Sportster® in ’57 – considerably before the Big Twins.) The Jubilee was in use on the Pans until they phased out in 1965.
Even if you ride a brand-new Harley-Davidson, you will have an icon of a horn emblazoned on your button. That’s a small, but very direct link back to a much earlier time in motorcycling. Panhead or Pan America™, the Jubilee Horn lives on even today in your local showroom. |