Racing
KRs and KRTTs, how many were made?
I have always been puzzled by the KR KRTT production
numbers quoted in some books…
I do not pretend to know everything by I have done in the past some production estimates for other European racers and it usually results in much less numbers than anticipated.
Mostly, writers have often quoted production figures
related to Dick O’Brien’s memories of 500 XLRTTs and 1000 KRs, which nice round
figures would put the KR as a bigger success than the XR 750 (and the XLRTT as
a close contender). And all that in a much smaller production span. Clearly I
believe these figures do not match the reality.
I have attempted to find another way to estimate those
figures by statistical means by comparing “known” yearly KR and XLRTT
production runs to total H-D “known” production run for the same years and
extrapolate the average over the years. “Known” numbers taken from various
factory records.
|
Year |
Total H-D run |
KR run |
KR % |
KRTT run |
KRTT % |
XLRTT run |
XLRTT % |
|
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|
|
|
1956 |
11 906 |
29 |
0.25 |
18 |
0.15 |
|
|
|
1957 |
13 079 |
16 |
0.13 |
9 |
0.07 |
|
|
|
1958 |
12 676 |
9 |
0.07 |
16 |
0.13 |
|
|
|
1959 |
12 342 |
10 |
0.08 |
23 |
0.2 |
|
|
|
1963 |
10 043 |
80 |
0.8 |
|
|
|
|
|
1964 |
13 270 |
20 |
0.15 |
30 |
0.2 |
30 |
0.02 |
|
1965 |
25 328 |
8 |
0.03 |
10 |
0.04 |
25 |
0.1 |
|
1966 |
36 310 |
10 |
0.03 |
10 |
0.03 |
25 |
0.07 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
total |
|
182 |
0.19 |
116 |
0.07 |
80 |
0.06 |
|
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|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
1952 to 1969 |
306 948 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1959 to 1969 |
215 987 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
% estimate |
306
948 x .19 |
583 KRs |
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|
% estimate |
306 948 x .07 |
|
|
214 KRTTs |
|
|
|
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|
% estimate |
215 987 x .06 |
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|
|
|
129 XLRTTs |
|
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Other
kind of estimate: divide “known” run by “known” years, time known years of
production |
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182 KRs : 8y
x 17y |
|
386 KRs |
|
|
|
|
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116 KRTTs :
8y x 17y |
|
|
|
246 KRTTs |
|
|
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80 XLRTTs :
3y x 10y |
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266 XLRTTs |
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Obviously, estimating is not an exact science… Tell me
what you think or better, if you have some figures, do tell us!!!
An article published in 1969 after the Daytona race
recalls some very cramped quarters for the racing department (one office for
Dick, some storage space for parts and engine assembly but not much of a
machine shop), while 3 Daytona KRTTs were stored in a wooden shed in the inside
courtyard at Juneau Avenue, so in my mind, even the lowest estimates still seem
high… Jim Haubert tells me that he was the 1st machinist employed
directly by the race dept. when he joined in 1971 and that the lone milling
machine at that time in the race shop dated from the 1st world
war!!! In those days, the race shop was next to the experimental shop and they used
some of their facilities (with the usual frictions due to different priorities)
Patrick
Patrick,
Clyde Denzer told me once back in 69 after the KR has ceased
production that there were over 600 KR 's produced from
52-68.......I don't trust HD's production Records on Racing
Machines....Even on the Alloy XR. Their own Production
Sheet shows no Complete XR's built in 1977 ...Just 72, 75, 78
& 80........I know of 3 different XR's that were Built in 77 and have
the Engine Code to Verify it (H 7) . The Current Racing
Dept. is no longer, Bill Werner retired and signed with Super
Trapp Exhaust Systems and Pete Zystra is in another part of the Factory.......The
Race Dept did get 36 XR Engine Kits recently (all sold) and
are supposed to have another 30 or so to come.
Hope your Site continues to Grow…
Steve Matz.