Jerry
Branch earned a reputation as one of the best engineers of racing
motors in the second half of the 20th century. He specialized in engine
airflow and worked extensively with Harley-Davidson, helping develop
the heads for the famous XR racer. He also did important development
work for several manufacturers in AMA Superbike racing during the 1970s
and 1980s. Branch also assisted John Britten in the development of the
famous Britten V1000 racer of the 1990s. In addition, Branch helped
formulate rules for AMA Superbike racing and was instrumental in
working with the AMA’s racing department for years, refining technical
specifications for its various racing classes.
Branch was born
in Memphis, Tennessee, on August 1, 1924. His stepfather was a
respected pharmacist and Branch grew up in an upper-middle-class area
of town. His daily route to school took him past Memphis’
Harley-Davidson dealership. By the time Branch was in high school, he
was spending a lot of his spare time hanging around the shop.
“One
day the shop owner told me if I was going to hang around all the time
that he was going to have to put me to work,” Branch remembers. “Of
course I was thrilled. I worked there all summer and in September when
it came time to go back to school I talked to my parents about staying
on full-time at the dealership and that’s what I did.”
Branch
worked at the Memphis dealership from 1940 to 1957, interrupted by a
stint with the Marines in the South Pacific during World War II. By the
late 1950s, Branch was starting to grow impatient with his work at the
motorcycle shop.
“I was the highest paid worker they had and I
was only making 65 dollars a week,” Branch said. “Plus, I was really
into racing and there wasn’t much of it in that part of the country.”
So
Branch left Memphis on a bus headed for the Mecca of motorcycling—Los
Angeles. Branch landed a job at Long Beach Harley-Davidson and dove
headlong into building bikes for many of the top West Coast riders such
as Dick Hammer, Troy Lee and others. By the mid-1960s, Branch began
working closely with Harley-Davidson and racing chief Dick O’Brien.
In
1968, Branch left the dealership and opened his own business to build
racing heads for Harley-Davidson. A visit to the engineering department
of an aircraft company opened Branch’s eyes to airflow. He went to work
learning all he could about airflow in an engine’s combustion chamber
and was able to find major horsepower gains in Harley-Davidson’s racing
motors. Three years after opening his business, Branch’s expertise was
being sought by other makers and he began doing work for other
manufacturers, including an increasing number of projects in the
automotive field. One particularly high-profile project he took on was
helping increase the gas mileage of the famous Offenhauser Indy Car
motor when fuel consumption restrictions were put into place.
Some
of Branch’s research led to unique discoveries. For example, he found a
Harley-Davidson racing engine produced better airflow by using smaller
intake ports and valves. At first, Harley engineers doubted Branch’s
findings, but after seeing the test results, prototypes were built and
the engine revved higher and produced a good deal more power.
Now
established and renowned for his work with Harley-Davidson and in
automobile racing, Branch began expanding his business and became
heavily involved in engine development work in the burgeoning AMA
Superbike Series. Branch was involved with the formulation of the
original AMA Superbike rules. He did much of the head work for Cook
Neilson’s Ducati Superbike that won at Daytona in 1977. He also did
extensive design work for Kawasaki and Honda’s AMA Superbike teams and
Honda’s AMA Grand National dirt track effort. In one memorable non-stop
two-day session just before Daytona, Branch, along with assistance from
Honda Racing engineers, helped coax competitive horsepower from new
factory Honda Superbikes that came out of Japan nearly 30 horsepower
down to its competition.
Branch’s expertise even took him
outside of the motorsports realm. He once was asked to see if he could
improve the suction performance for a vacuum cleaner sold by Sears.
Branch’s redesigned vacuum was so powerful that it couldn’t even be
pushed because it created so much suction. After the company cut back
the horsepower of the motor, the Branch design worked perfectly.
Branch’s
reputation reached worldwide. A young aspiring motorcycle builder from
New Zealand named John Britten asked Branch to help him with his new
motorcycle.
“I told John that I appreciated the effort he was
putting into building this motor, but I told him that frankly it was a
real mess,” Branch remembers. “John came to California and we had
several meetings and he greatly improved the motor. His bike was doing
well, but he said it would eventually need more power and we helped him
design a five-valve cylinder head for the Britten. That’s the motor
John was working on when he passed away. Unfortunately I don’t think
any of the five-valve Brittens were ever produced.”
Branch was a
good friend with fellow Memphis native Elvis Presley. When Branch
worked at the shop in Memphis, Elvis, then a teenaged high school
student, pushed in a well used Harley 125 asking if Jerry could get it
running. “I’d work on Elvis’ bike and get it going and a week or two
later he’d be back pushing the bike to the shop.”
After Elvis
made it big in music and movies, he often asked Branch to come out and
work on his motorcycles and also had him teach some of his Hollywood
friends how to ride.
Branch wrote engineering books on his
engine air flow work. He sold his Branch Flowmetrics to Mikuni in the
late 1990s. He retired, but didn’t slow down, indulging in many
hobbies, including flying and scuba diving.
Branch’s racing
engine development eventually found its way from racing bikes to
production models. His innovations were far reaching and helped usher
in the awesome power of the Superbike era of racing.