THE MYSTERIOUS MIDGET

For decades, Jerry Branch was known for his remarkable race-winning tuning related to cylinder heads, airflow, and engine building. Branch’s work was instrumental in steering Harley-Davidson to many racing victories starting in the 1960s, and his expertise and career extended into the burgeoning superbike era with work on Ducatis, Hondas, and more. He was an energetic and focused Tennessee native and World War II veteran whose legacy will live far beyond his death at the age of 94 in 2018. His company, Branch Flowmetrics, lives on as Branch & O’Keefe.

Of all Branch’s remarkable stories told to me over our years of friendship, it was one he first relayed during a visit to his Southern California home in 2009 that was intriguingly different from the rest. It centered