In 1903, four lads from Milwaukee tinkered around with the idea of putting an engine on a bicycle. It looks like they were on to something.
Beginning in 1901, twenty one year old William Harley and his friend Arthur Davidson worked on the construction of a 116cc engine that Harley had drawn up. They planned to mount it onto a bicycle and take human power out of the equation. Sometime in the next two years, that small engine cackled to life, and an American icon was born. Their shop walls wouldn’t contain the noise, and today it’s turned into a rumble that can be heard wherever there’s a road.
Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Hit the Road
Harley and Davidson, along with Davidson’s brothers William and Walter, gave their first powered cycle mixed reviews. It ran, but wouldn’t go up the gentle hills around their Wisconsin home without pedal assistance. Undaunted, they went back to the shop and made it bigger. A 405cc engine was built in a 10×15 foot shed in the Davidson’s backyard. With it’s new power plant, a Harley-Davidson bike took 4th place in a local motorcycle race. The first Harley-Davidson dealer was located in nearby Chicago, and in 1905, that outlet sold three of their motorcycles.
A year later, the company would produce 50 bikes from their factory on Juneau Avenue. This location remains the headquarters of Harley-Davidson to this day. The first V-Twin engine was produced in 1911, and thanks to a large order of bikes for military purposes in World War l, the company would become the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world by 1920. A year later, the lads who couldn’t get their bike to pull itself up a hill would see one of their creations win a race with an average speed of over 100 mph-a worlds first.
Rough Road for Harley Bikes
Over the next few decades, Harley-Davidson would introduce motorcycles in a variety of styles and sizes. They would see their company enjoy varying degrees of sales success and the company’s image would go in and out of public favor. Outlaw motorcycle clubs rode Harley’s, and various movies portrayed bike riders as criminals and a public menace.
But, the low point of company history might have been in 1969, when AMF bought the company. During the AMF years, Japanese bikes proved to be of higher quality and lower price, and the company almost went bankrupt. However, in 1981, a group of investors bought H-D from AMF. Led by Willie G. Davidson, the grandson of co-founder William A. Davidson, the company would restore the image and quality of Harley-Davidson motorcycles to a level that their loyal customers had been looking for, and the company enjoyed better times.
One very distinctive innovation came in 2001, when Harley introduced the V-Rod. This new model was powered by a liquid cooled engine-the first in company history. Also, in 2003, Harley celebrated its 100th anniversary by offering a line of limited edition bikes to commemorate the event.
Future of Harley-Davidson Motorcycles
With the world economy being what it is, it’s tough to predict what the future holds for Harley. The numbers show that their customers are getting older, with a median age approaching 50. Harley has taken strides to widen their customer base, concentrating on marketing to women and introducing a 3 wheeled model.
Harley-Davidson has seen the good times as well as the bad, so don’t expect them go away. Wherever there’s an open stretch of road, the rumble will live on. Two wheels and an attitude. Let’s ride.
Read more at Suite101: From New York to California, Harley Davidson Owns the Road http://www.suite101.com/content/from-new-york-to-california-harley-davidson-owns-the-road-a223936#ixzz1AhflsFsb
