The History Of Harley Davidson Motorcycle Company & Frames

The History of Harley Davidson Motorcycle Company began in the first decade of the 20th century. The establishment was founded by William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. At the age of 21, William finalized the blueprint for an engine he designed to fit a bicycle. Two years later, in 1903, William and Arthur built their first official production bike in a 10x15 foot shed. The shed on Juneau Avenue, formerly Chestnut Street, later evolved into the corporate headquarters known today. .

Between 1904 and 1914, the work-shed expanded to a 28x80 foot factory with six employees and the first catalog was published. William A. Davidson and Walter Davidson partnered with their brother Arthur and William Harley in 1907. They incorporated the business and shared the stock. Detroit was the first city to have bought H. D. Motorcycles for police use after the bike attained a perfect score at the Seventh Annual Federation of American Motorcyclists Endurance and Reliability contest later setting a F. A. M. Economy record of 188.234 miles to the gallon. The first V-twin was made in 1909. This engine had a horsepower of seven with a 49.5 cubic inch displacement. .

The F-head single cylinder engine was introduced in 1911. It was known as the F-head because of the shape of the valve ports. This engine was used until 1929. The "Bar & Shield" logo was trademarked a few months later. Harley-Davidson began exporting motorcycles to Japan in 1912. In the same year they also began construction on six-stories of headquarters. The Parts & Accessories Department was created. H. D. Had over 200 dealers across the country of America. The following year of 1913 marked the formation of the Racing Department. Harley-Davidson made sidecars available in 1914 and switched from leather drive belts to chain belts. This belt switch was a huge improvement because the leather belts tended to stretch, slip, and rot. .

H. D. Motorcycles were available with 3-speed, sliding gear transmissions with final and primary drive on the same side in 1915. The following year of 1916 saw the first publishing of "The Enthusiast" magazine. Almost a third of H. D.'s production was bought by the Army in 1917. Army mechanics were trained at the Quartermasters School started by the company. The Quartermasters School became the Service School after the war. The Service School provides factory-trained mechanics to be available for dealers. Half of the motorcycles produced in 1918 were sold to the U. S. Military because of World War 1. Corporal Roy Holtz, the first American soldier to enter Germany, arrived on a Harley. .

1920 marked the year that Harley-Davidson was the largest motorcycle manufacturer. They had over 2,000 dealers in 67 countries. The racing team also known as "The Wrecking Crew" declared a small pig as their mascot. The bikes were nicknamed "Hogs" then as many enthusiasts still refer to them today. The 20's saw teardrop shaped gas tanks, the return of single-cylinder motorcycles, the first two-cam engine, and the D-model. The D-model had a 45-cubic-inch flathead V-Twin engine. The "flat head" motor was sold in different forms for over 40 years. .

1929 was the year of the stock market crash and the beginning of the Great Depression. Harley Davidson was one brand of motorcycles out of a handful that was able to survive the Great Depression. H. D. Only sold 4,000 motorcycles in 1933. William A. Davidson died in 1937 only two days after he signed an agreement to make the company a union shop. The U. S. Entered World War II in 1941, civilian motorcycle production came to an almost complete standstill. The following year Walter Davidson died. One year later in 1943 William S. Harley died. Between 1941 and 1945 H. D. Produced about 90,000 WLA models that were used for the military. The war finally ended in 1945. .

Arthur Davidson passed away in the year 1950 right before Harley-Davidson's 50th anniversary three years later. The company ends up being the only motorcycle manufacturer of the United States during the rest of the 20th century. The beginning of the 60's saw a potential for smaller machines in the market, so Harley bought a half-interest of Aermacchi. Aermacchi was an Italian company that produced single-cylinder motorcycles. Unfortunately stock was traded to AMF (American Machine and Foundry Company) in 1969 which resulted in serious downfalls in quality. Buyers looked for "pre-AMF" used bikes in the classified ads. The 1970's through the 1980's saw many new bike designs. H. O. G. The Harley Owners Group was formed in 1983. .

Harley-Davidson bought a partial interest of Buell Motorcycle Company in 1993. Throughout the 1990's the company did a lot of building. A 250,000 facility was opened in Franklin, Wisconsin for Parts & Accessories. New plants were opened for design in Florida and Kansas City. The first foreign factory was opened in 1998 in Brazil. H. D. Also acquired the rest of the shares of the Buell Motorcycle Company this same year. The History of Harley Davidson Motorcycle Company has entered the present. Just recently in 2003, Harley-Davidson celebrated its 100th anniversary, more than 250,000 people came to Milwaukee to celebrate. A museum dedicated to the timeless motorcycle was opened in 2008. Today Harley-Davidson is a world renowned motorcycle brand, people know the sound of a Harley by heart. .