The History Of The Harley
July 25th, 2010 by Erin McCarty, under Travel and Leisure. No Comments
The Harley Davidson Company officially started with the completion of its first bike in 1903. Unofficially it all commenced in 1901 when 21-year-old William S. Harley drew up plans for a small engine that displaced 7.07 cubic inches and had 4-inch flywheels.
By 1903 William Harley had joined with his boyhood friend Arthur Davidson, as well as Arthur’s brother Walter. They used the machine shop of their friend Henry Melk to complete the prototype of their first engine-powered bike. The engine that powered this prototype was not quite powerful enough to launch the motored-bike up Milwaukee’s modest hills without the rider resorting to pedal power.
The first “real” Harley Davidson motorcycle was ultimately finished with extra help from another Davidson bro named William. It had a bigger engine of 24.74 cubic inches with 9-3 / four in. flywheels weighing 28 pounds. The new bike was functional by September 08, 1904, and made its first appearance in a Milwaukee motorcycle race.
The 1st Harley Davidson Motor Company factory was built in 1906 on Chestnut Street. It’s a modest 40 by sixty foot single story wooden structure. Chestnut Street was later renamed Juneau Avenue, and though the first structure was replaced, this location remains the Motor Company’s corporate headquarters to this day. A total of 50 motorcycles were produced in 1906.
The next year, 1907 brought about much change for the fledgling company. William S. Harley graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in mechanical engineering. The factory was expanded and the company officially incorporated. Production increased to 150 motorcycles in 1907.
Success continued in the years that followed. The first factory was demolished and replaced by a new 5-story structure of reinforced concrete and red brick. It soon grew to take up two blocks along Juneau Avenue and round the corner on 38th Street. In this period bikes produced by Harley Davidson started to rule the motorbike racing arena and production reached 16,284 in 1914.
World War I saw the demand for motorcycles in the military. Harley Davidson provided over twenty thousand motorcycles to military forces during World War I. Improvements and increased production continued after the war. The Harley Davidson Motor Company was really one of only two American cycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression. The company continued to provide machines for the military throughout WWII and the Korean War. The Jeep then replaced it in appreciation.
The Harley Davidson Motor Company is still going powerful today, despite bumps and bruises along the way. You’ll recognize it on the Stock Market under the symbol HOG.
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