History of Harley Davidson

             In 1903, the birthplace of the American idol was a 10' x 15' shed in the backyard of the Davidson family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Arthur Davidson and William Harley began experiments on "taking the work out of bicycling." Now if you doubt that bicycling was any work, try and remember what people were riding 100 years ago and you'll get the picture. At that time in history there was a new invention called the "horseless carriage" or car, so it was a logical progression to come up with the idea to fit a smaller combustion engine to a bicycle.
             Soon after, Arthur's two brothers Walter and William joined the pair. In two years they produced 3 motorcycles and the Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Co. was born. Production numbers leapt from three machines in 1903 to fifty in 1906, just over 1,100 in 1909, and double that the following year. By 1910, Harley-Davidson was producing over 23,000 bikes a year and was the second biggest manufacturer in the US behind the Indian.
             The 45-degree V-Twin was soon became one of the more recognizable images of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle. In 1907 Bill Harley made a project of the first 1000 CC V-Twin. It produced a modest seven horsepower. Two years later a V-Twin was listed as part of the model line, but disappeared the following year because it had not been perfected. The V-Twin returned in 1911, and is still in production nine decades later.1910 brought the legendary "Bar and Shield" logo that was placed on their motorcycle. This would become the defining symbol of Harley-Davidson to this day. The year 1912 saw further growth of the Harley-Davidson Company. Construction began on a new 6-story factory. Harley-Davidson also became an exporter this year and their first overseas sale was made in Japan. In the states, there were now over 200 dealerships. An addition to Harley-Davidson was the sidecar in 1914. Harley-Davidson also formally put their hand in the ring of m...

More Essays:

APA     MLA     Chicago
History of Harley Davidson. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 10:58, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/10126.html