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Two friends had a dream and while they worked together at a Milwaukee

engineering firm they turned their dream into reality. We know their

dream as – Harley Davidson. William S Harley and Arthur

Davidson built the first 400cc single-cylinder engine in 1902. Joining

them a year later was Davidson’s older brothers Walter and

William A, and together they fitted the single-cylinder engine into the

frame of a bicycle, which became the prototype for Harley Davidson

Motorcycles. All of this was accomplished from a small shed in the

Davidson’s yard.

Even though the motor was reliable, it was enlarged because it was

underpowered. The initial frame was too weak to hold the new engine so

it was replaced with a stronger, more substantial structure that was

built similar to the prototype. In 1903 they produced two more bikes

and three the following year. By 1907, Harley Davidson’s

growing reputation for their reliable product helped to push their

annual production rate to over 150. The year was also 1907 when Harley

Davidson decided it was time to raise money for expansion. They became

a corporation and divided the shares among seventeen employees. They

moved themselves out of the Davidson’s shed and into a much

bigger premise which is still their location – Juneau Avenue

in Milwaukee.

The early models of Harley-Davidson motorbikes had no lights and no

suspension. Within a few years after production began,

Harley’s soon had fitted leading link forks a magneto

ignition and a carbide gas headlamp. The model 5 produced in 1909 had

about 4bhp from its 494cc inlet over exhaust engine, with a speed of

45mph. Bicycle petals were used to start the engine. Once the bike was

in motion the leather drive belt was tightened using a hand lever. (To

have a more contemporary view of what harley

davidson parts now look like, please visit our website).

The first V-twin Harley was built in 1909. It was the model 5D but was

not an immediate success. The V-twin produced close to 7bhp, which was

almost twice as much as the single engine but it was difficult to start

and suffered from a slipping drive belt. Two years later, in 1911, they

introduced the 45-degree V-twin with a revised valve gear, new frame

and had been fitted with a full floating seat and chain drive. These

new improvements made a huge difference which caused the

V-twin’s popularity to grow. By the year 1913 the model

9E’s 1000cc power plant was producing 10bhp which gave the

bike a top speed of 60mph.

Initially Harley-Davidson was reluctant to get themselves involved in

racing, such as reliability runs however, by 1914 they changed their

minds and entered a factory team. The firm’s Milwaukee crew,

the “Wrecking Crew” rode powerful 8-valve V-twins

which were very competitive against the rival Merkel and Excelsior, and

Indian. This became a great period for Harley-Davidson as production

rose to more than 22,000 bikes and 16,000 sidecars in 1919. These

numbers were cut in half in the upcoming 2 years mainly because of the

Model T Ford, which put the majority of American motorcycle companies

out of business.

Harley-Davidson is known for its large capacity V-twins but the smaller

45ci Forty Five played a vital part in the history of the company. The

Forty Five, produced in 1928, was the first machine with a total loss

oil system. It was restyled and updated 9 years later to create the W

series. It was the simple and strong Forty Five that kept

Harley-Davidson in business through the Depression of the

1930’s. The WLA model proved to be a useful military machine

in which close to 80,000 were being used in the Second World War. These

“war bikes” were converted for civilian use after

the war was over which helped to popularize Harley-Davidson worldwide.

In 1936, while still suffering the effects of the Depression,

Harley-Davidson introduced the Model 61E. This model’s 61cc

V-twin engine was a huge advancement over other models due to its

overhead valve design and recirculating oil system. The neat style of

the 61E helped it become a huge success. It became known as the

knucklehead because of the shape of the engines rocker covers. It gave

it a technical advantage over its rival Indian and became the ancestor

to modern Harley’s.

Harley-Davidson will forever be synonymous with producing great bikes.

What started as a dream, survived the Depression, and is still going

strong today. There is nothing quite like hearing the rumble of a

Harley as you’re heading for the highway.

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