100 Years of Harley-Davidson
Milwaukee, Wisconsin is the birthplace of Harley-Davidson, the company began between two friends in 1903. The first project for the company got its start thanks to William Harley and Arthur Davidson, project competition would depend upon the talents of Arthur’s brothers, Walter and William. Walter was a skilled mechanic, William was an experienced toolmaker and together they group formed the HD Company, which was later incorporated.
In 1903, their first year of business, Harley-Davidson produced 3 motorcycles which were all bought and paid for being they were finished. As the regulation color of these early bikes was gray, they were nicknamed Silent Gray Fellows. By the end of 1905 the Company was not only selling motorcycles, but also motorcycle motors, marine motors, reversible propellers and float feed carburetors.
Harley-Davidson motorcycles gained even more notoriety and popularity as the next decade progressed. The use of the products was not restricted to that of the general populace, as even the government got into the act, by employing the usage of the bikes in 9 departments (over 4,800 were used in the Postal service alone. In 1916, with tensions between the US and Mexico running high, the government helped to solve their border problems with revolutionary Pancho Villa with HD’s (those models included machine guns, of course. The federal government did not ease up on their use of HD during the first World War, on the contrary, the government purchased fifty percent of all of the HD motorcycles during this period and shipped them overseas for the military to use.
The 1920’s brought an end to the war and a beginning to the world of racing where they made quite an impact. Unlike many companies during the 1930s, the effects of the Great Depression were not strong enough to press Harley-Davidson out of business, they continued to prosper. Unfortunately World War II came in the 1940’s and they were pressed into service once again.
In the decade of the 1950s, the company began employing more aggressive marketing strategies and saw increased growth. The Jeep was favored by the government over the motorcycles when war once again was declared during the 1950s in Korea. With the government’s attentions elsewhere, Harley-Davidson marketed their products exclusively towards an already adoring non-military fan base.
The company was not immune to the undercurrent of transformations that took place in the decade of the 1960s. Change can be seen through the company’s decision to produce the 3-wheeled golfing cart. Though they were sold overseas, the carts’ greatest success came at home, where they were able to successfully dominate over a third of the market. In according to the change theme, motorcycle accessories became part of the Harley-Davidson family during the 1960s too.
The 1970s produced advancements in racing techniques in the bikes produced by Harley-Davidson and as a result, the bikes saw continued success in the racing sport. One of the greatest changes occurred in the 1980s when the HD Company became a private ownership once again, thanks to a buyback. Also during the decade, the company’s increase devotion to better machines paid off in the form of many years’ worth of contract deals with the California Highway Patrol, from 184 to 1985, and again from 1987 to 1989.
In the decade of the 1990s, the Harley-Davidson Company began producing of the FLSTF Fat Boy, their most customized factory custom motorcycle yet. The goal of the new bike was to invoke the feel of past bikes while keeping up to date. The Twenty first century has come and the company remains strong. There are a number of lines of bikes made by the HD company, and these include the Sporster, the Dyna, the Softail, the VRSC, and a Touring line, the amount of models that branch off from those lines are numerous.
