Harley Davidson - The Bike
The Harley Davidson Company officially began its illustrious history with the completion of its first bike in 1903. Unofficially, however, it all began in 1901 when then 21-year-old William S. Harley drew up plans for a small engine that displaced 7.07 cubic inches and had 4-inch flywheels. He originally designed this engine for use on a regular pedal-bicycle frame.
By 1903, Harley had joined with his boyhood friend, Arthur Davidson, as well as Arthur's brother Walter. Working together, 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 propel the motored-bike up the slopes of Milwaukee's modest hills without the rider having to resort to pedal power.
The first "real" Harley Davidson Motorcycle was eventually completed with some additional help from yet another Davidson brother named William. This machine had a bigger engine of 24.74 cubic inches with 9-3/4 inch flywheels weighing 28 pounds. The new bike was considered functional by September 08, 1904, and made its first appearance in a Milwaukee motorcycle race.
In 1903, the company produced three motorcycles, followed by 3 more in 1904. Production rose drastically to 8 completed cycles in 1905, allowing Walt Davidson to quit his current job with the railroad, thus becoming the company's first full-time employee.
The Davidson's aunt, Janice Davidson, also began helping out by using her artistic talent to letter and pinstripe the bikes, which were originally painted black with gold trim.
The very first Harley Davidson Motor Company factory was built in 1906 on Chestnut Street in Milwaukee. It was a modest 40 by 60 foot single story wooden structure. Chestnut Street was later renamed Juneau Avenue, and though the original structure was replaced, this location still remains the Motor Company's corporate headquarters to this day.
A whopping total of 50 motorcycles were produced in 1906.
The following year, 1907 brought about many changes 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 soared to 150 motorcycles in 1907.
Another monumental change that occurred in 1907 was the completion of a prototype of a 45-degree V-Twin engine. This engine displaced 53.68 cubic inches and produced about 7 horsepower, just about doubling the hill-climbing power of the first singles.
Production continued to increase to 450 motorcycles in 1908 followed by 1,149 in 1909.
The fledgling company's success continued in the years that followed. The original 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 around the corner on 38th Street. During this period bikes produced by Harley Davidson began their domination of the motorcycle racing arena and, in 1914, production reached 16,284 motorcycles.
World War I saw the demand for motorcycles for use by the military. Harley Davidson provided over 20,000 motorcycles to military forces during World War I, with improvements and increased production continuing after the end of the war. The Harley Davidson Motor Company was in fact one of only 2 American cycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression. The company continued to produce machines for the military throughout World War II and the Korean War, when the Jeep eventually replaced it in popularity.
Today, the Harley Davidson Motor Company is still going strong, despite bumps and bruises along the way. You can find its stock traded on the Stock Market under the symbol HOG.
