Harley-Davidson Super Glide
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Harley Davidson History

No matter how much you love your bike, you’re not a true Harley fan unless you know the Harley Davidson History. They’ve come down a long and great road already and will only continue to do so.

It all started very early in the 1900’s. A young man named William S. Harley designed an engine to go on a pedal bicycle frame. He had a friend named Arthur Davidson and they worked on this new bike together for a couple of years. This wasn’t a huge success, but they learned a lot from it and found some motivation to do bigger and better things.

They created an even bigger engine. It was about 24.74 cubic inches, which was more than twice the size of the original. This second model actually set the standard for what motorcycles would become in the future. Harley and Davidson took this model to race in the Milwaukee state fair. They won fourth place!

The two men didn’t start selling their product until around 1905. The first dealer was Carl H. Lang in Chicago. They found moderate success right out of the gate.

Eventually, they had enough capital to start a factory. This very same area is where the modern factory stands today. It’s shocking to realize that in their first year they only made and sold 50 motorcycles, but that was still a great accomplishment.

The next year they tripled the number of motorcycles they sold. Police departments began buying them as well. Many police officers still ride Harley Davidsons today. It became time to design and produce a new model, that had even more power.

Harley and Davidson were such a success that they were able to do away with their old factory in 1913. They built a brand new one in the same site that was much larger and included five stories. Their success was such an inspiration that competition began showing up everywhere.

The police officer market already loved Harley’s, but when the US went to war in 1917 they ordered Harleys to help. They produced an incredible 20,000 different motorcycles for the war effort.

This was really the start of a long line of successes. Harley was far ahead of the competition and growing at the start of the 1920’s. They continued to improve upon their previous engines to corner the market. Sadly, the Great Depression depressed sales.

They survived this period and steadily built their business back to where it was and beyond. Harley Davidson is now synonymous with “motorcycle” in the United States. There are new models being created every year to the delight of all the Harley enthusiasts out there. There is also a strong secondhand market out there.

Knowing the Harley Davidson history is a great way to learn to appreciate the company even more than you already do. They are truly a legendary company that has been to great places and is going great places.