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Harley Davidson History
Nov 28th
In 1903 in Milwaukee is the beginning of history of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Arthur Walter Davidson and Bill Harley developed a one-cylinder motorcycle in Milwaukee. They build the motorbike which is powered by a one-cylinder gasoline combustion engine for racing. The small company extended quickly and another member of the Davidson.
The project of first 1000 cc V-Twin was made by Bill Harley in 1909. The more recognizable images of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle are the 45-degree V-Twin. Actually, Harley-Davidson did not invent the V-Twin, it is hard to believe. Harley-Davidson is more recognize when they winnings in races, endurance contest, and hill climbs. For a long, long time this V-Twin stayed with Harley Davidson motorcycle.
The Harley-Davidson Company saw further growth in the year of 1912. They also became a motorcycle exporter this year and their first overseas sale was made in Japan. About 20,000 motorcycles were used in the war, and most of them Harley-Davidsons. Harley Davidson was the biggest motorcycle factory in the world and they have nearly 2,000 dealerships worldwide in 1918. A long with appearance changes such as the “eagle” design, which was painted on all Harley-Davidson gas tanks, changes were also made to the engine.
Now on, the 1340 cc is the biggest Harley Davidson motorbike that ever appeared. Civilian production on the motorcycle was mostly suspended in 1941 because the company turned out motorcycles for the world war. Harley-Davidson received the army-Navy “E” award because of their commitment and excellent, this would not be the last time. For machine shop, they purchased the old A.O Smith Propeller Plant in 1947. Hydraulic front brakes were introduces on the Hydra-Glide models in the year of 1949.
In the 1950’s the British owned 40 % of the motorcycle market with their Triumph motorbike. This is another bad period to the Harley-Davidson company, but they still survived at the period. Fortunately the Harley Davidson Sportster was born in 1957. It is the fastest Harley Davidson ever. In 1970’s is the beginning of revolution of Harley Davidson. They introduced FXS Low Rider and the FLHS Electra Glide Sport to the public in 1977.
In 1987 The Harley-Davidson Company obtained a place on the New York Stock Exchange for those interested in taking a financial stake in the company. The FXTS Springer Softail model was introduced into the lineup at the end of the revolutionary decade for Harley-Davidson.
With FXDB Dyna Glide Sturgis, the Dyna line of Harley-Davidson’s was introduced in 1991. In 1994, with the VR1000 is the jump of Harley-Davidson into the superbike racing. Harley-Davidson was not fully averse to manufacturing a race inspired sport bike, and they made the VR 1000 featured a dual overhead cam and liquid cooled engine and showed.
By: marikxon manurung
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Harley-Davidson Glossary of Terms
Nov 20th
Atmospheric Inlet Valve – The falling of the pistons activates the opening of inlet valves by causing a vacuum. Usually found in the early single cylinder Harleys.
Ape Hangers – Elevated handlebars raising the rider’s hands above the shoulders.
Buell – First built by Eric Buell, a former Harley-Davidson employee, these are the v-twin Harley-engined bikes which helped the company win a share in the sports bike market.
Big-Twin – A designation used for the larger sized Harley-Davidson engines. Sportster® models range from 883 ( see the XL883 Sportster® here ) to the 1200 cubic centimetres. Almost all other Harleys have 1340, 1450, or 1584 cc engines.
Bobber – All extras and non-essentials are removed to increase the power to weight ratio. Increased performance and better styling was the result. Probably one of the first customised motorcycles from about in the early 50’s. The first customs came about with the return of war vets looking to rekindle the thrill of flying fighter planes. Also known as a Bobtail.
Blockhead – Harley-Davidson’s innovative Evolution® V-Twin engine.
Chopper – 1960’s and 70’s era custom bikes. Noted for extended and raked forks, tweaking done to the suspension and the introduction of thinner Japanese wheels for the front end.
Duo-Glide® – A big twin with rear suspension introduced from 1958 to the mid sixties.
Dyna Glide® – The term glide refer to the effect of the effective rubber engine mountings used on the frames of this model.
Electra Glide® – An electric starter was introduced to this model
Evolution® – The engine that replaced the Shovelhead. Featuring an overhead valve and is commonly found on post 1980 models of the big-twins and Sportsters.
F-Head® – Pertains to inlet over exhaust valve engines.
Fathead® – A Twin-Cam engine introduced from 1999 and is still featured till this day!
Fat Boy® – The bike seen in the movie Terminator. Characterised by a solid front disc wheel and engine mounted gauges. One of Harley-Davidson’s top selling motorcycles.
Flathead® – An older engine featuring side valves. Noted for its durability.
Hardtail® – Basically, a frame with no suspension. A rigid!
Hydra Glide® – An hydraulic suspension system used in the front forks.
Knucklehead® – A v-twin engine built from 1936 – 1947.
Low Rider® – A custom with low riding position and low seat. A typical custom version of the Super Glide® which appeared in the 1970’s.
Panhead® – The series of engines that replaced the Nucklehead.
Shovelhead® – The series of engines that replaced the Panhead from 1966 onwards.
Side Valve – An engine with valves on the side of the cylinder.
Softail® – Resembling the look of a Hardtail, the suspension is hidden underneath the engine.
Sportster – An improved model featuring 883 cc to 1200 cc engines.
Springer® – A model with a front fork featuring springs on the suspension. Here’s an example of a custom Springer.
Super Glide® – A hybrid between the Sportster front end and the frame of the big-twin engine Harley-Davidson’s. The first factory custom ever made.
Tour Glide® – Designed for touring and packed with all the features required for long distance cruising.
Twin Cam – The largest Harley engine that is now featured on most of the later models developed.
Wide Glide® – Features wider forks and is the featured bike in the movie Easy Rider. Popularised on the customisation seen for its versatility it sports a 1450cc engine pushing out a noted 79bhp. Also includes some of the latest Harley technology.
By: Greg Hudson
About the Author:
Visit BikeFinder.co.za for photos of Harley-Davidson motorcycles for sale. [http://www.bikefinder.co.za/harleys_for_sale/waynes_wheels.htm] Find a bike for your next motorcycling trip to South Africa.
The History And Story Of Harley Davidson
Oct 19th
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.
By: Mel Raskinski
About the Author:
Mel Raskinski is a senior writer for Motorcycle Parts and Apparel.
Visit them online for a wide selection of motorcycle saddlebags and more.
Visit them online for a wide selection of motorcycle saddlebags and more.
Harley-Davidson History
Sep 4th
Harley-Davidson history is long and proud and began at the start of the 20th century. The beginnings of this American icon were very humble. In 1903, Davidson brothers Arthur and Walter along with William S. Harley built a single cylinder motorcycle in a wooden shed built by cabinet making William C. Davidson. The Davidson brother’s aunt Janet painted the pin-stripes on the first few Harleys.
In 1905 the first Harley to be produced in significant numbers was the Silent Gray Fellow named for its quite operation and gray color. These were 450cc single cylinder bikes using a bicycle-style frame.To slow down and stop the rider had to peddle backwards.
Following the official formation of the company in 1907, Arthur signed up over 800 dealers in ten years. These dealers were in all of America’s then 48 states. Just five years after the first Harleys were made and sold the Detroit Police bought a fleet of motorcycles. By 1925, over 2,500 police units in the US were riding Harley-Davidsons.
The first V-Twin Harley was produced in 1909. It was an inlet-over-exhaust belt-driven engine. This first V-Twin was the Model 5-D. This was the engine that would go on to make Harley famous.
A big part of Harley-Davidson history is Harleys contribution to U.S. Military efforts. In 1918 Harley supplied thousands of motorcycles to the military to be used in World War I. Almost half of all Harley-Davidsons produced that year were sold to the military. The first American GI to enter Germany was Roy Holtz, riding a Harley-Davidson.
Harley became involved in racing to prove the dependability of their bikes. Harley’s first and notable success was in 1908. Walter Davidson won the Jack Pine Endurance run. Not only did the bike prove its dependability, the bike won the economy contest with 188 miles per gallon. In 1921 Harley becomes the first motorcycle to win a race with an average speed of 100PMH on a board track in Fresno, CA. Another early sucess story was the record of Joe Petrali, who set a record of 136.183MPH at Daytona Beach in 1937. Early Harley racing teams adopted a pig as their mascot and carried it on victory laps. This might have been the start of the term HOG. Racing was not always a priority for Harley but their riders have had great success over the years.
In 1941 America joins World War II. Harley produces the Model WLA which features blackout lights, high clearence fenders and metal leg shields. Almost all of Harley-Davidsons output was devoted to the military from 1941 to 1945. By the end of the war, Harley produced 88,000 WLA models for the U.S. Military and around 20,000 for the Canadians.
When looking at Harley-Davidson history, we can’t forget the many World War II ex-servicemen who came back to small town America. While Harley-Davidson’s civilian production had all but ceased during the war, there were plenty of army surplus motorcycles to be bought. Many of these ex-servicemen started a trend by buying and customizing these bikes. They removed or shortened the fenders to reduce weight. These bikes became known as Bobbers. These changes ultimately lead to the evolution of the Chopper.
After a post-war boom, the company’s sales were damaged by the influx of cheaper Japanese and British imports. This competition ironically caused a resurgence of interest in motorcycles, which the company profited from. Harley was bought by American Machine and Foundry (AMF) in 1969. Harley-Davidson history is full of ups and downs. Some of us are old enough to remember that Harley went through some hard times during the AMF years. In 1981 senior management bought the company back from AMF.
Harley slowly came back in the 80s and now Harley-Davidson is one of the most recognized names in the world. In 1983 Harley Owners Group (HOG) was formed with 30,000 members in the first year. Now there are about a million HOG members world wide. After 105 years, Harley-Davidson Motorcycles are more popular than ever.
By: B Corcoran
About the Author:
Written by Brian from Harley Riders Guide.com Copyright http://www.harley-riders-guide.com
This article can only be used in its entirety with a link back to http://www.harley-riders-guide.com