Motorcycles all over the world have unique aspects and features, but some are as simple as the standard bikes seen around the streets. When you see a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, the bikes are recognizable for their iconic designs. Their bikes vary from classic to modern. Harley-Davidson has designed, assembled, and marketed motorcycles, motorcycle parts, and accessories for centuries and the company headquarters are in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States.The company offers general merchandise related to its products, and they market through a network of independent dealers all across the globe. Harley-Davidson continues to produce high-quality and innovative bikes, and released the Harley-Davidson Nightster earlier this year. Despite the decades that have passed, and events that have happened like the COVID-19 pandemic, they never get out of the style of customizing bikes in the community.
Harley-Davidson's Humble Beginnings And How They Created Their First Production Bike
There are tons of fast facts about William Harley and the three Davidsons. However, this article will take an in-depth look at their lengthy history. The story began with a speck of ideas and plans of a 20-year-old boy, William Harley. He started creating small engines and small displacement bikes with a regular pedal-bicycle frame. Years later, William worked on a motorized bicycle with his childhood friend Arthur Davidson and his brother Walter. Their first valuable learning experiment improved the vehicle. The bike received an engine with a displacement of 24.74 cubic inch with a flywheel weighing 28 lbs.
The pattern of the loop frame was similar to the design of Joseph Merkel's 1093 Milwaukee Merkel motorcycle. They used the design pattern for more significant engines and loop frames and marked it for future motorcycle designs. It was in 1901 when William Harley decided to develop a prototype using the engine capacity of 7.07 cubic inches.
Arthur Davidson is the one who worked on the bike and finally finished their first prototype in 1903. After the first prototype, they decided to work on a better version and considered it as the first real Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
Toolroom foreman William Davidson was the oldest of the Davidson brothers. He worked for the West Milwaukee rail shop, where they fabricated the major parts of the prototype, and they used the 405cc prototype at the Milwaukee motorcycle race competition in 1904. Edward Hilderbrand rode the bike and finished the race in fourth place.
The Stunning Features Of Harley-Davidson's First Production Bike
The first production of the Harley-Davidson Model No. 1 started in 1905 at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. The said model was almost the same as the bikes built in the previous years. The model used an engine of an inlet-over-exhaust single. It has the capacity of 24.74 cubic inches and operates on the transmission of a single-speed belt drive.
The frame used for the Model No. 1 is a tubular loop and has a weight of 1,851 lb. It can hold a maximum speed of 40 mph utilizing the pedal power, which was often needed once the engine could not provide the sufficient amount of power needed.
The motorcycle was selling for only $200, considered a lot at the time. The company only produced 38 copies of the motorcycle, and a model of the first production bike is on display in the lobby of the company’s headquarters. After almost 120 years later, the Harley-Davidson Model No. 1 is worth $15 million as valued by Hagerty Broker. It is the oldest motorcycle from the company, which is unbelievably still in existence today.
Harley-Davidson’s Model No. 1 Revolutionized The Company’s Motorcycle Production
After the production of the Model No. 1, Harley-Davidson earned their reputation with single-cylinder 24 cubic-inch motorcycles and was ready to get into the ranks of the motorcycle manufacturing business. After a year of producing Harley-Davidson’s first production bike, they built their first-ever factory, located on Juneau Avenue in 1906. The factory still stands today and is currently the location of Harley-Davidson’s headquarters.
The company improved their creation with the engine enlarged to 26.8 cubic inches and included a simple spring suspension system at the front end. The model got a color option: Renault Gray with a red pinstripe, which spawned the nickname “The Silent Gray Fellow.” This extremely rare 1906 Harley was the historical origins of the company.
In 1907, the company expanded the factory and was officially incorporated that September. With the expansion, production increased to 150 units that year. The eldest of the Davidson brothers, William A. Davidson, quit his job and joined the motor company that year. In February 1907, the company built a 45-degree V-Twin engine prototype model and displayed it at the Chicago Automobile Show. Harley-Davidson's V-Twin engine used a displacement of 53.68 cubic inches that produced seven horsepower. This gave the single version twice its power, and the given top speed was about 50-60 mph.
Since then, the company thrived in the motorcycle industry and created some of the most iconic motorcycles in the world. Harley-Davidson even created some of the most important motorcycles in history.