A Trip Down Memory Lane Part 1

This is the first bike of Harley Davidson (looks like a bicycle and is a far cry from the power-monster we see today).

The history of Harley Davidson started out in Milwaukee in 1903 when William Harley and his friends, Arthur and Walter Davidson developed their one-cylinder motorcycle run on a gasoline combustion engine. Back then, the motorcycles on the market were Indian (first motorcycle in 1901), Mitschell, Merkel and Yale.

In 1904, it was entered in a Milwaukee motorcycle race (the very first appearance for H-D but which future races they will come to dominate) and from 1905 to 1907, it has increased its production from a dozen to 150 motorcycles.

In 1907, a prototype model with a 45 degree V-twin engine was launched. These models generated about 7 horsepower and double the capacity of the single engines, top speed also rose to 60 mph which was not bad in those days. By 1909, 1150 motorcycles were produced. In 1911, Harley Davidson improved its version of the V-twin model with mechanically operated intake valves and took over much of the market share from its closest rival, Indian.

Indian motorcycles

In 1914, its production has rose to more than 16000 motorcycles with rapid factory expansion. The future looked bright but there were actually a few storms which Harley Davidson had to weather along the way. I will continue in the next few posts.

Come see my favorite motorcycles and accessories

Harley Davidson, my favorite bike. Cool, isn't it!!

I am what you will call a Harley Davidson fanatic. Anything to do with Harley Davidson will get my interest. So over here, i will showcase a lot of HD stuff but i will also comment about other motorcycles and the accessories to go with the bikes.

Feel free to comment.