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The Harley Davidson story and it's history

The history of Harley Davidson 

the logo of harley

ferst motorcycle in the worldIntroduction

Harley Davidson company is the largest U.S. motorcycle  and the only custom motorcycle company in the world and was established by William S. Harley in 1901. In 1903 William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson produced the first Harley Davidson (In the picture above). This motorcycle was a 3-1/8 bore and 3-1/2 stroke, single cylinder.
1909 saw the arrival of the first Harley Davidson V-Twin powered who became the trademark of Harley Davidson and even today's Harley are all in this shape.

There are many Harley Davidson models that have historical value such as the Knucklehead 1937 model, the Harley Davison Fl Hydra Glide and not forgetting the very early Honda, Suzuki and Kawasaki which were all very popular long before the v-rod which appeared for the first time in 2002.

The panhead engine is Harley Davidson's second overhead-valve engine.  This engine was introduced in 1948.  It was quieter and clearn the the Knucklehead which has been used since 1936.

In this site you can learn about the History of Harley Davidson and also the special Harley Davidson parts and accessories for the bikers.

The  Harley-Davidson Story

Arthur Davidson and William S. Harley were school friends who shared a mechanical passion and a strong desire to join the other motorcycle pioneers. They rekindled their relationship while working at the same factory in Milwaukee. Together they began to study mechanics focusing on motorcycle engines.

 In 1901 they had four engines designed and ready to be fitted to bicycle frames. In 1903 the first Harley-Davidson motorcycles were built.

davidson

harley

The brand name become very famous and appeared in ads and articles describing the motorcycle that would become a legend.  Three motorcycles were produced between 1903 and 1904 and were sold before they were even built.  During this time Walter C. Davidson Sr. and William A. Davidson joined Arthur Davidson and William S. Harley and the Harley Davidson Motor Company was officialy registered with the U.S. Trade and Company Register office on September 17th 1907.  The management positions within the company  were assigned at the registration with Walter C. Davidson as President, William A. Davidson as Vice-President and Works Manager, Arthur Davidson as Secretary and General Sales Manager, and William S. Harley to serve as Chief Engineer and Treasurer. Even though the titles were officialy assigned, each person could intervene in all sectors.

old fectory of harley davidson

In 1904 Harley-Davidson began participated in motorcycle racing   and benefited from commercial implications of the numerous victories won by their bikes and in 1913  the company decided to establish an official racing team.  Early racers such as Ralph Hepburn and Eddie Brink put Harley on the track and won races with these machines, later Joe Petreli and Red Parkhurst. Joe Petreli first raced on an Indian motorcycle, and then made a name for himself by racing Harley-Davidson's. From 1926 untill 1931 Harley interrupted their racing and Petreli raced for the Excelsior Company, which was shut down in 1931. Petreli again raced for Harley when the company started their race teams back in 1931.  Red Parkhurst became a big winner and had a long career of motorcycle racing for Harley. Participating in motorcycle racing gave Harley an edge on research and development of their motorcycles.

Harley Davidson motorcycle became the symbol of American individualism and ended up "KING OF THE ROAD", all in 100 years.

The Harley Sound

The sound that A Harley-Davidson motorcycle makes is very unique and this sound is part of the mystique.  The reason it has a special sound is because of the way the engine is designed . 

The engine on a Harley-Davidson  has two pistons.  The difference in the Harley engine to other engines is that the crankshaft has only one pin, and both of the piston rods connect to it.  This design, combined with the V arrangement of the cylinders, means that the pistons cannot fire at even intervals. Instead of one piston firing every 360 degrees, a Harley engine goes like this:

  • A piston fires.
  • The next piston fires at 315 degrees.
  • There is a 405-degree gap.
  • A piston fires.
  • The next piston fires at 315 degrees.
  • There is a 405-degree gap.

And the cycle continues.

The hells angels Hells Angels

A group of soldiers returning from World War II formed the Harley Davidson motorcycle club in 1948 . The first club was in Fontana, California and the name Hell Angels was taken from taken from the name of the movie Hell's Angels based on the royal flying corps directed by Howard Hughes.

sportsterh-d sportster

You can learn more:


 about
motorcycle
counter steering to enable new riders who wants to ride safetly and to improve performance and handling of the motorcycle.

all about helmets & safty motorcycle driving

tools that will help you make the right decision how to choose a motorcycle

The motorcycle history from the end of 1800' until almost today.The history is delivered to you with the most important motorcycles ever built how they influenced the industry, parts for motorcycles and motorcycle biker  information.

Use these tips

For those owners of the Twin Cam Harley Davidson Motorcycle may find that the 63 HP your bike has from the factory is not quite powerful enough, you can boost your power 90-95HP by adding new Cylinder Heads and forged pistons
 

Motorcycle Leather Driving Gloves, Goggles, Motorcycle boots, jackets, Trousers ,Motorcycle Apparel and helmets are all important biking accessories to help keep you safe and also for road protection for your motorcycle.  These can also make you look very trendy especially for a Harley biker so be sure to do your homework and shop around a little before you make your purchase. You can save a great deal of money just by shopping online at one of the great sites that sell motorcycle gear and other Harley davidson accessories:  motorcycle clutch, fuel tank plate cover, motorcycle Brakes , horn , Harley-Davidson Engines , saddle bag and other motorcycle accessories

 

 

 

Easy Riders Movie- a symbol of generation

1969 saw the legendary easy rider movie. It was the right movie at the right time. Actors Peter Fonda and Jack nicholson rode their hogs and discovered the backyard of America for the good and for the bad. The picture of them riding on their Pan-head Harley Davidson is one of the icons of the motorcycle history follwed by the song "Born To Be Wild".

 



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