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 Harley-Davidson
- 100 years and still rolling
(click on any picture for a full-sized image)
This summer, the summer of 2003, Harley-Davidson Motorcycles will have been
around for one hundred years. It’s quite an event, especially here in
Milwaukee Wisconsin, the home of Harley-Davidson. The dealerships are all
celebrating and there will be a huge rally/anniversary party here in the city.
Harley-Davidson’s origin began with Bill Harley and Arthur Davidson, a bicycle
frame and a DeDion-Bouton single cylinder engine from France. Both men were
working at Barth Manufacturing, a metal fabricator in Milwaukee. The two men
worked on their project after working all day at their full time jobs. While
they were working other companies had started producing motorcycles, including
the legendary Indian. Arthur’s brother Walter came home to Milwaukee in the
spring of 1903 for Arthur’s wedding. He soon moved back and took a job with a
local railroad company so he could help his brother nights and  weekends.
By the end of the year there was an official building for them to work out of,
constructed by the Davidson’s Father behind the family home on Highland
Avenue.
The early models of the motorcycles were really just glorified bicycles with
engines added. But before too long the boys were well on their way to making
history, even if they didn’t
know it then. By 1907 they had incorporated and were sending out catalogs. They
moved to a larger property with a new building on 37th street and Chestnut
(later renamed Juneau Avenue). The headquarters is still there today. They now
employ over 7,000 people. And that’s just people involved with making the
bikes, it doesn’t include all the people working at dealerships and peripheral
businesses. There are dealerships all over the world.
 The
mystique behind the Harley-Davidson motorcycle isn’t that hard to figure out.
It’s a beautiful machine, and has a distinctive look and sound. Talk to anyone
who owns one and the first thing they will do is smile. Why? Because they are
happy. Because no matter what the world hands them, they can get on their bike
and ride, and when you ride, you are free. Free from stress and hassles. It’s
just you and the road. And don’t be fooled into believing that these
motorcycle riding people are like the bikers you see in the movies. They
are not all big scruffy looking bad asses. They come from all walks of life, and
are as diverse as the books in any library. Groups of law enforcement around the
country rely on Harley-Davidson for their motorcycle officers. In fact, after
9-11 Harley-Davidson donated new motorcycles to the police department in New
York.
In 1969 the company merged with AMF. This lasted until 1981 when a group of
senior executives bought the company back, thus bringing about the slogan “the
Eagle soars alone“. And  while
the AMF years were not the greatest in the companies history, they still managed
some innovations, including the introduction of a racing model called The
Sportster. In 1972 aluminum frames were introduced. Constant innovations
improved the bikes and still do. In 1980 they introduced a Kevlar belt to
replace the chain drive. They last longer, and need less adjustment. The most
famous of the innovations is the v-twin engine. In 1992 the company bought an
interest in Buell motorcycles, a company that made American sport cycles using
the Harley XL 883 engine. The bikes are constantly improving. Which might
explain a waiting list for the new bikes. It’s actually one of the few
vehicles made in the world today that goes up in value.
 1983
saw the start of H.O.G., (Harley Owners Group), which by the year 2000 had over
500,000 members worldwide. There are local chapters which organize rides
together and also do charity work, a lot of which is for MDA. All you need to be
a member is a Harley Davidson motorcycle. Owners individualize their bikes. Some
go to extremes, and some are subtle. But each bike is a reflection of it’s
owner. I’m including some pictures from the last two rallies to give you an
idea what they look like. From extended forks to make the front longer to saddle
bags to chrome parts and all sorts of
extras, Harley probably sells as many of these parts as they do bikes. And
don’t even get me started on the t-shirts! Every dealership has it’s own
logo which is put on the back of Harley t shirts. I’ve been lucky enough to
gather quite a collection due to dear friends who if not quite understanding my
obsession at least enjoy seeing it. In fact there is a whole line of Harley
Davidson clothes, including jackets, vests and anything else a rider might want.
 On
August 27, 2003, thousands of riders will converge on Milwaukee in what is
called the ride home. here’s the official
webpage.
There will be a parade through downtown Milwaukee with over 10,000 riders taking
part. And let me tell you , after experiencing first hand the parade for the
90th and 95th anniversaries, there is a reason it is called rolling thunder. The
sound alone is breathtaking. In ‘95 I was working the earlier part of Saturday
when the riders converged on the city. I knew they were coming because I could
hear it. A rumble in the distance that got louder and louder. And watching all
the motorcycles converge on the lake front is amazing. People from all over the
world are involved. There is a story of a club in Russia raising money to send a
rider to the event. They didn’t have the
money to send his bike, so Harley paid for it to be shipped over. It really is a
pilgrimage. Groups of people starting out on either coast and heading to
Milwaukee. Meeting up along the way the groups get bigger and bigger. There were
over 100,00 riders involved, in 1998 the numbers were over 140,000. This year
they are anticipating huge numbers as you could well imagine. The rally ends up
at the lakefront at the home of Summerfest (home of the world‘s largest music
festival), which is a whole other story, and well worth telling. They will have
a huge blow out featuring live music, tons of food and beer. All the local
dealerships are over stocking all items Harley, and are going to be having their
own special events. It will be a very fun weekend. Loud too.
So, Happy Anniversary Harley Davidson. And to the riders making the journey to
Milwaukee, May you have clear skies and open roads.
Jon
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