Harley-Davidson Motorcycles

About Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson Inc (NYSE: HOG, formerly HDI), often abbreviated H-D or Harley, is an American motorcycle manufacturer. Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the first decade of the 20th century, it was one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression.

The company sells today only heavyweight motorcycles with over 700 cc, designed for cruising on highways. Harley-Davidson motorcycles, or "Harleys", are noted for the tradition of heavy customization. Harley-Davidson's attempts to establish itself in the light motorcycle market have met little success and have largely been abandoned since the 1978 sale of its Italian Aermacchi subsidiary.

In 1901, William S. Harley, age 20, drew up plans for a small engine with a displacement of 7.07 cubic inches (116 cc) and four-inch (102 mm) flywheels. The engine was designed for use in a regular pedal-bicycle frame. On a practice, though, it was only experiment, somewhat unsuccessful but a start for more. So first "real" Harley-Davidson motorcycle had a bigger engine of 24.74 cubic inches (405 cc) with 9.75 inches (25 cm) flywheels weighing 28 lb (13 kg).

In September 8, 1904, Harley competed in a Milwaukee motorcycle race held at State Fair Park. This is the first documented appearance of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle in the historical record.

Production in 1905 and 1906 were all single-cylinder models with 26.84 cubic inches (440 cc) engines. Starting from 1907, V-Twin engines appeared, having 53.68 cubic inches (880 cc) and producing about 7 horsepower (5.2 kW).

In 1911, an improved V-Twin model was introduced. The new engine had mechanically operated intake valves, as opposed to the "automatic" intake valves used on earlier V-Twins that opened by engine vacuum. With a displacement of 49.48 cubic inches (811 cc), the 1911 V-Twin was smaller than earlier twins, but gave better performance. After 1913 the majority of bikes produced by Harley-Davidson would be V-Twin models.

By 1920, Harley-Davidson was the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world, with 28,189 machines produced, and dealers in 67 countries.

During the 1920s, several improvements were put in place, such as a new 74 cubic inch (1,212.6 cc) V-Twin, introduced in 1922, and the "Teardrop" gas tank in 1925. A front brake was added in 1928 although notably only on the J/JD models. In the late summer of 1929, Harley-Davidson introduced its 45 cubic inches (737 cc) flathead V-Twin, "D" model. An 80 cubic inches (1,300 cc) flathead engine was added to the line in 1935, by which time the single-cylinder motorcycles had been discontinued.

After World War II, as part of war reparations, Harley-Davidson acquired the design of a small German motorcycle, the DKW RT 125, which they adapted, manufactured, and sold from 1948 to 1966. Harley experienced changes in ownership in the ‘60s, going public in 1965 and eventually merging with American Machine and Foundry (AMF) in 1969. The ‘80s and ‘90s saw the introduction of model families that continue to this day, like the Softail, FLT and Road King lines, joining classic models like the Electra Glide. The story continues today.

Moto blog

Harley-Davidson Confirms 500cc Model on the Way, Says Electric Harleys Not That Far-Fetched

It’s only been a couple of weeks since Harley-Davidson broke new ground by unveiling new “Twin-Cooled” liquid precision-cooling engine technology its new Project Rushmore suite of customer-driven refinements, but the Motor Company appears to have even more ambitious plans in the works. Speaking at Harley-Davidson’s 110th anniversary celebrations, Chief Operating Officer Matthew Levatich confirmed the company is producing a new 500cc model and opened the possibility of an electric Harley-Davidson somewhere down the line. We’ve previously written about Harley-Davidson’s plans to introduce a new 500cc V-Twin model for the Indian market.

A Seattle Seahawks-Themed Motorcycle. Why? Because Football. And Charity.

With the return of football season upon us (that’s American football for our international readers), we thought it best to feature, what else, but a motorcycle. In this particular case, it’s a Seattle Seahawks-themed custom based on a 2005 Harley-Davidson Road King, the same year the Hawks made it to the Super Bowl. The man behind the custom, award-winning bike builder and Seattle resident, Keith Wong, was approached by Patrick ‘PT’ Town, the founder and executive director of Union Ride & Charity Rally - a charity event to raise money for several non-profits including Northwest Harvest, A.N.E.W., Helmets to Hardhats and the Awareness, Education and Prevention of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in Youth Football.

Harley-Davidson’s 110th Anniversary Party Is Just A Week Away

Harley-Davidson has been preparing for its 110th anniversary party for the past year, celebrating in 11 countries on six different continents. In the past year, Harley-Davidson employees, dealers and riders have shared thousands of amazing experiences, including a ride through the Tibetan Plateau in China, a parade along the beaches of Sao Paulo and even a Papal blessing. But now the party is coming home to Milwaukee over Labor Day weekend, which promises to be the biggest celebration of them all.  Milwaukee residents have always been cordial hosts for Harley-Davidson enthusiasts who make the journey to the City of Festivals from around the world. One Anniversary tradition is the welcoming home of thousands of riders by Milwaukee area residents who stand on the city’s highway overpasses with homemade welcome signs as riders arrive in Milwaukee.

European-Spec 2014 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Ultra Classic Getting Twin-Cooled Engine

Earlier this week, Harley-Davidson revealed its 2014 lineup including the introduction of new precision cooling Twin-Cooled engines with both liquid- and air-cooling. For the U.S., customers can find the new Twin-Cooled engine technology on the Electra Glide Ultra Limited, CVO Limited and the Tri-Glide, but customers in Europe will also find a Twin-Cooled engine mounted on the Electra Glide Ultra Classic. The U.S.

2014 Harley-Davidson Sportsters Receive ABS and Keyless Security Options

Harley-Davidson revealed a five-model Sportster lineup for 2014 with some minor updates including new options for ABS and the H-D Smart Security System. The 2014 Sportster line consists of the 883cc SuperLow and Iron 883 and the 1200cc Forty-Eight, Seventy-Two and 1200 Custom. All five models received new brakes, with larger 300mm front rotors replacing the old 292mm discs.

2014 Harley-Davidson Fat Bob Receives Dark Custom Makeover

The Harley-Davidson Fat Bob is returning for 2014 with a new blacked-out look as the latest model to get H-D’s Dark Custom look. The new, darker Fat Bob features a number of blacked-out components including the powertrain and air cleaner cover, rear shock covers, triple clamps, headlight trim, console and battery box cover. The machined aluminum slotted disc wheels have also been received a black powdercoated finish as well as a laser-ingraved Harley-Davidson logo and rim stripe.

2014 Harley-Davidson CVO Lineup Revealed

Harley-Davidson revealed four models in its limited-production 2014 Custom Vehicle Operations. The CVO Breakout introduced last year is back for 2014, and this time it is joined by the all-new CVO Softail Deluxe (pictured above) and the CVO Road King and CVO Limited touring models which also received elements of Harley-Davidson’s new Project Rushmore initiative. All four CVO models get exclusive components and paint treatments not available on other Harley-Davidson models, as well as a number of accessories from the company’s catalog.

Harley-Davidson Reveals “Twin-Cooled” Engine with Precision Liquid Cooling

As we gleaned from recently revealed CARB documents, Harley-Davidson has introduced two new liquid cooled engines. The new engines use a combination of air-cooling and precision liquid cooling, similar to what BMW did with its 2013 R1200GS. One version of the engine, dubbed the Twin-Cooled High Output Twin Cam 103 will be used on the 2014 Harley-Davidson Ultra Limited and the Tri-Glide Ultra trike while the CVO Limited will use a 110ci engine known as the Screamin’ Eagle Twin-Cooled Twin Cam 110.

2014 Harley-Davidson Touring Lineup Updated with Project Rushmore Enhancements

Harley-Davidson announced a number of updates to its touring models, a cumulative result of a product development effort the company dubs Project Rushmore. The enhancements cover several areas, addressing performance, comfort, style and infotainment needs, and will be implemented across eight 2014 Harley-Davidson Touring models: the Road King, Street Glide, Street Glide Special, Electra Glide Ultra Classic, Electra Glide Ultra Limited, the Tri-Glide Ultra Classic trike and the CVO Road King and CVO Limited. “Project RUSHMORE has been touched by thousands of people, most of them being our customers and our employees,” says Scott Habegger, Harley-Davidson Director of Motorcycle Planning.

CARB Reveals 2014 Harley-Davidson Models, Including Some “Cool” Surprises

The California Air Resource Board has issued executive orders on a number of 2014 Harley-Davidson models, revealing much of the Motor Company’s upcoming product lineup. While most of the models listed are familiar, the documents do reveal some gems including possible signs of the long-rumored new liquid-cooled Harley-Davidson engine. The first and least surprising reveal is the disappearance of the 1584cc Twin Cam 96 engine.