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 Reports Q1 2013 Results

Harley-Davidson reported 15.9%  increase in motorcycle revenue despite selling 9.1% fewer motorcycles over the first quarter of 2013. According to the company’s first quarter 2013 report, Harley-Davidson recorded revenues of $1.15 billion from motorcycle sales, compared to $995.9 million in the same quarter of 2012. At the same time, Harley-Davidson sold 54,254 motorcycles worldwide over the first quarter, down from 59,677 motorcycles in the same period last year.

Laconia Harley-Davidson Raffling Customized Harley-Davidson Street Glide For Charity

To commemorate the 90th anniversary of Laconia Motorcycle Week, June 8-16, 2013, Laconia Harley-Davidson is launching a campaign to raise $30,000 for the Boys & Girls Club of the Lakes Region. To help raise the money, a customized Harley-Davidson Street Glide, donated by Laconia H-D, will be raffled off to one lucky winner. If you’re interested you better act fast; only 3,000 tickets will be available and can be purchased for $10 a piece.

Harley-Davisdon Claims US Market Share Lead for Women, Minorities and Young Adults

For some time now, Harley-Davidson has been trying to fight the stereotyped image of its customer base as being predominantly older, Caucasian males. Harley-Davidson‘s Stereotypical Harley campaign became a big part of the company’s advertising efforts in 2012, featuring real Harley-Davidson owners and showcasing the large diversity of its riders. Fighting against preconceptions can be difficult but Harley-Davidson has some numbers to prove its motorcycles are popular with other demographics including young adults, women and minorities.

Antiques Roadshow Visits Sturgis Motorcycle Museum

While on location in the Black Hills of South Dakota, PBS’s Antiques Roadshow stopped by the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum to film a segment on motorcycle toys. In the segment host Mark L. Walberg talks with vintage toy expert Noel Barrett about various American-made, antique, cast iron motorcycle toys. Barrett shares the history of these early toys, some tips about how one might tell a reproduction from the real thing, and offers his valuation on several highlighted examples. Walberg also takes a ride on a vintage Harley-Davidson Servi-Car.

Japanese Bike Shop Giving Away Harley-Davidson with Life-Sized Anime Character

Japanese shop Bike-O is holding a draw with a rather unique grand prize: a used 2008 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide with a life-sized figure of anime character Fujiko Mine from the long-running anime and manga series “Lupin III“. We’re not sure whether the motorcycle or the statue is supposed to be the bigger prize here, to be honest. Obviously, we’d rather have an actual road-worthy Harley-Davidson Electra Glide with a custom “champagne pink” paint job.

Harley-Davidson Discontinuing Road Glide and Other Models for 2014

A leaked memo sent out to Harley-Davidson dealers reveals plans to drop several models from the company’s 2014 lineup. Slated to disappear are the XR1200X Sportster, the FXS Softail Blackline, and the FLHTC Electra Glide Classic. Also being discontinued, at least for 2014, is the FLTRX Road Glide Custom and FLTRU Road Glide Ultra, as the tourer models undergo a design refresh.

AMA Pro Racing Announces Basic Twins Flat Track Class for 2014 Season

AMA Pro Racing announced a new class for Flat Track racing designed to provide a new stepping stone for up-and-coming Pro-licensed racers, replacing the Pro Singles class in 2014. The new class, to be called Basic Twins, is more or less a revival of the Basic Expert Twins division that ran during the 2007 and 2008 seasons, but dropped when the Pro Singles class was introduced for 2009. The new class will give young racers a chance to showcase their skills on Twins, easing their transition to eventually enter the Grand National Expert Twins class.

Harley-Davidson Sells Test Track to Chrysler

Harley-Davidson has sold its 531-acre private test track in Florida to the Chrysler Group for $7 million. The property, located off of Interstate 75 in Naples, Fla., includes six miles of track including a 2.1-mile straightaway and several buildings. The track was originally built for Ford, with construction completed in 1992.

Aerosmith and Toby Keith to Join Kid Rock as Headliners of Harley-Davidson’s 110th Anniversary Celebrations

Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Aerosmith and country artist Toby Keith were introduced as headline performers along with the previously announced Kid Rock for Harley-Davidson‘s 110th anniversary celebration. Each headline concert will be held at the Marcus Amphitheater at the south side of Henry Maier Festival Park (A.K.A. the Summerfest Grounds) in Harley-Davidson‘s hometown Milwaukee.

Storm Tears Facade Off Colorado Harley-Davidson Dealership

A Harley-Davidson dealership in Pueblo, Colo., suffered some serious damage after heavy winds from a spring storm ripped off the wall of the dealership’s second floor. The 34,000 square-foot Outpost Harley-Davidson dealership on I-25 in Pueblo usually features a high front wall that sticks up above the building’s gable roof (see the “before” picture below). The damage occurred early in the morning and it’s not clear at this point if anyone was around when it happened.