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

Afghan Heroes tribute Harley MT350

The above Harley-Davidson MT350 has been created in honor of the UK soldiers killed over the last ten years in the Afghanistan conflict. This particular MT350 was previously used by British forces in Afghanistan and will now act as a memorial for the charity Afghan Heroes. The tribute was created by Paul Ferguson and Martin Turner, and now features the name of each fallen serviceman or woman, accompanied by their age and the date they were killed in action.

Harley’s Ed Krawiec is 2011 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Champ

Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines rider Ed Krawiec is the 2011 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion. Krawiec clinched the title with a second-round win at the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway that eliminated Lucas Oil Buell rider Hector Arana Jr., the only rider in the field with a chance to overtake Krawiec for the championship. Krawiec advanced to the final round and lost to his Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines teammate Andrew Hines, who finished the season third in points. More from Harley-Davidson on Krawiec’s win: “I think this is really a statement on the season, to end it with an all-Harley final and the championship, and with Willie G.

Harley-Davidson’s New Facebook App Allows Fans to Shape H-D Marketing

Harley-Davidson has advanced its “crowdsourcing” marketing strategy to the next phase.  The Motor Company announced today Fan Machine, a new app for its Facebook presence. The app is a conduit for fan-submitted marketing ideas.

Harley-Davidson Recalls 250,000 Motorcycles for Rear Brake Light Switches

Harley-Davidson is issuing a recall for 250,757 units from its Touring, CVO Touring and Trike line from model years 2009 – 2012. The rear brake light switch on the models in question may become degraded due to the heat from the exhaust systems. This may affect brake light function and may result in a brake fluid leak.

Harley-Davidson Reports Q3 2011 Results

As expected, Harley-Davidson reported a net income of $183.6 million over the third quarter ended Sept. 25, 2011, a 106% increase from the $88.8 million reported in the same quarter of 2010. Harley-Davidson reported sales revenue of $1.23 billion, a 13.4% increase from the $1.09 billion reported in the same quarter of 2010.

Forbes Expects Harley-Davidson to Announce Gains for Q3 2011

In anticipation of Harley-Davidson announcing its third-quarter performance in 2011 Forbes.com expects Harley will reveal its third straight quarter of sales growth. The article says that financial analysts expect “earnings of $0.76 per share, up 47.4% from the same quarter of last year.” Additionally, an 18.8% gain in revenues is expected. Interestingly, the article refers to Harley’s motorcycles as “luxury items,” and as such sees Harley’s increased sales and profit as a possible harbinger of an improving U.S.

US Highland Making a Comeback

US Highland appears to be making a comeback, announcing plans to begin processing new orders and having discussions with several OEMs for the use of the Oklahoma company’s powertrains. The Tulsa-based company did not mention which OEMs it is working with, though US Highland says the discussions could result in sales of over 20,000 units per year. The company is developing fuel injected V-Twin engines in 750cc, 950cc and 1050cc displacements and Singles in 350cc, 450cc and 507cc displacements.

Harley-Davidson Opens Latin America Office in Miami

Harley-Davidson opened a new regional headquarters in Miami, Fla., to house the company’s Latin America operations. The new Harley-Davidson Latin America headquarters supports the Motor Company’s subsidiaries in Brazil, Mexico and other countries in Central and South America. Harley-Davidson projects international sales to exceed 40% of the company’s revenue by 2014 with the Latin America office a prime area of growth.

Zero Enters South American Market

Zero Motorcycles has signed a distribution deal with the Brazilian dealer network Grupo Izzo, bringing its electric motorcycles to first Brazil, and soon across South America. Brazil is one of the world’s fastest growing markets for motorcycles, a market Zero hopes to tap with its new distribution deal. Grupo Izzo is based mainly in Brazil with 11 locations, but has plans to expand into other South American countries.

Motorcycle Thefts Down 11.2% in 2010

Motorcycle thefts in the U.S. are down for the fourth consecutive year in 2010,  according to a report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau. There were 49,791 reported motorcycle thefts in 2010, an 11.2% drop from the 56,093 thefts reported in 2009.