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

Help a Veteran and You Could Win Two Motorcycles

It always feels good to lend somebody a helping hand, but it feels even better when somebody hands you the keys to a couple of new motorcycles for your effort. Healing Heroes Network has developed a campaign to add a little more excitement to donating to charities, with its Harleys for Heroes sweepstakes. Healing Heroes Network is a 501(c)3 charity organization based out of Palm Harbor, Fla.

Harley-Davidson Ring Saved from a Filthy Fate

Here’s a story that might seem humorous at first but turns out to be a testament to a man’s love of motorcycling and the memories of a fallen friend. Ed Spalding of Terrace, British Columbia, Canada, and his close friend Roger Bourgoin bought Harley-Davidson motorcycles in 1991. To celebrate their purchases, the two also bought a pair of gold rings.

2011 AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Champion Chris Fillmore

Chris Fillmore of Oxford, Mich., has won the 2011 AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Championship. Fillmore ended the season on a victorious note, winning the 2011 AMA Pro Road Racing season finale at New Jersey Motorsports Park. The Bruce Rossmeyer/Geico racer finished the season with five wins and eight podium appearances in nine races in the Harley-Davidson XR1200 spec racing series.

MSF Begins Year-long Real World Motorcycle Safety Study

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation has started what it calls the first-ever naturalistic study of motorcycling, with 100 motorcycles equipped with data logging equipment to record real-world riding situations over the course of a year. The information will valuable data that will help shape the MSF’s rider education and rider training program and other safety initiatives. “Our priority with this research is to observe the participants on a day-to-day basis,” says Dr.

2011 Indy Mile Cancelled

Indy Mile officials have decided to cancel this year’s AMA Flat Track round due to the continuing investigation into the fatal stage rigging accident at the Indiana State Fair. The Aug. 13 tragedy killed five people and injured dozens after winds reaching as high as 70 mph caused the stage to collapse.

EBR Nation Part 3: Made In America

Erik Buell Racing has released the third episode of its series about the new 1190RS sportbike. The latest episode focuses on the company’s “Made in America” philosophy, with its goal of producing a high-performance superbike in the U.S.A. As Erik Buell, racer Geoff May and designer Tony Stefanelli discuss the themes of innovation and freedom, we can’t help but wonder however whether they’re talking about American ideals, or about being out from Harley-Davidson’s umbrella.

Shelved Harley-Davidson Penster Tilting Trike Prototypes Revealed

The Harley-Davidson Museum has pulled the covers off discarded prototypes of a leaning three-wheeled motorcycle developed by The Motor Company. Harley-Davidson commissioned automobile hot rodding legend John Buttera to build the original prototype (pictured above) in 1998. Codenamed the “Penster”, the Trike looks like it could have been an earlier version of the Can-Am Spyder, but it had a tilting front end similar to the Piaggio MP3.

US Motorcycle Sales First Half 2011 Results

The U.S. motorcycle industry saw a 4.6% decrease in year-on-year sales over the first six months of 2011, thanks mostly to a 17.3% drop in ATV sales. Motorcycle and scooter sales however saw a 1.7% bump in the first half .

What am I gonna do with a gun rack?

Living in Shoreditch I come across a unique variety of motorcycles on the road; from XS650s, to classic Lambrettas and one completely brown jelly-mould CBR600. My favourite of the regular bikes I see is this Harley-Davidson badged Armstrong MT500. In my head I like to think that the owner operates as an urban vigilante, realistically whoever rides this ex-Army bike is probably an artist and instead of a weapon in the gun holder it's probably art equipment.

Marisa Miller Takes Harley-Davidson Rider’s Edge Training [Video]

If there’s one thing I like more than motorcycles, it’s hot supermodels, such as Victoria’s Secret Angel, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue covergirl and Harley-Davidson spokesmodel Marisa Miller. Miller has appeared in a number of promotional spots for The Motor Company in recent years, most notably for the Harley-Davidson V-Rod Muscle and to support Harley-Davidson’s U.S. Military Appreciation programs (one of Miller’s “American Bombshell” post cards is currently my computer’s desktop wallpaper).