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.

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Top Motorcycle News of 2009

The year is coming to a close so let’s take a look back at the top stories of 2009 in the world of motorcycles after the jump. Buell Motorcycles Shut Down Harley-Davidson made the shocking announcement Oct. 15 it would discontinue Buell Motorcycles.

Stolen Harley-Davidson Returned 17 Years Later [video]

Stolen from his apartment in West L.A. 17 years ago, Warren Huff, thought his Harley-Davidson was gone forever.  The bike was found in Valencia after a man brought the motorcycle in for inspection.  The bike was stock originally but Huff gets the customized Harley back as is. Hit the jump to see the news clip.

Backflips on a Harley? [video]

In late November two motorcycle daredevils from opposite sides of the world were fighting to see who would be the first to backflip a Harley Davidson XR1200 motorcycle. Australia’s Kain Saul reached the Promised Land first when he made a successful jump in Sydney on November 27. Harley-Davidson believes Saul’s jump is the first ever successful backflip for any full size street motorcycle.

Ride a Harley in South Africa

ONE FOR THE ADVENTUROUS: Harley-Davidson has recently launched the Western Cape Experience tour in South Africa.The seven-night trip includes a five-day riding experience aboard the Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Ultra Limited. Harley say the 1,000-mile route couples stunning scenery with carefully selected high quality accommodation that represents the Harley-Davidson lifestyle and shows visitors some of the best experiences that the Western Cape has to offer.Harley-Davidson UK and Ireland are offering customers a discount of £500 off the tour cost for a single rider and an additional saving of £120 of the cost of a pillion travelling with the rider. To qualify for this discount customers must book a demo ride online by visiting www.harley-davidson.co.uk.

Harley-Davidson Wire Sculpture

Contemporary Artist Derek Kinzett is based out of the U.K. and works with wire to create some stunning sculptures. I cant imagine how long it must have taken to make this Harley-Davidson replica but I am sure he is well compensated.  Kinzett has even been commissioned by Nicolas Cage, hopefully he received his payment before Cage’s IRS bill came in…

Harley-Davidson Salutes the Military [video]

Harley is giving you a chance to pay your respects and support our military, it doesn’t hurt that they are giving away a Harley-Davidson motorcycle which will be personally delivered by Marisa Miller and a trip to Las Vegas to see UFC 108. Details and a promotional video after the jump. Its as easy as 1, 2, 3.  The first step is pick a postcard on the Harley site, make your statement of thanks and submit for all to see.  There are also some cool retro calendars available featuring Marisa Miller but will only be available to active military and veterans starting November 11th, there are posters and postcards available for everyone starting November 1st.

Easy Rider 40th Anniversary

Peter Fonda, who played Wyatt in the 1969 cult classic, Easy Rider, was in Glendale, CA on Friday to help promote the Blu-Ray release of the film which marks the 40th anniversary.  The movie was scheduled to be shown at the Love Ride event that was canceled this year, instead the film screened at a local Harley-Davidson dealer. One of the film’s main objective was to expose violence and racism in the U.S. in a negative light but instead it seems that it was taken the wrong way with most, glorifying the lifestyle that was portrayed in the film.

Hard Rock and a Hog

If you have any financial stability these days it seems there are many opportunities to take advantage of, now there can never be enough deals out there but here is one that sounds great.  Starting at $239, you can grab a room at the Hard Rock Hotel for two nights at their San Diego location but included with your stay is a Harley-Davidson bike rental. The Hard Rock and a Hog Package includes: * Two night accommodations * Day rental from San Diego Harley Davidson * Detailed map of the best hog rides in the San Diego area * Gift bag of Harley Davidson goodies * $40 meal credit for an early morning breakfast at Maryjane’s * Complimentary access to Float and 207 * Dates: August 21, 2009 – December 30, 2009 * Rates start at $239 If your interested, check out the Hard Rock in San Diego and the San Diego Harley-Davidson sites for more information or for more destination ideas, click here.

How To Draw a Motorcycle [video]

If you ever wanted to learn how to draw a motorcycle with a pencil and some paper then hit the jump and watch the demonstration video to see this Harley-Davidson V-Rod drawing above come to life right before your eyes.  Also, there is a step-by-step method listed on how you can learn to sketch your favorite bike for yourself. Get the Flash Player to see this player. Start your drawing with two circles that will form the wheels of the motorcycle.

Motorcycles at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show

Two weeks ago, I took a break from my regular duties gathering news for Motorcycle.com to fly to Germany to cover the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show for our sister site AutoGuide.com. For two hectic days, AutoGuide editor Colum Wood and I scrambled across the massive 6.2 million square foot Messe Frankfurt trade fair compound, running from press conference to press conference to get the latest on exotic sport cars, futuristic concept models and international unveilings from the automotive world. It was heaven for car lovers, but for me, it meant fighting my way through hordes of photogs, auto-journalists and car show models to get the first photos of four-wheeled goodies from MINI, Ferrari and Lotus.