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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

Cool Cycles Ice Cream

Mon, 20 Apr 2009

John Gibson had a vision 15 years ago to sell ice cream from a motorcycle sidecar, inspired while running as he listening to motivational guru, Tony Robins. After years of experimenting with different bikes and setups, including using the Russian made Ural (he once owned a Ural dealership), Gibson, finally settled on the Honda 750 Shadow and the Harley-Davidson 883 Sportster. The Cool Cycles Ice Cream Company is open for business, the headquarters are located in Tacoma, WA where they will start selling franchises within a 100 mile radius, the Los Angeles area will be next and Las Vegas to follow.

2009 Harley-Davidson Iron 883 Pics and Video!

Wed, 01 Apr 2009

Harley-Davidson has added a new bike to their Sportster Dark Custom roster.  The Harley-Davidson Iron 883 and it’s under $8,000!  Not a bad price for the Harley-Davidson experience. Here’s a few pics to wet your appetite.  Hit the jump to see more and a video promo from Harley-Davidson themselves. More Pictures are Here!

Gymnast on a Harley….Wow.

Mon, 23 Mar 2009

What happens when you take away a smokin’ hot gymnast’s balance beam and replace it with a Harley-Davidson Fat Bob? It’s only 30 seconds but who’s to stop you from playing it over and over again? Now what would be even more amazing is if there was a dude riding that bike on the highway while she did that.  What would be a million times more amazing would be if that dude was me.

Music and Motorcycles Exhibit

Wed, 04 Mar 2009

The four-day “Music and Motorcycles” exhibit, presented by the Long Island Music Hall of Fame (LIMHOF), will be on public display at the Lighthouse Harley-Davidson dealership in Huntington Station, NY. The exhibit will feature memorabilia and motorcycles from many inductees from the LIMHOF including, Joan Jett, Billy Joel, Dee Snider, The Ramones, Darryl McDaniel of Run DMC and more. Billy Joel will be supplying several custom bikes, Twisted Sister have agreed to loan one of their motorcycles and a gas tank signed by Jett, Snider, Peter Tork of The Monkees, Gary U.S.

Michael Jackson’s Harley For Sale

Wed, 18 Feb 2009

This 2001 Harley-Davidson Touring Motorcycle could be yours, currently owned (I would safely assume never ridden) by the cash strapped, mega pop star Michael Jackson. In April It will be up for auction along with more than 2000 other items from the Neverland ranch in Santa Maria, CA. Julien’s Auction in Beverly Hills estimates a price range of $6,000 – $8,000.

Cool Products From Dealer Expo 2009

Mon, 16 Feb 2009

The best place to see the latest and greatest motorcycle gadgets and goodies before they hit the shelves of your local dealer is at the Indianapolis Dealer Expo. Unfortunately, you have to be an exhibitor, dealer or member of the media to attend. Luckily, we fall into the latter category.

2010 Harley-Davidson Edition F-150 Revealed

Wed, 11 Feb 2009

Unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show this week, the 2010 Harley-Davidson Ford F-150 is officially the first Harley-Davidson edition truck to be constructed from the award-winning 2009 F-150 chassis. This niche market co-branding exercise marks the 14th Harley-Davidson edition of an F-Series truck dating back to 2000. The collaboration between these two companies has produced eight F-150 models, as well as six Super Duty F-250, F-350, and in 2009, the first Harley-Davidson F-450 edition truck.

Harley Declares Women Riders Month

Tue, 10 Feb 2009

Back in July of ’08 Motorcycle.com announced that The Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum and Nationwide Insurance were working together to mark July as Women’s Motorcycle Month in order to honor the contribution made to history by female riders. This May, Harley-Davidson is staging a series of events in order to celebrate women on two wheels by declaring May, “Women Riders Month.” Some of the Harley-Davidson Women Riders Month initiatives will include special rides in New York City and Milwaukee as well as an attempt to grace the pages of the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest number of women motorcycle riders trained in one weekend. Harley-Davidson dealerships will also be hosting women-only Garage Parties, which consist of informal meetings in an unintimidating environment where women can learn about motorcycling.

Wesll Quad Prototype

Mon, 09 Feb 2009

A number of manufacturers have tinkered with various three-wheeled motorcycle applications over the years. Companies like Piaggio, Can-Am, Brudeli and even Harley-Davidson have produced unique trikes with ranging levels of success. The Wesll Corporation is attempting to do one better, literally, as it develops a four-wheeled mechanism that could be applied to many different kinds of bikes.

Warren Buffett Loans $300 Million to Harley-Davidson

Tue, 03 Feb 2009

Don’t think that Mr. Buffett is lending the American icon the money out of the goodness of his heart, he is receiving a whopping 15 percent on his money, at those rates I can lend Harley some money! CNBC.com Warren Buffett poses on a motorcycle at the Burlington Hathaway annual meeting in May, 2008.  Berkshire’s Geico subsidiary was promoting its motorcycle insurance.