harley

 One of the two American Motorcycle companies to have survived the great depression, Harley Davidson is known for manufacturing heavyweight motorcycles meant to rule the highways. Harley has an avid set of loyal customers and fans because of which the brand has become a prodigy all over the world. Harley enthusiasts have kept the brand alive over a century of its existence by way of clubs, bike rides, events and museums. An estimated 5% of Harley Davidson’s revenue comes only from the licensing of the logo. The company was founded by William S. Harley and Arthur, Walter and William Davidson in 1903 and has come a long way ever since.

The first Harley to have been designed bore a 116CC engine and was designed in a modest garage at the place of a friend of Will Harley in Milwaukee. The bike was unable to conquer the hills of Milwaukee and thus began the work on a bigger bike with a modified chassis frame. The bike had an engine displacing 405 cc and was built on loop-frame chassis. The bike got outside assistance in the form of engine expertise from Ole Evinrude- an automobile veteran who was, at that time, designing his own engines in Milwaukee. This bike defined the basic set of equipment that the later motorcycles would be required to have to not be considered as a motorized bicycle, but rather be considered as a proper motorcycle. Harley and Davidson brothers kept manufacturing bikes out of their modest shed for some years and also found a dealer in Chicago who sold 3 bikes. The company built its first factory in 1906 at Chestnut Street- the site still remains and stands proud as the international headquarters of Harley-Davidson.

Harley Davidson was producing bikes in their factory at an astounding pace by 1915 when the World War happened. The company provided the military with 15000 motorcycles to carry out raids. The company also survived the Great Depression but the sales had plummeted from 21000 before the depression to about 3000 during the depression. The company kept innovating and unveiled the Flathead in 1934. The company survived the depression primarily on the basis of its innovative products like the 3 wheel pick up vehicle that was in production as late as the seventies. The company also provided support to the army during the Second World War.

Harley, like most internationally renowned organizations, has had to undergo turbulent times. From the limitation imposed on operations by the US Tariff Commission in the fifties to the usage of Harley Davidson bikes as outlaw bikes in Hollywood movies- the brand image took a major dent during the decade between 1950 and 1960. There was a major labor strike as well during that period. The company was sold to a group of investors headed by Willie Davidson and with the launch of the Fatboy and several other revolutionary models, the company saw a rise in sales figures in the eighties. During the late eighties and the early nineties, the company became the largest selling heavyweight motorcycle company in the world and reclaimed its lost market- all thanks to streamlined operations, Jus-In-Time production and an apt exploitation of All-American appeal that the all the Harley Davidson bikes bear with them.