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101 Harley Davidson Fast Facts
OK, get the kettle on, sit down... then have a read through these 101 fast fact... then impress your riding mates with your H-D knowledge!.
1) In 1901 William S Harley first completes a blueprint of an engine designed to fit into a bicycle.
2) The first Harley-Davidson ‘factory’ was a 10ft by 15ft shed (3m x 4.5m) built by William C Davidson – Willie G’s great-grandfather – for his son’s new business.
3) Legend has it that the first carburetor made for Harley-Davidson’s first engine was fashioned from a tomato can!
4) The first Harley-Davidson model, Serial Number One, of 1903 is nicknamed ‘Silent Gray Fellow’ on account of its quietness. It was tough though, with one of them travelling 100,000 miles (160,000 km) on its original bearings.
5) The first Harley-Davidson dealer – C.H. Lang of Chicago – opens for business in 1904.
6) On July 4, 1905, a Harley-Davidson wins a 15-mile race in Chicago.
7) In 1906 the company moves to their first premises: which turns out to be shared with the railroad. When it is discovered that the factory is in the wrong place, and on railroad property, ten employees carried the 28ft by 80ft (8.5m 24.3m) factory themselves to its proper location!
8) Walter Davidson wins a two-day endurance run in New York’s Catskill Mountains in June, 1908, with a perfect score of 1,000 points.
9) In 1908 the Detroit Police Department becomes the first police force in America to use Harley-Davidsons.
10) The first Harley-Davidson V-twin is produced in 1909.
11) Harley-Davidson’s famous ‘Bar and Shield’ logo is used for the first time in 1910.
12) In 1912, construction begins on what will become the firm's famous six-storey headquarters on Juneau Avenue in Milwaukee.
13) By 1913 production is up to 17,000 bikes a year.
14) Harley-Davidson clothing first began to appear in 1914 but at first it is given only to race team members. The official factory race team – that later becomes known as 'The Wrecking Crew' – is launched in the same year.
15) The firm builds over 20,000 bikes for the Allied war effort between 1914 and 1918.
16) Harley riders get their own magazine in 1916. It's called ‘The Harley-Davidson Enthusiast’ and it has since become the longest continuously published motorcycle magazine in the world.
17) On 8th November 1918, with the German army in retreat, Corporal Roy Holtz and his Harley-Davidson V-twin get lost in bad weather and ride into an enemy headquarters. Holtz was captured and credited with being the first American serviceman on German soil.
18) In 1918 a Harley-Davidson dealer in Seattle asks famous Vaudeville artist Trixie Fraganza to pose with a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Since then, stars including Marlene Dietrich, Clark Gable, Elvis Presley, Cher, Elizabeth Taylor, Bruce Willis, and Jay Leno have posed on, or owned, Harleys, making them the bike of choice to the stars!
19) Not all Harley twins have been V-twins. The Electric Sport was an in-line opposed twin that was made from 1919-1922
20) In 1920 Harley-Davidson is officially recognised as the largest producer of motorcycles in the world. Bikes can now be bought from more than 2,000 dealers in 67 different countries.
21) Leslie 'Red' Parkhurst breaks 23 speed records on a 61cubic-inch racing Harley in 1920. In the same year, the 'hog' association begins when the official race team begins to use as pig as a mascot, sitting it on the fuel tanks of their bikes on victory laps.
22) In 1921 a Harley-Davidson becomes the first motorcycle to win a race at an average speed of more than 100mph.
23) All models are given a distinctive 'tear-drop' shaped fuel tank in 1925. The look sets the tone for all future Harleys and it is still hugely popular with custom bike builders
24) Front wheel brakes are available on all models from 1928 onwards.
25) The first Flathead engine is launched in 1929.
26) From 1932 Harleys were made under licence in Japan under the name ‘Rikuo’.
27) During 1932 Harley-Davidson begins to sell branded clothing and accessories to the general public.
This part of the business is now worth many millions of dollars a year.
28) The now famous Harley-Davidson eagle symbol was used on a fuel tank for the first time in 1933. It was introduced in a bid to boost sales which had fallen due to the Great Depression.
29) Joe Petrali sets a speed record of 136.183mph (217.892kph) on the 1937 Model E V-Twin Streamliner at Daytona Beach.
30) William A Davidson, elder brother of Arthur, dies in 1937.
31) The first Black Hills Rally is held in Sturgis in 1938.
32) Dot Robinson founds The Motor Maids, an organisation for female motorcyclists, in 1940. Robinson clocked up more than 1.5 million miles (2.4 million kilometres) on 35 different Harleys and earned the title of 'The first lady of motorcycling.' She died in 1987.
33) When the USA is plunged into World War II in 1941, the production of civilian Harleys is put on hold to enable the firm to concentrate on military production.
34) Walter Davidson dies in 1942.
35) Harley-Davidson’s main war motorcycle is the WLA which makes up the bulk (60,000) of Harley-Davidson’s 90,000 production total during the conflict.
36) Further proof that Harley-Davidson wasn’t just about V-twins, the war-time XA is a transverse opposed twin built for the US Army.
37) Company co-founder William Sylvester Harley dies of heart failure on September 18, 1943 aged 62. He was chief engineer at Harley-Davidson right up until his death. Bill Harley dies in the same year.
38) Civilian production resumes in November, 1945.
39) A two-stroke Harley-Davidson appears in November 1947 – the 125cc Model S.
40) The classic black leather motorcycle jacket is first sold by Harley-Davidson in 1947 – the first of many!
41) In 1950 the last surviving founder of the company, Arthur Davidson, dies in a car accident. He was 69 years old.
42) Harley-Davidson celebrates its 50th anniversary in 1953 by producing a new logo with a ‘V’ in honour of the engine layout that had brought the company so far.
43) When Indian motorcycles goes out of business in 1953, Harley-Davidson becomes the sole US motorcycle manufacturer for the next 46 years.
44) In 1954, dirt track racer Joe Leonard wins the AMA Grand National Championship to begin an eight-year dominance by Harley riders.
45) Rising star Elvis Presley features on the cover of the May 1956 issue The Enthusiast magazine sitting astride his Model KH.
46) A legend is born when the first Harley-Davidson Sportster is released in 1957.
47) Harley-Davidson’s only ever scooter, the Topper, is released in 1960.
48) In 1960, Harley buys a 50% share in Italian motorcycle firm Aermacchi and starts making smaller bikes including the Shortster and Sprint models.
49) Having recognised the growing importance of fibre glass in the construction of motorcycles, Harley buys a 60% share in the Tomahawk boat manufacturing company in 1962 and begins experimenting with the lightweight material.
50) 1964’s ‘Servi-Car’ three-wheeler is the first Harley-Davidson to use an electric starter.
51) 1965 is a big year for the firm as Harley-Davidson becomes a publicly listed company.
52) The Electra Glide replaces the Duo-Glide in 1965 and gets 12-volt electrics and an electric starter.
53) George Roeder sets a world land speed record of 177.225mph (283.56kph) for 250cc motorcycles in 1965 using a heavily modified Harley-Davidson Sprint CR.
54) The first of the ‘Shovelhead’ engines is introduced on Electra-Glide models in 1966, replacing the Panhead.
55) Cal Rayborn captures the world motorcycle land speed record for Harley-Davidson in 1970 setting a speed of more than 265mph (424kph).
56) Legendary daredevil Evel Knievel joins forces with Harley-Davidson in 1970. It's a partnership that lasts for eight glorious years before accumulating injuries forced Knievel to turn his back on motorcycle jumping.
57) Cruisers are born with the debut of the FX 1200 Super Glide in 1971. Built to cash-in on the craze for customisation, the FX was the first design penned by Willie G Davidson.
58) Harley-Davidson begins snowmobile production in 1971.
59) Arguably the most successful motorcycle race machine ever is launched in 1972 – the XR750 dirt tracker. It goes on to dominate the scene for the next three and more decades.
60) The first disc brakes on a Harley-Davidson appear in 1972.
61) Motorcycle production is upgraded in 1973 when assembly operations are moved to a modern 400,000sq-ft (121,920sq-m) plant in York, Pennsylvania.
62) Harley takes complete control of Aermacchi in 1974 after buying the remaining 50% stake in the Italian company.
63) Walter Villa wins the 250cc GP world championship from 1974 through to 1976 with the Harley-Davidson RR-250. He also takes the 350cc crown in 1976 making it a back-to-back year of 250 and 350 world titles.
64) The FXS Low Rider is released at Daytona Beach in 1977 – with drag-styling and lowered seating position.
65) The Cafe Racer version of the Sportster is released in 1977.
66) A Kevlar belt replaces the chain as the final drive on Harley-Davidsons from 1980 onwards.
67) Harley-Davidson embraces the Muscular Dystrophy Association as its favoured charity in 1980.
Harley riders will go on to raise over $65 million for the charity over the ensuing 30 years – and still counting!
68) The FXR/FXRS Super Glide II is released with a rubber-isolated engine in 1982.
69) Harley-Davidson is successful in petitioning the International Trade Commission (ITC) in 1983. A tariff is placed on all imported Japanese motorcycles larger than 700cc as a response to the Japanese motorcycle manufacturers stockpiling unsold machines in the USA.
70) The Harley Owners Group (HOG) is established in 1983. Current worldwide membership stands at over one million making it the largest factory-sponsored motorcycle club in the world.
71) Harley-Davidson spends $3 million on the 1984 ‘Super Ride’ demonstration programme, giving 90,000 rides to 40,000 motorcyclists – half of whom owned other brands.
72) In 1984, after seven years of development, Harley unveils the 1340cc Evolution engine across five
models including the all-new Softail, which hides the rear shock absorbers giving a real ‘hard-tail’ look.
73) Harley-Davidson is listed on the American Stock Exchange in 1986: it's the first time the company has publicly traded since 1969.
74) The firm takes the number one slot for bike sales in the USA from Honda in 1986. By the end of the year Harley had 47% of the large-capacity motorcycle market in the US.
75) The company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1987.
76) During 1987, Harley proves their ability to compete with the world’s best motorcycle manufacturers by asking for the early lifting of the five-year tariff.
77) The legendary Springer front-end returns in the FXSTS Springer Softail in 1988. Also launched that year is the 1200 Sportster.
78) 1988 sees Scott Parker – a Harley-Davidson rider since 1981 – win the first of nine AMA Grand
National dirt track championships.
79) President Ronald Reagan visits the Harley-Davidson factory in 1988. Turnover for the year is an astonishing $757.4 million.
80) The FLSTF Fat Boy is launched in 1990 and immediately becomes a modern classic – helped by the fact that it played a starring role in the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie ‘Terminator 2’.
81) Dave Campos sets a new motorcycle land speed record on a Harley-powered streamliner. He rockets along the Bonneville Salt Flats at an astonishing 322.150mph (518.450kph). His record stands for 16 years.
82) 1991 sees the debut of the Dyna line of motorcycles with the FXDB Dyna Glide Sturgis.
83) All Harleys change to five-speed transmission in 1991.
84) Harley-Davidson buys a minority interest in Buell Motorcycles in 1993.
85) In 1994 Harley-Davidson returns to road-racing with the VR 1000 Superbike Race Team. The project ends in 2001 and riders include Pascal Picotte, Miguel Duhamel, Chris Carr and Scott Russell. The VR 1000 engine would later form the basis of the VRSCA V-Rod family.
86) 1995 sees the launch of the Ultra Classic Electra Glide – the first production Harley-Davidson to use fuel injection.
87) During the 1990s, production rose from 62,000 to more than 130,000 units.
88) The Touring and Dyna families receive the new Twin Cam 88 engine in 1999.
89) Stunt rider Bubba Blackwell sets a new world record for the longest motorcycle jump on a Harley-Davidson when he beats Evel Knievel's existing record. Using the same XR-750 favoured by his hero Kneivel, Blackwell leaps 156.8 feet (47.8 metres) to beat the previous record of 132.8 feet (40.5 metres).
90) The FXSTD Softail® Deuce™ is introduced to the immediate delight of riders and the motorcycle media in the year 2000.
91) 2001 sees the launch of the amazing new VRSCA V-Rod for the 2002 model year. The motor comes from the VR1000 race machine and is the first Harley to combine fuel-injection, overhead cams and liquid-cooling.
92) During 2001, Harley-Davidson Racing announces the latest addition to the team. She is 17-year-old Jennifer Snyder – the first woman to win a national event in the Formula USA National Dirt Track Series.
93) More than 250,000 people come to Milwaukee in 2003 for the final stop of the Open Road Tour and the Harley-Davidson 100th Anniversary Celebration and Party.
94) After two-years of hard work, the Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines Harley team finally wins the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle championship in 2004. It is the firm's first NHRA title and also the first time the title had been won by a V-Twin machine.
95) The XL 883L Sportster® 883 Low, launched in 2005, brings a lowered seating position to the Sportster® line.
96) Harley-Davidson appoints Beijing Feng Huo Lun (FHL) as the first authorized Harley-Davidson dealer on mainland China in 2006.
97) The Harley-Davidson Foundation makes a donation of £1 million to the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) charity. A further £1 million is donated in 2010.
98) The company opens its new $75 million museum in Milwaukee on July 12, 2008. The 12,000 square metre, three-building complex houses more than 450 Harley-Davidsons and hundreds of thousands of related artefacts.
99) In 2009 Harley announces plans for expansion into India and begins selling bikes there for the first time.
100) 2010 sees Harley-Davidson launch the majority of the 2011 Softail range with the option of ABS braking. In rigorous testing, it’s found that the ABS-equipped machine can stop between 5-6 metres shorter than the non-ABS machine.
101) Freestyle stunt legend Seth Enslow sets a new world record for the longest ramp-to-ramp jump on a Harley in 2010. He clears an incredible 183.3 feet (55.9 metres) on an XR1200 in Sydney, Australia.