
From Combat to Cruising
The worldwide brand of Harley Davidson had humble beginnings inside a 10' by 18' wooden shed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where William Harley and Arthur Davidson outfitted a bicycle with a small engine. The friends fine-tuned their effort and in 1906 built a small factory where they produced about 50 motorcycles that year. Today's expansive corporate headquarters occupy the same location today.
In those early days, the motorcycle was all about hill climbing power. By 1910 a few dual cylinder engines that put out about 7 HP had been produced. This doubled the power to climb hills and enabled the bikes to hit top speeds of 60 mph. In 1921, a Harley-Davidson pushed the limits to 100 mph in a much celebrated racing win.
This p ...more
The worldwide brand of Harley Davidson had humble beginnings inside a 10' by 18' wooden shed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where William Harley and Arthur Davidson outfitted a bicycle with a small engine. The friends fine-tuned their effort and in 1906 built a small factory where they produced about 50 motorcycles that year. Today's expansive corporate headquarters occupy the same location today.
In those early days, the motorcycle was all about hill climbing power. By 1910 a few dual cylinder engines that put out about 7 HP had been produced. This doubled the power to climb hills and enabled the bikes to hit top speeds of 60 mph. In 1921, a Harley-Davidson pushed the limits to 100 mph in a much celebrated racing win.
This p ...more