Harley Davidson Fun Facts

• In 1901, Arthur, William, Walter Davidson, and their friend William Harley combined their efforts and made a motorized bicycle. The first Harley-Davidson was born.

• Harley-Davidson built its first manufacturing site in 1906 on Juneau Avenue in Milwaukee, WI. In 1907, the company produced 150 motorcycles.

• In 1907, police departments started to use the Harley to catch criminals.

• In 1913, 12,904 motorcycles were produced by Harley-Davidson.

• In 1922, H-D invented the 74 cu in. V-Twin Engine. By doing so, they made the Harley the fastest motorcycle around.

• In 1936, Harley-Davidson manufactured a motorcycle with a 61 cu in. overhead valve engine. They named it the Knucklehead.

• In 1948, Harley-Davidson created another motorcycle and named in Panhead. This cycle sported a new 74 cu in. engine with hydraulic valve lifters and aluminum heads.

• In 1953, Harley-Davidson's oldest competitor, Indian Motorcycle Company, closed its doors.

• In 1957, the Harley-Davidson Sportster was first sold, making it one of the longest continuously produced motorcycle models.

• In 1965, a world land speed record of 177.225 mph for 250CC motorcycles on a modified Harley-Davidson Sprint was set by George Roeder.

• In 1974, Harley-Davidson built a second manufacturing plant in York, PA.

• In March 1987, Harley-Davidson asked the International Trade Commission to terminate the imposed tariffs that had been in place against Japanese manufacturers of motorcycles.

• In July 2001, Harley-Davidson released VRSCA V-Rod with a liquid-cooled engine.

• Over 300,000 people belong to "H.O.G.," the Harley Owners Group.

• The U.S. military began using the Harley Davidson motorcycle before World War I. The Army was using the Harley Davidson motorcycle against Pancho Villa along the U.S./Mexico border in 1916, and these Harleys were equipped with machine guns.

• The Army used the Harley in combat during WW I. At the end of the war, there were approximately 20,000 Harley-Davidsons being used by members of the armed forces.

• In WW II thousands of Harley Davidson motorcycles saw action. Many of these were subsequently sold as war surplus and were quickly snapped up by eager veterans, some of whom formed riding clubs and the first motorcycle gangs.

• By the 1950s, the Army decided it no longer needed Harleys for the Korean War, and Harley began to focus on the civilian market.

• During the 1960s, motorcycle sales were so low that Harley expanded into the golf cart market and became the third-largest manufacturer of golf carts.