A superb and rare
photo of the Harley Davidson Dyna Low Rider FXDL from the 2003 press photo
introduction.
Harley-Davidson has a long
and very interesting history that started as early as in 1901. That year,
William S. Harley, age 21, 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. Over the next
two years Harley and his childhood friend Arthur Davidson labored on their
motor-bicycle using the northside Milwaukee machine shop
at the home of their friend, Henry Melk. It was finished in 1903 with the help
of Arthur's brother, Walter Davidson. Upon completion the boys found their
power-cycle unable to conquer Milwaukee's modest
hills without pedal assistance. Will Harley and the Davidsons quickly wrote off
their first motor-bicycle as a valuable learning experiment. Work immediately
began on a new and improved second-generation machine. This 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). The
machine's advanced loop-frame pattern was similar to the 1903 Milwaukee Merkel
motorcycle (designed by Joseph Merkel, later of Flying Merkel fame). The bigger
engine and loop-frame design took it out of the motorized-bicycle category and
would help define what a modern motorcycle should contain in the years to come.
The boys also received help with their bigger engine from outboard motor
pioneer Ole Evinrude, who was then building gas engines of his own design for
automotive use on Milwaukee's Lake Street. The
prototype of the new loop-frame Harley-Davidson was assembled in a 10 ft × 15 ft
(3.0 m × 4.6 m) shed in the Davidson family backyard. Most
of the major parts, however, were made elsewhere, including some probably
fabricated at the West Milwaukee railshops
where oldest brother William A. Davidson was then toolroom foreman. This
prototype machine was functional by September
8, 1904, when it competed in a Milwaukee motorcycle
race held at State Fair Park. It was
ridden by Edward Hildebrand and placed fourth. This is the first documented
appearance of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle in the historical record. In January
1905, small advertisements were placed in the "Automobile and Cycle Trade
Journal" that offered bare Harley-Davidson engines to the do-it-yourself
trade. By April, complete motorcycles were in production on a very limited
basis. That year the first Harley-Davidson dealer, Carl H. Lang of Chicago, sold three
bikes from the dozen or so built in the Davidson backyard shed. (Some years
later the original shed was taken to the Juneau
Avenue factory where it would stand for many
decades as a tribute to the Motor Company's humble origins. Unfortunately, the
first shed was accidentally destroyed by contractors in the early 1970s during
a clean-up of the factory yard.) In 1906, Harley and the Davidsons built their
first factory on Chestnut Street (later Juneau
Avenue). This location remains the Motor
Company's corporate headquarters today. The first Juneau
Avenue plant was a 40 by 60-foot (18 m)
single-story wooden structure. That year around 50 motorcycles were produced.
In 1907, William S. Harley graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison
with a degree in mechanical engineering. That year additional factory expansion
came with a second floor and later with facings and additions of Milwaukee pale yellow
("cream") brick. With the new facilities production increased to 150
motorcycles in 1907. The company was officially incorporated that September.
They also began selling their motorcycles to police departments around this
time, a market that has been important to them ever since. Production in 1905
and 1906 were all single-cylinder models with 26.84 cubic inches
(439.8 cc) engines. In February 1907
a prototype model with a 45-degree V-Twin engine
was displayed at the Chicago Automobile Show. Although shown and advertised, very
few V-Twin models were built between 1907 and 1910. These first V-Twins
displaced 53.68 cubic inches (879.7 cc) and produced about
7 horsepower (5.2 kW). This gave about double the power of the first
singles. Top speed was about 60 mph (97 km/h). Production
jumped from 450 motorcycles in 1908 to 1,149 machines in 1909. By 1911, some
150 makes of motorcycles had already been built in the United
States – although just a
handful would survive the 1910s. 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
(810.8 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 1913, the yellow brick factory had
been demolished and on the site a new 5-story structure of reinforced concrete
and red brick had been built. Begun in 1910, the red brick factory with its
many additions would take up two blocks along Juneau
Avenue and around the corner on 38th Street. Despite the
competition, Harley-Davidson was already pulling ahead of Indian and would
dominate motorcycle racing after 1914. Production that year swelled to 16,284
machines. In 1917, the United States entered
World War I and the military demanded motorcycles for the war effort. Harleys
had already been used by the military in the Pancho Villa Expedition but World
War I was the first time the motorcycle had been adopted for combat service.
Harley-Davidson provided about 15,000 machines to the military forces during
World War I. By 1920, Harley-Davidson was not by far the largest motorcycle
manufacturer in the world, though their motorcycles were sold by dealers in 67
countries. Production was 28,189 machines. In 1921,
a Harley-Davidson, ridden by Otto Walker, was the
first motorcycle ever in the USA to win a
race at an average speed of over 100 mph (160 km/h). During the
1920s, several improvements were put in place, such as a new 74 cubic inch
(1200cc) V-Twin, introduced in 1922, and the "Teardrop" gas tank in 1925.
A front brake was added in 1928.
In the late summer of 1929, Harley-Davidson
introduced its 45 cubic inch flathead V-Twin to compete with the Indian 101
Scout and the Excelsior Super X. This as the "D" model, produced from
1929 to 1931. Riders of Indian motorcycles derisively referred to this model as
the "three cylinder Harley" because the generator was upright and
parallel to the front cylinder. The 2.745 in (69.7 mm) bore and
3.8125 in (96.8 mm) stroke would continue in most versions of the 750
engine; exceptions include the XA and the XR750. The Great Depression began a
few months after the introduction of their 45 cubic inch model.
Harley-Davidson's sales plummeted from 21,000 in 1929 to 3,703
in 1933. Despite those dismal numbers,
Harley-Davidson proudly unveiled its lineup for 1934, which included a Flathead
with art deco styling. In order to survive the remainder of the Depression, the
company manufactured industrial powerplants based on their motorcycle engines.
They also designed and built a three-wheeled delivery vehicle called the
Servi-Car, which remained in production until 1973.
In the mid-'30s, Alfred Rich Child opened a
production line in Japan with the
74ci VL. The Japanese license-holder severed its business relations with
Harley-Davidson in 1936 and continued manufacturing the VL under the Rikuo
name. An 80 cubic inch flathead engine was added to the line in 1935, by which
time the single-cylinder motorcycles had been discontinued. In 1936, the 61E
and 61EL models with the "Knucklehead" OHV engines was introduced.
Valvetrain problems in early Knucklehead engines required a redesign halfway through
its first year of production and retrofitting of the new valvetrain on earlier
engines. By 1937, all Harley-Davidson's flathead engines were equipped with
dry-sump oil recirculation systems similar to the one introduced in the
"Knucklehead" OHV engine. The revised 74 cubic inch V and VL models
were renamed U and UL, the 80 cubic inch VH and VLH to be renamed UH and ULH,
and the 45 cubic inch R to be renamed W.
In 1941, the 74 cubic inch "Knucklehead" was introduced as the
F and the FL. The 80 cubic inch flathead UH and ULH models were discontinued
after 1941, while the 74" U & UL flathead models were produced up to
1948. One of only two American cycle manufacturers to survive the Great
Depression, Harley-Davidson again produced large numbers of motorcycles for the
US Army in World War II and resumed civilian production afterwards, producing a
range of large V-twin motorcycles that were successful both on racetracks and
for private buyers. Harley-Davidson, on the eve of World War II, was already
supplying the Army with a military-specific version of its 45" WL line,
called the WLA. (The A in this case stood for "Army".) Upon the
outbreak of war, the company, along with most other manufacturing enterprises,
shifted to war work. Over 90,000 military motorcycles, mostly WLAs and WLCs
(the Canadian version) would be produced, many to be provided to allies.
Harley-Davidson received two Army-Navy ‘E’ Awards, one in 1943 and the other in
1945, which were awarded for Excellence in Production. Shipments to the Soviet Union under the
Lend-Lease program numbered at least 30,000. The WLAs produced during all four
years of war production generally have 1942 serial numbers. Production of the
WLA stopped at the end of World War II, but was resumed from 1950 to 1952 for
use in the Korean War. The U.S. Army also asked Harley-Davidson to produce a
new motorcycle with many of the features of BMW's side-valve and shaft-driven
R71. Harley largely copied the BMW engine and drive train and produced the
shaft-driven 750 cc 1942 Harley-Davidson XA. This shared no dimensions, no
parts and no design concepts (except side valves) with any prior
Harley-Davidson engine. Due to the superior cooling of the flat-twin engine
with the cylinders across the frame, Harley's XA cylinder heads ran 100 °F (56 °C) cooler than
its V-twins. The XA never entered full production: the motorcycle by that time
had been eclipsed by the Jeep as the Army's general purpose vehicle, and the
WLA—already in production—was sufficient for its limited police, escort, and
courier roles. Only 1,000 were made and the XA never went into full production.
It remains the only shaft-driven Harley-Davidson ever made. As part of war
reparations, Harley-Davidson acquired the design of a small German motorcycle,
the DKW RT125 which they adapted, manufactured, and sold from 1947 to 1966.
Various models were made, including the Hummer from 1955 to 1959, but they are
all colloquially referred to as "Hummers" at present. BSA in the United
Kingdom took the same design as
the foundation of their BSA Bantam. In 1960, Harley-Davidson consolidated the
Model 165 and Hummer lines into the Super-10, introduced the Topper scooter,
and bought fifty percent of Aeronautica Macchi's motorcycle division.
Importation of Aermacchi's 250 cc horizontal single began the following
year. The bike bore Harley-Davidson badges and was marketed as the
Harley-Davidson Sprint. The engine of the Sprint was increased to 350 cc in
1969 and would remain that size until 1974, when the four-stroke Sprint was
discontinued. After the Pacer and Scat models were discontinued at the end of
1965, the Bobcat became the last of Harley-Davidson's American-made two-stroke
motorcycles. The Bobcat was manufactured only in the 1966 model year.
Harley-Davidson replaced their American-made lightweight two-stroke motorcycles
with the Aermacchi-built two-stroke powered M-65, M-65S, and Rapido. The M-65
had a semi-step-through frame and tank. The M-65S was a M-65 with a larger tank
that eliminated the step-through feature. The Rapido was a larger bike with a
125 cc engine. The Aermacchi-built Harley-Davidsons became entirley
two-stroke powered when the 250 cc two-stroke SS-250 replaced the
four-stroke 350 cc Sprint in 1974. Harley-Davidson purchased full control
of Aermacchi's motorcycle production in 1974 and continued making two-stroke
motorcycles there until 1978, when they sold the facility to Cagiva. In 1969,
American Machinery and Foundry (AMF) bought the company, streamlined
production, and slashed the workforce. This tactic resulted in a labor strike
and a lower quality of bikes. The bikes were expensive and inferior in
performance, handling, and quality to Japanese motorcycles. Sales declined,
quality plummeted, and the company almost went bankrupt. In 1981, AMF sold the
company to a group of thirteen investors led by Vaughn Beals and Willie G.
Davidson for $80 million. Inventory was strictly controlled using the
just-in-time system. In the early eighties, Harley-Davidson claimed that
Japanese manufacturers were importing motorcycles into the US in such
volume as to harm or threaten to harm domestic producers. After an
investigation by the US International Trade Commission, President Reagan
imposed in 1983 a 45% tariff
on imported bikes and bikes over 700 cc engine capacity, rescuing Harley
Davidson subsequently. To remain profitable Harley continues to increase the
amount of overseas-made parts it uses, while being careful not to harm its
valuable "American Made" image. In that era also the
"Sturgis" model, boasting a dual belt-drive, was introduced. By 1990,
with the introduction of the "Fat Boy", Harley once again became the
sales leader in the heavyweight (over 750 cc) market. At the time of the Fat
Boy model introduction a story rapidly spread that its silver paint job and
other features were inspired by the World War II American B-29 bomber; and that
the Fat Boy name was a combination of the names of the atom bombs (Fat Man and
Little Boy) that were dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima respectively. However,
the Urban Legend Reference Pages lists this story as an urban legend. 1993 saw
the replacement of the FXR frame with the Dyna, though it was revived briefly
from 1999 to 2000 for special limited editions (FXR2,FXR3 & FXR4). In 2000,
Ford Motor Company added a Harley-Davidson edition to the Ford F-Series F-150
line, complete with the Harley-Davidson logo. This truck was a Super Cab for
model year 2000. In 2001, Ford
changed the truck to a Super Crew and in 2002 added a super-charged engine
(5.4 L) which continued until 2003.
In 2004, the Ford/Harley was changed to a
Super-Duty, which continues through 2009. Ford again produced a Harley-Davidson
Edition F-150 for their 2006 model-year, as well.
This is a very
nice and very non period rare photo that reflects a wonderful era of Harley‘s
rich motorcycle history in a wonderful way. This is your rare chance to
own this photo, therefore it is printed in a nice large format of ca.
8" x 12" (ca. 20 x 30 cm). It makes it perfectly suitable for
framing!
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