The American spirit is an elusive thing to explore, which blends self-confidence, independence, progress, inclusiveness, and freedom. Lynch J. said that “Perhaps more than any other 20th Century, the Harley -Davison motorcycle is revered as an American icon-a symbol of free-spiritedness, love, and verve for living life with all your senses.” Since 1903, Harley-Davidson has not only produced countless exciting products but also created passionate, free and independent riding culture. In the course of the development of the century, it has experienced war, economic recession, buyout and repurchase, foreign competition and market changes, its success has known as the traditional American manufacturing legend. It is not only a product of modern design and means of transport but also is one of the tools that people express personality. A comprehensive
Milwaukee: The Birthplace of The Legend
More than 100 years ago, Milwaukee did not have highways, and most of the roads in the city were covered with pebbles and mud. William S. Halley and Arthur Davidson were young men in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. William Halley was an apprentice draftsman, and Arthur Davidson is a mechanic. As an amateur, they both wanted to make a motor-driven vehicle. William Halley worked for a bike manufacturer to learn about the relevant hardware; Arthur Davidson had experience in engine model manufacturing. After two years of testing, they made some progress, but still need more help, especially on the mechanical aspects of knowledge, so they found Arthur Davidson's brother Walter Davidson.
Walter Davidson was a highly skilled mechanic. After completing his sketches, Walter decided to stay in Milwaukee to help William Halley and Arthur Davidson, completing the development of the engine. Initially their tests were carried out in the basement of the home and successfully made the first engine and then installed on a bike. However, they found that the engine is too small to produce enough power, so they had to re-design. After repeated tests, the first Harley-Davidson motorcycle was born in 1903, named Serial No.1. The motorcycle was extremely simple, it could be said that the two wheels plus an engine, the maximum speed of motorcycle was only 11km / h. The single-cylinder engine was attached with exhaust valve and displacement of 440ml. At present, Serial No.1 was collected in the exhibition hall of Juno Street.
The Racing Game Wins the Crowd
After the successful manufacture of the first batch of motorcycles, the team was encouraged. Due to limited publicity; the company's early orders were not many. This was not changed until 1905. When a race driver drove Harley-Davidson's motorcycle won a game on Independence Day, which made Harley-Davidson famous and the company motorcycle sales jumped.
Strictly speaking, Harley-Davidson really took the stadium to prove its strength was in 1908. At the time, the best approach to prove the reliability of the vehicle was to participate in the venue endurance race. Walter Davidson joined the race at the time. He not only succeeded in suppressing more than 60 drivers to win, but also created a number of records. Harley-Davidson became a trusted brand among riders. In order to improve the brand image and support the motorcycle race Harley Davidson founded the racing department in 1913.
When people still focused on the reliability of motorcycles, Harley-Davidson had made new breakthroughs in research and development. In 1909, the company launched the first mass V-Twin engine, which was a V-type two-cylinder engine, which had a 45 degree angle, well matching the motorcycle frame with displacement of 810ml. Compared to the old model, its biggest bright spot was a stronger power, representing the highest level of the motorcycle engine.
Serving the Country in WW I
After the outbreak of the First World War, Harley-Davidson prepared to meet the military needs. It called the motorcycle enthusiasts to firmly support their own country. Harley-Davidson became the US military motorcycle suppliers in 1917. In 1918, the military demand further increased. Half of Harley-Davidson vehicles were sold to the US military. According to statistics, throughout the First World War, the US military used a total of nearly 20,000 motorcycles, of which nearly 18,000 were from Harley-Davidson. The war made Harley Davidson famous in the world, in 1920, Harley-Davidson who outrun the biggest rival, Indian motorcycles became the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer in 67 countries around the world have more than 2,000 dealer outlets, with an annual output of 28,000 motorcycles.
R & D Breakthroughs
Between 1920 and 1929, Harley-Davidson made a number of breakthroughs in research and development, including the successful development of 1212ccV-twin engine which was used in the JD and FD models in 1921. The company designed a unique shape of the drop-shaped tank in 1925; the fuel tank was used by all Harley-Davidson motorcycles later on. In addition, all Harley-Davidson motorcycles had started to use the front wheel brakes since 1928. In 1929, in order to compete against the Indian motorcycles’101 Scout, Halley launched the D-type motorcycle which was equipped with 737cc V-Twin engine. Since the engine's intake and exhaust valves were mounted on the cylinder side, the top of the cylinder was flat and was nicknamed the "flathead”. This engine was used in 1972 because of its excellent performance.
Serving the Country in WWII
Before the United States directly got involved in WWII, Harley-Davidson had been active in the battlefield. During World War II, Harley-Davidson started to manufacture military-used motorcycle: WLA. When the United States directly involved in the war, Harley-Davidson fully discontinued civilian-used vehicles to support the production of military vehicles. Between 1942 and 1945, Harley-Davidson produced a total of more than 70,000 WLAs for the US military, fighting with the US soldiers at the forefront. Compared with ordinary civilian-used motorcycles, WLA uses olive body paint, and equipped with a shield tool kits, military style windshield and windshield, etc. It also modified the crankcase to allow WLA to reach higher wading requirements. From Performance prospect, it can reach 105km in the pavement; the maximum mileage was up to 170 km, fully meeting the military needs. In order to meet the needs of the US military, in addition to WLA, Harley-Davidson in 1942 produced 1011-XA750 models. The motorcycles were designed for desert driving, but with the troops withdraw from the North African battlefield, Harley-Davidson canceled the production contract. (Sterling, 2007) Harley-Davidson was awarded the "E-Medal" by the US military for its important contribution during the war. In 1945, the end of the Second World War, Harley-Davidson re-invested in the production of civilian motorcycles, and once again returned to the long track of the game.
Changelings from Japanese Motorcycle Makers
In 1953, Harley-Davidson’s biggest rival Indian motorcycles officially announced the closure. In the 46 years after the closure of Indian, Harley-Davidson became the only motorcycle manufacturer in the United States. In 1959, Honda came to Harley-Davidson's site, set up a subsidiary in the United States, officially declared war against Harley-Davidson. After Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki also joined the competition in the United States. Harley-Davidson had to face the challenges from these Japanese monocycle makers and lost a lot of market shares because Japanese motorcycles were lighter weight, higher configuration, and cheaper. With the Japanese motorcycles continued to import the United States, Harley-Davidson had been in a huge loss in the brink of bankruptcy they had to find the help from the consortium. In 1969, Harley-Davidson and the United States Machinery Casting Company (AMF) merged. Under the control of AMF, Harley-Davidson motorcycle quality is not satisfactory, let alone innovation. In 1981, the members from Harley and Davidson family repurchased the shares from AMF. In 1983, with the efforts of all parties, the International Trade Commission finally agreed to Harley-Davidson's request for tariff protection. (Field, 2002) During the protection period, Harley-Davidson motorcycles obtained export tax concessions, and the imported motorcycles from Japan were required to pay high tariffs.
Recovering and Rapid Development
Throughout the 1980s, Harley-Davidson started to be self-adjusting and recovering. During this period they also released a variety of new products, including in 1980 launched the FLT models. Also in 1980, Harley-Davidson used the kevlar belt instead of the chain as the main actuator. The drive belt can be kept clean during operation and requires little adjustment and maintenance. Soon, the belt drive became the standard actuator for all Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Harley-Davidson’s Softail has become one of the world's most popular customized car series, its essence is to keep the engine in the steel bearing, in the tail shape of the tough at the same time, to provide the most stable driving experience.
In the revival of the glory, Harley-Davidson once again reached the industry's top position. By the early 1990s, it had a 60% share in the heavy-duty motorcycle market and launched the Fat Boy model, which enriched the product line of the Softail car. Its obese shape and large tires wrapped in solid aluminum rims makes it one of the world's most recognized motorcycles.
In 2000, Harley-Davidson equipped the new Softail and Dyna motorcycle with dual cam 88B engine, and then installed a new electronic fuel injection system in the Softail. In 2001, inspired by the VR-1000 racing, Harley-Davidson manufactured a combination of electronic fuel injection system, overhead valve and water cooling and other functions of the motorcycle. Its VRSCA V-Rod model has power of 115 horsepower, speeding from 0 to 100km / h only needs 3.5 seconds. It redefines the new standard of sport cruising motorcycles. In the next few years, Harley-Davidson to further enrich the product line and enhance the competitiveness of the major motorcycles.
Harley-Davidson Culture
In the hearts of many fans, Harley-Davidson is not just a motorcycle; it is a representative of a life experience, and apparel products just to meet the needs of the fans to express themselves. In many Harley-Davidson costumes, the most classic one was undoubtedly the post-World War II leather jacket. In 1947, Elvis wore the Harley-Davidson Cycle Champ jacket on the Enthusiast magazine; it became a symbol of freedom and independence.
After the end of World War I, Harley-Davidson entered a stable and fast growing period. In the 1920s, Harley-Davidson race team continued to refresh the results in various games and created a glorious era. People also affectionately called this generation of drivers the "HOG BOYS". Today, HOG has become synonymous with the Harley Owners Group and has grown to more than 100 countries. More than 800,000 members prefer to use HOG to indicate that they are Harley owners.
As a century-old enterprise, Harley-Davidson has used two wheels to write its corporate history of innovation, development, struggle and rebirth. Harley-Davidson creates a unique and attractive locomotive culture, highlighting the American personality and humanistic culture as a spiritual home so that its supporters have a strong sense of belonging. Harley-Davidson has been giving people more spiritual and cultural connotations than a product of modern design. Harley-Davidson uses its own stories to move people's souls and stimulate the pursuit of human nature and the lifestyle they desire, which is why Harley-Davidson can have so many supporters in the world.