Harley-Davidson Motorcycles

About Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson Inc (NYSE: HOG, formerly HDI), often abbreviated H-D or Harley, is an American motorcycle manufacturer. Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the first decade of the 20th century, it was one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression.

The company sells today only heavyweight motorcycles with over 700 cc, designed for cruising on highways. Harley-Davidson motorcycles, or "Harleys", are noted for the tradition of heavy customization. Harley-Davidson's attempts to establish itself in the light motorcycle market have met little success and have largely been abandoned since the 1978 sale of its Italian Aermacchi subsidiary.

In 1901, William S. Harley, age 20, 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. On a practice, though, it was only experiment, somewhat unsuccessful but a start for more. So 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).

In September 8, 1904, Harley competed in a Milwaukee motorcycle race held at State Fair Park. This is the first documented appearance of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle in the historical record.

Production in 1905 and 1906 were all single-cylinder models with 26.84 cubic inches (440 cc) engines. Starting from 1907, V-Twin engines appeared, having 53.68 cubic inches (880 cc) and producing about 7 horsepower (5.2 kW).

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 (811 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 1920, Harley-Davidson was the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world, with 28,189 machines produced, and dealers in 67 countries.

During the 1920s, several improvements were put in place, such as a new 74 cubic inch (1,212.6 cc) V-Twin, introduced in 1922, and the "Teardrop" gas tank in 1925. A front brake was added in 1928 although notably only on the J/JD models. In the late summer of 1929, Harley-Davidson introduced its 45 cubic inches (737 cc) flathead V-Twin, "D" model. An 80 cubic inches (1,300 cc) flathead engine was added to the line in 1935, by which time the single-cylinder motorcycles had been discontinued.

After World War II, as part of war reparations, Harley-Davidson acquired the design of a small German motorcycle, the DKW RT 125, which they adapted, manufactured, and sold from 1948 to 1966. Harley experienced changes in ownership in the ‘60s, going public in 1965 and eventually merging with American Machine and Foundry (AMF) in 1969. The ‘80s and ‘90s saw the introduction of model families that continue to this day, like the Softail, FLT and Road King lines, joining classic models like the Electra Glide. The story continues today.

Moto blog

What We Know About the 2023 Harley-Davidson X350 and X350RA

Streetbike for Asia and a Riding Academy bike for the US Harley-Davidson held its big 120th anniversary reveal last week, and for the most part, the announcement included the bikes we expected, such as the Nightster Special, and the return of the Breakout with a Milwaukee-Eight 117ci engine. What we also expected to come for 2023 but was not included in the announcement were the X350 and X350RA. Still, despite not being part of the big Jan.

Harley Celebrates Its 120th Birthday With Seven Anniversary Models - And A Few Surprises

Also, the Breakout is back and the Road Glide now comes in trike form. Harley-Davidson turns 120 this year, and to celebrate model year 2023, The Motor Company has turned to its once-every-five-year playbook and unveiled seven limited-edition models to commemorate the occasion. Say hello to the: Ultra Limited Anniversary Tri Glide Ultra Anniversary Street Glide Special Anniversary (Black Trim) Road Glide Special Anniversary (Black Trim) Fat Boy 114 Anniversary Heritage Classic 114 Anniversary (Chrome Trim) CVO Road Glide Limited But that’s not all; for ’23, Harley is also gracing us with a few more models: the return of the Breakout, the Road Glide 3 Trike, the Nightster Special, and a restyled Freewheeler.

2023 Harley-Davidson Lineup to Include Breakout 117, X350RA, and Electra Glide Highway King

All will be revealed Jan. 18 We’re just a few days into the new year, and Harley-Davidson has already started shipping 2023 models to dealerships. These are mainly carry-over models, returning for 2023 with new colors, which should prepare dealers ahead of Harley-Davidson’s launch event on Jan.

Leaked: 2023 Harley-Davidson Touring, CVO and 120th Anniversary Models

FLHFB Electra Glide may be 2023's Icon model Earlier this week, we uncovered Australian certification documents revealing a new Nightster S model and Harley-Davidson‘s 2023 Softail lineup including 120th anniversary Fat Boy 114 and Heritage Classic 114 models. As we predicted, a similar document certifying Harley-Davidson’s 2023 touring models has now been released in Australia, confirming the models returning, as well as the Anniversary Edition Touring models, plus one possible addition to Harley’s Icon collection. 120th Anniversary Harley-Davidson Softail Models Leaked Returning for 2023, at least for the Australian market, are the Road Glide Special, Road Glide ST, Street Glide Special, Street Glide ST, Road King Special, and Ultra Limited.

120th Anniversary Harley-Davidson Softail Models Leaked

Fat Boy 114 and Heritage Classic 114 getting 120th Anniversary Editions Harley-Davidson turns 120 next year, which naturally means we’re getting some special Anniversary Edition models. Thanks to new vehicle certification data from Australia, we can confirm that the Heritage Classic 114 and the Fat Boy 114 will be receiving 120th Anniversary Editions. The Australian certification for Harley-Davidson’s Softail models was updated today, adding mentions of two new model codes: “FLFBSANV,” and “FLHCSANV,” both with vehicle identification number codes that indicate 2023 models.

Leaked: 2023 Harley-Davidson Nightster S Revealed

RH975S model designation certified in Australia The Harley-Davidson Nightster is getting a new “S” variant for 2023. The news comes to us via certification documents from Australia that confirm the new model along with two images of the Nightster S. The Australian filing provides data on Harley-Davidson’s Revolution Max models including the Nightster (RH975), Sportster S (RH1250S), and Pan America 1250 Special (RA1250S).

Church of MO: 2012 Harley-Davidson Dyna Super Glide Custom Review

Someone’s not done bitchin’ in the kitchen ’bout Dyna; when H-D dropped the twin-shock classic after 2017, there was more than a little wailing and gnashing of gears. The first Dyna rolled out in 1991 in the form of the FXDB Sturgis, which I think is the one I rode to Sturgis. Ten years ago, Pete and Fonzie rode the FXDC Super Glide.

More Evidence of a Harley-Davidson Pan America 975 Emerges

Earlier this year, we wrote about how signs of a Pan America 975 were mistakenly mentioned in an official Harley-Davidson web page for an accessory locking fuel cap. Up until shortly after our article went live, the page listed the fuel cap as being compatible with the RA1250 (Pan America 1250) and RA1250S (Pan America 1250 Special) as well as two unannounced models: the RA975 and RA965S, which we assumed to be Pan America models powered by the 975cc version of the Revolution Max engine, like the one equipped on the Nightster. Motorcycle.com has now obtained further evidence of the existence of middleweight versions of Harley-Davidson’s adventure-tourer, once again from Harley itself, as well as the U.S.

2022 Harley-Davidson Low Rider El Diablo Joins Limited Edition Icons Collection

The devil you say! Harley-Davidson unveiled the latest member of its Icons Collection with a devilish take on the Low Rider ST. Limited to a production run of just 1,500 models, the 2022 Harley-Davidson Low Rider El Diablo introduces a custom red paint job and a factory-installed Rockford Fosgate audio system for a price of $27,999.

Harley-Davidson's Production Stoppage Was Caused by Non-compliant Brake Lines

Production ramps up to meet year-end targets Back in May, Harley-Davidson announced it would temporarily halt motorcycle production due to a “regulatory compliance matter” regarding an unspecified part from a third-party supplier. Harley-Davidson initially estimated the stoppage would last two weeks but it eventually lasted 19 days before production resumed on June 6. The actual cause for the delay remained unclear some speculating the issue was related to the powertrains, as the stoppage only affected Harley-Davidson’s gas engine-powered motorcycles and not the electric LiveWires.