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

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.

Showdown: 2022 Harley-Davidson Nightster Vs Indian Scout Rogue

A classic rivalry has now gone in different directions. Credit: Photos by Evans Brasfield. Video by Paisley Zerr, Nico De Prato, Sean Matic The Harley vs Indian rivalry is up there with some of the biggest rivalries in modern pop culture.

Church of MO: 1997 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Standard

How many 25-year old motorcycles are still around, and still in the same basic form? You kind of have to give Harley-Davidson credit. In 25 years, the Electra Glide Standard has only gone up by $6934 (to $19,429), and in that time H-D’s best-selling bagger has gotten about a thousand times better.

Showdown: 2022 Harley-Davidson Road Glide Limited Vs Indian Pursuit Limited Premium

Hollister on The Big Ones, via San Andreas Fault: Will California slide into the sea? Who are we to question the motorcycles red-blooded Americans love most? Harley-Davidson sells more Street Glides than it does Road Glide Limiteds (which basically adds the frame-mounted fairing and trunk), but the song remains the same.

Harley-Davidson Suspends All Vehicle Production for Two Weeks

Harley-Davidson announced it is pausing assembly and shipments of all motorcycles for a two-week period due to a problem with a component from a third-party supplier. Production halted as of May 18, the day after Harley-Davidson was notified about the problem by the supplier. The official statement was brief, and offered very little in the way of detail.

2023 LiveWire S2 Del Mar Launch Edition First Look

$17,699 for LE model, target price of $15,000 for full production run LiveWire officially revealed its new S2 Del Mar, the brand’s second electric motorcycle and the first to use its new S2 Arrow architecture. Pre-orders for the Launch Edition model are now open, with an MSRP of $17,699 with deliveries to begin in Spring 2023. A full production run will also begin in 2023, with LiveWire targeting an MSRP of $15,000.

LiveWire S2 Del Mar LE to Debut May 10

All-new Arrow EV architecture to debut on middleweight model LiveWire announced it will reveal its next electric motorcycle on May 10. Dubbed the S2 Del Mar LE, the new model will be powered by a new modular Arrow EV architecture and slot in under the LiveWire One as a new middleweight-level model. Harley-Davidson Takes LiveWire Public, Announces New Arrow Powertrain The announcement was accompanied by a brief video released on social media channels that shows some flat track racing footage and the tag line “The Next Victory Lap.” The footage appears to be of Harley-Davidson factory rider Scott Parker racing at the Del Mar Fairgrounds on Oct.

2022 Harley-Davidson Nightster Review - First Ride

Putting the sport back in. Nightster Credit: Photos by Kevin Wing and Brian J. Nelson The Sportster hasn’t been all that sporty for some time now – that is aside from the 2021 Sportster S that the Nightster shares more than a handful of tricks with.