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

Motorcycles at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show

Two weeks ago, I took a break from my regular duties gathering news for Motorcycle.com to fly to Germany to cover the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show for our sister site AutoGuide.com. For two hectic days, AutoGuide editor Colum Wood and I scrambled across the massive 6.2 million square foot Messe Frankfurt trade fair compound, running from press conference to press conference to get the latest on exotic sport cars, futuristic concept models and international unveilings from the automotive world. It was heaven for car lovers, but for me, it meant fighting my way through hordes of photogs, auto-journalists and car show models to get the first photos of four-wheeled goodies from MINI, Ferrari and Lotus.

Harley-Davidson’s New Tattoo Inspired Clothing Line

Not everyone can pull off a tattoo, I know I can’t.  Or maybe I’m just too scared to ink up my entire arm for the rest of my life, sporting a faded and stretched color blotch when I’m 75 with my grand kids trying to guess what it once was. Well Harley-Davidson has a solution for me (and maybe you!) Fake it! Harley-Davidson’s new clothing line has been designed by “Tattoo Masters” to give you that authentic tattoo look, but on a shirt.

Harley-Davidson Free Country

Harley-Davidson is giving you a platform to express yourself and state what you love about living and riding in the land of the free.  Head on over to their free country web page, find your favorite 2010 model, make your statement on riding and living free in America and share it with the rest of the world! Screw it. Lets Ride!

James Cameron’s New Movie “Avatar” to use “Motorcycle Riding Badass” template?

James Cameron, the genius behind such movies as Aliens, Terminator 1 and 2, True Lies, and The Abyss, has a new movie coming out this fall. “Avatar”, a sci-fi action movie, stars Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Giovanni Ribisi, Stephen Lang and Michelle Rodriguez, all of whom can be seen in the new pictures released yesterday by the studio. In one of the images we see Sam Worthington wearing a Harley-Davidson shirt and sitting in a bar.  Is this the story of an average tough guy who rides motorcycles and plays pool in bars, turned action hero who saves mankind?  Does Sam’s character, “Jake Sully”, ever get on a motorcycle in the movie or just shows his Harley support by wearing the T-shirt?

Three-Year-Old Motorcycle Prodigy?

Even though Tiger woods started paying golf at age two, this story of a three-year-old boy from New Delhi, India is probably just as impressive, maybe more.  Azeem Khan, photographed on the Royal Enfield Bullet above, has been granted a special license by judges in India allowing him to ride his motorcycle on side roads but is not allowed out on the main roads by himself. Khan’s father had to customize the bike so that the young boy could reach the controls and prove that he could handle the motorcycle on his own. I used to sit him on my bike and he would always grab at the controls.

The Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Giveaway

FX Networks, the producer of the TV show The Sons of Anarchy, are giving away a 2009 Harley-Davidson FXD Dyna Superglide motorcycle that has been customized by Eagles Nest Harley-Davidson where there will be a special autograph signing with some cast members this Sunday, August 16th between 2pm and 4pm. The new season is set to premiere on Tuesday, September 8th at 10pm. Hit the jump for more details on the contest.

10-seater Harley. Just what you need.

Ever gone to take your Harley for a spin and thought "You know, I wish this thing had a couple more seats, infact no, I wish it had 10". Well, you might not have done that, I know I haven't, but one man who did was Steve Hopkins who built this bike using 7 Harley-Davidson engines some which date back over 100 years. To prove it rides, Hopkins and nine passengers hopped on the bike on Saturday to start the 900 mile ride from Wisconsin to Sturgis.

Dave Grohl Drums to the Sound of a Harley-Davidson Motorcycle

I’ve got a lot of respect for Dave Grohl.  He’s amazingly talented and very driven.  Even after Nirvana, the guy is still kicking and in the spotlight with the Foo Fighters and the millions of other side projects he’s done (ie: Queens of the Stone Age). Apparently he’s also a big motorcycle guy. Harley-Davidson did a little video on Dave, featuring him drumming on a snare drum to the exhaust pipes of a Harley-Davidson.  The seven minute video goes on about how Mr Grohl bought his first motorcycle when the Nirvana album “Nevermind” started to become big.

New 2010 Harley-Davidson CVO Motorcycle Video Previews!

Harley-Davidson revealed their new CVO line-up over the weekend and Motorcycle.com’s own Alfonse Palaima was there to cover it … and video tape it! The 2010 Harley-Davidson Street Glide, Fat Bob, Ultra Classic Electra Glide and all-new Softail Convertible were there and Fonzie was able to take a close look at each one. Here’s a quick run-down of the new 2010 models: Short Course Recap Model Street Glide Softail Convertible Ultra Fat Bob Built York, PA York, PA York, PA Kansas City, MO MSRP Base $30,999 $27,999 $35,999 $25,299 Production Run 3500 2500 3450 1300 Class Touring Touring/Cruiser Touring Cruiser Features, Standard ABS/Cruise/Alarm/ESPFI ESPFI/ Alarm ABS/Cruise/Alarm/ESPFI ESPFI/ Alarm History All-new for CVO All-new for CVO CVO Elder at 6 years 2nd year CVO For the full details of these amazing motorcycles, head to Motorcycle.com’s 2010 Harley-Davidson CVO Model Line-Up Preview.

HD Recommends Things to Pack on a Long Motorcycle Trip

Harley-Davidson was kind enough to post on Twitter a PDF of a list of things to bring with you on a long motorcycle trip. And what a list! It’s hard to believe you could squeeze all this stuff onto yourself and your bike.