Harley Davidson

The history of the Harley Davidson company starts way back in 1901 when William Harley began creating drawings and blueprints of a "motor powered bicycle" which he thought would be helpful in getting people around from place to place a bit faster.

He quickly revealed his idea to Arthur Davidson who had been a longtime friend and schoolmate. The two of them had tinkered with many ideas over the years hoping to find the "next great invention". Little did they know at the time that they had finally stumbled across one. The two of them soon began work on the project in the family basement.

In 1903 their hard work and ingenuity paid off and they made the first production Motorcycle available to the public. Arthur's brother, Walter Davidson, was also brought on to support the new company and the three power forward on expanding their fledgling business.

History has it that they also caused an explosion in their basement workshop and were banned from continued work on the project there. However, by enlisting the help of family members they soon had a small wooden shed built as a workshop on which were scrawled the famous words "Harley-Davidson Motor Company".

After establishing a few dealers and finding initial sales to be successful, the friends opened a new factory in 1906. Then in 1907 the oldest brother, William Davidson is convinced to leave his job as a railroad foreman and help expand the company. Shortly after signing on the company was incorporated with the initial stock being split four ways between Harley and the four Davidson brothers.

After the initial launch phase of the business was passed, Harley Davidson powered into the next decade with a series of innovations.

In 1910 their logo was introduced and submitted as a trademark to the US patent office.

In 1911 a new engine known as the "F-head" was introduced and the new motor would continue to be the core power plant for the majority of Harley motorcycles for the next decade.

1912 saw the company break ground on a large new factory and office building. Fierce competition from the automobile industry caused the company to begin marketing their motorcycle overseas to Japan.

Another innovation was revealed in 1914 with the introduction of the sidecar which enabled two people to ride side-by-side instead of inline.

While the founders of the company began dabbling in motorcycle racing as early as 1908, it wasn't until 1914 that a formal team was entered into the now popular racing circuit.

The decade was finished out with the onset of World War I and Harley Davidson was tapped on the shoulder by Uncle Sam to produce military versions of their motorcycles. Production was ramped up and in 1917 over 33% of all production bikes were sent to serve on the front lines of the European battlefield.

Following the end of World War I the Harley Davidson company had to find it's place again in American society (it's strongest market). Without the revenue of wartime production the company needed once again to find a way into the hearts of a nation that was now gravitating towards the automobile.

It settled on a two-pronged approach that narrowed the branding focus of the motorcycle itself. Two groups had emerged as core markets which would be the target of dual marketing campaigns.

The first was the racing crowd. Motorcycle racing was now entrenched as a full-fledged sport by this time and the minds behind the marketing quickly discovered that it could not only tap into the selling to the racing teams themselves, but also to the spectators that wanted to have their own "racing experience" that could only be achieved by owning a motorcycle of their own.

The second target market was the "freedom seekers". The owners of the company knew first-hand that motorcycle riding was a unique experience unlike any other. It created a sense of freedom and enjoyment that was not found riding a bicycle or in the sheltered confines of the automobile.

Capitalizing on the unique nature of cruising the open roads, Harley Davidson began marketing it's motorcycles as the "recreational vehicle" of the time which allowed husband-and-wife or a group of friends to enjoy a shared experience that would bond them together.

This marketing effort proved effective in this time period and it propelled the company to increased sales all the way up to the beginning of World War II.

Inovations of the time included the introduction of the JD motorcycle series in 1928. This bike came with a new twin-cam engine that was capable of maintaining speeds between 85 and 100 MPH.

In 1929 the new "V-Twin" engine is produced and incorporated onto the Harley Davidson "D" model. Soon to be nicknamed the "flathead", this proven design will end up being found on production bikes for over 30 years!

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the United States of America finds itself in the greatest overhaul of it's manufacturing base that has ever been see before or since.

Almost all of the industrial capacity of the nation was refocused on the War effort with most factories producing products for the battlefront, if not exclusively, then as an additional production line.

Harley Davidson was no exception and the company opted to cease production of publicly available motorcycles completely and switched over almost entirely to building motorcycles for the US Military. Even the service technician school is overhauled to train military mechanics.

During this time period Harley Davidson produced specialized motorcycles like the XA 750 for desert use and a number of others. By the end of the war the company was granted a special award by the Military for the quality and excellence of their support and production during the war.

After the end of World War II the Harley Davidson company executed a quick and effective change back to their core civilian production model targeting the racing teams and "recreational" riders.

A series of changes set in though. World War II funneled Americans from all walks of life into the shared experience of the war. Many had never seen a Harley Davidson motorcycle before their tour in Europe and they would retain the image of the motorcycle in their minds as they returned home with many setting a goal of owning one of their own.

This extra exposure caused a pattern of significant growth for the company which it welcomed with open arms. Another cultural change that would have even more of an impact was the introduction of the "bad boy biker" image.

This was popularized by a few movies and the icon of the "rebel astride his motorcycle dressed in black leather" began to take hold of pop culture for both good and ill.

After a series of negative displays from drunken and rowdy bikers at localized rallies that were plastered across the media, the leaders of the Harley Davidson company had to make a choice about how they would handle this changing dynamic sweeping the motorcycle world.

After seeing significant positive impact on sales from large numbers of people that identified, somehow, with this "rebel" image the company was forced to admit that this seemingly negative series of events may be a permanent marketplace change. The choice of the company that had for 50 years worked to brand itself and it's motorcycles as the recreational haven for family-values focused Americans was to allow the phenomenon to go unchecked and let the chips fall where they may.

This time period was also full of more dominance in the racing field as well as introduction of many new improvements and models. Probably the greatest single introduction of this stage company growth was the introduction of the Harley Davidson Sportster in 1957.

Still available today, the affordable Sportster has proven to be a great "first bike" for millions of beginning motorcycle enthusiasts from this point forward.

"The Sixties" saw significant changes in American culture as a whole and the impact of this time period had it's own influence on Harley Davidson as well.

It was during this time that both "cruising" and cross-country "touring" on motorcycles began to take a serious foothold. In response the company began creating models that are built more with comfort in mind. The size of it's motorcycles would increase for those not in the Sportster line to the point that the first 3-wheel design was introduced in 1964.

The company's plan to embrace the "rebel" movement from afar would prove to be good positioning as a fierce independent streak and desire for change sweeps the nation. While this decisive movement will slowly fade at the onset of the 70's it will not be so for Harley Davidson as more and more "bad boy bikers" end up taking a dominant presence that will forever be associated with the brand to one degree or another.

This iconic force proves to be so strong in the 70's and leading into the 80's that the Harley Davidson racing victories, the touring motorcycle phenomenon and other innovations of the time period would be strongly overshadowed by this "dark" perception that dominates the public and will prove to attract tens of thousands of frustrated people who want to find an way to express their desire to "stick it to the man".

Pressured by economic forces the company ends up being forced to sell it's operations to AMF Company which had experience making other types of recreational products such as bowling equipment and snowmobiles. The match does not prove to work well as quality begins to suffer over the next 12 years that the company is under AMF control.

The beginning of the 80's saw America in a steep recession with interest rates at unbelievable levels. These economic conditions proved to dampen the sales of motorcycles as most people don't see these modern day horses as a family necessity such as a car.

Feeling pressure from more fronts than just the motorcycle business, AMF decides it wants out Harley Davidson so it can refocus on it's core business. In 1981, after significant investment and coordination from the existing Harley Davidson executive team, the company was bought back from AMF and the new model line was launched with the marketing slogan that "The Eagle Soars Alone".

Regardless of the current state of affairs Harley Davidson continued down the path of innovation. In 1980 it introduced the use of the Kevlar belt as the linkage of the final drive having evaluated it extensively against chain models and finding it as the better choice for it's future motorcycles.

New models are introduces such as the FXWG Wide Glide (1980) and the FXR/FXRS Super Glide II (1982). The new 1340cc V2 Evolution V-Twin engine is introduced in 1984 after more than 7 years of research and design. This same year the company will produce the first Softail motorcycles with the rear shock absorbers being hidden inside the frame of the bike.

In a wise move to capitalize on the now-evident community spirit that has evolved between Harley owners the company creates the official Harley Owners Group (H.O.G). Before the end of the decade the club will have over 100,000 members and it's ranks will swell to over 1,000,000 in 2010.

As the Harley Davidson Motorcycle Company entered the 1990's it found itself being embraced in greater numbers by a new type of rider.

High-income professionals and senior blue collar workers found themselves inexplicably drawn to riding cruisers, touring bikes, and even "choppers". Many did not like the classic "bad boy" image that had been branded to the company by biker gangs such as the Hell's Angels, but they were willing overlook this stigma in order to obtain the sense of freedom and independence that only comes with owning a Harley Davidson motorcycle.

The major benefit to the company was that this new group of customers had access to money. Lots of it. And they were found to be willing to spend it not only on the motorcycle itself, but were known to empty seemingly limitless coffers of cash on custom upgrades, accessories, and Harley Davidson clothing.

This type of purchasing power among it's evolved customer base increased the Harley Davidson bottom line enabling it to produce more models than ever before. State of the art plants were built during this time-period with plans for more sketched out to be built in the decade to come.

The "New Rider" was born. Everyone now wanted a Harley Davidson, and as long as you could find the cash to purchase one, there was an entire community that would welcome you aboard and certify you as a red-blooded American that just wanted to ride. This sense of community would enable many who would not otherwise have bought a Harley Davidson bike to be able to do so because their mental hang-ups over what friends and family would say were now offset by more and more "normal people" seen riding them.

With the arrival of computers to control every aspect of deign and production, efficient high-tech factories, and a strong internet presence, the Harley Davidson Motorcycle company has embraced the modern age like few other "legacy companys" have been able to do.

A delicate transition had to take place in order for the company to compete in the modern word. Overseas import companies began to look with greedy eyes at the Harley Davidson core market, heavy weight cruisers. They began to introduce more and more models to compete directly with Harley in an effort to gain market share. Harley Davidson soon realized it would need to evolve as well if it was to retain it's marketplace dominance and expand it's share of the buying public.

A significant problem was finding ways to use technology without "over-using" it. After all, one of the integral appeals of owning a Harley Davidson is leaving the office and all it's associated hassles behind. This includes computers, email, the internet, and cell phones. All things that have established themselves as core elements of American culture in their own rite.

The leadership team at Harley Davidson has been able to span this gap well by launching an effective website and overall online presence which it uses in a non-intrusive way to keep it's brand in the forefront of it's customers minds.

On the actual motorcycle design front, the most earthshaking announcement came in 2001 when the VRSC V-Rod was introduced as the first liquid-cooled V-Twin motorcycle to be produced by the company. It also incorporated overhead cams and fuel injection which combine to produce tremendous power while maintaining a high level of fuel efficiency.

2003 saw the 100th Anniversary Celebration of the company with a multi-stop cross-country tour that ended in Milwaukee with over a quarter million riders participating at the final event.

2006 saw the introduction of 6-speed transmissions that would soon become standard on all platforms as well as the launch of a building program to break ground on a Harley Davidson Museum that would enshrine the heritage of the company and brotherhood of riders that fueled it's success. The new museum wold open in 2008 and has become a sort of "Mecca" for Harley Davidson lovers worldwide who plan cross-country trips in order to visit at least once.

The last few years of the first decade of the new millennium has seen American plunged into a severe recession that has not been seen since the great depression.

Risky lending practices in the mortgage industry festered into a series of economic time bombs which began to explode in the opening months of 2007. As more and more of these loans exploded, bands everywhere began to implode sending shock waves throughout the financial sector.

Lack of financial support for businesses plunged the country into recession in 2008 as companies began to go under or shed jobs forcing millions of people into a state of unemployment in just 18 months.

As other motorcycle companies began to cut production, lay off their workforce, or disappear entirely into bankruptcy, Harley Davidson has chosen to mount an offensive against the dark economic forces that are sweeping the nation.

In a brilliant marketing move the company launched it's "Screw It, Let's Ride" campaign which champions the message that America has been through much worse and has weathered the storm, that everyone needs to get away from the stress now more than ever, and that a ride on a Harley Davidson motorcycle every few days is just the way to fill that void.

This smart move on the part of the company is what has enabled it to increase market share among it's core customer base and it's this classic American spirit of courage and optimism in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds that will continue to keep the Harley Davidson Motorcycle company both profitable and growing in perilous times while other, less capable manufacturers just fade away into the darkness.