Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128208
• Harley-Davidson Historical Timeline ilestones 'A century of Harley-David.son at a glance 1905 • On July 4, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle wins a 15-miJe race in Chicago, with a time of 19 minutes, 2 seconds. • In Milwaukee, the first full-time Harley-Davidson employee is hired. 1906 • A new factory, measuring 28 x 80 feet, is built on the Chestnut Street site, later renamed Juneau Avenue. Staff size is increased to six full-time employees. Also, the first motorcycle catalog is produced by the Company, and the nickname "Silent Gray Fellow" is used for the first time. 1907 • William A. Davidson, brother to Arthur and Walter Davidson, quits his job as tool foreman for the Milwaukee Road railroad and joins the HarleyDavidson Motor Company. • Harley-Davidson Motor Company is incorporated on September 17. The stock is split four ways among the four founders, and staff size has more than doubled from the previous year to 18 employees. Factory size is doubled as well. Dealer recruitment begins, targeting the New England region. 1908 • Walter Davidson scores a perfect 1000 points at the Seventh Annual Feaeration of American Motorcyclists Endurance and Reliability Contest. Three days after the contest, Walter Davidson sets the FAM economy record at 188.234 miles per gallon. Word of Harley-Davidson's extremely tough motorcycle spreads rapidly. • The first motorcycle sold for police duty is delivered to the Detroit, Michigan, police deptartment. COURTESY OF HARLEy-DAVIDSON MOTOR COMPANY PHOTOS COURTESY OF HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR COMPANY AND By SCOTT ROUSSEAU For most of us, 100 years is considered as more than a lifetime, and yet for the Harley-Davidson Motor Company, 100 years has gone by like the batting of an eye. The rationale behind this is not a difficult one. Since the dawn of the mechanical age, Harley-Davidson motorcycles have simply always been there. From the construction of the first machine in 1903, through the Great Depression, two World Wars, days as happy as the Roaring '20s, and as tragic as 9/11, HarleyDavidson motorcycles have stood as a shining symbol of what makes America great. To call the history of the HarleyDavidson Motor Company itself impressive is as much of an understatement as to use the word to describe the history of the United States; The Harley-Davidson story is so often a reflection of the American story. With gratitude toward Harley-Davidson, we are proud to offer this glimpse into the history of the world's oldest continuously operating motorcycle company. Happy anniversary, Harley. Scott Rousseau 32 APRIL 9, 2003' eye I e n e .. s 1903 • Twenty-one-year-old William S. Harley and 20-year-old Arthur Davidson make available to the public the first production Harley-Davidson motorcycle. The bike is built to be a racer, with a 31/8-inch bore and 3-1/2-inch stroke. The factory in which they work is a lOx 15foot wooden shed with the words "Harley-Davidson Motor Company" crudely scrawled on the door. Arthur's brother Walter later joins their efforts. • Henry Meyer of Milwaukee, a schoolyard pal of William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson, buys one of the 1903 models directly from the founders. • The first Harley-Davidson Dealer, C.H. Lang of Chicago, Illinois, opens for business and sells one of the first three production HarleyDavidson motorcycles ever made. 1909 • The 6-year-old Harley-Davidson Motor Company introduces its first Ytwin powered motorcycle. With a displacement of 49.5 cubic inches, the bike produces seven horsepower. The image of two cylinders in a 45-degree configuration would fast become one of the most enduring icons of HarleyDavidson history. • Also available for the first time from the Motor Company are spare parts for motorcycles.