Harley-Davidson has been instrumental in making the chopper motorcycle style popular across the world. Here, we’ve listed the three historical motorcycles that were manufactured by the company:

1. Harley-Davidson 11F (1915)

This Harley-Davidson model came with a price of $275 at the time of its introduction. It was relatively inexpensive than 11J. The reason for the higher cost of 11J was its expensive electrical headlight. Harley-Davidson had this replaced with the acetylene-burning headlight when it came up with 11F.

The cost-effectiveness of this motorcycle was a source of great delight for customers. As a result, 11F became the most popular motorcycle in 1915. This particular model of Harley-Davidson had many other important features. Among them was the sliding gear transmission with three different speeds and the oil pump that was mechanically driven.

These features appealed more to the company’s customers than the motorbike’s lower price. If only this model had a 22% power increase, the engine could have increased its power considerably. The sales figures could’ve soared with such power and a relatively lower price.

2. Harley-Davidson EL Knucklehead (1936)

Before the Second World War and after the economic depression, business was tough everywhere. Indian Motorcycles, the rival company, enjoyed immense popularity at the time owing to their reliable and fast motorcycles. This gave Harley-Davidson some tough competition and they needed an innovative design that could set the company apart.

The best way to achieve this was to improve lubrication in the motorbikes. The sidevalve twins had several limitations and the recirculating oil systems were still quite new. William Harley didn’t want to use the same sidevalve big twins. Being the company’s chief engineer, William Harley worked hard on an entirely new design of overhead valve.

It had great power, but had the problem of oil leaks. For this reason, the company initially didn’t release the bike. Multiple revisions on the design were done until the necessary solutions were found. Eventually, the revisions and tests led to the creation of the unique ‘Knucklehead’. Some of the Harley-Davidson fans consider this motorbike as the best-looking bike that the company has ever created.

3. Harley-Davidson XLCH Sportster (1958)

After the immense struggle following the Great Depression, the economy experienced a boom in the 1950s. With high levels of employment, the Americans had a considerable amount of money to spend. The bikers were demanding a better performance from the motorcycles. The dealers of Harley-Davidson were also beginning to get increasingly vocal in their demand for a competent motorbike.

This prompted the company to come up with some impressive improvements with the 1957 Sportster. These improvements included a new overhead valve engine and more top-quality KH parts. Despite such revolutionary improvements, the dealers were still not happy with the company’s offerings.

They went to Walter Davidson again with their demand of bobber fenders and smaller tank. Thus, the new Sportster engine was developed and included in the new design.

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The Harley-Davidson motorbikes have been featured in many of the popular movies over the decades. Here, we’ve listed some of the popular Hollywood movies that featured a Harley motorcycle:

1. Easy Rider

This movie featured a Harley motorcycle in all its glory. Easy Rider is a classic western film starring Peter Fonda. It showed the Harley-Davidson edition called the 1951 Panhead Chopper. Fonda played the role of ‘Wyatt’ in the film and called the bike ‘Captain America’ chopper. This made the motorcycle an iconic Harley-Davidson model among the ones used in films until now.

Some of the details about this motorbike continue to amaze the enthusiasts of Harleys. These motorcycles were actually built for the movie and only one survived the shooting’s wear and tear. Unfortunately, it suffered heavy damages in the warehouse of a collector in Texas. So, there’s only one credible replica of this bike, which has been kept in the Harley-Davidson museum.

2. Rocky III

The Rocky film series has a special place in the hearts of Sylvester Stallone fans. They’re still remembered as iconic movies that immortalized the character of a boxer. Somehow, the powerful presence of a Harley-Davidson model overshadows his persona.

In the third installment of the series, Stallone rides a 1978 FLH Electra Glide Harley-Davidson bike. The character of Rocky in the movie also paints the picture of an angry young rider. He rides this dream machine with an astonishingly uncompromising gusto.

3. Terminator 2: Judgment Day

If you’ve always loved watching sci-fi action movies, you’d have surely seen Terminator 2. This film features Arnold Schwarzenegger riding Harley-Davidson’s 1990 Fat Boy edition. An impressive motorcycle chase in the movie mesmerized the audiences globally.

In the scene, this Harley beast chases the Honda XR-100 dirt bike. This scene is still one of the most popular and iconic movie scenes. Don’t miss Terminator 2 if you want to see one of the favorite Harley beasts in action.

4. Pulp Fiction

In this movie, you’ll get to see Harley Davidson’s 1986 edition of the FXR Super Glide. The movie shows Bruce Willis riding this Harley Davidson model. It had to go through some customization for the movie’s shoot. Many consider this film as a masterpiece of Quentin Tarantino.

It received praise as the best film since 1983 from Entertainment Weekly in 2008. The cast of this film also received praise, particularly John Travolta, Uma Thurman, and Samuel Jackson.

5. Ghost Rider

The Harley-Davidson model used in Ghost Rider is a Panhead-based Chopper. This movie featured some iconic scenes with Nicholas Cage as the main character. Although this movie received negative reviews from the critics, it was a success at the box office. In the film, Eva Mendes and Sam Elliott are the ones riding the Harley motorcycle. This cool visual spectacle would surely inspire you to grab a Harley bike and hit the road.

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These four individuals worked together to develop a brand that revolutionized transportation in the United States. It was in the year 1903 that the company, Harley-Davidson, was founded in the city of Milwaukee. The incorporation of the company took place in 1907 with Walter Davidson as its first president. The first general sales manager and secretary was Arthur Davidson, while the first works manager was William Davidson.

The treasurer and chief engineer of the company was William Harley. Many wonder why the company’s name was not Davidson-Harley as the ratio was three Davidsons to one Harley. The real reason behind this was that William Harley had come up with the original idea for the motorcycle. So, the Davidsons thought it would be fair that William Harley’s name came first.

About the founders

William Harley and Arthur Davidson grew up in the same neighborhood just a couple of houses apart in Milwaukee. Harley was a year older than Davidson. These two friends had great fascination for bicycles. Because of this love for bicycles, Harley took up a job at a bicycle factory in Milwaukee when he was 15. From the rank of cycle fitter, he rose to the rank of drafter.

Later, he worked as a draftsman at Barth Manufacturing Company, where he designed his first internal combustion engine. The French de Dion-Bouton engine was the inspiration behind it. The engine designed by Harley was later used by many of the early manufacturers of motorcycles. Harley, along with his friend Arthur spent the next few years working on the prototype of a motorcycle.

Although the prototype was a failure, it made the two friends realize the importance of a machinist. The two friends then decided to take the help of Walter, who was Arthur’s elder brother. At the time, Walter was living in Parsons, Kansas. Walter came to meet them, expecting to see a motorcycle. Instead, what he saw was the mess of a motorcycle that they were yet to finish.

Upon seeing a dream in that mess, Walter decided to stay and help the two friends. Soon, the three had another mechanic, William Davidson, in their team. He was the eldest among the Davidson brothers. By 1904, they were ready with a second prototype of their motorcycle. It became the first-ever motorcycle of Harley-Davidson to compete in a motorcycle race.

William Harley

He was the treasurer and first chief engineer of Harley-Davidson. Although it was his idea to develop the motorcycle, it couldn’t have been possible without the Davidson brothers. He belonged to the family of engineers. His father, William Harley Sr. was a railway engineer. He had emigrated to the United States from England with his wife Mary in 1860.

William Jr. was born in the year 1880. Harley pursued a degree in mechanical engineering when he was not working on the prototypes of the original motorcycle. He earned this degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1907. By 1909, Harley created a two-cylinder engine. Harley remained the treasurer and chief engineer of the Harley-Davidson company until his death.

He had a significant contribution in the success of the company. Harley also played an important role in introducing new bikes. As he was a passionate racer, he tested his latest creations. In the year 1910, he married Anna Jachthuber and had three children with her. He died on the 18th of September 1943 due to heart failure. In 1998, he was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame.

Arthur Davidson

The youngest among the Davidson brothers, Arthur was born on the 11th of February 1881 in Milwaukee. As a child, Arthur Davidson developed a friendship with Walter Harley. Both of them had a deep interest in biking and would often go fishing together. Arthur was Harley-Davidson’s first general sales manager and secretary.

He was also successful in getting the major sections of the government to use Harley-Davidson motorcycles. They included the military, USPS, and police departments. A service school of Harley-Davidson was also started by Arthur. The purpose of starting this school was to train the qualified mechanics.

He saw immense value in a coalition of riders and industry insiders. It could work towards the common goal of advancing motorcycling. Arthur Davidson aligned himself closely with the American Motorcyclist Association and even offered it his support. Arthur died in a car crash on the 30th of December 1950 just three miles south of his home.

He was 69 years of age at the time of his death. His wife Clara and their friends Donald and Dorothy were also killed in the incident. Arthur Davidson was instrumental in creating the first bikes of Harley-Davidson. He also ensured a place for the brand Harley-Davidson in the popular culture and history of America.

William Davidson

Born William ‘Bill’ Davidson, he lived with his brothers Arthur and Walter in Milwaukee. He worked with the Milwaukee Road railroad. Later, he quit his job to join Harley and the two Davidson brothers to work on their dream project. Considering the fact that he had a well-paying job, quitting his job was quite risky.

The risk that he took soon paid off as the Harley-Davidson motorcycles became extremely popular. After the incorporation of the Harley-Davidson company, William Davidson became its works manager. His responsibilities in the company included the procurement of various tools required for manufacturing the motorcycles.

He died on the 21st of April 1937 at the age of 66. William maintained close contact with the employees of Harley-Davidson’s factory throughout his tenure. He was also popular for his generosity and charity.

Walter Davidson

Walter repaired and raced bikes as a child. When he was a teenager, he was a self-taught electrician and could even make batteries on his own. He was called from Kansas to Milwaukee to join William Harley, younger brother Arthur Davidson and elder brother William.

He worked with them on their dream project that would eventually become Harley-Davidson. Walter was also instrumental in building Harley-Davidson’s first motorcycle. After the incorporation of the company, he became its first President and General Manager. For the rest of his life, he worked for the company and also delivered speeches to stockholders.

As Walter was a motorcycle enthusiast, he had won several races. They included the Federation of American Motorcyclists endurance run in the year 1908. He died on the 7th of February 1942 while still serving as the President of Harley-Davidson.

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Later, the production of WLAs happened on a large scale. The use of WLAs continued in the US Military after the Second World War. The army had many such machines that were the remains from the war. Now, let’s take a look at the 3 major wars that saw the use of Harley-Davidson motorcycles:

1. First World War

During World War I, General John Joseph ‘Black Jack’ Pershing realized the need for new motorcycles. He was of the opinion that it could give the US Army an edge in the war. At the time, the ease of use and agility that came from Harley-Davidson’s motorcycle was truly an asset.

Thus, the first official order for the motorcycles of Harley-Davidson was came in during 1916. General Pershing wanted to use it during the punitive raid against Pancho Villa, a Mexican revolutionary. This new venture was the beginning of a partnership that was to last for decades.

During the First World War, nearly half of the production of Harley-Davidson’s motorbikes was for the military. The company supplied its bikes to the United States and its allies. These motorbikes included the WLAs. The production of nearly 70,000 WLA bikes took place between 1942 and 1945.

It was in this war that the Harley-Davidson Service School was born. During those days, a three-week intensive training course was provided by the company. This course was highly successful, which led to its renaming as the Service School. Later many such training programs were available for the aspirants at the Harley-Davidson University.

2. Second World War

The United States entered World War II during the final weeks of 1941. Once again, Harley-Davidson got into a partnership with the US Military. The company nearly halted the civilian production of its motorcycle to focus on the needs of the army. The Service School again became the Quartermasters School and began its training of military mechanics once again.

For its valuable contributions, Harley-Davidson received the Army-Navy E Award. This was also known as the Production Award. This award was for the companies that were into the production of wartime equipment and proving their excellence. By the end of the Second World War, the company earned three more E Awards. They were presented to Harley-Davidson for its exemplary service in production during the war.

3. Vietnam War

Technology had advanced to a great extent by the time the Vietnam War happened. Much of the work done using motorcycles in reconnaissance and communications was no longer being done. However, the motorcycles were still in demand for the military in the post-Cold War era.

Their speed, versatility, and agility were of great help in certain operations. In the Vietnam War, the Harley motorcycles were useful for the Special Forces on the rugged terrains.

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