Harley Davidson Motorcycles Fan Site
A Brief History
In 1903 Bill Harley and Arthur Walter Davidson founded Harley Davidson Motorcycles and developed their first one cylinder motorcycle.
By 1918 Harley Davidson survived the depression to become biggest motorcycle factory in the world.
By 1928, they were building motorcycles which could achieve speeds in excess of 85 mph.
In the 1940's, Harley Davidson concentrated production on the war effort, almost bringing civilian production to a halt.
The 1970's saw a spectacular revolution of the Harley Davidson. In 1971, the cruiser was born, uniting a sporty front end, with the frame and power drive of the FL series.
The 1980's saw further change in the partnership of the engine and transmission. In 1980, the FLT model was born with a 5-speed transmission hard bolted to the engine.
The 1990's saw the introduction of the Fat Boy design, this quickly caught on becoming a collector's item amongst biking enthusiasts around the world.
Harley Davidson now produces 62 % of the motorcycles with a capacity greater than 850 CC
Harley Davidson history in detail