Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson, 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.[3] Harley-Davidson also survived a period of poor
quality control and competition from Japanese manufacturers. [4]

The company sells heavyweight (over 750 cc) motorcycles designed for cruising on the highway. Harley-
Davidson motorcycles (popularly known as "Harleys") have a distinctive design and exhaust note. They are
especially noted for the tradition of heavy customization that gave rise to the chopper style of motorcycle.[5]
Except for the modern VRSC model family, current Harley-Davidson motorcycles reflect the styles of classic
Harley designs. Harley-Davidson's attempts to establish itself in the light motorcycle market have met with
limited success and have largely been abandoned since the 1978 sale of its Italian Aermacchi subsidiary.

Harley-Davidson sustains a loyal brand community which keeps active through clubs, events, and a museum.
Licensing of the Harley-Davidson brand and logo accounted for $40 million (0.8%) of the company's net
revenue in 2010.

HISTORY

Harley-Davidson history is long and proud and began at the start of the 20th century. The beginnings of this
American icon were very humble. William S. Harley, born in 1880 and Arthur Davidson, born in 1881 lived next
door to each other in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

While the two friends were working in a local manufacturing plant, they decided to build an internal
combustion engine to be used on bicycles. They became friends with a German co-worker who was familiar
with the De Dion engine already being used in Europe. With his help, they designed a small air-cooled engine.

Arthur’s brother, Walter Davidson, who was working as a machinist was recruited for their bicycle engine
project. They built a little engine with a bore and stroke of 2 1/8 x 2 7/8 inches. Soon after they completed the
engine, they realized it didn’t have enough power.

In 1902, they designed a second engine with the help of another talented mechanic by the name of Ole
Evinrude. You’ve probably heard the name Evinrude before. This new engine had the same displacement as
their previous engine but with a larger flywheel and over/under pocket valves. With three horsepower, it had
the power they were looking for.

In 1903, Davidson brothers Arthur and Walter along with William S. Harley built a single cylinder motorcycle in
a wooden shed built by cabinet making father, William C. Davidson. This was the first Harley-Davidson factory
which was about 10 x 15 feet. The Davidson brother's aunt Janet painted the pin-stripes on the first few
Harleys. Harley-Davidson built and sold three single-cylinder motorcycles in 1903. They built and sold three
more motorcycles in 1904.

In 1905 the first Harley-Davidson to be produced in significant numbers was the Silent Gray Fellow named for
its quite operation and gray color. These were 450cc single cylinder bikes using a bicycle-style frame. To slow
down and stop the rider had to peddle backwards.

Following the official formation of the company in 1907, Arthur signed up over 800 dealers in ten years. These
dealers were in all of America’s then 48 states. Just five years after the first Harleys were made and sold the
Detroit Police bought a fleet of motorcycles. By 1925, over 2,500 police units in the US were riding Harley-
Davidsons.
The first Harley-Davidson V-Twin was produced in 1909. The first V-Twin engines cylinders were angled at 45
degrees, which has become a hallmark. Harley-Davidson used what is called a knife and fork arrangement to
link the connecting rods to the crankshaft at a common point. The first V-Twin had valve trouble and was
dropped for 1910. Harley-Davidson realized that V-twins were the future and redesigned the engine. The V-
Twin was reintroduced for 1911 and was a success.

A big part of Harley-Davidson history is Harleys contribution to U.S. Military efforts. In 1918 Harley supplied
thousands of motorcycles to the military to be used in World War I. Almost half of all Harley-Davidsons
produced that year were sold to the military. The first American GI to enter Germany was Roy Holtz, riding a
Harley-Davidson.

Even though it's not a big part of Harley-Davidson history, Harley became involved in racing to prove the
dependability of their bikes. Harley’s first and notable success was in 1908. Walter Davidson won the Jack Pine
Endurance run. Not only did the bike prove its dependability, the bike won the economy contest with 188 miles
per gallon. In 1921 Harley becomes the first motorcycle to win a race with an average speed of 100PMH on a
board track in Fresno, CA. Another early success story was the record of Joe Petrali, who set a record of
136.183MPH at Daytona Beach in 1937. Early Harley racing teams adopted a pig as their mascot and carried it
on victory laps. This might have been the start of the term HOG. Racing was not always a priority for Harley but
their riders have had great success over the years.

In 1941 America joins World War II. Harley produces the Model WLA which features blackout lights, high
clearance fenders and metal leg shields. Almost all of Harley-Davidsons output was devoted to the military
from 1941 to 1945. By the end of the war, Harley produced 88,000 WLA models for the U.S. Military and
around 20,000 for the Canadians.

When looking at Harley-Davidson history, we can't forget the many World War II ex-servicemen who came back
to small town America. While Harley-Davidson's civilian production had all but ceased during the war, there
were plenty of army surplus motorcycles to be bought. Many of these ex-servicemen started a trend by buying
and customizing these bikes. They removed or shortened the fenders to reduce weight. These bikes became
known as Bobbers. These changes ultimately lead to the evolution of the Chopper.

After a post-war boom, the company’s sales were damaged by the influx of cheaper Japanese and British
imports. This competition ironically caused a resurgence of interest in motorcycles, which the company
profited from. Harley was bought by American Machine and Foundry (AMF) in 1969. Harley-Davidson history is
full of ups and downs. Some of us are old enough to remember that Harley went through some hard times
during the AMF years. In 1981 senior management bought the company back from AMF.

Harley slowly came back in the 80s and now Harley-Davidson is one of the most recognized names in the world.
In 1983 Harley Owners Group (HOG) was formed with 30,000 members in the first year. Now there are about a
million HOG members world wide. After 105 years of Harley-Davidson history, Harley-Davidson Motorcycles are
more popular than ever.
INSIDERS AT HARLEY-DAVIDSON INC (HOG)
Name (Connections) Board Relationships Title Type of Board Member Age
Chief Executive Officer, President
Keith Wandell 20 Relationships -- 59
and Director

Other Board Members on Board*

Name (Connections) Board Relationships Type of Board Member Primary Company Age
Barry Allen 46 Relationships -- Providence Equity Partners LLC 61

Richard Beattie 515 Relationships -- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP 70

James Norling 12 Relationships -- Harley-Davidson, Inc. 68

George Conrades 121 Relationships -- Akamai Technologies Inc. 72

Don James 12 Relationships -- Harley-Davidson, Inc. 66

Sara Levinson 48 Relationships -- Harley-Davidson, Inc. 59

George Miles Jr. 211 Relationships -- EQT Corporation 68

Judson Green 69 Relationships -- NAVTEQ Corporation 57

Jochen Zeitz 48 Relationships -- PPR SA. 46

N. Linebarger 35 Relationships -- Cummins Inc. 47

Martha Brooks 86 Relationships -- Harley-Davidson, Inc. 50

R. Anderson 12 Relationships -- Harley-Davidson, Inc. 59