Harley-Davidson is, perhaps, the most famous motorcycle brand name in the world. In fact, it is possibly one of the most famous brand names in the world, period. Since 1903, Harley-Davidson has epitomized the American motorcycle industry helped, of course, by being only one of two that survived the Second World War, and for decades after that, being the only American motorcycle manufacturer. It’s been a wild ride, with many ups and downs, successes and failures, good times and bad, so sit back and enjoy our list of Harley-Davidson fun facts.

1 It All Started With An Engine

1911 Harley Davidson V-Twin studio shot
Harley Davidson

The story of Harley-Davidson (H-D) started when William S. Harley, alongside his friends Arthur and Walter Davidson, built a small engine designed to fit onto a regular bicycle frame, to supplement the pedaling effort by the rider. It wasn’t a success: the bicycle failed to climb even the shortest or shallowest hills under the power of the engine alone. Undeterred, the trio then designed a larger engine and a loop frame of their own, and the first machine was finished in 1904.

2 Largest Motorcycle Manufacturer In The World

1915 Harley Davidson 11F
Mecum

By 1905, Harley-Davidson motorcycles were being ‘mass-produced’, although that statement needs some qualification as a total of eight motorcycles were constructed and sold in 1905! By 1920, however, Harley Davidson was the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world, with 2,000 dealers in 67 countries.

Related: Here Are The Top 10 Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever Built

3 Back to Bicycles

William Harley and Arthur Davidson
Ron Frazier via Flickr

In 1916, in an effort to plant the name of Harley-Davidson into young, not-yet-motorcycling minds, the company turned back to manufacturing bicycles. The components were made by the Davis Sewing machine Company of Dayton, Ohio, and shipped to H-D in Milwaukee for assembly. The bicycles were well-made, attractive, and comfortable but, unfortunately, too expensive: they didn’t sell well and production ended in 1921.

4 The Engine

1998 Harley-Davidson MT500 Engine
Mecum Auctions

Harley-Davidson was and will be forever associated with the V-Twin engine. The first 45° V-twin appeared in 1909 and has remained the only configuration of engine Harley Davidson has used for its motorcycles ever since. However, in 1960, H-D bought a 50-percent stake in Italian manufacturer Aermacchi and produced Aermacchi-Harley-Davidson motorcycles, using the Aermacchi single-cylinder engine design, but these were never true Harley Davidsons. In 1974, AMF-Harley Davidson bought the remaining 50-percent of Aermacchi, and then, in 1978, it was sold to the Italian Cagiva concern.

Related: Top 10 Harley-Davidson Commuter Bikes

5 There Have Been Only Nine Harley-Davidson V-Twin Engine Designs

Harley Davidson V-Twin Engine
Harley Davidson

Since 1903, Harley-Davidson has designed and built only nine different large-displacement V-twin engines: Flathead, Knucklehead, Panhead, Shovelhead, Evolution, Twin Cam, Revolution, Milwaukee Eight, and Revolution Max. While the basic structure of the engine has been retained, it is the cylinder head designs, and, more accurately, the valve covers that have changed, giving rise to the engine nicknames. In addition, the Sportster engine has been produced from 1957 and is still in production today. While we’re on the subject of engines, the distinctive H-D engine sound, affectionately described as ‘potato-potato’, is a product of the ignition systems of the earliest engines. Using only one set of points for both cylinders (with no distributor) meant that the spark plugs of both cylinders would fire at the same time, irrespective of which piston was approaching the top dead center on the compression stroke. Also, the 45° angle between the cylinders meant that there are distinct, uneven intervals between the firing of the cylinders, hence the lumpy sound which is so different from any other V-twin, such as those from Vincent or Ducati. Harley even tried to trademark the engine sound but was unable to do so due to any awarded trademark being virtually unenforceable.

6 Only One of Two Manufacturers to Survive the Great Depression

Harley-Davidson MC-65 Quarter
Mecum

Up to the late 1920s, there had been hundreds of American motorcycle manufacturers, some lasting twenty years, some only one or two. The Great Depression decimated the motorcycle industry and only two manufacturers survived: Harley-Davidson and Indian. Like so many other industries, Harley survived by turning to manufacturing other products other than motorcycles, such as industrial engines. Despite the trying circumstances, H-D designed and brought to production the three-wheeled Servicar in 1932, a model that would remain in the Harley catalog up to 1973. Interestingly the Servicar was the first civilian H-D to be fitted with an electric start, in 1964.

Related: 10 Most Reliable Motorcycles

7 There Was a Real HOG

2016 Harley Davidson Street 750
Harley-Davidson

Nowadays, owners of Harley-Davidsons can join the brother- and sisterhood that is the Harley Owners Group, or H.O.G, often shortened to simply Hog. Also, Harley-Davidsons are referred to as hogs. The origin of this word is interesting. In the 1920s, there was a group of farm boys who would race their Harleys at the weekends on the board or dirt tracks nearby. Their mascot was a live pig, or hog, who would often join the boys on victory laps.

8 How To Gain a Bad Reputation

Harley Davidson Electra Glide Revival static shot
Harley-Davidson

By the late 1960s, H-D sales were dropping sharply, and the company was struggling financially. Talks were in progress with a company that specialized in buying struggling businesses and then selling off the assets and liquidating the company. This could easily have been H-D’s fate had American Machine and Foundry (AMF) not stepped in and bought the ailing Harley Davidson concern. AMF made recreation and leisure products, including bowling equipment, and knew nothing about building motorcycles, let alone developing the brand and supporting its customers. Quality dropped like a stone in the 1970s and it wasn’t until a consortium of 13 former H-D executives stepped in and bought the company back that things started to turn around. The damage to Harley’s reputation had been done, however, and the company is still fighting to rid itself of the ‘unreliable’ tag today, even though its products have been models of reliability for decades.

Related: 10 Best-Selling Harley-Davidson Motorcycles

9 Any Color, As Long As It’s Not Green

1917 Harley-Davidson J
Mecum Auctions

It seems Harley-Davidson riders are superstitious and won’t ride a Harley that is painted green. There are several theories about this. One is that when ex-army Harley WLA models were brought back from Europe after the second world war, having served with the army, they were refurbished and re-painted, and sold on. However, they were often badly refurbished and were unreliable so broke down often. As they had at one point been green, it prejudiced owners against green bikes. Another theory is that riding a motorcycle that a soldier might have been killed on was bad luck. Yet another theory stems from the early days of motorcycle sport: British motorcycles were painted their national racing color of green and often beat American motorcycles, so any self-respecting American wouldn’t be seen dead on a green Harley-Davidson. Whichever theory you subscribe to, it’s maybe best to avoid green for your next HOG!

10 Harley-Davidson Once Owned MV Agusta

MV Agusta Super Veloce 800 studio shot
MV Agusta

In one of the strangest episodes in its history, Harley-Davidson once lost a huge chunk of money buying and then selling one of the most revered names in motorcycling - MV Agusta. Italian motorcycle manufacturer MV Agusta dominated Grand Prix racing in the 1950s, ‘60s, and early ‘70s and produced some of the most exotic road motorcycles that were not only hugely expensive but also very rare. In 2008, for some unexplained reason, Harley-Davidson spent $109 million buying MV Agusta. Less than two years later, however, recession hit the world and sports bike sales collapsed. Harley’s board sold MV Agusta back to the Castiglioni brothers for 3 Euros (approximately $3.98). But they also had to pay $26 million into escrow to give the Italians operating capital for the next 12 months. All in all, quite an expensive episode. At the same time, Harley pulled the plug on Buell, preferring to spend the money on Harley-Davidsons and not other brands.

FAQ

Q: Is Harley-Davidson cheap in the U.S.A?

Harley-Davidsons are marketed as a premium product in the motorcycling world and are therefore not cheap to buy.

Q: Is Harley owned by Kawasaki?

No, Harley Davidson is 100-percent American-owned.

Q: What is the current price of Harley-Davidson?

Harley Davidsons start at around $10,000 and go all the way up to nearly $50,000

Q: Does Harley-Davidson sell internationally?

Harley Davidson not only sells in huge numbers internationally but also manufactures in several countries outside the U.S.A.