Harley-Davidson got it's humble start when William Harley and Arthur Davidson produced the first production motorcycle in 1903. The motorbike was to be a racing bike, and was built in a small shed wooden with the words Harley-Davidson Motor Company written on the front door. One year later Harley-Davidson had put out 3 production motorcycles for the public.
In 1905 Harley-Davidson wins it's first race and hires it's first employee. Three years later, in 1908, Harley-Davidson sold the first motorcycle to be used in police service to the Detroit Police Department. In 1912 H-D started building it's 6 story factory and exports it's first bikes to Japan, the first time sales were extended outside of the United States.
1914 marks the year H-D formally enters itself into the national racing circuit, and is quickly known as “The Wrecking Crew” for it's dominance in the racing industry. By 1917 one-third of all motorcycles produced would be sold to the military, and was also the start of the Service School for Harley-Davidson Mechanics, for both military and civilian bikes.
By 1918 half of all bikes produced were shipped off to military for service in World War 1, and Corporal Roy Holtz would be the first soldier to ride a Harley-Davidson Motorcycle in Germany. 1920 marks the year that the motorcycle company is the largest in the world in the motorcycle industry, and has over 2,000 dealers in 67 countries worldwide.
1931 is the year that almost all of Harley's competitors are gone, with the exception of the Indian Motorcycle Company. Harley-Davidson and Indian are the only two motorcycle companies in America, until 1953. As the world enters into World War 2, so does Harley go back into Military motorcycle production, and the service school is turned back into the military motorcycle service school, also known as the Quartermaster School for military mechanics. During this time the public could hardly get their hands on a Harley-Davidson Motorcycle.
In 1945 The wartime production slows to a halt and a civilian production starts up again, and in 1947 H-D starts to sell what is now the classic black leather motorcycle jacket. Throughout this whole time Harley is consistently winning races on street and dirt over and over and still dominates the racing circuit.
1952 was the year the Harley Sportster made it's debut, but as the “K” series. It would not be until 1957 that it wouldn't be named as such. In 1953 Harley-Davidson would become the sole motorcycle manufacturer in the United States when Hendee Manufacturing, the the Indian motorcycle company, goes out of business.
Elvis Presley poses for a cover shot of Enthusiast, the motorcycle enthusiast magazine, in 1956. The 1960's showed Harley winning race ofter race after race, and he merge with the American Machine and Foundry Company, or AMF.
The 1970s ushered in a customizing craze amongst enthusiasts, and Harley-Davidson going through a company and factory wide renovation and restructuring. All production machinery goes through a major modernization and a new larger production plant in Milwaukee.
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