History
1900s
1903
The very first Harley-Davidson motorcycle was rolled off the assembly line
Taking the work out of bicycling. That was the utilitarian goal Bill Harley
and the three Davidson brothers had in mind in 1903 when they rolled out
their first motorcycle.
This picture is from The Juneau Archives of the Harley-Davidson Company
February 22,1904
H-D racing and hill-climbing legend Joe Petrali is born in San Francisco
September 17,1907
The Harley-Davidson Motor Company is incorporated
This is a picture of the inventors of the Harley-Davidson
motorcycle. The Davidson brothers and William Harley.
Picture taken from Harley-Davidson Photographic
History written by Wolfgang Wiesner
June 29,1908
H-D president Walter Davidson starts the two-day, 365-mile FAM endurance run in
New York on a 61-ci H-D twin against 61 opponents on 17 different brands of motorcycles
June 30,1908
H-D president Walter Davidson wins the two-day, 365-mile FAM endurance run with a perfect score of 1,000 points
June 24,1915
Della Crewe and her dog leave Waco, Texas on a 1914 H-D V-Twin with sidecar on a 5,378-mile tour of the United States
March 16,1916
As the U.S.-Mexican War heats up, the War Department requests immediate delivery of 12 H-D motorcycles with sidecar gun carriages
April 6,1917
The U.S. enters World War I, and H-D begins shifting its efforts to military production
November 12,1918
Roy Holtz is the first American soldier to ride into Germany on a Harley-Davidson
June 21,1919
Julian C. "Hap" Scherer sets a new record of 74 hours, 58 minutes in the 1689-mile Three Flags run from the Canadian border to Tijuana, Mexico
July 11,1919
Jack Fletcher tops the 10,000-ft Mt. San Antonio (Old Baldy) on an H-D Sport Model, the first motorcycle to reach the summit
1920s
January 4,1920
Led by Otto Walker, H-D riders win the top four places in the Ascot Park, California, 100-miler
July 4,1925
Joe Petrali, racing a borrowed H-D, sets a new record in winning the 100-mile board-track race at Altoona, Pennsylvania
1930s
March 4,1930
Over 50,000 customers visit 400 participating dealerships for H-D's nationwide open house
July 15,1934
William Bracy and O.C. Hammond ride a stock 1933 H-D 45 1,366 miles to win the Atlanta, Georgia, 24-hour race
January 27,1936
The H-D News Bulletin announces that demonstrator models of its new, overhead-valve Model E 61-ci V-Twin (eventually dubbed "Knucklehead") for 1936 were finally ready for shipment
March 13,1937
Joe Petrali powers a specially prepared H-D Knucklehead to a new speed record of 136.18 mph at Daytona
April 8,1937
Fred Ham rides solo on a 1937 Knucklehead to a 24-hour record of 1,825 miles on Muroc dry lake, California
April 19,1937
H-D workers unionize
April 21,1937
William A. Davidson - co-founder, works manager, and vice-president - dies in Milwaukee at the age of 66
1940s
September 15,1940
The Enthusiast Magazine introduces the Model F, a 74-ci version of the Knucklehead
February 17,1941
H-D submits a bid of $870,350 to the Army for 1,000 45-ci, shaft-drive XA military motorcycles, which are copies of the 750 cc side-valve BMW
September 1,1941
Don Loucks wins the Jack Pine Endurance Run with 979 of 1,000-points becoming the 17th consecutive H-D winner
February 7,1942
H-D's co-founder and president, Walter Davidson, dies in Milwaukee at age 65
February 23,1942
William H. Davidson, son of William A., succeeds the late Walter Davidson as H-D president
May 12,1943
H-D is awarded the Army-Navy "E" for excellence in supporting the war effort
February 6,1946
The 1946 H-D models are introduced five months late due to a strike
November 1,1947
The Enthusiast Magazine introduces updated OHV big twins with aluminum heads and hydraulic lifters that were dubbed "Panheads"
October 1,1948
The Enthusiast Magazine announces the new Hydra-Glide Panhead models
1950s
September 8,1953
The Enthusiast Magazine announces the 1954 "Golden Anniversary" models, in what is really the 52nd year of H-D production
May 1,1956
The cover of The Enthusiast Magazine features Elvis Presley aboard his new 1956 Model KH
September 10,1956
The Enthusiast Magazine announces a revolutionary new model, the 55-ci OHV Sportster
June 3,1957
Dick O'Brien, legendary future head of H-D's racing-team manager, joins the H-D racing department
1960s
August 20,1961
H-D racer Carroll Reswever cements his fourth consecutive Grand National championship by winning the 50-mile race at Springfield, Illinois
October 21,1965
George Roeder races a 250-cc H-D Sprint Streamliner to 177.225 mph, a new world speed record
January 7,1969
AMF assumes ownership of H-D
1970s
December 29,1973
Former H-D racing star Cal Rayborn is killed while racing a Suzuki GP bike in New Zealand
June 14,1978
H-D president William H. Davidson announces the closing of the Varese, Italy, Aermacchi plant
1980s
February 26,1981
H-D executives sign a letter of intent to "buy back" the company from AMF
June 16,1981
H-D officially returns to private ownership, with Vaughn L. Beals Jr. as chairman and CEO
April 1,1983
President Reagan imposes tariffs for five years on Japanese motorcycles 700-cc and larger
June 27,1986
H-D offers 2 million shares of common stock on the American Stock Exchange at $11 per share
March 17,1987
H-D petitions the International Trade Commission for early cancellation of the tariffs on Japanese motorcycles over 700-cc
May 6,1987
President Ronald Reagan tours the York, Pennsylvania, H-D factory and gives a speech
July 1,1987
The New York Stock Exchange agrees to list H-D stock
October 10,1987
H-D buys the rights for the Armstrong MT500 military motorcycle
August 21,1989
H-D introduces the FLSTF Fat Boy for 1990
1990s
June 12,1993
More than 100,000 of the faithful help H-D celebrate its 90th Anniversary with a giant festival in Milwaukee
This picture is a scan of my own personal flag.
history comes from MBI Publishing company
wallpaper is from The Juneau Archives of the Harley-Davidson Company
symbols are personal scans