Board track racers. First lap at over 100mph in 1921
I
t seems strange to me that in 13-years
of monthly columns I haven’t featured
Harley-Davidson. One problem when
considering writing about Harleys is the
staggering amount that has already been
written about them. A quick check in my
library reveals that I have five books on
Harley-Davidson, and also several books,
featuring American motorcycles which, of
course, cover Harley-Davidson. The fact
that its first company vehicle was made in
1903 (although it is reckoned that it wasn’t
until the following year that production
really began) it isn’t surprising that so much
has been written about the company and
its products.
In 1917 the company prospered by making
bikes for the American forces during the
First World War, two years after Triumph
began making them for British troops.
Following the war, together with Indian,
Harley Davidson was the only American
motorcycle manufacturer to survive the
Great Depression, and the brand has a loyal
following that has survived to this day. An
American study on brand loyalty came to
the conclusion Harley-Davidson has more
dedicated brand loyalty than any other
product in the world.
Following early single cylinder models
the first Harley-Davidson V-twin engine
appeared in 1909, but the initial design
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