A Quick Glance at Harley Davidson History
The Beginning
Harley Davidson is one of the most well known motorcycle manufacturers in the world. They were born in America, deriving from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with the first motorcycle being produced in 1905. Believe it or not Harley Davidson was one of two major manufacturers that managed to survive The Great Depression, which actually destroyed the majority of companies in that time period.
Of course, surviving this Great Depression was an achievement in its own, and what the owners of HD didn’t realize at the time was that they had just been through the roughest patch of business they would ever experience. This certainly allowed them to be prepared for something in the future and also, to fend of any competitors that thought they could invade on their space in the market.
The company was developed by young entrepreneur William S. Harley. At the age of 21 he decided that he himself had the knowledge and the actual capacity to build a premium machine. He started to draw up plans for a prototype machine, starting with the motor and from there, Harley Davison was eventually born!
The Turning Point
The 50’s was an extremely big turning point for the company. The problem was that in 1952, the US Tariff Commission decided that they were not making enough on the sale of imported motorcycles. They put a 40% tax on the prospective machines, meaning that their image would eventually be cut back to what it was nearly a decade back. Of course, it was not long before the company were back on track and within a few years, the brand image produced by Harley’s being used in a range of gangster based films eventually restored their original image.
The company has always prided itself in producing fabulous machines, so much so that there are hundreds of groups and clubs dedicated to the ownership and riding of these ultimate cruisers. This is mainly due to the fact that they have provided customers with a unique selling point, with all their machines being heavy weight cruisers over 750cc.
Of course, things were not always so cut and dry for the motorcycle manufacturing giant. At one time it was like there would be an invasion from the Japanese motorcycle market. Japanese companies were offering a huge range of machines at a fraction of the price. Luckily for Harley Davidson, the quality of the machines being imported was far inferior to what was rolling off their production lines.
As mentioned previously, people that ride these motorcycles are not people that enjoy the freedom of using a motorcycle. In fact, it is so much more than that, they are people that are loyal to the Harley Davidson brand and enjoy the fact that they own such a premium machine. Their brand is so huge that licensing their logo brings in around 5% of the companies annual revenue, which is extremely impressive!
So, What Bikes do They Produce?
Over time, Harley Davidson have chopped and changed their range to ensure that only the best motorcycles are available from their dealerships worldwide. Some of the most popular models include the Street Glide, Electra Glide Classic, Electra Glide Standard, Ultra Classic Electra Glide, Electra Glide Ultra Limited, and Tri Glide Ultra Classic. Of course, it does depend on what the rider is after, as the different machines are all designed for different purposes.
Enthusiasts of the HD brand all know that this is certainly not a brand to be confused with speed and adrenaline. Instead, this brand focuses on producing customer’s machines to their exact specification, allowing them to enjoy the freedom of a motorcycle but at the same time, be incredibly proud of the machine that they own.
Harley Davidson — The Conclusion
So it has been proven that HD has stood the test of time by producing machines that are specifically catering for their customers’ needs and wants. They have been around for a long time and it looks like they will be producing premium motorcycles for many years to come!
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