DAMN LONG HER Harley-Davidson turns 120 - and celebrates
DAMN LONG TIME AGO
Harley-Davidson turns 120 – and celebrates
FRANKFURT (09.02.2023) - Everyone has probably heard it before, the story of the backyard woodshed where the first three Harley-Davidson motorcycles were created. That was in 1903 in Milwaukee, USA. But William Harley and the three Davidson brothers suspect that their company would stand the test of time?
At the beginning of the 20th century, the United States a multitude of motorcycle manufacturers. They came and they went, Harley-Davidson stayed - and is now 120 years old. The company is the only manufacturer in the world to have produced motorcycles independently for 120 years without interruption.
The single-cylinder models of the early years became more powerful, compact 45° V-twins as early as 1909. In the vast USA, huge distances had to be covered with ease, even on better dirt roads, and Harley-Davidson earned a first-class reputation for the reliability of its machines. From the mid-1910s onwards, the factory racing team, known as the Wrecking Crew, also blew away the competition with bikes such as the 180 km/h Eight-Valve Racer - underlining the performance of the motorcycles from Milwaukee.
Within 17 years, Harley-Davidson had grown to become the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world and could boast of its monumental factory, which was built not far from the woodshed on today's Juneau Avenue in Milwaukee. In 1936, the forefather of modern Harleys was launched here: the Model E/EL with its head-controlled V2 called Knucklehead and a top speed of around 145 km/h.
The historic factory is now the headquarters of the US company. Today, Harley-Davidson is still at home in Milwaukee, where it all began, and the company is still loyal to the four-stroke V2 - even though it has tried everything from 50cc two-strokes to large-volume boxers.
Even if it resembles some of its ancestors on the outside, it has been adapted to the requirements of the times decade after decade and is highly modern. With the Milwaukee-Eight und dem Revolution Max fertigt Amerikas traditionsreichster Motorradhersteller derzeit zwei unterschiedliche Motorenkonzepte: einen luftgekühlten 45°-V2 mit flüssigkeitsgekühltem Auslassbereich und einen flüssigkeitsgekühlten 60°-V2. Von 975 bis 1.923 Kubikzentimeter reichen die Kubaturen, bis zu 112 kW (152 PS) leisten die Triebwerke.
And modern features such as electronic assistance systems, practical Bluetooth cell phone connectivity and state-of-the-art infotainment have long since found their way into machines from Milwaukee. But what has remained and will never change is the special aura of a Harley-Davidson: its look, its sound and the feeling it conveys are unique. It stands for an attitude to life that goes hand in hand with values such as freedom, individuality and non-conformism. Its fans and riders form a large, global family that has not forgotten how to party.
Und gefeiert wird 2023 – etwa auf der europäischen 120th Anniversary Party, die vom 22. bis zum 25. Juni in Budapest steigen wird, und natürlich überall dort, wo sich die Freunde der US-Marke treffen, Party machen und Benzin reden. Weitere Informationen findet man unter Harley-Davidson.com.
Text & photo credits: Harley-Davidson 09.02.2023
