You and Me and Willie G.

For the 90th birthday of a designer icon

A guest article by Rudi Herzig.

As Harley-Davidson Germany's press uncle, I had the honor and pleasure of meeting him a few times: in 2003, for example, in Hamburg. Of course, he was at the Harley-Davidson 100th party and I experienced the phenomenon Willie G. for the first time, an absolutely approachable and always in a good mood guy who had lots of exciting stories and spoke to hundreds of visitors just as openly and with interest and the answer was written to the assembled journalists and one autograph after another - on caps, shirts, jackets, tanks and, if necessary, on bare skin.

Four years later, the international HD PR teams were presented with the most important innovations for the coming model year in advance at the Product Development Center in Wauwatosa: Softail Rocker and Dyna Fat Bob. We - about 20 PR guys and girls - were sitting in a meeting room when a door opened upstairs and Willie G. trotted down to us. With a big grin on his face, he explained to us the look of the new products and his design credo, while we hung on his every word in awe.

“The form,” lectured the Harley-Davidson styling boss, “may follow the function, but both serve the emotion.” The company, which was co-founded by his grandfather William A., could – he was sure – build a motorcycle Performance is beyond any doubt. But if there's something wrong with the magic of its proportions and style, then the market won't accept it.

It was crystal clear to each of us: the man knows what he's talking about. After all, Willie G. had been responsible for the distinctive and often copied look of the Milwaukee Irons for 44 years at this point. Born into a family of die-hard motorcyclists, he joined the company in 1963 at the age of 29.

He had studied art in Milwaukee and design in Pasadena and was infected by the culture of customizing on the West Coast. In 1969, he became Vice President of Styling at the company that bears his name. He quickly convinced the board of directors of his idea for factory custom bikes - machines that already look individual as standard.

His early works include the '71 Super Glide, a successful synthesis of a Sportster front end and a big twin engine and frame. He is also responsible for the design of numerous other style icons such as Wide Glide, Sturgis, Cafe Racer, Fat Boy and V-Rod.

Since he was a biker himself, he always kept his ear close to the market and in 1981 was one of the 13 managers who bought “their” company back from AMF - with unshakable belief in the brand and with maximum risk, because for all of them it was their private life Fortunes at stake. But Willie G. was also supposed to demonstrate a good nose for this: From then on, things took off like a meteor for Harley-Davidson.

Only with the type abbreviations - such as FXCW for the rockers of the 2008 model year - even he was at war. Willie G. told us this with a big smile in that meeting room in 2007. You just shouldn't take it that seriously...

I met him again at the Harley stand at Intermot 2008. And between appetizers, hostesses and highlights, he also wrote me a “Ride free, Willie G.” autograph in the book he wrote, “100 Years of Harley-Davidson,” which has graced my shelf ever since.

Willie G. began his well-deserved retirement on May 1, 2012, but his creativity is still unbridled. Since fine art and watercolor painting have been his passions for decades, he has now created a considerable number of pictures that he presents at exhibitions.

Unbelievable but true: On June 20, 2023, this tireless visionary will be 90 years old. Congratulations, Willie G., and Chapeau for a life dedicated to powerful motorcycles and their iconic design for nearly five decades.

Text: Rudi Herzig Photo credits. Harley Davidson