Milwaukee. That’s where the famous American beer ‘Budweiser’ comes from. Right? An advertisement for Budweiser reads, “The beer that made Milwaukee famous!” Well, now that’s highly debatable. A lot of hard-core beer guzzlers don’t consider ‘Bud’ a serious beer so how could it claim of making Milwaukee famous. But that’s another story!
The real claim to fame for Milwaukee lies in the bike the world loves the most. Every two-wheeler aficionado knows what is Milwaukee’s most famous product. Yes. It’s a motorcycle with a double-barrelled name - Harley-Davidson.
The image that pops in the mind is that of a state trooper in a white crash helmet, Rayban glasses on his weathered face, astride a large 1,000 cc mobike, V-twin, with arms outstretched and holding the bucking bronco down a long winding road. That’s the picture of Harley-Davidson. It was the police in the US that gave Harley-Davidson its image and kept the company solvent in its initial stages.
It all started in a shed, 10’x 15’ in Davidsons’ backyard in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. The two Davidson brothers, Walter and Arthur, had an idea. And the best tools available to implement it were their brain and their hands. This was on the 31st August 1903. The first machine was a modified bicycle and instead of pedal power a small single cylinder engine was used to move the rear wheel. William Harley, a designer, joined them and the Harley-Davidson Motor Company was born. The company has had many ‘ups and downs’ over the years but after over 100 years of manufacturing, the name Harley-Davidson towers among mobike brands.In 1907, William Davidson joined the company, which was incorporated to give it a favourable image. It was the year that Harley-Davidson put out its first sales catalogue.
It was in 1909 that the V. Twin was introduced. It was a much more powerful engine and the slanting V-configuration, nestled under the petrol tank; push rods on the exterior are standard design till today. The following year, 1910, the engine power was doubled and the bike was capable of 60 mph (96 kmph), an unimaginable speed for a two-wheeler in those days.The improvement didn’t come easy. By 1911, the Germans had BMW, PUCH and NSU. The British had Triumph, Norton, Royal Enfield (Yes! the same), A.J.S. Matchless, B.S.A and Ariel. Unbelievably, there were over 100 manufacturers competing for customers who wanted speed, thrill and wind in the face.
The winning streak for Harley-Davidson continued and they donned a new mantle during the First World War. They were part of the American cavalry, supporting the infantry. The huge bike had a holster attached to the front fork to hold a rifle much like the horses of the cowboys. Wireless and medical equipment were carried on the rear. The days of horses were indeed coming to an end.
Over 20,000 Harleys were inducted into the US Army. They did what the jeep would do during the Second World War.
After the War, finances were good, which allowed money to be spent on R & D (technical slang for research and development) and improvement of the machine.
This culminated in 1921, which saw Harley-Davidson win a race averaging over 100 mph (180 kmph!). No small feat. It established the fact that Harleys were fast and reliable and designed aesthetically. In 1926, the teardrop-shaped petrol tank was introduced. The design has stood the test of time. Today, this tank shape with the petrol filler and instruments on top adorn every Harley-Davidson. It is still copied by many a fledgling company.In 1928, with the introduction of front-wheel-brake, another milestone was attained. Constant improvements were being made to the machine, especially the engine, to get more power and better reliability. Harleys were on a winning edge. Then came the Great Depression and the American economy almost came to a grinding halt. A business-savvy management and a network of loyal dealers helped them survive what proved disastrous to a large number of businesses. Only Harley-Davidson and the Indian motorcycle survived the depression.
Americans entered the Second World War in 1941 and this breathed fresh air into Harley-Davidson. The entire production was oriented towards supporting the war-machine. Production went into an overdrive and 90,000 bikes were produced and supplied all over the world. They came to India by thousands and were used to transport men and deliver mails. Most of these bikes went to Assam due to the fear of Japanese attack from the East. Some of them never saw action and in 1946, were sold off as war-surplus in original crates. An enterprising man, Wazir Chand Kohli, a refugee from Pakistan, with much imagination and little money, bought some of these bikes and brought them to Delhi and converted them into three-wheelers. They became the famous phut-phut taxis, which could transport four to six people with ease. Starting in the late 40s, the phut-phut went off the New Delhi roads only about three years ago.
At that time Wazir Chand could not have known that Harley was the only motorbike in the world to have patented the sound it makes. But it really just turned him on. In the 50’s, when it was necessary for a businessman to have a telegraphic address, Wazir Chand chose the name ‘Mad Bull’! I asked Wazir Chand how he selected this name. He leaned back in his chair, crossed his hands on his stomach and closed his eyes. A smile flitted across his face. “That sound,” he said, “…the sound that a Harley makes, is that of a charging bull. When I rode a Harley I was a mad bull! That was me!” It can be said with certainty that every phut-phut on the Delhi roads was Wazir Chand’s creation.
The 50’s saw the second generation of management at Harley-Davidson as the original founders passed on the legacy to their children. In 1953, the Indian motorcycle company went out of business, leaving Harley as the only American two-wheeler manufacturer, who now donned the mantle of ‘King of the Road’.In 1965, Harley-Davidson ended family ownership and opted for a public stock offering. In 1969, they merged with the American Machine and Foundry-AMF. Not a moment too soon. It was about the same time that the Japanese were on Tsunami-like mission to conquer the two-wheeler market of the world. Suzuki, Yamaha, Honda and Kawasaki, names never heard of before were becoming household names.
Harley-Davidson moved to York, Pennsylvania in 1974 for its assembly operations but the engine continued to be manufactured in Milwaukee. The merger with AMF and this move was to pay off. By the end of the 70s, production was up to 50,000 units a year.
Harley-Davidson was on the roll again. The heart of this legend is its V-twin motor. It still is much the same to look at, though the engine now incorporates fuel injection, overhead cams and liquid cooling. The nickname for this machine is ‘Fat Boy’. Over the years Harley earned epithets like Flathead, Knucklehead, Panhead and Shovelhead. Whatever you call it, Harley-Davidson is a force to be reckoned with and a legend in its own right.
