Harley Davidson
You don’t have to know the variations of the Touring, Softail, Dyna or Sportster, let alone recognize a sharknose, batwing, super glide, street bob, low rider or nightster, to understand how much Harley Davidson motorcycles are a part of American culture. As with many American companies, Harley Davidson began out back in a small shed behind the Davidson home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. William Harley had a design idea. He teamed up with the Davidson brothers Arthur, Walter and William to start work. Three years later, they sold their first Harley Davidson in 1903. Soon thereafter, they hit upon that distinctive V-twin sound. As the motorcycles became popular with police forces, in World War I, the Harleys were used by 20,000 infantry, including along the US-Mexico border. After the war, the US Postal Service began to use the motorcycles. By World War II, the company sent 100,000 overseas to help the troops. In the 50’s, Harley’s “superbikes” became associated with the Wild Ones - the movie, as well as in real life. Good news when Marlon Brando is riding your product; bad news when the public thinks of leather jacketed thugs on the prowl. As with all outsider fads, it wasn’t long before Harleys were back in the mainstream. Today’s "Wild Ones" are the Wild Hogs of Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence, William Macy, and John Travolta. Other famous Hogs? Elvis Presley, “Easy Riders” Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda, Malcolm Forbes, Jay Leno, Don Johnson, Tina Turner, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Jackson Browne. And the Hog nickname? In the 20’s, there was a group of southern racers that were known as the “hog boys.” Whenever they won, they would put a real hog on their motorcycle and take a victory lap. In 1983, the company formed the Harley Owners Group to take advantage of the nickname. By the end of the 80’s there were over 100,000 official Hog members. In 2006, the company changed its New York Stock Exchange symbol to HOG.
