William Harley: Biography and Story the Founder of Harley Davidson Motor
William Harley, along with Arthur Davidson, is known as the founder of Harley Davidson. Harley-Davidson is a motorcycle manufacturing company in America. This motorbike manufacturing company is headquartered in Milwaukee, United States. Harley Davidson motorbikes represent toughness and are legendary. What is the history of this Harley Davidson motorbike?
William Harley Biography
One of the founders of Harley Davidson, William Harley, was born December 29, 1880, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. William Harley was a very ambitious figure. He has a good vision for the business field.
The founder of Harley Davidson started his career at the age of 15 by working in a bicycle factory. William Harley took an interest in the early development of the bicycle. This then sparked his fascination with mechanics and mechanical engineering.
William Harley began using a motorized engine to engineer a bicycle with his friend Arthur Davidson. Arthur Davidson was his friend since childhood. Like Harley, Arthur Davidson also had a mind in the mechanical field.
Both of them have a deep interest in bicycles. They believed they could create a new type of mechanical bicycle that would be easier to use. The two began experimenting with petrol engines and tried them on their bicycles. Stay up-to-date with Deltsapure! Provide accurate and updated news for readers.
Founded the Harley-Davidson Motor Company
In 1903, William Harley and Arthur Davidson and Arthur Davidson’s two brothers formed the Harley Davidson Motor Company. A motorbike manufacturing company that will one day become big in the world.
Determined to make a better life for himself, Harley honed his knowledge by attending college. He was the first person in his family to attend college. I finally earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1907.
After completing his studies, Harley returned to Milwaukee after college and began working again with Davidson to fulfill their dream of building motorized bicycles.
They started operating the Harley Davidson Motor Company from a small warehouse in the Davidson family’s backyard. The name Harley was placed at the beginning because the original idea came from his thoughts about motorbikes.
In the first year, their company made three bicycles: cran, pedal,e and single-cylinder motorbike. The Harley Davidson Company has continued improving its motorbikes for several years.
The emergence of the Harley Davidson V-Twin Engine
In 1909, the company had its factory. They employ 35 workers and produce more than a thousand motorbikes per year.
Behind the company’s development, William Harley was a perfectionist. He created and installed the world’s first two-cylinder motorcycle engine. He did it in 1907. Just a few years later, it was patented as a V-Twin engine.
This machine, made by Harley Davidson, then skyrocketed and helped the company’s production grow to 3,200 bicycles a year. Over the next few decades, Harley-Davidson continued to see a massive boost in sales and popularity.
Motorcycles in World War I
When the United States participated in World War I, the American Military ordered a third of the total 70,000 motorbikes needed during the war.
This choice was correct because Harley-Davidson motorbikes could make it easier for American troops to carry out surveillance. The motorbike also makes it easier to deliver logistics to the battlefield’s front lines.
Throughout World War I, around 20,000 Harley-Davidson motorbikes were sent to the battlefield. However, there are still 14,600 units remaining that have not been produced due to the end of the World War.
The popularity of Harley Davidson
This order by the military made the Harley Davidson motorbike turn into a star. The motorbike they made received extraordinary appreciation from the American public.
This is because it is sufficient to help the country nicknamed Uncle Sam on the battlefield. The public also attached the image of “Nationalist Motorcycle” to Harley Davidson motorbikes.
Several mass media outlets are busy discussing the “greatness” of Harley-Davidson vehicles. The slogan “Uncle Sam’s Choice; Harley-Davidson” was also displayed in one of the company’s advertisements in the 1920s.
At that time, Harley-Davidson finally began its golden age. Harley-Davidson then became a legend and was able to outperform its competitors to become the largest motorbike company in the world to this day.
Until his death, William Harley proved instrumental in the company’s success. Apart from that, he also played a role in introducing new motorbikes.
Harley Davidson founder William Harley died of heart failure on September 18, 1943. He was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery and Mausoleum in Milwaukee.
Because of his achievements and role in the American motorcycle industry, in 1998, he was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Ohio, America. William Harley is also known as the “Father of Harley-Davidson,” along with his partner, Arthur Davidson.
