Harley-Davidson:

Preparing for the Next Century

English 3345 - Business Team #4:

Natalie Martell

Martha Martinez

Virginia Lopez

Myles Melendez

History, development, & growth: The birth of the Harley-Davidson legend began around the 1900’s, in a small shed in the Davidson family backyard in Milwaukee. What started out as an ambition for Walter Davidson, to be the best bicycle rider, turned out to be a step into a multimillion dollar business. William D., Walter, and Arthur Davidson, along with their long time friend William S. Harley, built their first motorcycle using the best available tools, which were their hands and brains. The Harley –Davidson Motor Company was put into motion in 1903 when they built three of the first model motorcycles, and so began its 100 year journey. In 1907, they had one full-time employee, and they sold 50 motorcycles, so they filed for incorporation of the company. The Davidson’s and Harley were always trying out new innovations to make their motorcycles better and faster. In 1908 the reputation of the company was raised a level higher through the winning victory race of Walter’s Harley motorcycle with the V-twin engine which they designed themselves. This race was one of many that Walter would go on to win with his Harley, and eventually transformed the company into the world's leading producer of motorcycles. They were always looking to improve and make the best machine there could be, and by 1918 Harley-Davidson became the world's largest motorcycle company by producing 28,000 motorcycles. (Nolan & Kotha, 2007).

With a sagging economy in 1920, they started investing in research and development. They experimented on the famous V-twin design, built a new four-cylinder engine, and focused on improving the reliability of its machines by adding an electric starter, balloon tires, and standardized