Harley Davidson: The American LegendThe first thought about motorcycles as a means of transportation began in 1900. The pioneers of this field were William S. Harley and his lifelong friend Arthur Davidson. Both were born and raised in Milwaukee, WI. It took them almost three years to build their first production-ready motorcycle, which was a 10 cubic inch single-cylinder engine. It was bolted directly to the frame of a bicycle powered by a leather belt pulley system. We'll look at the development, racing, and people who made Harley Davidson an American legend. By 1907 they were experimenting with a two-cylinder model, which was essentially the same engine they had started with. The only difference was that they bolted another cylinder at a 45 degree angle to the first. There were only two possible configurations. The side-by-side twin would have been too large and cumbersome. The V configuration was the necessary choice. According to Harry Sucher, author of “Harley Davidson; The Milwaukee Marvel", the engine's horsepower would nearly double by adding much less than double the weight. Bill Harley designed the engine. He thought he would have the cylinders reach full stroke almost simultaneously to take advantage of low-end torque and make the engine more reliable according to Rand Leffingwell, “Harley-Davidson; History and Mystique.” This created two lasting effects: the vibration and exhaust sound that Harley-Davidsons were famous for. After the first 15 years, Harley-Davidson had established itself as a forerunner in the motorcycle market. The other major companies were Indian, Thor and Excelsior At the start of World War I, they were overwhelmed by orders for bicycles from governments around the world for the war effort. This allowed Harley-Davidson to nearly triple the size of their manufacturing plant, which still stands at the same location in Milwaukee.These orders brought greater economic prosperity to all motorcycle companies of the time, but especially to Harley-Davidson. Harley-Davidson was heavily involved in racing between 1915 and 1925. They have continued to remain ever since. involved in racing, but with much less success since then they had to start competing with Japanese companies. Harley-Davidsons always placed in the top five at every event, and sometimes all five places were occupied by Harley-Davidson. These early races were very well organized but usually very dangerous. This scared most of the public, but young people were enraptured and sought sponsorship from large companies like Harley-Davidson..