Harley Davidson

The Journey to Dominance

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The Shed

The first bike was made in a small shed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The first design was so weak that it couldn’t even go up a hill without pedal assistance. With their what they learned the expanded to making DIY motors for people to make their own bikes with. From their they grew into the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world  by the 1920’s.

World Wars

Harley Davidson is one of two US motorcycle companies to survive both world wars (the other being the Idian Motorcycle Manufacturing Company) The US asked Harley to produce new bikes with a completely new motor design. This motor did not resemble any that they had previously produced. This helped Harley expand their technical knowledge and grow their brand beyond what they had.

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A New Start

In 1952 Harley put in an apllication with the U.S. Tariff Commission for a 40% tax on all foreign motorcycle imports. This was denies and Harley was charged with restrictive practices. This led to Harley losing public trust and led to a decline of profits. Eventually Harley was sod to a group of investors for $80 million. Since then the new team improved the quality of the products and shifted their strategy to becoming more focused on a lifestyle brand. This is what led to the Harley we know today.