By Sandi Black

From boys tinkering in the backyard shed to global business, Harley-Davidson have gone the whole hog to celebrate their 120^th anniversary.

The company began with childhood friends William Harley and Arthur Davidson. The two grew up a few houses apart in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, and spent their spare time tinkering with their bicycles.

Aged 15, William started work at the Barth Manufacturing Company where he rose to Head Draftsman, but he had bigger dreams. He teamed up with Arthur in a wooden shed at the back of the Davidson property, and with the help of friends, they built their first motorcycle prototype in 1903. The contraption was named Harley-Davidson as it was William Harley’s original idea.

The bike had a buckle crank, a single cylinder engine, a leather belt drive and pedals. The rider needed to pedal until enough compression had built up to allow the engine to take over. It wasn’t the roaring success they’d hoped for and some team members departed. William and Arthur persevered, enlisting the help of Arthur’s older brothers. Bill Davidson left his well-paid railroad job and Walter Davidson moved back from Kansas to help out.

The second prototype was completed in 1904 and became the first ever Harley-Davidson to compete in a race. It didn’t win, but the dream was still there.

By 1906 the company had six employees, published its first catalogue and a new factory had replaced the old shed. Sensing success, the company became incorporated in 1907.

In 1908 Harley-Davidson scored a perfect 1,000 points at the 7^th Annual Federation of American Motorcyclists Endurance and Reliability Contest and set a record for fuel economy, achieving 188.2 miles per gallon. William kept dreaming, and in 1909 created the V-Twin two-cylinder engine which reached speeds of up to 60mph (96kph). This produced a dramatic increase in sales and by the following year the company was producing 3,200 machines annually.

Harley and the Davidsons made a great team. Harley was the first Chief Engineer and Treasurer, tinkering with designs and modifications. Arthur was the first General Sales Manager and ensured the US Postal Service, Police and Military all used Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Bill was the first Works Manager and worked closely with the staff on the floor to make sure the factory was running smoothly. Walter was the first President and General Manager, even winning several races himself which added great press coverage.

Successful marketing backed up by the quality and reliability of the machines ensured Harley-Davidson was one of only two motorcycle companies in America that survived the Depression.

So why are Harley-Davidsons referred to as Hogs? Possibly because of a photograph. Ray Weishaar was part of the 1920 Harley-Davidson Racing Team at a 100-mile road race in Indiana. While there he adopted a six-week old piglet from a local farmer and it became the team mascot. Ray won the race and a photographer snapped him sharing a bottle of coke with the pig afterwards, inspiring the moniker for the bikes.

120 years later the Harley-Davidson Headquarters still stand on the site of the original shed, but in a much grander building. They still have a raft of satisfied customers and club members all around the world, one of whom works at the Museum and rides her Hog to work.

The Museum holds some photographs of local photographer John Milne Allan on his Hog too. The motorbike is a 1917 Harley-Davidson J-Twin fitted with a side-car capable of carrying his wife and three children. Now that’s a family outing!

Sandi Black is Kaihāpai Kōrero/Archivist at Whanganui Regional Museum.
This article was originally published in Whanganui Chronicle, March, 2023.