The Harley-Davidson company began with two friends, in 1903, the headquarters of HD back then was Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Originally, it was the combined efforts of William Harley and Arthur Davidson that began the company’s first prototype, but they would be joined in labor by Walter and William Davidson, Arthur’s brothers. The abilities of the additional Davidson brothers – Walter was a mechanic, and William made tools – undoubtedly lead to the initial HD Company’s success that would drive them towards incorporation.
During the first year of the Harley-Davidson company, they manufactured three motorcycles and all three were paid for before manufacturing was finished. ‘Silent Gray Fellows’ was a term of endearment given to these early motorcycles, as they were all made from the standard gray color. Motorcycle motors, marine motors, reversible propellers, and float feed carburetors all joined the company’s famous motorcycle by 1905 as products produced by HD.

The Harley-Davidson company only continued to prosper through the next decade. By 1914, nine departments of the federal government of the United States used them, including the U.S. Postal service who used more than 4,800 for rural mail delivery. Pancho Villa came face to face with the government’s love affair with HD’s in 1916, when motorcycles equipped with machine guns entered the fray against him. In World War I, the military expanded their usage of HD equipment when half of all of the HD Company’s products during that time went to military overseas.
The 1920’s brought an end to the war and a beginning to the world of racing where they made quite an impact. Unlike many companies during the 1930s, the effects of the Great Depression were not strong enough to press Harley-Davidson out of business, they continued to prosper. With the forties came the United States’ entry into World War II, as they had during the First World War, the HD’s served the country well.
The company continued to grow throughout the 1950s, as their marketing tactics grew in aggressiveness. War broke out again in Korea during this decade, but the military replaced their old faithful HD equipment with the Jeep. As an alternative, the Harley-Davidson company redoubled their marketing towards civilian consumers.
The 1960’s brought about as much change for the company as everyone else in the United States. In the case of HD, change came through the manufacture of 3-wheeled golf carts. Cornering a third of the market by the end of the decade, these carts were also sold in other countries. Motorcycle accessories became part of the company’s success as well during this period, as Harley-Davidson began their own product line.
With the following decade, many improvements were made to the Harley-Davidson motorcycles which allowed them to compete on a major scale in the racing world. Unexpectedly, the following decade saw a buyback turn the HD Company into a private business for the first time in many years. The California Highway Patrol took note of the company’s standards of excellence in the 1980s, granting the company contract rights in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1989.
The 1990’s were ushered in with the appearance of Harley-Davidson most customized factory custom motorcycle to date, the FLSTF Fat Boy. The bike was one that had elements of the past, but also continued the company’s history of innovation for the future. The Twenty first century has come and the company remains strong. The company’s growth can be seen in its variety of lines – the Sporster, the Dyna, the Softail, the VRSC, and a Touring line – and the numerous models that are produced from each line.