This Is Not A Bike But This Is The First Harley-Davidson Motor

Harley-Davidson "Model 1" (1905). (Doc. Harley-Davidson Inc.)

JAKARTA - You could say Harley-Davidson is the most famous motorcycle in the world. Although rarely found on the streets, its distinctive exhaust sound and expensive price are not easy to forget. So popular this bike until there is anecdotes whose name is moge pasti Harley-Davidson.

Well, even though the price is expensive, many fans of this motorbike think that owning a Harley-Davidson motorbike is not just buying a vehicle, but an investment. Especially for those who want to show a more masculine and classic social status or lifestyle.

However, have you ever known what the first motorcycle produced by Harley-Davidson looks like? How a little history?

Quoted from the company's website in the Harley-Davidson Museum segment, the history of Harley-Davidson began in early 1901, when a 21-year-old man named William S. Harley and his childhood best friend, Arthur Davidson developed a motorcycle project with a one-cylindrical engine.

The two of them worked hard to realize the motorcycle in the Davidson family's basement in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They are also assisted by Henry Melk who owns a bubut machine and a young driver and engineer named Ole Evinrude.

But the generated motors turned out to be powerless and did not satisfy their expectations. The first version of Harley-Davidson is a simple and easy-to-driven motor. No more than a one-cylindrical engine mounted on a bicycle frame, which immediately drives the rear wheel through the belt. The bike has no coupling or tunneling.

On the other hand, feeling somewhat disturbed by his son's new project, Davidson's father asked them to move their work project from the basement to the backyard.

There, they built a wooden warehouse in 1903 and restarted with larger engines and new frames designed to match each other. And to perfect his bike, Arthur asked his brother Walter Davidson, who works as a driver on a train in Kansas.

The new prototype with larger engines was completed in 1904. The model participated in the motorcycle race at the State Fair Park in Milwaukee. And the development continued on the first production bike, Harley-Davidson Model No. 1 which was officially released in 1905 and is very similar to the first two bicycles produced.

That first year they only produced five units. Three of them were sold by the first Harley-Davidson dealer, Carl H Lang in Chicago.

In 1906, a new factory was built in a newly purchased plot of land in Milwaukee's Chestnut Street, just one block from Davidson's house.

The popularity of Harley-Davidson motorcycles grew rapidly after building this new factory, from only successfully selling 3 motorbikes in the first year then being able to sell a total of 13,000 vehicles in 10 years.