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ICMR HOME | Case Studies Collection
Case Details:
Case Code : HROB096
Case Length : 14 Pages
Period : 1992-2007
Pub Date : 2007
Teaching Note :Not Available
Organization : Harley-Davidson
Industry : Automobile - Motorcycles
Countries : US
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Background Note
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In 1903, H-D was established at Milwaukee in the US by William S. Harley
(William) and Arthur Davidson (Arthur). William was born in Milwaukee on
December 29, 1880. He worked in a bicycle factory when he was just 15 years old.
Arthur, a childhood friend of William, also started working at a young age. Both
of them had a mechanical inclination and learned as much as they could about
bicycles and later on about motorized bikes. They manufactured their first
motorcycle in a 10x15 feet wooden shed with a hand-written sign on the door that
read, 'Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Company'. H-D extended its operations and the
two were joined by Arthur's brother Walter.
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In 1906, H-D started a new factory at Chestnut Street, 28x80 feet in size,
which later was named Juneau Avenue. The company's employee strength was
increased to six full-time employees. In the same year, it also came out
with its first motorcycle catalog. On September 17, 1907, the name 'Harley-Davidson Motor Company' was incorporated.4
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In 1908, H-D sold the first motorcycle for police
duty to the Detroit Police Department in Michigan in the US. The
V-twin powered motorcycle was introduced by the company in 1909 and
for the first time, the company also started selling motorcycle
spare parts. The V-twin powered motorcycle, which could travel at a
speed of 60 miles per hour, was the fastest motorcycle at that time.
The popular 'Bar & Shield' logo was used for the first time in 1910
(Refer to Exhibit I for a picture of this logo). It was trademarked
at the US Patent office after a year.
In 1917, during the First World War, there was an increased demand
for the US motorcycles overseas. |
This increase in demand made H-D a leader in innovative
engineering in the 1920s with the introduction of new features like the teardrop
gas tank and front brake. The teardrop gas tank and front brake were introduced
for customizing H-D's motorcycles according to the needs of the US Army. Twenty
thousand motorcycles were sold by H-D to the US Army. However, in the late
1920s, the motorcycle industry in the US suffered a downturn as a result of the
Great Depression which started off in the US and gradually extended to other
parts of the world. H-D and Indian Motorcycle Company5
were the only two motorcycle companies which were able to survive in the US...
Excerpts >>
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