The Harley-Davidson Story
When, in 1903, William Harley and Arthur Davidson put their names on the fuel tank of their first motorcycle neither could have possibly envisaged the impact that their new creation would have.Harley-Davidson isn' t just the world's oldest motorcycle manufacturer, it's one of the most famous brand names in the world, anyone and everyone knows the name Harley-Davidson. Ever since its first motorcycle Harley has ruled the cruiser market, leaving other manufacturers to fight for the scraps. You don't buy a cruiser, you buy a Harley, it's an aspirational model for young riders and mid-life crisis accountants the world over desperate to buy into the Harley-Davidson lifestyle.
In America alone Harley-Davidson has a 57 percent stake in the cruiser market, the next closest is Yamaha with 17 percent. But that is just a fraction of the story.
Harley-Davidson has been fast to capitalize on its strong brand name and created a huge revenue stream in licensed gear including aftershave, clothing, bolt-on extras, cleaning products, lighters, basically if it's a lifestyle product you can buy it with the Harley-Davidson brand on it. From a shed in Milwaukee, Harley-Davidson has expended to become the most famous motorcycle manufacturer in the world.
Not a bad achievement considering their first motorcycle used a converted tin can as a carburettor, although some will argue that Harley-Davidson's technology hasn't developed that much since then...
