126 The Enthusiast is published by Harley-Davidson for the first time in 1916 and provides H-D owners with a real, personal connection to the brand. It also provides The Motor Company with a marketing tool to showcase the latest products and accessories directly to its increasingly loyal consumers. The Enthusiast, distributed only to registered owners and dealers, was an immediate hit and, in 1919, it became a monthly publication. The Enthusiast bears the title of the longest continuously produced motorcycle magazine in the world.
127 Following the success of the Quartermasters School during World War I, Harley-Davidson changed the name to the Service School, and authorized dealership employees were invited to attend. The Service School succeeded on the civilian side as well, bringing dealership techs from all over the country up to date on mechanical procedures and motorcycle operation. The Service School exists today as Harley-Davidson University.
Harley-Davidson has instructed hopeful technicians in the intricacies of its motorcycles for 100 years. Uniform and consistent repair procedures and knowledgeable techs have helped make the purchase of a Harley-Davidson stress-free. Shown here is the small Service School in operation in 1920. (Photo Courtesy Harley-Davidson)
128 Most motorcycle brands at the turn of the century began as bicycle manufacturers. They transitioned into bicycles with motors fixed to their frames, which finally gave way to the full-fledged motorcycle. Harley-Davidson did things the opposite way, starting first as a motorcycle company and then, in 1917, launching a line of foot-pedal bicycles. It commissioned the Davis Machine Company in Dayton, Ohio, to build its bicycles, hoping to bring more customers to the brand and then to eventually sell more motorcycles. Three models were available including the standard diamond frame version for men, a step-through version known as the Ladies Standard, and a youth model called the Boy Scout. Sales were disappointing and production ceased in 1923.
129 By 1920, Harley-Davidson was the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world with more than 2,000 dealerships in 67 countries. It took the brand just 17 years after selling its first motorcycle to achieve this status.
130 Remember that young advertising executive, Walter Dunlap, who helped his friends publish their first catalog on credit when they didn’t have any cash available? The Harley-Davidson Motor Company was now one of the largest advertisers in the country with an annual budget of $250,000, all going to Dunlap’s firm.
131 Although its origin is from racing, the term Hog has become synonymous with the Harley-Davidson motorcycle as well as the Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.) and the New York Stock Exchange ticker symbol. The name was first used in 1920 when the H-D factory race team became known as the Hog Boys. It wasn’t just their farming background that garnered the nickname; they actually brought a live pig to events as their mascot. After each of their frequent victories, the winning rider put the hog on his bike and took a victory lap.
Do you ever say that you’re going for a ride on your “hog”? The name seems synonymous with Harley-Davidsons today, and is even the name of the company’s owners group: Harley Owners Group, aka H.O.G. But how did it start? You guessed it, with a pig. (Photo Courtesy Harley-Davidson)
132 By the end of 1917, motorcycling was clearly in favor of the V-twin. Of the total 18,522 motorcycles that The Motor Company sold, only 730 were singles.
133 Unfortunately, even with its incredible engineering, the W Sport Twin didn’t sell well, and production ceased in 1923. Several factors have been attributed to the demise of the well-engineered machine including its price, which was only 10 percent less than that of a full-size twin. It just never caught on with the younger riders for whom it was designed. The nail in the coffin may have been the 1920 launch of the Indian Scout that was faster, more comfortable, and had a traditional design.
134 In 1919, Harley-Davidson was hit by a legal blow that could have easily destroyed a poorly managed company. The Eclipse Company sued H-D for infringing on the patent of its clutch design. Eclipse was awarded a $1.1 million settlement that had to be paid within two weeks. Fortunately, The Motor Company had enough money stashed away in government bonds to meet its obligation.
135 The first Harley-Davidson dealers’ convention was held November 13–15, 1919. The convention, which has been held every year since, provided a convenient way for dealers to meet and discuss company business with H-D executives. It also has always functioned as a way for corporate staff to find out about trends and concerns occurring at the dealership and consumer levels. In addition, these conventions allow dealers to have the first look at the motorcycles for the upcoming model year. Today, two meetings are held each year, but they’re now called Dealer Meetings, possibly to clarify to the IRS that it falls under the business category.
136 In 1928, Harley-Davidson sent a notice to the dealerships that a great way of encouraging customers to take advantage of the maintenance and repair services at the dealership was to equip technicians with bright white “service coats.” The coat, which more closely resembled something that a doctor might wear rather than a Harley-Davidson mechanic, had the Bar & Shield logo on the left chest and Harley-Davidson script stitched on the back. The Motor Company informed its dealers that wearing these coats made it clear to customers that the dealer shop was a factory-affiliated facility.
137 The Harley-Davidson headquarters was not always at the now-famous Juneau Avenue address; it was originally on Chestnut Street. Prior to 1926, the one street had two names: it was Chestnut Street east of the Milwaukee River and Division Street west of the Milwaukee River. The City of Milwaukee thought this was too confusing. It wanted to name a significant street after Milwaukee’s founder and first settler, Solomon Juneau. “Avenue” was more fashionable than “street,” and so Chestnut/Division Streets became Juneau Avenue.
138 By 1916, Harley-Davidson had so many dealers and was producing so many motorcycles that it became impossible for Arthur Davidson to maintain successful contact with all of them. Therefore, he divided the country and global markets into regions, each with its own representative. Arthur continued to maintain personal relationships with individual dealerships; he also oversaw the factory representatives who provided more in-depth contact with the dealers in their region. This is the same way that The Motor Company’s dealer network is set up today, albeit with many more regions.
139 During World War II, Harley-Davidson, like every other automotive company, halted all civilian production to focus on the war effort. During World War I, however, The Motor Company continued to build and sell civilian models. Indian took a different approach and relied solely on the military for its income during the war years. Although Indian didn’t go out of business until much later, many people believe that those years of not building any machines for the public sent a significant amount of business to Harley-Davidson, a decision from which Indian never fully recovered.
140 In late 1918, construction began on a massive 600,000–square-foot factory at Juneau Avenue to keep up with the incredible demand for motorcycles. The L-shaped structure was divided into 96 unique departments; it had enough room for 2,400 full-time employees. Upon completion of the new factory, Harley-Davidson’s company was now physically larger than Indian’s and had a greater production capacity.
141 In 1923, a secret meeting took place between the three major motorcycle brands: Harley-Davidson, Indian, and Excelsior. By today’s standards, its legality was questionable. This meeting led to the agreement that dealerships should be required to represent only one brand. The different manufacturers could no longer influence dealers to sell motorcycles from different companies. Consumers didn’t like the new organizational strategy because they couldn’t study different makes side by side or test several makes at a time to find the one