The Bike That Started a Revolutionby Jason Giacchino When you hear the term “cafe racer”, it’s pretty easy to get into the false line of reasoning that this must be a motorcycle designed to be admired over espresso and a newspaper.   However, the cafe racer designation actually has a lot in common with the […] More »

Photo courtesy of Sturgis Motorcycle Rally The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally has been a part of Sturgis’ history for many decades. 2011 marks the 71st celebration of the August motorcycle rally. This small town in South Dakota has a little over 6,000 residents, but is host to the largest motorcycle event in the world every first […] More »

Photo courtesy of the Harley-Davidson Archives   by Maria DeWeerdt, Harley-Davidson Archivist Everyone is familiar with ad slogans such as “Turn on Your Own Thunder,” and “Ride to Live–Live to Ride.” But over the years, Harley-Davidson has used many other slogans in its advertising, many of which seem strange to our 21st century ears. One 1932 […] More »

by Bill Jackson, Senior Harley-Davidson Archivist In the midst of all the well-deserved praise given to decades of Harley-Davidson V-Twin engines, it can be easy to forget the many single-cylinder motorcycles that helped put Harley-Davidson on the map. The very first Harley-Davidson motorcycle (on display in the Juneau Avenue main lobby) was a single-cylinder motorcycle […] More »

The initial, single-cylinder engine designed by William S. Harley in 1901 and installed in a pedal bicycle, displaced 7.07 cubic inches (or 116 cc). Two years later, with assistance from Harley’s boyhood friend Arthur Davidson and Arthur’s brother Walter, they introduced another vehicle; however, they found it did not produce enough power to negotiate even […] More »