9781422285183

Introduction

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As so often happens in success stories, one person may have the spark of an idea but it is not until all the components come together that a legend is born. In the case of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, it was William Harley who first drew up plans for an engine to be fitted to a bicycle frame, but it was not until he teamed up with Arthur Davidson and his brothers that their embryonic mode of transport became a reality that has endured – although not necessarily always thrived – for more than a century. It is perhaps difficult for us to comprehend in the 21 st century, with more than a billion examples in worldwide use, but the first bicycle (derived from “bi” meaning

“two” and “cycle” coming from the Latin “cyclus,” originating from the Greek “kyklos” meaning “circle, wheel, any circular body, circular motion, cycle of events”) was only created in 1817. German inventor Baron Karl Drais presented his Laufmaschine (“running machine”) – a frame set on two wheels but rather than being powered by pedals it was propelled along by the rider pushing their feet on the ground (rather like the balance bikes used today to teach children how to balance and steer without them having to concentrate on pedaling as well). It is unclear exactly when the first mechanically-driven bicycle was built but most credit

 ABOVE:  The Laufmaschine (running machine). It is displayed at the Kurpfälzisches Museum in Heidelberg, Germany.  OPPOSITE:  Motorcyclists parade through the streets of Mexico City, commemorating the 110 th anniversary of the Harley-Davidson; according to organizers an estimated 5,000 riders participated, 2013.