 |  | | | |  | | William S. Harley, age 21, completes a blueprint
drawing of an engine designed to fit into a bicycle. | | | | | | |
| William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson make
available to the public the first production Harley-Davidson® motorcycle. The
bike was built to be a racer, with a 3-1/8 inch bore and 3-1/2 inch stroke. The
factory in which they worked was a 10 x 15-foot wooden shed with the words
"Harley-Davidson Motor Company" crudely scrawled on the door. Arthur's
brother Walter later joins their efforts. | |      | | | Henry Meyer of Milwaukee, a schoolyard pal of William S.
Harley and Arthur Davidson, buys one of the 1903 models directly from the
founders. | | | | | |
| The first Harley-Davidson Dealer, C.H. Lang of Chicago, IL,
opens for business and sells one of the first three production Harley-Davidson
motorcycles ever made. | |  | | | | |
| On July 4th, a H-D motorcycle wins a 15 mile race in Chicago
with a time of 19:02. In Milwaukee, the first full-time employee is hired. | | | | | |
| A new factory, measuring 28 x 80 feet, is built on the
Chestnut St. site, later renamed Juneau Avenue. Staff size is increased to six
full-time employees. Also, the first motorcycle catalog is produced by the
Company and the nickname "Silent Gray Fellow" is used for the first
time. | |  | | | | |
| William A. Davidson, brother to Arthur and Walter
Davidson, quits his job as tool foreman for the Milwaukee Road railroad and
joins the Motor Company. | |  | | | Harley-Davidson Motor Company is incorporated on September
17th. The stock is split four ways between the four founders, and staff size
has more than doubled from the previous year to eighteen employees. Factory
size is doubled as well. Dealer recruitment begins, targeting the New England
region. | |  | | | | |
| Walter Davidson scores a perfect 1,000 points at
the 7th Annual Federation of American Motorcyclists Endurance and Reliability
Contest. Three days after the contest, Walter sets the FAM economy record at
188.234 miles per gallon. Word of Harley-Davidson's extremely tough motorcycle
spreads rapidly. | |  | | | The first motorcycle sold for police duty is delivered to the
Detroit, MI, Police Department. | | | | | |
| The six-year-old Harley-Davidson Motor Company introduces its
first V-twin powered motorcycle. With a displacement of 49.5 cubic inches, the
bike produces seven horsepower. The image of two cylinders in a 45-degree
configuration would fast become one of the most enduring icons of
Harley-Davidson history. Also available for the first time from the Motor
Company are spare parts for motorcycles. | |  | | | | | |
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