Who would have thought that the history of the famous "iron horse" began with an old old and tin can.
It was 1903, when the brothers Walter and Arthur Davidson, together with William Harley, assembled their first motorcycle. Of course, he was far from the usual overseas bike today. Sparkling chrome, able to carry his rider at breakneck speed.
The first Harley was very funny. He was small. The Davidsons and Harley equipped their motorcycle with a single-cylinder engine and bicycle parts. After all, he had to somehow accelerate to the desired speed in order to start the engine. Although about speed, it is also very relative, because then the motorcycle could travel no more than 7–8 km.
Harley-Davidson 10E, 1914
Beginning designers chose the French De Dion-Buton motorcycle as a model for their Harley. All mechanisms were assembled manually from improvised means. For example, an old tin can was used for the carburetor, and gasoline for the first races was bought at a nearby pharmacy.
The guys worked on their invention for about three years. But upon completion of the work, they realized that their creation was not able to conquer even modest hills. For this reason, the Harley and Davidsons decided that they should continue their design experiments.
Harley-Davidson F, 1917
Therefore, following their "pioneer", novice designers immediately began work on a new, more modern motorcycle. It can be considered the first "real" Harley-Davidson motorcycle. It was equipped with a 405 cm³ engine and weighed just under 13 kg.
The new advanced frame was similar to that of the 1903 Milwaukee Merkel motorcycle designed by Joseph Merkel. A tubular frame and a reinforced engine made a motorcycle in the modern sense out of a “bike with a motor”.
