The Ride of Your Life
Few places on earth are less glitzy and glamorous than Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the USA, yet this small city on the shores of Lake Michigan can boast that it is home to one of the world’s most exhilarating lifestyle brands.
With its strong German heritage, Milwaukee has developed a reputation for many unusual things. Its beer, sausages and rich cheeses are world famous; it has a baseball park named after a beer; and it is the birthplace of Harley-Davidson (H-D).
Considering that the town is covered in snow for months on end, Milwaukee is one of the most motorcycle unfriendly places in the world. Outdoor adventures, especially of the motoring variety, are not high on the list of priorities of most locals, who undoubtedly spend a lot of time contemplating things indoors. Perhaps then, when friends Walter Harley and Arthur Davidson spent most of 1902 contemplating putting an engine into a bicycle, the folks in town didn’t think too much of this strange obsession. By 1903, when Arthur’s two brothers, Walter and William, joined the team, the quartet completed their first motorised cycle in a shed in the back of the Davidson home.
Of course, as is often the case with early motoring inventions, the first Harley was less than stellar. But by the end of 1903 the inventors had managed to sell the first, slightly more robust Harley-Davidson for $200 (about R1,400).
Close on 108 years later, the shed has made way for a huge brewery, and the company’s sprawling head office complex is now situated at Juneau Avenue. It is considered hallowed ground to Harley (or affectionately, HOG) owners across the globe. Although the general public seldom visits H-D HQ, it is the heartbeat of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company. From here the organisation manages a global workforce of 7,000 employees who make, sell and service over 200,000 motorcycles a year, generating over $4 billion (over R27 billion) in revenue annually.
Having paid top dollar for their machines, and being quite a loyal bunch, Harley-Davidson owners enjoy getting together to celebrate the unique lifestyle that makes owning a Harley such an experience. Perhaps the only site in Milwaukee more revered than Juneau Avenue is the Harley-Davidson Museum. The museum opened its doors in 2008 and almost overnight became a place where enthusiasts and aficionados alike could come to view some of the oldest Harley-Davidsons in existence; enjoy exhibits on how current bikes are designed and built; and take in a rich history that spans more than a century and covers the globe.
The story begins with the bike that is often referred to as “Serial Number One”, the oldest known Harley in existence. It dates back to the first years of the Davidson and Harley partnership and contains many parts thought to be from the original 1903 knocker. Strolling through the halls of Harley, you are taken on a journey of discovery that shows the manufacturer’s contribution to America’s WWII effort, the emergence of colours and styling added to the bikes during the 1920s, and the classic “Knucklehead” bike which set the trend for Harley-Davidson’s main design identity going forward.
Celebrating a phenomenal history, the three floors of the museum are literally packed to the ceiling with displays, bikes, memorabilia and original historical items. No one display or experience can be singled out, as the curators have gone to the extreme in showing the brand’s glorious past, and how new trends are being set well into the future. What begs a mention is the wealth of references to South Africa and the endurance races that took place here during the last century.
Anywhere in the world a group of passing Harleys is an event. Children stare at the parade of passing steeds, young men excitedly snap away at the scene on their camera phones, and old couples smile as memories of days gone by flash past.
Ultimately, the brand is about so much more than just motorcycles. Harley-Davidson has a remarkable history, and considering the many and varied perceptions that exist around the brand, it is almost unfathomable to imagine a world without the unmistakeable guttural roar of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
Story by Bernard Hellberg
