Arthur Davidson: Biography and Story of the Founder of Harley Davidson Motor

Arthur Davidson, along with William Harley, is one of the founders of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company. Harley Davidson Motor Company is a motorbike manufacturing company known to be challenging and legendary in America.

Harley Davidson is now known as a quality motorbike manufacturer and is famous for its V Twin engine. What’s the story?

Arthur Davidson Biography

One of the founders of Harley-Davidson, Arthur Davidson, was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on February 11, 1881. Arthur had been friends since childhood with William S. Harley.

At the end of the 18th century, bicycles had been invented, and their popularity was increasing throughout the United States. This allows people to go further and faster than ever before.

Then, millions of people in America began using bicycles as a new mode of transportation. But this was only the beginning for Davidson and his partner William Harley to make a breakthrough in riding.

The American public will soon become acquainted with the name Harley-Davidson, a motorbike brand that will increase to become the most popular brand in the world of motorbikes. Arthur Davidson was the youngest of three brothers. His father was a cabinet maker. Little is known about the early life of Arthur Davidson. Stay up-to-date with Deltsapure! Provide accurate and updated news for readers.

Founded the Harley-Davidson Motor Company

In 1901, the two of them looked for a way to create a new idea for transportation by making a motorbike. They hope the motorbike can be made available to the public and used by the average American citizen. This allows people to travel more quickly and efficiently than by bicycle.

At that time, motorized bicycles had been developed in Europe but on a limited basis; in the United States, they had existed for about 10 years before but motorbikes at that time were generally not available to the public.

They both had the idea of how to make a motorbike. In 1903, they founded a motorcycle company called Harley-Davidson Motor Company with the assistance of two of Davidson’s brothers.

Arthur Davidson worked as a motorbike design maker during the early development of the Harley Davidson motorbike. And William Harley worked as a mechanic, assembling motorbikes.

Harley and Davidson then worked hard in a warehouse, which became their first office and initial workshop, built in Davidson’s backyard.

In 1903, with the help of the Davidson brothers, they produced their first motorcycle. In 1904, they made three motorbikes. One was sold later in the year to CH Lang of Chicago, the first Harley-Davidson dealer.

After the company began to develop, they began to produce their motorbikes on a larger scale. In 1906, Harley Davidson and the two Davidson brothers began building a Milwaukee factory and produced 50 motorbikes. The introduction of the V Twin engine, the hallmark of Harley Davidson motorbikes, made this motorbike even more well-known.

World War I Motorcycles

The following year, they increased their annual production by hiring 35 workers and making around 1,000 motorbikes yearly. Arthur Davidson’s next step was to convince government officials that motorbikes should replace bicycles at the US Postal Service.

By 1914, the Postal Service had more than 4,800 Harley-Davidson motorcycles in its transportation fleet. When World War I started, almost all Harley-Davidson motorcycle production was suspended for the public and only produced for the military.

Harley-Davidson produced thousands of motorbikes in support of the war. Then, throughout World War I, around 20,000 Harley Davidson motorbikes were sent to the battlefield. Even though there were still 14,600 units remaining that had not been produced due to the war’s end, Harley Davidson was changing like a star.

This motorbike received extraordinary appreciation from the US because it was considered enough to help “Uncle Sam’s” country on the battlefield. The public also attached the image of “Nationalist Motorcycle” to these motorbikes.

“Uncle Sam’s Choice: Harley-Davidson”

Several mass media outlets are busy discussing the “greatness” of Harley-Davidson vehicles. The slogan “Uncle Sam’s Choice; Harley-Davidson” was also displayed in one of the company’s advertisements in the 1920s. At that time, Harley-Davidson finally began its golden age.

Harley-Davidson then became a legend and was able to outperform its competitors to become the largest motorbike company in the world to this day. By the time the war ended, Harley-Davidson had become the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world, and motorcycles could be purchased at more than 2,000 dealers in 67 countries around the world.

Over time, Arthur Davidson began reducing his activities in the companies and businesses he started. He began to spend more time donating funds to social causes.

On December 30, 1950, Arthur Davidson, his wife, and two of their friends were in a car accident near Milwaukee. In that incident, the founder of Harley-Davidson died.

In 1998, Arthur Davidson was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame along with William Harley to honor his legacy. This is because of his contribution to developing the motorcycle industry in the United States.