The Evolution of Harley-Davidson

After experimenting with a series of prototypes, 23-year old William S. Harley and 22-year old Arthur Davidson built their first bike for sale to the public in 1903.
(c) Harley-Davidson; Courtesy Harley-Davidson Motor Co. Archives;

In the Beginning
After experimenting with a series of prototypes, 23-year old William S. Harley and 22-year old Arthur Davidson built their first bike for sale to the public in 1903. A racer with a 3-1/8 inch bore and 3-1/2 inch stroke, the bike looked very much like the one in the photo above, shot at a rally around 1910.

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