Biography William Harley

The early years of Harley Evgeny Konstantinov. Photo from the archive of Harley-Davidson. The Harley-Davidson brand is years. The history of its occurrence is shrouded in myths, which is not surprising: on the one hand, direct documentary evidence of the birth and the first steps of this company was not preserved, on the other, the famous American brand itself has long become a living legend, beautiful and amazing from beginning to end.

The first three “serial” Harley-Davidson, more reminiscent of bicycles with a motor, were built in the year. One of them is recreated and today is decorated with the hall of the company's headquarters in the company in Miluoi. The first real gearbox appeared on h-d motorcycles only in the year. This three -stage gearbox with sliding gears turned out to be so successful that it was almost a decade that was practically unchanged.

The first V-shaped "deuce" appeared in the year on the 5D model. Today, this type of engine is a business card of the brand. Harley-Davidson does not release other engines. So at the turn of the years was the main assembly workshop of the plant on Avenue Juno. On the slipways of the Motorcycles of the W. Up to a year, on many H-D engines, an unusual one has been used today, but a gas distribution scheme that was common at the beginning of the twentieth century, in which the intake valve was located in the cylinder head, and graduation-directly in the cylinder itself.

In the year with the expansion of the staff of the workers, Harley-Davidson opened a technical school at the factory, which soon became one of the most popular educational institutions in Miluoi. A liter engine of the EL model, presented in the year, was the first upper engine in the history of the brand. For the first time, a circulation system of lubrication with a dry crankcase and a separate oil tank was tested on it.

At least one of the first first H-D regularly participated in the races. Then this brand positioned itself as a manufacturer of sports motorcycles. In this small shed "plant" Harley-Davidson was located for the first few years. Later, the historical structure was transferred to the courtyard of a real large factory, where it stood until it was mistakenly demolished. The sport model W was distinguished by an unusual engine configuration.

In it, the cube opposite was installed along the frame. The engine worked incredibly quietly and evenly, but did not find popularity in the domestic market. Motorcycles with a stroller appeared in the production range of the company in the year. One of these devices, the motorcycle carrier Alfred Leroy, who lost his arms and legs due to an accident, remade it under control from the stroller.

The recognizable design of h-D motorcycles has developed in the e years. Unlike others, they were similar to each other. During the Second World War, H-D developed a special heavy army motorcycle-the only stroller drive in the history of the brand. Small motorcycles of the K series, released in the year, were a response to the appearance of cheaper imported competitors.

Finding themselves very popular, they led to the creation of the Sportster model line, which exists in the production range to this day. William, Walter and Arthur Davidson and William Harley are the founding fathers of the most famous motorcycle brand. For example, that both of its founders are the descendants of Russian emigrants who bore the names of Kharlamov and Davydov.

And let it be flattering for national pride, alas, the situation was different, especially since there were three Davidsons. But it all started with William Harley, who was really the son of an emigrant, only English. He was born on December 29 in Miluooki, Visconsin, and, having graduated from school, at the age of 15 he joined the Cycling Plant in his hometown, and at that time, his childhood friend Arthur Davidson began working as a modelman at another enterprise.

In the midst of technically savvy youth, to which these two, of course, belonged, then came into fashion for various experiments with internal combustion engines. Young William decided to adapt the motor to the bicycle. In the year, the idea was clothed in the drawings and friends took up the construction of a self -wound unit. Of course, at the same time they did not conduct any paper paperwork, but bored with iron at their own pleasure in their free time.

And since there were no documents left, modern historians and experts in the early American motorcycles have an extensive field in order to break the spears on it where, how and how much time William and Arthur built their first motorcycle. It is from here that all further inconsistencies and contradictions lead to some researchers even to doubts about the true age of Harley-Davidson.

At first, there was a moped we will not figure out which of the respected and authoritative sources arguing with each other is right. In any case, the first bicycle with a motor, built by William Harley and Arthur Davidson in a small home workshop, was ready no later than the summer of the year.At the same time, in order to finish work on a two -wheeled machine, Arthur called his older brother Walter, a qualified mechanic who had been working by a railway driver in Kansas.

About what stage of work was required, the sources again disagree. Some claim that, having quit all the affairs and returning to his father’s house, Walter found Arthur over the drawings of William and a mountain of fragmented spare parts. Others say that, on the contrary, everything was ready for a long time and his brother invited him to participate in the further commercial development of the company.

The first pancake came out lumpy. The motorcycle, or rather, turned out to be unsuccessful with the motor: he simply lacked horsepower. The driver was forced to help the engine, pedaling to enter any more or less noticeable rise. Either the same cylinder engine with volume cm3 was really so weak, or Harley incorrectly calculated the gear ratio of the craft transmission, but it was impossible to fully ride such a motorcycle, and they quickly forgot about it.

The experience acquired during the construction of the first prototype was not in vain. Friends immediately set to improve the structure and started building the next model, and immediately in three copies - in the calculation for their sale! From that moment it is customary to count the life path of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company. The archival finds of recent years confirm with a certainty: it was in the year.

Moreover, it can be argued reasonably: all three “serial” machines were built before the end of the year. This was reported by the founders of the brand in their interviews of later time, and the advertising booklet of the year, who claimed that one of the first first motorcycles of the year was alive and well, running 83 thousand miles without overhaul. The reference point of the two motorcycles of the first series immediately found buyers.

One of them was acquired by Henry Melk, a school comrade William and Arthur. According to the American historian Herbert Wagner Herbert Wagner, At the Creation: Myth, Reality and the Origin of Harley-Davidson Motocycle, the second motorcycle was sold through the car of the car of Carl Langa in Chicago, which thus became the first Harley-Davidson brand dealer. What was the first serial H-D?

To answer such a question today simply: the reconstructed iron horse is now decorated with Hall Harley-Davidson headquarters in Miluoi on Avenue Juno. In fact, this is a bicycle equipped with an internal combustion engine and a craft on the rear wheel. According to data published on the official website of the company, it is easy to calculate the working volume of its single -cylinder engine - cm3.

The bicycle frame is gracefully curved at the bottom to place a power unit with a large crankcase of a flywheel. The role of adhesion is played by a special mobile video pulling the drive belt. For the beginning of the twentieth century, it was a very common design. Interestingly, there are no wings on the restored copy: in those years, this meant belonging to the tribe of sports motorcycles intended for racing.

However, he had no additional special differences from road models. However, involvement in sports and victories in the early years depended not only on special technical tricks, but in many respects on the reliability of the technology and skill of riders. And with this, Harley-Davidson at the dawn of history was all right, which completely does not fit with the modern image of the brand, specializing in heavy imposing models for long trips along the highway.

But at the dawn of its existence, the company actively participated in motorbines. It was they who then served as the best advertising of products and at the same time a landfill for new technical solutions. Both Harley and the Davidson brothers, and later their employees regularly defended the honor of the company at competitions of various levels and were considered formidable rivals after the first victory on July 4 in Chicago, in Chicago.

Technical experiments William Harley, who immediately took the duties of the chief designer of the company and did not compose them until his death on September 18, continued to gradually improve the construction of the motorcycle. And at the same time he received an engineering education at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where he entered the year shortly after the unsuccessful tests of his first two -haired brainchild.

By the way, I did the right thing! Because in the future, its development has always been distinguished by technical literacy, thoughtfulness and amazing reliability. The first single -cylinder motorcycles without suspensions and gearboxes several years later gave way to much more complex and perfect creations. So, in the year, William Harley even patented a two -stage gearbox placed in the hood of the rear wheel.

True, the novelty did not take root and a year later gave way to the traditional three -speed box for that time with sliding gears attached to the engine.On the way of their evolution, the Harley-Davidson motorcycles even went through the opposite layout of a two-cylinder engine with the placement of cylinders along the frame, unlike the classic German “oppositions” installed across.

This is exactly what the engines of the “sportbikes” of the milestone looked like that gained special popularity in foreign markets. These motorcycles were distinguished by the very quiet and soft sound of the engine, but they did not last long in the production program. And the true glory of Harley-Davidson brought V-shaped “deuces” with a degree collar of cylinders and a characteristic recognizable bass sound of work.

For the sake of this sound, passionate fans of the brand even today are ready to endure all the disadvantages of the V-shaped engine, including an increased tendency to vibrations. Harley constructed the first similar motor and installed on the motorcycle back in the year. This power unit developed 7 liters. The low-speed, but high-end four-stroke V-Twin soon became the hallmark of the brand, in the beginning of the 10ths, completely displacing all other types of engines from the production program.

On the pre -war models, cheap, simple, light and undemanding fuel quality were mainly used. However, in the pursuit of dynamic qualities by the middle of the x, the design department began experiments with an upper engine laying, which allows to achieve a higher compression degree and, accordingly, a larger specific power. As a result, the EL serial model appeared in the year.

With a liter volume, the engine developed 40 liters. He opened the way to all the post-war series of engines of a similar design, which later became an American classic and used on H-D so far. And the "Nizhneklapanniki", by the way, were produced by the company up to a year. The Basis of Success Today is the Harley-Davidson Motor Company headquarters building on Avenue Juno, one of the architectural symbols of the city of Miluoka.

But this was not always the case.