Harley Davidson-There are over 650,000 Hog Owners that have been attracted by the iconic brand that is over 100 years old. Today their brand has grown to become a lifestyle. With products ranging from motorcycles to apparel to Harley Davidson shoes.

Other brands that made the list are Levis, Volkswagon, Slinky, Noxzema, The Beatles, L’eggs(made famous by the ZZ Top song), Pepsi, Absolut Vodka, Saturday Night Live, Frye Boots, Coach Bags, Club Med, Clairol, and even Facebook. The New York Times says the fastest growing group of users on Facebook is women aged 55 and over.

ShareThis

1. The Harley Davidson boots should be a must when choosing safety gear:
How useful are motorcycle boots? Studies reveal that when motorcyclists become involved in crashes, 80% of them involve leg injuries. In particular, sturdy Harley Davidson boots can help support you and the bike and to prevent foot injuries.

2. The Harley Davidson boots should be comfortable:
Of course, the most important criteria for motorcycle boots is that they are comfortable but they should also safeguard your legs and feet. Ensure that the boots are neither too loose nor too tight. If the boots are to tight, you could experience calluses, numbness, etc.

3. The Harley Davidson boots should be the right height:
To maximize the protection of your leg, boots should be a minimum of 6.3 inches (160 mm) high. Measure this distance from the boot’s inner sole.

4. The Harley Davidson boots should have slip resistant sole:
It is important to examine the sole of the boot, the sole of your Harley Davidson boots should be waterproof, slip, and oil-resistant.

5. The Harley Davidson boots should be riding approved:
Not all Harley Davidson boots are the same. Harley Davidson footwear offers riding and after riding boots. These are different in the fact that the riding boots are designed for riding and the after riding boots are designed for fashion or just looks, like the womens Harley Davidson Sandals.
Buy your boots based on the type of riding that you will be doing. Make sure that you put safety first, whenever you ride your Harley.

ShareThis

The best quality, most preferred riding boots are Harley Davidson boots. The Harley Davidson boots offer a varying selection of different styles and designs for the everyday rider and even those who don’t even own a bike.
Over the years the Harley boots have become a craze among avid bikers. It was thought that the Harley boots reflected the freedom of expression. There are so many styles of Harley Davidson boots, and each of them is an eye-catching fashion and function design. Harley boots are extremely comfortable to wear, and they are long-lasting too. The various styling of Harley boots that can offer you a unique, personal look. How about a classic lace-up ,or pull-on style, or perhaps the newer zippered styles.

You might prefer wearing a killer pair of Harley Davidson boots which takes its style seriously. Take proper care of these Harley boots, and they will take care of you too.
You would be pleased to know that Harley Davidson offers Harley Davidson boots for kids. So, buy a pair for your kids and let him experience the pride in wearing the best boots out there.

ShareThis

ShareThis

Everyone knows that Harley Davidson has the best riding boots out there, but did you know that the Harley Davidson steel toe boots exceed the standards and are rated ASTM F2413-05 I/75 C/75. Why not have the best of both worlds with a riding boot that leads a double life as a killer looking work boot.
Some of the current steel toe Harley Davidson boots are:

ShareThis

Harley Davidson Inc. reported a second-quarter profit of $19.8 million, or 8 cents a share, down 91 percent from the $222.8 million it booked a year before. The lower than projected profit was caused by the tough market soured consumer spending and those factors sent bike sales sliding. Harley Davidson representatives said they were responding to the slump, and protecting the brand, by cutting bike production far more aggressively than expected, a move that sent its shares higher.
Harley Davidson Inc. said the temporary production cuts, as well as more permanent job cuts and plant closures, would ultimately save it between $140 million and $150 million a year. Harley-Davidson
Retail sales of new Harleys skidded 30.1 percent and revenue fell to $1.15 billion from $1.57 billion. Analysts were expecting $1.14 billion.

Harley Davidson Inc. slashed its 2009 shipment expectation to between 212,000 and 228,000 new motorcycles, down from the 303,479 it shipped in 2008. They had previously said it expected to ship 264,000 to 273,000 motorcycles this year.
As a result of the lowered shipment volume, the company said it would cut 700 more positions in its hourly workforce and slash the salaried workforce by about 300 positions. It said it plans to offer a voluntary separation incentive package to eligible salaried employees. They had already announced cuts of 1,400 to 1,500 hourly production positions in 2009 and 2010 and about 300 salaried positions.

This is tough news for the beloved motorcycle company but Harley Davidson anticipates it will come out for the better and be stronger in the long run.

ShareThis

Harley fans looking for a truck that stands out from the rest should plan to take a look at this one.

Rugged, independent, adventurous: The Ford F150 appeals to a certain kind of driver. And the same holds for those who ride a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. That’s why the 2010 Ford Harley-Davidson F-150, just unveiled at the 2009 Chicago Auto Show, offers the perfect marriage of Ford toughness to the legendary style of another all-American brand.

“It’s a head-turner,” says Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice president of Global Product Development. “Built Ford tough with an added dose of adrenaline.” The truck’s exterior and interior designs complement each other perfectly — in the tradition of Harley-Davidson’s themed bikes. Its look is unmistakable, with a deployable running board creating a strikingly lowered appearance, and forged aluminum, Harley-Davidson chrome badging, a six-bar billet-style grille, and aggressive front fascia signaling the F-150’s wild side. The truck boasts the largest tires in the F-series lineup — at 22 inches — and its custom Tuxedo Black with Lava paint brings a distinctive finish.

Inside, the two brands continue in perfect synergy. The console lid features hand-made cloisonné badges, a signature Harley-Davidson touch. The seats use materials from Harley-Davidson MotorClothes apparel — ribbed leather, engraved Harley-Davidson button snaps, and zippered map pockets — to give the cabin the texture of a biker jacket.

Ford has produced 14 Harley-Davidson trucks in the past. This is the first built off the award-winning 2009 F-150 platform. So all of this hallmark design is underwritten by superb engineering, with a 5.4-liter three-valve engine that delivers 320 hp, 390 ft.-lbs. of torque, and a top speed of 115 mph. With top fuel economy and class-leading towing and payload capacity heading up a long list of acclaimed features, this truck is set to conquer the open road. To complete the package get yourself a pair of Harley Davidson boots to complete the package.

ShareThis

ShareThis

In 1907, William A. Davidson, brother to Arthur and Walter Davidson, quits his job as tool foreman for the Milwaukee Road railroad and joins the Motor Company.On September 17th 1907, the Harley-Davidson Motor Company is incorporated. The stock is split four ways between the four founders, and staff size has more than doubled from the previous year to eighteen employees. Factory size is doubled as well. Dealer recruitment begins, targeting the New England region.

In 1908 Walter Davidson scores a perfect 1,000 points at the 7th Annual Federation of American Motorcyclists Endurance and Reliability Contest. Three days after the contest, Walter sets the FAM economy record at 188.234 miles per gallon. Word of Harley-Davidson’s extremely tough motorcycle spreads rapidly. They also delivered the first motorcycle sold for police duty to the Detroit, Michigan Police Department. In 1909 the now 6 year-old Harley Davidson Motor Company introduces its first V-twin powered motorcycle. With a displacement of 49.5 cubic inches, the bike produces seven horsepower. The image of two cylinders in a 45-degree configuration would quickly become one of the most enduring icons of Harley Davidson history. Also available for the first time from the Motor Company are spare parts for motorcycles.

1910 was a benchmark year for the Harley Davidson company. The famed Bar and Shield logo is used for the first time. It is trademarked at the U.S. Patent office one year later. They added at least seven different first place finishes to the record all of which are captured at races, endurance contests and hill climbs across America. All seven winners are riding Harley-Davidson motorcycles. By 1912 construction began on what will become the six story headquarters and main factory building at Juneau Ave. in Milwaukee. A separate Parts and Accessories Department is formed. Harley Davidson exports its first motorcycles to Japan, marking the first ever sales outside of the U.S. Dealer network grows to over 200 nationwide.

The next 7 years of growth and development was vast and included the development of the side car, the racing division of HD, 3 speed transmissions, the use of HD motorcycles by the military(almost half of all bikes produced in 1917-1918), and the 37 cubic inch opposed twin cylinder Sport model.

By 1920, Harley-Davidson is the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world. New Harley Davidson motorcycles can be purchased from over 2,000 dealers in 67 countries worldwide. The 1920’s also saw the first front wheel brakes, the modern teardrop gas tank design, and in 1929 the 45 cubic inch V-twin engine, later to be known as the flathead, is introduced on the D model.

As the 1930’s saw the end of all but two American motorcycle companies, HD and Indian, Harley created the birth of the Japanese bike as a result of their licensing of blueprints, tools, dies and machinery to the Sankyo Company of Japan. The result is the Rikuo motorcycle. The Harley bikes won many more races and in 1938 on the 3.2 mile beach course at Daytona Florida, Ben Campanale wins the first of two consecutive victories at the Daytona 200 on a Harley-Davidson WLDR. 1938 also saw the first Black Hills Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota.

The 1940’s saw WWII, a new factory, the introduction of the classic leather motorcycle jacket, and the first hydraulic front forks appear on the new Hydra-Glide models. The 1950’s however, saw 18 of 24 national championships and 6 new racing records from the Harley, followed by the 50th anniversary where an attractive logo is created, depicting a “V” in honor of the engine which had brought the company so far, with a bar overlaid reading Harley-Davidson and the words, “50 years American made.” A medallion version of this logo is placed on the front fenders of the 1954 models.

In 1962, Harley-Davidson purchases 60 percent of the stock in the Tomahawk Boat Manufacturing Company. Harley Davidson recognizes the rising relevance of fiberglass in motorcycle production, and begins manufacturing its own components. As a result, the Tomahawk Division is established and is operational as a Harley-Davidson facility by 1963. In 1964 the three-wheeled Servi-Car becomes the very first Harley-Davidson motorcycle to receive an electric starter, followed by the Electra-Glide which replaces the Duo-Glide and they add an electric starter. The Electra-Glide is the first FL available with electric start, and the Sportster line would receive electric starters soon after. 1966 sees the birth of the first “Shovelhead”. The new engine is introduced on the Electra-Glide models, replacing the Panhead.

The 1970’s saw more rapid growth and motorcycle production is upgraded when all assembly operations are moved to a modern 400,000 square foot plant in York, Penn. All other production operations remain in Milwaukee and Tomahawk. The Capitol Drive plant in Milwaukee begins production of engines. The late 70’s saw the birth of the Low-Rider and the Fat-Bob bikes.

The 1980’s brought the kevlar belt drive to the Harley and the end of the chain drive. 1983 saw one of Harley-Davidson’s most unique endeavors, the Harley Owners Group. Fondly referred to as H.O.G., the group immediately becomes the largest factory-sponsored motorcycle club in the world. Within six years, H.O.G. membership soars to more than 90,000. By the year 2000, it exceeds 500,000 members. In 1984 the 1340cc V² Evolution engine is unveiled on five models including the all-new Softail. The result of seven years of development, the Evolution engine produces more power at every speed, runs cooler, cleaner and is oil-tight. Also witnessed is the debut of the Softail design and its trend-setting method of hiding the motorcycle’s rear shock absorbers. The Heritage Softail is also born and quickly becomes a top seller.

The 1990’s saw its share of new products starting with the Fatboy which almost instantaneously becomes a modern legend of motorcycle design. The Dyna line of motorcycles debuts with the 1991 FXDB Dyna Glide Sturgis and in 1993 the Harley Davidson Motor company celebrates the 90th Anniversary in Milwaukee with a Family Reunion. An estimated 100,000 people ride in a parade of motorcycles. 1994 brings the classically-styled FLHR Road King and in 1994 the 30th Anniversary Ultra Classic Electra Glide becomes the first production Harley-Davidson motorcycle to include sequential port electronic fuel injection. An with the anniversary in 1998 Harley-Davidson celebrates its 95th. 140,000 plus riders are warmly received by Milwaukee to help with the celebration.

With almost a century of history under the belt Harley Davidson moved in to the year 2000 with no worries and celebrated the 100th anniversary with millions worldwide. More than 250,000 people come to Milwaukee for the final stop of the Open Road Tour and the Harley-Davidson 100th Anniversary Celebration and Party. 2006 saw the first of the 6-speed transmissions on a Harley as they are made available on 2006 model year Dyna motorcycles.

With so much history and lots of legendary knowledge, todays Harley Davidson Motor Company makes all kinds of apparel, like helmets, clothing, Harley Davidson Boots, toys, furniture, and much much more.

ShareThis

ShareThis