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Introduction
Description
Harley-Davidson is probably the most famous name in motorcycling history. Over the last 100 years, the company has earned a truly legendary reputation. And Harley-Davidson is more than a simple motorcycle maker - it represents an approach to engineering and styling that is essentially American.
In this pictorial history of the first decades of the world-famous motorcycle manufacturer, John Carroll uses rare archive photographs to show the evolution of the Harley-Davidson from the pioneering machines of the early 1900s to the end of the Panhead era. His book is a sympathetic and expert guide for all Harley-Davidson owners and enthusiasts and for everyone who enjoys motorcycling history.
The author describes how the Harley-Davidson company survived and prospered despite the Depression, two world wars, technical challenges and changes and fundamental shifts in themotorcycle market. He recalls the conception of the robust V-twin engine which has been at the heart of Harley-Davidson motorcycles for almost a century. The company has always favoured consistent improvement over radical redesign, and the much-refined V-twin still powers the Harley-Davidson of the present day.
The book illustrates the wide variety of types of Harley-Davidson that have been produced - military and sidecar versions, machines for police patrol work and escort duty and for racing - including on American dirt tracks, where Harley has dominated for decades - and the first customised Harleys of the mid-1960s. But the author concentrates on telling the story of the long line of strong simple, powerful street bikes that are the mainstay of Harley-Davidson's reputation.
John Carroll's closely researched history of the first sixty five years of Harley-Davidson offers a fascinating insight into the career of America's longest-lived motorcycle.
Hardback. 128 pages.
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