100 Years Of Harley Davidson

Sumptuous official 100th anniversary book. The inside story told for the first time by the grandson of the founder.

An illustrated look back at Harley-Davidson's first century includes a history of the company, profiles of their most significant motorcycles, and a discussion of the company's role in popular culture.

This volume takes the reader through a century of the premier motorcycle company's witty and eye-catching print advertisements. The colorful and sometimes provocative ads reflect the creative spirit and the unique culture of Harley-Davidson--and America--over the last century.

Here's an inside look at Harley-Davidson as only family members could tell it! Jean Davidson's Harley-Davidson Family Album presents never-before-seen family photos, as well as personal stories from the perspective of a family member and former Harley-Davidson dealer. Jean Davidson, the granddaughter of Walter Davidson, one of the four founders and the first president of Harley-Davidson, and the daughter of company vice-president Gordon Davidson, shares such family stories as: how four boys built their first bike in a shed in 1902, speculation about how the firm was named, how the family's rich hermit uncle saved the fledgling corporation from bankruptcy, the story behind the Silent Gray Fellow, and the sale and buy-back of the company. It also includes photos and reminiscences from Sarah and Mary Harley, granddaughters of William S. Harley. This memoir of the Harley-Davidson motorcycling dynasty presents a family album of rare photos of family members and fun photos of all those fabulous Harley-Davidson motorcycles: putting a personal face on the world's most famous motorcycle maker.

The Harley-Davidson Story: Tales from the Archives is a fascinating, visually driven overview of the motor company's rich story, created in cooperation with the Harley-Davidson Museum. The story of Harley-Davidson is a classic American tale of spirit, invention, and the right idea at the right time. From its beginning in a small Milwaukee shed in 1903, William Harley and his cousins, the Davidson brothers, set in motion what would eventually become the world’s most iconic motorcycle company. While other motorcycle companies rose and fell through the teens and 1920s, Harley went from strength to strength, whether introducing its first V-twin motor or dominating race tracks across America. The Milwaukee Miracle even prospered during WWII, building war bikes for the armed forces. By the 1950s, they’d buried their last American-built competitor, Indian, and gained a hold over the US market that they maintain to this day. A remarkable story deserves a remarkable space to recount it. Such is the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, which opened in 2009. Harley-Davidson partnered with Motorbooks to create this book relaying Harley-Davidson’s story, as told through the museum’s displays and archive assets.

The Harley-Davidson Source Book is the ultimate curated survey of the ultimate motorcycle. It details the most significant designs and models throughout the Motor Company's history.

This book tells the story of one of the world’s most innovative, beloved, and famous motorcycle manufacturers on its 100th anniversary. In 1921, Giorgio Parodi founded Moto Guzzi with the mechanic Carlo Guzzi. The purpose of the company was to design innovative motorcycles in the Mandello del Lario headquarters on Lake Como, where the factory still stands today. Moto Guzzi bikes immediately stood out for their high performance and technical sophistication. Their greatness was proven by competition wins, and these sporting triumphs were accompanied by commercial success that made Moto Guzzi the most important motorcycle manufacturer in Italy. These victories did not happen by chance, but were the result of continuous innovation. The company soon decided to withdraw from competitions because of its “manifest superiority” and instead focused on production. It has since continued to churn out iconic innovations and models, like the California, which was chosen by the LAPD for their patrols. Moto Guzzi is no longer just a motorcycle but, like Harley-Davidson, it has become a style, a philosophy and a sign of belonging to the Guzzi tribe that unites movie stars like Ewan McGregor with acclaimed designers like Tom Dixon, musicians like Billy Joel, and astronauts such as Paolo Nespoli.

This comprehensive history of the Harley takes a close look at the world's most famous motorcycle manufacturer, from its humble beginnings in a garden shed in 1903 to the surging popularity of today. More than 250 color and black-and-white photographs of Hogs, Shovels, Panheads, and Softails provide a visual documentary of the bike's transformation over the years, while an absorbing text by motorcycle journalist and Harley enthusiast, Tod Rafferty, follows the fortunes of this fabled marque as it approaches its centenary.