Which motorcycle manufacturer was founded in 1903 by William Harley and Arthur Davidson?

Which motorcycle manufacturer was founded in 1903 by William Harley and Arthur Davidson? The answer is Harley-Davidson.

The company began in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson worked on a motorized bicycle. Their first machine was completed in 1903, with help from Arthur’s brothers Walter and William A. Davidson. It was underpowered for Milwaukee’s hills, so the partners developed a larger, more practical motorcycle.

Harley-Davidson built its first factory on Chestnut Street, later renamed Juneau Avenue, in 1906. The company was formally incorporated in 1907, when production reached about 150 motorcycles. Its early growth helped establish Milwaukee as a major center of American motorcycle manufacturing.

A common mix-up is treating Harley-Davidson as a two-person founding project. William Harley and Arthur Davidson were central to the company’s origin, but Walter Davidson and William A. Davidson also played important early roles. Harley-Davidson is also distinct from Indian Motorcycle, its historic American rival; both survived the Great Depression.