Harley Davidson Trikes

It’s hard to believe that a successful, world-renowned company would begin its story in a 10’ X 15’ wooden shed. But that is exactly how Harley Davidson Motor Company began their journey to becoming the most popular motorcycle manufacturer in the world. William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson sold one of their first three motorcycles to a schoolyard pal in 1903. In 1904, the first dealer opened their doors in Chicago, Illinois, and by 1907, the company was incorporated and both the staff and factory had doubled in size. In 1908, they sold their first motorcycle to the Detroit Police Department. By 1920, Harley Davidson motorcycles and accessories were known all over the world, with approximately 2,000 separate dealers in 67 countries.

They introduced the Servi-Car (3 wheeler) in 1932, which began its 41 year run as a popular commercial and police vehicle. It was actually invented during the Great Depression to expand the product line and increase sales. Its intention was to aid in the delivery of special ordered stock for the local garages, and not intended to hit the road. However, its 45 cubic inch, flathead engine was one of the longest running engines on the market, making it a successful asset to the police, small business owners, and mobile vendors. Harley stopped manufacturing the Servi-Car in 1973, but you can now get conversion kits which allow you to make any model into a trike or 3-wheeler.

Rumor has it that Harley Davidson will be bringing up the corner carving trike concept in the upcoming Cologne, Germany show next month, by introducing a new reverse trike bike called the Tri-Glide Ultra Classic. If all goes well, it will be powered by the liquid-cooled, Revolution V-Twin engine, from the Rod Series, as opposed to the 45 degree air-cooled mill powering in most bikes. The patent for the drawings was filed in 2006, so they have been working on this for quite some time. Should be very exciting!