4 Unusual Facts About Harley-Davidson

Rich History

Having been around for well over a century to this point, it's safe to say that there are plenty of interesting facts pertaining to Harley-Davidson - some well-known, and others, well not so much. Many of us consider ourselves subject matter experts when it comes to MoCo in general, but there are always some tidbits that tend to get lost over time - including, perhaps, these four unusual facts. 

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Four Founders

While most people know that William Harley and Arthur Davidson are responsible for founding Harley-Davidson, what some may not know is that they weren't the only ones - in fact, there are two others who helped make the company a reality as well. Davidson and Harley were lifelong friends that grew up together, but Arthur's older brother - Walter - provided his mechanical expertise to help the first Harley come to life, which was also true of William Davidson, Arthur's oldest brother who also happened to be a mechanic by trade. 

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Importance of Order

After successfully creating its first motorcycle, the friends had to figure out what to name their company, too. This could have easily been Davidson-Harley, but the reason the duo ultimately landed on Harley-Davidson is actually pretty simple - Harley was the one who came up with the idea of creating a motorcycle in the first place, so he received the honor of having his name come first. 

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Military History

Many are aware that Harley has a rich history in the U.S. military, but some may not know that this started way before World War II - in fact, during World War I back in 1917, the U.S. government purchased a large number of motorcycles for combat purposes. Harley even built its boxer-style twin-cylinder engine specifically for the Army from 1941-1945 during World War II, ultimately churning out over 90,000 bikes over that time period. 

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Origins of Hog

As for why we call Harley-Davidson motorcycles hogs, well, that's a bit of a mystery. Most credit it to H-D racer Ray Weishaar, who once famously shared a Coke with a small pig more than a century ago - a moment that was captured on film. On top of that, Harley's racers in the 1920s would also put a pig on their motorcycles after winning, and then taking victory laps, which also helped forever link the two entities together. 

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