William Harley and Arthur Davidson: Men Behind the Iconic Motorcycle

After attending Miss Held’s Vaudevillian performance, they decided to make Harley’s idea a joint business venture. Harley and Davidson began their operation in the Davidson’s tiny 10′ X 15′ back-yard shed; The Harley-Davidson Motor Company painted on the door.

Though they weren’t aware of it, there were several other companies in the US working on the very same idea. For their motorized bicycle to compete, it would have to function better than all the others. It didn’t take long for the two men to realize that even with their combined knowledge and creativity, they’d need a skilled mechanic to actually build their machine.

So Davidson enlisted the help of his brother, Walter. Walter was a railroad machinist from Kansas he enticed to visit with a promise to ride their new “motorcycle.”

Upon arriving in Milwaukee, however, Walter discovered that he would have to help William and Arthur build their motorcycle before he could ride it. He then quit his railroad job to invest in their dream.

With two of the Davidson brothers now involved in the enterprise, their eldest brother, William, a tool-room foreman at a Milwaukee railroad shop, offered to pitch in.

Soon after, Harley and Davidson moved part of their operation to a machine shop owned by their friend Henry Melk, a lathe operator.