Harley-Davidson and the War Effort

You may not have spotted a Harley-Davidson in "Saving Private Ryan" or other war movies, but the company has provided motorcycles to the military for the past 90 years. Harleys were invented in 1903, predominantly for consumer use. But they first were put to use in border skirmishes with Pancho Villa in 1916. Specially configurated models were used for the military in World War I, World War II and the Korean War. By 1920 Harley-Davidson produced 21,000 motorcycles specifically for war use.

During World War II, as with many manufacturers, Harley-Davidson's products were geared specifically to the war effort. The Allies received more than 90,000 motorcycles. Harley also leased 30,000 to the Soviet Union. Harley went for a new design during World War II, which had an opposed twin engine to run cooler, and used a BMW motorcycle as a model. But this cycle was never fully produced. However, in 1950 it was successfully manufactured for use in the Korean War.