Friday, March 29, AD 2024 2:55am

Harley Goes to War

 

Harley-Davidson had been building motorcycles since 1904.  During World War I the War Department purchased about 20,000 from Harley. ( Indian supplied the most motorcycles for the War, approximately 50,000.)  The Harley military motorcycle was based on their series J and had a 15 horsepower engine.  The electric headlamp was replaced with a gas powered one.  At the time this was a fairly complicated piece of machinery for an army that was going from the horse age to the engine age in one bound.  Harley founded the Harley-Davidson Quartermasters School which gave  a three week crash course in the construction and maintenance of the motorcycles for Army quartermasters and mechanics.  The course was so successful that Harley made it a permanent part of its operation after the War as the Harley Davidson Service School.

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