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In 1901, {{age|1880|12|29|1901|7|20}} year-old [[William S. Harley]] drew up plans for a small engine with a [[Engine displacement|displacement]] of {{convert|7.07|cuin|cc|0}} and four-inch (102 mm) [[flywheel]]s.<ref>{{Citation |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=DreHM9-kvckC&pg=PA13 |page=13 |title= Classic Harley-Davidson, 1903-1941 |first= Herbert |last= Wagner |publisher=MotorBooks International |year= 1999 |ISBN= 978-0-7603-0557-7}}</ref> The engine was designed for use in a regular pedal-bicycle frame. Over the next two years, Harley and his childhood friend [[Arthur Davidson (Harley-Davidson founder)|Arthur Davidson]] worked on their [[Motorized bicycle|motor-bicycle]] using the northside [[Milwaukee]] machine shop at the home of their friend, Henry Melk. It was finished in 1903 with the help of Arthur's brother, Walter Davidson. Upon testing their power-cycle, Harley and the Davidson brothers found it unable to climb the hills around Milwaukee without pedal assistance. They quickly wrote off their first motor-bicycle as a valuable learning experiment.<ref>Herbert Wagner, 2003. ''At the Creation: Myth, Reality, and the Origin of the Harley-Davidson Motorcycle, 1901–1909'' (Madison: [[Wisconsin Historical Society Press]]), pp.22–28, 42–44.</ref> |
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In 1901, {{age|1880|12|29|1901|7|20}} year-old [[William S. Harley]] drew up plans for a small engine with a [[Engine displacement|displacement]] of {{convert|7.07|cuin|cc|0}} and four-inch (102 mm) [[flywheel]]s.<ref>{{Citation |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=DreHM9-kvckC&pg=PA13 |page=13 |title= Classic Harley-Davidson, 1903-1941 |first= Herbert |last= Wagner |publisher=MotorBooks International |year= 1999 |ISBN= 978-0-7603-0557-7}}</ref> The engine was designed for use in a regular pedal-bicycle frame. Over the next two years, Harley and his childhood friend [[Arthur Davidson (Harley-Davidson founder)|Arthur Davidson]] worked on their [[Motorized bicycle|motor-bicycle]] Boobs using the northside [[Milwaukee]] machine shop at the home of their friend, Henry Melk. It was finished in 1903 with the help of Arthur's brother, Walter Davidson. Upon testing their power-cycle, Harley and the Davidson brothers found it unable to climb the hills around Milwaukee without pedal assistance. They quickly wrote off their first motor-bicycle as a valuable learning experiment.<ref>Herbert Wagner, 2003. ''At the Creation: Myth, Reality, and the Origin of the Harley-Davidson Motorcycle, 1901–1909'' (Madison: [[Wisconsin Historical Society Press]]), pp.22–28, 42–44.</ref> |
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Work immediately began on a new and improved second-generation machine. This first "real" Harley-Davidson motorcycle had a bigger engine of {{convert|24.74|cuin|cc|0}} with {{convert|9.75|in|cm|0}} flywheels weighing {{convert|28|lb|kg|abbr=on}}. The machine's advanced loop-frame pattern was similar to the 1903 Milwaukee Merkel motorcycle (designed by Joseph Merkel, later of [[Flying Merkel]] fame). The bigger engine and loop-frame design took it out of the motorized bicycle category and marked the path to future motorcycle designs. The boys also received help with their bigger engine from outboard motor pioneer [[Ole Evinrude]], who was then building gas engines of his own design for automotive use on Milwaukee's Lake Street. |
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Work immediately began on a new and improved second-generation machine. This first "real" Harley-Davidson motorcycle had a bigger engine of {{convert|24.74|cuin|cc|0}} with {{convert|9.75|in|cm|0}} flywheels weighing {{convert|28|lb|kg|abbr=on}}. The machine's advanced loop-frame pattern was similar to the 1903 Milwaukee Merkel motorcycle (designed by Joseph Merkel, later of [[Flying Merkel]] fame). The bigger engine and loop-frame design took it out of the motorized bicycle category and marked the path to future motorcycle designs. The boys also received help with their bigger engine from outboard motor pioneer [[Ole Evinrude]], who was then building gas engines of his own design for automotive use on Milwaukee's Lake Street. |