Difference between revisions of "Harley-Davidson history"

Their origins lay in the Rapido, a 7-ci (125-cc) commuter bike that was unveiled in 1968. But as the TX 125, it wore trendy off-road clothes, knobbly tyres and oil injection. An 11-ei (175-cc) version soon followed, and a 15-ci (250-cc) in 1975. On paper, they looked the business: oil injection two-strokes with CDI ignition, five-speed gearbox and authentic trail bike looks. And for a while they sold well with over 11,000 250s alone in 1975; but it was short-lived success. It was a measure of how fast the Japanese were progressing that the Harley-Davidson-badged trail bikes were looking a little crude and unfinished by 1976. Question marks remained over Aermacchi quality, and in 1978 Harley-Davidson pulled out of 1taly altogether, selling the Varese factory to [[Cagiva]]. 1t has never sold a small motorcycle to the public since.

Their origins lay in the Rapido, a 7-ci (125-cc) commuter bike that was unveiled in 1968. But as the TX 125, it wore trendy off-road clothes, knobbly tyres and oil injection. An 11-ei (175-cc) version soon followed, and a 15-ci (250-cc) in 1975. On paper, they looked the business: oil injection two-strokes with CDI ignition, five-speed gearbox and authentic trail bike looks. And for a while they sold well with over 11,000 250s alone in 1975; but it was short-lived success. It was a measure of how fast the Japanese were progressing that the Harley-Davidson-badged trail bikes were looking a little crude and unfinished by 1976. Question marks remained over Aermacchi quality, and in 1978 Harley-Davidson pulled out of 1taly altogether, selling the Varese factory to [[Cagiva]]. 1t has never sold a small motorcycle to the public since.

So what was AMF, the new owner of Harley-Davidson, up to all this time? It had a clear goal: the motorcycle market was booming, but Harley-Davidson wasn't making many bikes. The AMF plan was to boost production dramatically, thus generating the money needed to fund much-needed new models. They certainly succeeded in boosting production, moving bike assembly to York, Pennsylvania, and more than doubling the output of engines and gearboxes at Juneau Avenue in three years. But, as Rodney Gott later admitted, it was all pushed through too quickly with little regard to quality. As a result, AMF-era Harleys soon gained a reputation for poor quality, while a surfeit of 'top-down' management meant that the long-term Harley-Davidson employees were being ignored.

So what was AMF, the new owner of Harley-Davidson, up to all this time? It had a clear goal: the motorcycle market was booming, but Harley-Davidson wasn't making many bikes. The AMF plan was to boost production dramatically, thus generating the money needed to fund much-needed new models. They certainly succeeded in boosting production, moving bike assembly to York, Pennsylvania, and more than doubling the output of engines and gearboxes at Juneau Avenue in three years. But, as Rodney Gott later admitted, it was all pushed through too quickly with little regard to quality. As a result, AMF-era Harleys soon gained a reputation for poor quality, while a surfeit of 'top-down' management meant that the long-term Harley-Davidson employees were being ignored.

With characteristic energy, Triuen set about cutting costs and introducing proper forecasting. He also brought in two men who were to play key roles at Harley-Davidson over the next 20 years. Jeff Bleustein was a former associate professor of engineering at Yale University and managed to transform the engineering department by bringing in more professionals. Vaughn Beals (already an AMF man) was put directly in charge of Milwaukee, and one of the first things he did was to sort out a long-term new model program.

With characteristic energy, Triuen set about cutting costs and introducing proper forecasting. He also brought in two men who were to play key roles at Harley-Davidson over the next 20 years. Jeff Bleustein was a former associate professor of engineering at Yale University and managed to transform the engineering department by bringing in more professionals. Vaughn Beals (already an AMF man) was put directly in charge of Milwaukee, and one of the first things he did was to sort out a long-term new model program.