1914 Harley-Davidson aka The Silent Gray Fellow

[HarleyCreation]

Originally posted by exeric
I'm familiar with the famous picture of the little pig being bottle fed a Coke but I really never believed H-D's p.r. that claims that is where the term "HOG" came from. First of all (and I'm no farmer) but I think a pig doesn't get classified as a hog until it reaches a certain weight. You could excuse an oversight like that today but not back in those days when most Americans were from an agrarian background. And most importantly, I don't think uptight conservatives like the Davidson's and Harley would have thought "HOG" was a very flattering nicname for their motorcycles. Personally, I would bet you a new "hog" that if you called their bikes "HOGS" you would have got a punch in the nose.

I believe that you are 100% spot on the money with everything you said in that post and you win the HOG Prize to date!

The point about the "piggy mascot" NOT being a "hog" is a good one and old farmer boys of the time would NOT have called it one. And yes, why would the uptight conservative founders have wanted their nice clean quiet "Silent Gray Fellow" (then green) motorcycle be dubbed a "hog"? Short answer: They wouldn't!

Nor would the possibly even more conservative and always immaculately dressed and proper 2nd generation president of H-D: Wm. H. Davidson (1942-1971) have liked it or allowed it in his presence.

However, if someone has found useage of the term "hog" in any form re: H-D (or other American motorcycles) I'd love to see the evidence and would gladly file it in the permament record. The earliest actual example that I have found dates from 1962 where it is spelled "Hawg."

Anybody found earlier useage of this barnyard term for the Harley-Davidson motorcycle?

[Paquette]

" This photo shows Ray Weishaar and friend after winning the World Championship Marion race in 1920. Upon this victory a Connecticut dealer's wife baked a cake with a miniture pig on top in honor of his lucky " piggy mascot". When the cake was devoured at the Harley factory by the racers and dealers, " grunts of satisfaction" were heard. " One accepted therory holds that the "hog" nickname grew out of Weisharr's mascot and the resulting publicity."

Wagner, Herbert. Chronicle Books; San Fransisco. Harley-Davidson Lore, Origins Through Panhead, 1903--1965. Plate 050.

[TMarony]

Harley Creation, thanks for you insightful commnets.
As to AMF, I think that is also a double edge sword. Initially, HD was very profitable under Rodney Gott's leadership who was a motorcyclist,
and who championed the creation of
the evolution engine and the start of the
NOVA project at HD. But when Tom York
took over after Gott retired, he began stipping HD of capital to fund AMF's heavy
industry side of the company and maybe
that is where Jean's comment came from.

[HarleyCreation]

Originally posted by Paquette
" This photo shows Ray Weishaar and friend after winning the World Championship Marion race in 1920. Upon this victory a Connecticut dealer's wife baked a cake with a miniture pig on top in honor of his lucky " piggy mascot". When the cake was devoured at the Harley factory by the racers and dealers, " grunts of satisfaction" were heard. " One accepted theory holds that the "hog" nickname grew out of Weisharr's mascot and the resulting publicity."

Wagner, Herbert. Chronicle Books; San Fransisco. Harley-Davidson Lore, Origins Through Panhead, 1903--1965. Plate 050.

Whew! That guy was lucky to word that blurb carefully in that "politically correct" manner wasn't he?

Actually I think the original caption said just "theory" but it was edited to read "accepted" theory. Hmmm. Not a big deal because at least H-D, Inc. accepted that theory and they had input with that book. That was around the time the photo & hog link theory was first presented if I recall correctly. Certainly it's very widely accepted today, although some of us do not accept it; at least until we have better evidence.

It's a nice theory but upon further research I could not find any tradition of the term "hog" for Harleys coming from the time of that Weishaar photo to the present. The first instance of its use I have found is "hawg" dating from 1962. It would be nice to see earlier ones.

I had forgotten about the "grunts of satisfaction" upon eating the "piggy mascot" cake. That's a nice touch.

[HarleyCreation]

Originally posted by TMarony
Harley Creation, thanks for you insightful commnets.
As to AMF, I think that is also a double edge sword. Initially, HD was very profitable under Rodney Gott's leadership who was a motorcyclist,
and who championed the creation of
the evolution engine and the start of the
NOVA project at HD. But when Tom York
took over after Gott retired, he began stipping HD of capital to fund AMF's heavy
industry side of the company and maybe
that is where Jean's comment came from.

I have an interview with a guy who was in quality control at AMF/H-D and he tells in great detail how AMF later tried to bring the quality back up.

Speaking of the Evo and the NOVA project, I have heard that Evo was to be a stop-gap bike until NOVA could be perfected. Then, if NOVA took off like they expected it to as a Jap-bike killer, then the air-cooled Big Twin could be dropped altogether. Instead the Evo was such a hit that it the NOVA that was shelved, although it is back now again as the V-Rod. Fancy that!

[HarleyCreation]

BTW: in the next issue of "The Antique Motorcycle" there is a story that if you read carefully includes a quote from 1948 that if "hog" had been in current known common useage at the time would likely have been used. But "hog" was NOT used. Instead, another term is used to put down the heavy and seemingly old fashioned American bikes of the day.

That doesn't prove "hog" wasn't in use, but here was a perfect place to use the term and it's not there....

[exeric]

Herb's comment brings to mind my attitude about Harley dressers in the 60's. All of my awkward adolesent friends and I thought Triumphs and BSA's were the hip bikes in those days. One of my friends brother had a BSA and we thought he was truely the coolest guy in town. On the other hand, another friend's Mother had a boyfriend (long story) that had a Harley dresser and we thought that was sleezy and deffinately not clean-cut. Putting the social ramifications of the Harley guy aside, we thought the Harley was garrish and oozed 1950's antiquity. I have a distinct memory of reading an article in one of my Dad's purloined "Playboy's" (after wearing out the centerfold) about motorcycle gangs. I remember there was a glossery of biker terms and "HAWG" was one of them. "GARBAGE WAGON" was it's synonym. Of coarse we all used that expression very liberally after that.

I have never forgotten that guy"s big white Hawg of a dresser. It was probably an early 60's pan based on the time period. In spite of thinking it was repulsive (at the time) I was fascinated by the "in-yer'-face" un-apologetic personna that motorcycle had. A personna that foriegn bikes have never approached for me. I know that bike has a lot to do with why I love old motorcycles today.

[TMarony]

Interesting Article: The Nova

http://www.bikerenews.com/AntiqueBikes/CodeNameNova.htm

[HarleyCreation]

Re: Interesting Article: The Nova

Originally posted by TMarony
http://www.bikerenews.com/AntiqueBikes/CodeNameNova.htm

Among the what-ifs that inevitably attend a story of shattered dreams are these: What if Harley-Davidson had gone ahead with the Nova? What would it look like today, and how would it compare to its competition?

Uh, heard of the V-Rod?

[partshunt]

Getting back to the term "Silent Grey Fellow" I read somewhere years ago about a time when an endurance or long distance race was held. Floyd Clymer, riding for Indian then, was suddenly passed by a Harley. Clymer, not aware that this silent machine had gained up on him and passed. Clymers term was, to my surprize. I was passed by a "silent grey fellow". Clymer later started up a Haley Dealership. Did that term (Silent Grey Fellow)originate with Clymer or the race at the time? Or, possibly did his dealership or the factory use it as a promotion? Just guesing now but correct me if I'm lost somewhere in all this....Joe