Vin Numbers

[HarleyCreation]

Originally posted by Blupacer
Reading from my Sept. 1953 ENTHUSIAST , Golden anniversary number, says boys , Arthur and Bill embarked on their dream and hobby.in 1901. Walter returned home in early 1903 to find their power bicycle far the finished stage. Lack of shop equipment was STILL a handicap ,but they got permission to use the small shop and tools of mutiual frind. After months rolled along the engine was installed in a bicycle frame and actually ran! No date given .Larger engine and looped frame then followed.
Can't a time line be established by when Bill Harley enrolled at Universty of Wisconsin? Looks like 1905 might be when it all came togeather but 1903 is OK with me for Established date.

Welcome to the forum!

The Sept. 1953 "Golden Anniversay" Enthusiast history you mention contains what I consider to be the most accurate of the "official" H-D histories.

RE: 1903.

It all depends how you define "established" and what you mean by it.

When you look at the bigger picture, the single most important event for the Harley-Davidson motorcycle in 1903 may have been the introduction of the 1903 model MERKEL loop-frame motorcycle. The intro of the 2nd generation advanced design Merkel (then built in Milwaukee) opened young Bill Harley's eyes to new possibilities.

Once Harley saw the new and modern '03 Merkel he realized that it was foolish to waste anymore time and energy trying to motorize an ordinary pedal bicycle with a tiny motor and it dawned on him that a REAL motorcycle was a unique device with it's own demands and characteristics.

That set the stage for Harley's vastly improved loop-frame, big-motor design of 1904-1905.

So yes, Mr. Harley's new thinking was "Est. 1903" but nothing was completed or sold that year as some other sources (wrongly) claim today.

[jurassic]

first strap tank

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[exeric]

H-D did a pretty good job of copying the Merkel but the Merkel still looks like a better executed design. As a Merkel owner I have a fondness for all things Merkel and wish there was more information available about Joe and the early history of his creations. I have always considered Joe Merkel and Oscar Hedstrom to be the true visionaries of their day and even though I have great respect for everyone else, those two men could see in the darkness that caused everyone else to blindly grasp. Maldwyn Jones, the famous racer and carburetor genius gave the last first hand information about Joe Merkel which painted a picture of an extreamly private man. In other words, not much is known about Joe Merkel. Maybe Herb has come across some interesting Merkel lore in his research.

[Tom Lovejoy]

About a month ago I saw my first ever Flying Merkel, running and being ridden - just in a parking lot, but it was awesome! and looked mighty fast - to fast for the brakes I think and sounded real good. When the guy put it up on the rear stand in gear, my gosh that back wheel was flying!!

[LouieMCman]

What year is that Merkel ad from?

[c.o.]

I believe it says '03 Louie........... The early Harley's look mighty similar don'tcha think???

[LouieMCman]

Whooops...had my glasses on and still didn't see the 1903. Looks alot like the 1905 Harleys.....

[HarleyCreation]

Outstanding find on this 1903 Merkel ad, jurassic, and thanks for posting it. I have never seen this exact ad before.

Too bad I didn't include it in "At the Creation" book because it is EXCELLENT original evidence of what was really going on during 1903 and NOT fake stuff made up years later for advertising purposes.

Can you give us the publication name and date this ad appeared in for possible future reference? It is very important evidence for what was really happening in 1903 and not FAKE history.

This ad has EVERYTHING!

1) The model year is clearly stated (1903).

2) An illustration of the 2nd generation Merkel motorcycle: a loop-frame design that was new for 1903 and which Harley's "Model One" of 1905 looks amazingly similar to.

3) The stress on the location: Milwaukee, Wis. and an already established reputation, i.e. "The Motorcycle that Made Milwaukee Famous." In other words, by 1903 somebody's motorcycle was already "EST." in that great beer-drinking town and it was true because the Merkel had been around since 1901 and by 1903 was well-known to riders around the country. But of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle in 1903? Not a trace!

Looking at this ad, it makes sense why Harley-Davidson would want to push the MYTH of its first model year back to 1903 or earlier, else somebody would later find this 1903 Merkel ad and start to ask embarressing questions about whose design this loop-frame, canted-cylinder, belt-drive type machine really was: Harley's or Merkel's?

If Harley-Davidson really had been up and running in 1903 and 1904, shouldn't we expect to find ads like this or other evidence? On the contrary we find NOTHING. There is an absolute VOID of evidence for any Harley-Davidson motorcycle existing in 1903 and for most of 1904. Instead out pops this STUNNING (damning?) Merkel ad that raises embarressing questions about certain "official" claims we all can recite by heart but of which there is no shred of actual evidence.

This is the REAL history and important factual evidence of the matter and no mistake!

[HarleyCreation]

Originally posted by exeric
H-D did a pretty good job of copying the Merkel but the Merkel still looks like a better executed design. As a Merkel owner I have a fondness for all things Merkel and wish there was more information available about Joe and the early history of his creations. I have always considered Joe Merkel and Oscar Hedstrom to be the true visionaries of their day and even though I have great respect for everyone else, those two men could see in the darkness that caused everyone else to blindly grasp. Maldwyn Jones, the famous racer and carburetor genius gave the last first hand information about Joe Merkel which painted a picture of an extreamly private man. In other words, not much is known about Joe Merkel. Maybe Herb has come across some interesting Merkel lore in his research.

I'm very interested in Jos. Merkel too, although I've written nothing about him except in relation to early H-D. Perhaps down the line we can do a story about him. I'd like that. Merkel deserves more credit than he normally gets and most people probably are not aware that there was an advanced, loop-frame, 2nd generation Milwaukee Merkel on the scene long before the Flying Merkel came along and before the Harley-Davidson came along too!

Has anyone ever found Merkel's obituary in any mag? He was such a well-known early guy an obit must exist, altho I don't even know when he died.

[23JDCA 808]

Run with it, and give this group/site some credit. The internet really makes this kind of research a lot quicker, but tricker. You could do an appendum to your book(s) about other makes technology that might have preceeded H-D or occured at the same time. Seems like patent searchs could also nail some of this down. These fellows were sharp, and had seen what idea stealing could to to sales. ...bill

[jurassic]

1907

the 1903 merkel ad came from the automobile review and news.believe it was the back cover ad.notice here in the 1907 ad ,for 15 bucks more you could get the sprung fork.looks like the same attachment sager was selling to harley in 1907.

[LouieMCman]

Yes, write a book about Merkel and title it "The Motorcycle that Made Milwaukee Famous." Of course you may not get any more info from the Harley factory afterwards.

[c.o.]

This may be common knowledge to some of you, but I figured I'd post it for those that aren't up on this Joe info.... It's about the most indepth info I could find.

http://motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffa...age.asp?id=229

[HarleyCreation]

Re: 1907

Originally posted by jurassic
the 1903 merkel ad came from the automobile review and news.believe it was the back cover ad.notice here in the 1907 ad ,for 15 bucks more you could get the sprung fork.looks like the same attachment sager was selling to harley in 1907.

Thanks for the info! That's the best Milwaukee Merkel ad I've seen. Like Hap said: "She got everything!"

Notice how by 1907 the Merkel was moving away from its 1903 design with an upright cylinder position. It's roots as the inspiration for the first H-D in 1905 ("Model One") was already being lost in the mists of time. It would only take the advertising tinkering of Lacy Crolius to totally obliterate it until we found out the truth in recent years.

We need our own TV show about this stuff: the antique motorcycle version of American Chopper. Lots more interesting....

[HarleyCreation]

Originally posted by c.o.
This may be common knowledge to some of you, but I figured I'd post it for those that aren't up on this Joe info.... It's about the most indepth info I could find.

http://motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffa...age.asp?id=229

Yes, that's about the best I've seen and includes some early bio material I've never seen elsewhere. But I think that we can do better...