Harley-Davidson's "Belated" or Correct (1904-1954) 50th Anniversary?

[Chris Haynes]

If the 1903 model was underconstruction in 1903, yet not completed, they may have went with the birth date of 1903, not the public sale of their first bike. Paps

The 1903 was a motor built to be installed on a bicycle. It was not a motorcycle and it was not sucessful. The first motorcycle was built in 1904. The facts about this are clearly documented in Herb's book.

[Chris Haynes]

Yeah, but hasn't it been said there were at least three machines built and sold in '03?

That has been said. It has also been proven to be false.

[HarleyCreation]

Still learning....

The 1903 was a motor built to be installed on a bicycle. It was not a motorcycle and it was not sucessful. The first motorcycle was built in 1904. The facts about this are clearly documented in Herb's book.

I'm getting a better view of this than I already had, thanks to that 1930 H-D piece you posted.

My current take on it:

1901-1905: Actual early events happened that have now been documented.

c1910-20: ad man Lacy Crolius wrote BS accounts of early H-D history, including that 3 H-D motorcycles were built and sold in 1903 (sometimes he claimed some were built and sold in 1902 and 1901.)

c1929-1954: Founders and their top guys tried to bring it back to reality and to the true events as they actually happened, i.e. 1st Harley finished was the 1904 proto (seen in Neg. 599 photo).

c1963: things started slipping when they tagged an early collection parts bike as a "1903 and 1904," but with no explanation given (previously it had been tagged as a "1904").

1978: Total relapse when they celebrated the 75th Anniversary of their first 1904 prototype motorcycle in the 74th year (74th year by H-D's own standards c1929-54 and by the events as they actually occured and now documented).

2000s: Claim they own the first "1903" Harley ever made (SNO #1) and that it never left the Factory. Old teens BS articles by Crolius dusted off and handed out as "proof" of 1903 bikes and even active dealers that year.

2008: Modern MoCo bashes original Harley-Davidson Motor Co. for making a "mistake" made in 1954 about the year of their first motorcycle (1904) and that was corrected by AMF/H-D in 1978.

[jurassic]

i am an extremely big fan of the harley davidson motor company.and personally i dont care if their history is about 10 months off.arguements can be made either way as to the original date of conception. evidence shows that the 1903 date was tossed around from nearly the beginning.we know that these guys were definatly working on something in 1903.so lets give them a break on that.the only thing i have issues with is the serial number one that is in their museum.it is obvious that this was not the very first harley ever built.yet they strongly advance this theory.i dont think it is for us to challenge this ,but in essence we know the truth,and between us we can agree that the original prototype has been lost.

well today a good friend of mine has informed me that the description of serial number one in the new museum makes no claim that it is the first harley ever built.they in fact make reference to the difference in this engine and the very first harley engines.the serial number one nickname stuck after some parts in the engine had a "1" stamped in them.if this is how the bike is described then i humbly apologize for my statements above.i really need to get to that museum.

[c.o.]

The 1903 was a motor built to be installed on a bicycle. It was not a motorcycle and it was not sucessful. The first motorcycle was built in 1904. The facts about this are clearly documented in Herb's book.

just my way of light sarcasm Chris........ I read Herb's book.......

[Paps]

Hell....who knows what they may have been smokin at the time. Paps

[HarleyCreation]

well today a good friend of mine has informed me that the description of serial number one in the new museum makes no claim that it is the first harley ever built.they in fact make reference to the difference in this engine and the very first harley engines.the serial number one nickname stuck after some parts in the engine had a "1" stamped in them.if this is how the bike is described then i humbly apologize for my statements above.i really need to get to that museum.

Your friend is on the right track. From a photo taken in the HOG Museum of that display the following text (below) can now be found. They have omitted the wild claims made a few years ago, but those claims exist in Harley publications of the time.

Obviously the "debate" over past and present claims made about SNO refers the things we have published in books and articles about the real first Harley: the Neg. 599 Meyer-Sparough bike. Almost certainly its diagnostic motor mount position (obviously different from the SNO bike) proves without doubt it cannot be the first Harley ever made. So we have helped nudge them in the right direction, but they need to go farther to get the facts straight.

Notice they are still tagging it as a "c.1903" but curiously with a little "c." in front of it!

What is that supposed to mean?

From HOG Museum Display:

====quote========

c.1903 "Serial Number One"
Atmospheric-Valve Single

The vehicle known as Serial Number One is a bit of a mystery, its engine is very early, but doesn't match what we know about the first engines produced by Harley-Davidson. The frame, which dates to 1905, is not original to this motorcycle. These oddities have triggered much debate.

During the 1990s, restorers discovered a number "1" stamped inside various compoents, inspiring the bike's nickname. Because of the questions surrounding it, Serial Number One has become a legend in Harley culture. Only one thing is for sure: this is the oldest Harley-Davidson in the world.

[HarleyCreation]

Herb's revised HOG Museum text for SNO#1

Harley-Davidson Number 1
1904 Prototype (Representation)
Atmospheric-Valve Single

This vehicle, formerly known as Serial Number One, contains a variety of early parts. Its engine is probably a 1905 model, as it doesn't match the first engine produced by Harley-Davidson in 1904, known from original photographic evidence published in the landmark book: "At the Creation." The frame, which dates to 1906 or later, is not original to this motorcycle. These discrepencies have triggered much debate, but it is now accepted that Harley-Davidson acquired this motorcycle in whole or assembled it from parts for Factory collection purposes sometime before 1938. Between 1938 and 1963 it was correctly tagged as a "1904," meaning that it was a representation of the original Harley-Davidson prototype begun in 1903 and completed by September of 1904, when it appeared in a race.

During the 1990s, restorers discovered a number "1" stamped inside various components, inspiring the bike's former nickname and other wild speculations. Today, however, we know that even as a nickname it doesn't make any sense. A more accurate name for it is "Harley Davidson Number 1" as it represents the original 1904 prototype and the first machine worthy of the Harley-Davidson name. The actual 1904 Harley-Davidson prototype (the Meyer-Sparough-Neg. 599 bike), was known to exist until around 1919, after which time it mysteriously vanished. The fate of the world's first Harley-Davidson motorcycle is the greatest unsolved mystery and legend in Motor Company history. One thing is for sure, find that motorcycle and we'll pay you $ (fill in the blank) million for it!

[Earl]

From HOG Museum Display:

====quote========

c.1903 "Serial Number One"
Atmospheric-Valve Single

The vehicle known as Serial Number One is a bit of a mystery, its engine is very early, but doesn't match what we know about the first engines produced by Harley-Davidson. The frame, which dates to 1905, is not original to this motorcycle. These oddities have triggered much debate.

During the 1990s, restorers discovered a number "1" stamped inside various compoents, inspiring the bike's nickname. Because of the questions surrounding it, Serial Number One has become a legend in Harley culture. Only one thing is for sure: this is the oldest Harley-Davidson in the world.

Wouldn't it be great if the Factory would put that statement in their publications, "The Enthusiast", and "Hog Tales".

Basically they're saying that the motor in Serial Number One isn't the first one they made, which is contrary to other articles they wrote about it, but now they've got it right. Serial Number One is the oldest surviving Harley Davidson motorcycle in the world.

[Chris Haynes]

Wouldn't it be great if the Factory would put that statement in their publications, "The Enthusiast", and "Hog Tales".

Basically they're saying that the motor in Serial Number One isn't the first one they made, which is contrary to other articles they wrote about it, but now they've got it right. Serial Number One is the oldest surviving Harley Davidson motorcycle in the world.

The bike is NOT serial number 1. The description on that bike was published during its latest restoration a few years ago. Internal parts of the engine were stamped with the number 1. Number 1 is not the serial number. Dr. Martin Jack Rosenblum, the company archivist at the time, concluded that this was a mid 1905 machine in his pubished articles.

[Earl]

The bike is NOT serial number 1. The description on that bike was published during its latest restoration a few years ago. Internal parts of the engine were stamped with the number 1. Number 1 is not the serial number. Dr. Martin Jack Rosenblum, the company archivist at the time, concluded that this was a mid 1905 machine in his pubished articles.

I agree Chris. I didn't mean to imply that the engine had a number 1 stamped on the outside of the engine case, like the now familiar engine serial numbers. Only that it was "Serial Number One" as a means of identifying it, because that's what the Factory was calling it. Of the 5 known 6-stud motors, none of them have an external serial number.

Of the two surviving 1905 motors, we really don't know which one was manufactured first. Because of the low number of 1905 motorcycles produced, between 5 and 8 depending on source, my guess is that they cast all of the cases at once.

But which surviving motor is the oldest?? Bruce's motor, or the motor in the Lobby Bike, aka Serial Number One? We don't know for sure which motor is older.

Very interesting to think about that..........

[Earl]

Basically they're saying that the motor in Serial Number One isn't the first one they made, which is contrary to other articles they wrote about it, but now they've got it right. Serial Number One is the oldest surviving Harley Davidson motorcycle in the world.

Someone contacted me off line and pointed something out to me.
And I have to agree. It was one of those revelation moments.
We can't say with certainty that the motor in Serial Number One is the oldest surviving Harley Davidson motor.
We don't know for sure which surviving 1905 Harley motor is the oldest.
Because there are no serial numbers on the outside of the motor cases for 1905, we don't know which one was first.

[Chris Haynes]

Someone contacted me off line and pointed something out to me.
And I have to agree. It was one of those revelation moments.
We can't say with certainty that the motor in Serial Number One is the oldest surviving Harley Davidson motor.
We don't know for sure which surviving 1905 Harley motor is the oldest.
Because there are no serial numbers on the outside of the motor cases for 1905, we don't know which one was first.

We do know that Bruce Linsday owns the oldest running Harley-Davidson. He rode it from Ohio to Milwaukee for Harley's 100th and couldn't even get the guys from the archives to come outside to look at it.

[cdndewey]

I'm in agreement with the 1954 as being the 50th Anniversary also. I have a letter on company letterhead dated March 18, 1954 along with the September 1953 and March 1954 Enthusiasts that reads:

Dear Motorcyclist:

You have, of course, heard that Harley-Davidson is this season celebrating its Golden Anniversary of 50 years devoted exclusively to the manufacture of motorcycles. Numerous friends suggested that the highlights of our half-a-century of service to motorcycling deserved recording in our monthly magazine, the ENTHUSIAST. This was done and knowing your keen interest in everything pertaining to motorcycling, we are enclosing a copy of our Golden Anniversary number. A copy of one of our current issues is also enclosed.

The culmination of our long experience in building motorcycles is represented in our 1954 Golden Anniversary models. We are proud of them and would like to have you look them over and try them out. They are on display at our nearest dealer who will welcome you and extend every courtesy.

That the coming riding season will bring you many motorcycling pleasures is our sincere wish.

Very truly yours,

Walter C. Davidson
Secretary

These are in an Enthusiast envelope so I would assume they were sent out to everyone that would have been receiving an Enthusiast at the time.

Dewey

[sswaney]

Harley-Davidson's "Belated" or Correct (1904-1954) 50th Anniversary?

I've been lurking and reading this thread with great interest. Reading Earl's post regarding actual production in 1905 being between 5 and 8 depending on the source I noticed this statement from a 2009 Calendar I recently purchsed at my local independent M/C parts dealer. "The 1905 Harley-Davidson motorcycle shown here is one of the two oldest in existence-and one of 16 "original" Harley-Davidson motorcycles built in 1905". What was the actual production in 1905? Is this known? There is no motorcycle owner identified on this page of the calender but most of the others are so indentified. Is this a factory machine? The calender states it published by Paul Oxman Publishing under license from Harley-Davidson.
Sorry if this detracts from the conversation or Dewey's excellent post.