Production numbers

[bobbyt]

I came across this and thought it was interesting. It provides some production
numbers and export numbers for American bikes. It's in Walter Davidson's testimony on the proposed tariff bill.

http://books.google.com/books?id=1SI...age&q=&f=false


----------------- Bob Turek (#769)

[HarleyCreation]

Interesting and something I hadn't seen before.

This is telling from when American industry was king.

Davidson: "There were 41 motorcycles imported in 1920 and 37,000 exported."

When you look at the export numbers it's clear that Wm. H. Davidson was right when he said that H-D got its deepest breath in the mud of France during WWI.

The Brits and others got a taste for American motorcycles during the war and that translated into big exports afterwards.

[stevekleincustom]

Thank you Herbert

Interesting and something I hadn't seen before.

This is telling from when American industry was king.

Davidson: "There were 41 motorcycles imported in 1920 and 37,000 exported."

When you look at the export numbers it's clear that Wm. H. Davidson was right when he said that H-D got its deepest breath in the mud of France during WWI.

The Brits and others got a taste for American motorcycles during the war and that translated into big exports afterwards.

Always enjoy your perspective on our sport Mr. Wagner. Thank You

Steve Klein
AMCA Mmeber 12176
Cherokee Chapter
Georgetown TX

[flat-happy]

ditto that for me---i'm amazed the anyone had something you had never seen. i envy you for the amount of time you've had to put into research. great to read all your posts

[AFJ]

Interesting and something I hadn't seen before.

This is telling from when American industry was king.

Davidson: "There were 41 motorcycles imported in 1920 and 37,000 exported."

When you look at the export numbers it's clear that Wm. H. Davidson was right when he said that H-D got its deepest breath in the mud of France during WWI.

The Brits and others got a taste for American motorcycles during the war and that translated into big exports afterwards.

Just to clarify things, it has to be remembered that the British motorcycle industry were prohibited from producing any motorcycles for any purpose except military use from 1916 until 1919. I don't have the continental European figures but I would suspect that relatively few motorcycles for public sale were produced in France, Germany, Austria and perhaps several other combatant countries in the model years from 1915 to 1919.

In Britain, there had been 152,960 new motorcycles registered in 1916. In 1919, the first year when civilian production was permitted there were 114,722 new registrations (many were war surplus motorcycles). In 1920, there were 278,600 new motorcycle registrations in Britain and exports of 21,285 motorcycles. In 1921, the first year when British motorcycle production began to meet the pent-up demand, registrations of new motorcycles in the country were 373,200.

After the early 1920s, H-D, Henderson and Indian exports to Britain declined as British domestic production expanded and prices fell. Exports of American motorcycles to motorcycling favourable countries like Australia, and to a lesser extent, Canada (where climate and cheap used cars reduced motorcycle demand) continued strong until the Great depression and the later Imperial Conference tariff changes of 1932.

AFJ