1909-1911 motorcycles registered in Wisconsin

[pem]

Results articles. Now we don't know if they printed the names of racers who finished or a partial list of names who finished and dropped out. One of the articles says 8 machines raced. All told there were 3 HD's entered at one time or another to be ridden by Walter, Arthur or Edward. So many questions.

Milwaukee Daily News 09/10/1904
Milwaukee Free Press 09/10/1904

[pem]

Your welcome. I'm no expert on early HD by any means. I came across these articles and others while researching Perry Mack. I'll post some more stuff eventually that I have found over the years that I believe haven't been posted or seen before.

Dick Werner

[pem]

I was bored today so I was going though my files and found these documents I made years ago. This is nowhere complete as there had to be many more lost to history. Back then they were making homemade motorcycles in their garages just like we do today. But I believe there were many more being made back then as it was such a new phenomena. Most were from Milwaukee but they were made all over the state. Untold motorcycles were never registered.

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[exeric]

I saw your footnote about Harry Miller. There is a great book called "The Golden Age of the American Racing Car' by Griffith Borgeson and it goes into detail about Harry Miller. Without going on and on; Miller was a genius, and legend in open wheel racing of that day. Also, he was supposedly clairvoyant. I just wanted to mention Harry Miller because you bring up such great stuff with your diligent research, Dick. I think it is valuable to keep the names, and information about these pioneers of our gear-head history alive.

[pem]

Thanks Eric, your are right. Harry Miller was a genius. His Indy car engines are a work of art. I tried to find any info of the motorcycle he was supposed to have made in Menomonee without much success.

[Jerry Wieland]

Thanks Eric, your are right. Harry Miller was a genius. His Indy car engines are a work of art. I tried to find any info of the motorcycle he was supposed to have made in Menomonee without much success.

PEM I live in Menomonie (note the spelling) and have researched Harry Miller and the only thing I have ever found is a sketch of a motorcycle with his name attached. My local Historical Society thinks they have a photo but I have never seen it. They said they would try to find it but so far nothing.

Jerry

[pem]

Thanks Jerry, now I know. lol I have also checked with the historical society about that photo with no luck. Could you post that sketch so we can check it out. Thanks

[HarleyCreation]

OK, I found the ordinance that was passed to allow the registration of motorcycles in Milwaukee starting in the fall of 1904. I first thought it was a county ordinance but it was a City of Milwaukee ordinance. My remembry isn't so plenty good. It was passed on Sept. 6th, 1904 and signed by the mayor, Cornelius Corcoran on Sept. 8th. Sec. 8,9,10 and 11 applied to motorcycles. Now if it was implemented and or enforced is another question. Laws were being passed all over the country at this time to restrict motorcycles.

This ordinance was passed a couple days before the first mention of Harley-Davidson in the public record which we know from Herb Wagner's research. In another newspaper article they talked about 2 Harley's racing at the State Fair Park 1 mile dirt track on Sept. 10th, 1904 and mentioned HD by name for the first time along with the racers. Neither finished the race according to my article. And 9 months later Harley-Davidson won the next race they entered, and the next, and the next, etc. In 1905 I'm sure it was with a different motor and maybe a different motorcycle all together. Unless we find a photograph from that 1904 race we will never know.

If I was living in the Milwaukee area I would first check in person with the City of Milwaukee, then the Milwaukee County Historical Society and last the Milwaukee Public Library on Wisconsin Ave. The library is where Herb found the oldest known photograph of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and a person. June 12th, 1905. 10 days after HD won it's first motorcycle race ever.

Below is the ordinance which I found in the Milwaukee Daily News from Sept. 4, 1904.

I know this is an ancient post, but years ago in the 1990s I went to the Milwaukee City Hall searching for the 1905 City of Milwaukee motor vehicle registrations. They had a big room of old records but I had no luck finding the 1905 registrations. I can't remember how far back the records went, but I had high hopes of tracking down the first Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Alas, it was not to be.

[pem]

Morning Herb, you taught me the that sometimes the search for this stuff is just as exciting as finding it. Thanks!