Article about the "First Harley"

[HarleyCreation]

In 1906 when they where on a boat trip on Okauchee Ole got the idea on making engines for boats.
Boat motors where already availiable from American Motors, they sold 25 outboard engines before getting bankrupt as well as a they where sold by a Cameron H Waterman. He sold 25 outboard engines in 1906 under the brand name "Porto", they where engined by rebuilt Harley Davidson motorcycle engines. The Porto engines where a succses and in 1907 Waterman sold 3000 (?????? It is not said if those where based on the Harley motorcycle engines too).

Some of that other stuff I've read & heard before, but this bit about "Porto" being some form of H-D sounds new. I can't recall if I've seen that name "Porto" before or not. Maybe, but not with an H-D connection. This could be the link to that early 1905 H-D letterhead that says: "Marine Motors and "Reversible Propellers." And Bill Harley also said they experimented with a water-cooled job early on for marine use. This stuff could all be related in the early Ole-H-D connection. But from what you posted, it's not clear to me what Ole's connection was to this Cameron Waterman, who sold the motors. Is there more detail about that guy in the book and his connection with Ole?

Seems doubtful that "3,000" H-D derived boat engines could have been build and sold or we would know of it.

Chris Meyer bought half of Ole`s outboard engine company.
Supposedly soon after Waterman quit the outboard engine bussines.

Chris Meyer was the uncle of Henry Meyer, the guy who bought the first Harley.

Hope any of this could be of interest.
Unfortunately the book does not mention if Ole Evinrude was involved with Harley in his first years in Milwaukee.

I wish we would have had that chapter when writing the "Creation" book. I'd of quoted it. Can you give us the full title, publisher, date, etc? Thanks much for posting this material. It's good stuff.

[jurassic]

engines

by saying "rebuilt" 1906 harley engines ,do you think that means "reconfigured" harley engines ? very interesting stuff.

[sveger]

Ole Evinrude and the first Harleys

Having read Herb`s book "At the creation" with great interest and beeing amused by tha fact that the Norwegian Ole Evinrude might have had a part of this creation I wanted to share some information I just came across in a older book named "great Norwegian inventors".
This book dedicates an entire chapter on Ole Evinrude.
In this chapter wich clearly must have been based on interviews with Ole when allive there is intersting information wich I would like to share.
It states that Ole Evinrude mooved to Milwaukee in 1898 and hired a room at ms. Doyle.
He started his own bussiness as patternmaker and soon got loads of orders as he was very clever in his doings even at the age of 21 without any former technical education. Unfortunately he was not as good with bussines as with technical stuff and forgot to write bills, as of this he soon went bankrupt.
He then got a job in a furnace and worked with castings. He got permission from Ms. Doyle to set up a small workshop in her basement where he on his own time designed a single cylinder petrol engine for a horseless carriage.
When time was due to perform the first start up he had no money for gasoline and connected Ms Doyles gas line to the engine.
This caused a major explosion.
Even after this accsident he was allowed to continue his experiments and he then constructed a forcylinder engine wich he mounted in a old horse wagon. The engines cranck was connected to the frontwheels by a chain. When driven in Milwaukees streets this was one of the first cars seen. It is said in the text that people where amazed of how easy this engine was to start compared to other availiable.
He then started another company with a friend, Clemick and Evinrude to make engines for horseless carriages.
Mr Clemick was neither a bussines man and they soon got bancrupt du to not writing bills.
When Ole met a girl name Bess wich was to become his wife he had just started his third attemt in the bussines world, now named "The Motor Car Power Company".
Bess was soon taking care of billing and things started looking brighter for Ole as a bussiness man.
In 1906 when they where on a boat trip on Okauchee Ole got the idea on making engines for boats.
Boat motors where already availiable from American Motors, they sold 25 outboard engines before getting bankrupt as well as a they where sold by a Cameron H Waterman. He sold 25 outboard engines in 1906 under the brand name "Porto", they where engined by rebuilt Harley Davidson motorcycle engines. The Porto engines where a succses and in 1907 Waterman sold 3000 (?????? It is not said if those where based on the Harley motorcycle engines too).
Ole had is outboard engine ready for the 1907 season, a 1 1/2 Hp. This engine is said to have been technically brilliant compared with Watermans engine.
Oles motor had the cylinder in a 90 degree angel to the outboard shaft whilst Watermans motor had the cylinder in a straight line with the shaft. This was supposedly the difference that made Oles engine to be the number one outboard engine by 1910. In 1911 towbot owner Chris Meyer bought half of Ole`s outboard engine company.
Supposedly soon after Waterman quit the outboard engine bussines.

Hope any of this could be of interest.
Unfortunately the book does not mention if Ole Evinrude was involved with Harley in his first years in Milwaukee.

[HarleyCreation]

Like you guys are saying, the best way to do the time machine trip is to explore the old documents, photos, newspapers, etc. It gets to be an addiction and you start calling these guys by their first names as if you really know them.

Talk about lying however. Even Henry Ford did it. Later claiming he built his first engine in 1893, when it was 1896 after seeing a certain magazine article. I wonder who that article might have been about? Hmmmm.....

Yeah Cory, that's the guy on the ramp, on the left. Maybe showing off. But who's the guy next to him????

Earl, you might find something in the "Chi. Trib." I have looked a little myself and it's a HUGE task. Remember, that Lang used another paper, the "Chicago Examiner" to promote his dealership, etc. There was a 1906 H-D photo in it but I didn't use in the "Creation" book because the quality was not very good. That paper was not available to me but that is the one I'd guess contains the GOLD! Inter-library loan is a wonderful thing -- if you have a library nearby. I don't....

[Earl]

so it's going to be one of those ongoing searches for knowledge I guess. But, hey that's part of the fun!!!

Well said Cory !!!

History was first made. And it was reported first hand, by pictures and articles of the day, in magazines and newspapers.

And then maybe the real history became distorted,......by people's opinions,......by marketing exaggerations,.....or ommissions.

And then the real history became buried,....by time.

One of the real pleasures for me in this hobby, is the ongoning search for knowledge, the search for period photographs and newspaper articles.

The search continues.......
right now I'm trying to clear time to investigate a run of some Chicago newspapers, dating from 1902-1908, that I've found here in Ohio. They're not available on inter-library loan, so I have to go where they are being stored.

Correct, it might be like looking for a needle in the haystack,.....

but if the needle is out there,.....

it's just waiting to be found !!!!

[c.o.]

I think the left-hand guy on the top of the ramp is a young Bill Harley. If only we could jump inside that picture and spend some time there!

You mean the guy that is sitting precariously on the platform? It looks as though any further forward and he'd be doing a header into the dirt! Oh, what a cool thing it would be to march into those old photos.

[c.o.]

See Lonnie, we're not all psychotic purists!!!

Glad you got the article Herb, I hope it's of some use. Yes, the pic is from the magazine. Oh, and you've got me wondering what you drummed up on the Warwick. I got ahold of the Barber museum and it is in fact there. Brian Slark indicated to me that there isn't a lot of background info on the bike, so it's going to be one of those ongoing searches for knowledge I guess. But, hey that's part of the fun!!!

[HarleyCreation]

I think it's an admiral attempt at preserving a very important part of H-D history. I have a real affection for original early bikes, but let's face it how many real early examples are left? As far as this machine goes we don't even know where it is or what happened to it. As long as the bike is recognised as a replica of an original I don't think that tar and feathers are necessary.

I agree with Cory. It boggles my mind that guys are re-creating these things so beautifully and well, altho they should be marked as such for future reference.

PS: Cory, I found something about Mr. Warwick. I'll post it when it turns up again. PPS: I got the article. Thanks! PPPS: Is that Neg. 599 the club mag photo or something online?

[HarleyCreation]

hey herb,thanks for the tip i'll have to find that issue.i was wondering what your opinion is of the bike on page 121 of your book.the bike on the ground.think its a comet? the engine looks like a strap tank engine.another mystery.

When the "Creation" book was under construction we talked about that bike. I don't remember that we came to any conclusion because we couldn't see it well enough to make out good details. But a Comet would be a strong possibility and it does seem to have the Comet tube (battery holder?) (p.148) along the seatpost, doesn't it? Also it doesn't show a belt tightener lever that I can see, and Comet had a different method than H-D than using that long lever. Plus Comet was only a few blocks away on Galena St. and an easy ride over....

The tank looks something like the new (at that time) Merkel tube tank, altho the rest doesn't look Merkel. Motor looks too big. So if it isn't H-D it could well be some form of Comet. Maybe somebody's early idea of a custom.

I think the left-hand guy on the top of the ramp is a young Bill Harley. If only we could jump inside that picture and spend some time there!

[jurassic]

old pic

hey herb,thanks for the tip i'll have to find that issue.i was wondering what your opinion is of the bike on page 121 of your book.the bike on the ground.think its a comet? the engine looks like a strap tank engine.another mystery.

[c.o.]

I think it's an admiral attempt at preserving a very important part of H-D history. I have a real affection for original early bikes, but let's face it how many real early examples are left? As far as this machine goes we don't even know where it is or what happened to it. As long as the bike is recognised as a replica of an original I don't think that tar and feathers are necessary.

[jurassic]

599

thanks cory,thats actually not a bad scan,much better than i had. i would like to someday see this bike in person and touch it,and ride it.and let all you guys ride it.i totally agree it should be made as the owner had it in the picture.this is no mass production. i spent two months welding , grinding, and hand filing to relocate those motor mounts.and i dont ever want to do it again.this is one of one.should this be done? is it a cardinal sin?will anyone even care or understand the significance? or will the tar and feather brigade have a field day? i dont know.i've been wrong before.

[jurassic]

599

[c.o.]

Here's a little better shot of the bike only...........

[c.o.]

Let's see here's a pic, but I don't use the image hosting deal so you get a crappy little thumbnail....... maybe you can save it and enlarge it. If for some reason you can't find the issue with the pic in it, then send me a p.m. with your e-mail and I can shoot you a better scan.........