In 1928, the oldest Harley-Davidson biker club was serendipitously formed. It’s a cute story. The Praha Harley Club, based in Prague, came together because of Bohumil Turek, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle racer. It was on his wedding day celebration. He and his bride, who also raced Harleys, were joined by 90 friends, all riding Harley-Davidsons.
Ceremoniously, they lined up their bikes to accompany guests into the reception. The striking motorcycle reception line inspired the motorcycle club idea, and, by the close of the days’ festivities, the Harley Club Praha was founded.
Harley-Davidsons Hit the Big Screen Sooner Than You Think
Motorcycle gangs like Hells Angels began popping up after WWII. Hunter S. Thompson, an eccentric journalist of the peculiar, documented motorcycle gangs’ outlaw lifestyle in his 1966 book. When Easy Rider hit the big screen in 1969, the movie about life on the road, freedom and the rebellious counterculture became a blockbuster. Harley-Davidson and Easy Rider were, like, synonymous.
But Harley-Davidsons starred in the movies much earlier. The outlaw biker genre debuted with The Wild One. Based on gangs like Hells Angels, and starring Marlon Brando as rebellious gang leader “Johnny Strabler,” the movie portrayed (and popularized) reckless biker subculture. Brando’s character donned a Triumph Thunderbird, but co-star Lee Marvin rode a Harley-Davidson Hydra Glide.
The Legend of the Little Bell
Have you ever noticed a small bell attached to a Harley’s lower frame? These bells are more important than they look. As a good omen, they ward off troublesome spirits that lurk on the open road. Sometimes called a Guardian Bell or Gremlin Bell, bikers have trusted these good luck charms for time out of mind. No one really knows its true origin.
Bikers attach it to the lowest part of their bike’s frame because it’s the best location to ward off road-dwelling spirits. Legend has it that the spirits cannot live in the bell’s presence, their super-sensitive hearing can’t stand it, they get trapped in the bell’s hollow recess, tortured, and spit out onto the road. Since the sprites are the cause of all the bike’s problems, it’s best to have a bell. However, the charm works best if it’s obtained by gift.
Harley-Davidson’s Great Depression
During the ‘50s and ‘60s, Harley-Davidson hit some hard times. The company, on the brink of bankruptcy, was temporarily purchased by American Machine and Foundry (AMF), a company that could care less about H-D’s fate. Due to the buyout, the workforce was severely cut. As a result, labor strikes and lower quality machines were produced at expensive prices. The dip into subpar quality generated a negative-reputation backlash.
The Harley-Davidson name was derisively mocked. Epithets like Hardly Driveable or Hardly Ableson tarnished the brand. “Hog” began to be used derogatorily. The company was sliding into oblivion. In 1981 a group of investors rescued the company from certain demise.
The Depression-Era Servi-Car
The stock market crash of 1929, the financial market’s darkest day, reverberated throughout the economy causing half of America’s banks to go under, washing away millions of Americans’ life savings, and leaving 30% of the workforce unemployed by 1933.
H-D was not immune. The company’s motorcycle sales crashed to 3,700 from 21,000. One strategy the company utilized to overcome the Depression was this new product. Introduced in 1932, the invention of the three-wheeled Servi-Car helped Harley-Davidson stave off the worst of the Great Depression. The model became so popular it was in production until 1973, the company’s longest-running line. Today they are a rare item. A restored 1951 Servi-Car comes with a $29K price tag!