Harley-Davidson motorcycles and bikers gather for homecoming event
Check out the bikes that made it to the 2025 Harley Davidson Homecoming.
- Harley-Davidson has embodied American ideals of freedom and individuality for over 123 years.
- The company was founded in a Milwaukee shed in 1903 by William S. Harley and the Davidson brothers.
- Harley-Davidson has a long-standing connection with the U.S. military, producing nearly 90,000 motorcycles during World War II.
- Despite an unsuccessful foray into electric motorcycles with LiveWire, the company continues to attract new riders through its academies.
This story is part of the Iconic Brands series, a USA TODAY network project showcasing the companies and brands that helped shape the nation’s identity, economy and culture. The series celebrates American ingenuity with a deeply reported examination of how brands intersect with history, community, and everyday life in celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary. Find more at usatoday.com/usa250/iconic-brands.
A rider sits upon a steed made of metal with the open road ahead and the ability to take oneself wherever the wind or opportunity guides them. The deafening sound coming from the engine acts like a horn announcing their arrival if only for a brief passing moment or maybe a longer stay.
The rider is solo but not alone. The motorcycle is a companion and part of the identity of the rider who wears a uniform not suited for an office or any formal setting, but to take on nature handlebars first.
Sitting on two wheels staring at the horizon, the rider is free and a trail of exhaust and loose gravel marked the path they traveled.
No company embodies the American ideas of freedom, independence, perseverance and individuality more than Harley-Davidson.
For more than 123 years, Harley-Davidson has defined freedom on the open road with a look and a style that is completely unique in transportation.
Donna Halvorsen of Silver Lake Wisconsin said Harley-Davidson motorcycles are “a bike by which all other bikes are judged.â€
“I got into this because he offered me a ride home from the roller-skating rink,†Donna Halvorsen said laughing and motioning to her husband Jim. “And I was wearing a skirt that night.â€
The couple still rides together and even have a 4-year-old granddaughter that's interested in bikes her “papa†rides.
For decades riders have been passing down their love of motorcycles to the next generation of riders.
“All of our kids grew up in the sidecar. I still have the original sidecar… I got pictures of everyone one of them (in the sidecar), some asleep and I show them when they’re 40 years old, They still talk about being involved with Harley-Davidson at a young age,†said Jim Nielsen said adding he has photos of his kids sleeping in a sidecar.
“The enjoyment that a Harley brings to you, it's so much more than just a vehicle. And it's difficult to explain.â€
“From a shed to the road
Harley-Davidson was born from a friendship between William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson in Milwaukee.
According to Harley-Davidson lore, both men saw a vaudeville show where a tricycle was propelled across the state by a single cylinder engine.
Intrigued by what they saw, they experimented with different ways to power a bicycle with an engine. Arthur Davidson wrote to his brother Walter Davidson, who was a machinist for a railroad in Kansas, that his knowledge could help with the idea. And soon after another brother and mechanic William Davidson joined the team.
In 1903, Harley-Davidson was officially formed in a shed. In 1906 the founders built a one story brick building one block north of the original shed. Over time the company kept expanding in the area, and it completed a six-story building on its Juneau Avenue campus which would eventually become the headquarters.
The company was also adding dealerships in the Midwest.
In Kenosha, Frank Ulicki worked for a custom bed making company and would hang out at the local Harley-Davidson dealership. In 1930, Frank Ulicki bought the dealership for $250 which is less than $5,000 today, and it became Uke's Harley-Davidson.
“We never had a family car. Only got around by motorcycles,†said Keith Ulicki, Frank's son who owns the dealership today. “My mom rode a motorcycle, my dad rode a motorcycle… even in the winter.â€
Uke's Harley-Davidson is one of the few remaining family owned and operated dealerships.
“there's nothing in this world like riding a motorcycle. Nothing,†Ulicki said. “If you like nature, you have to like riding a motorcycle. Because you get out in nature. You can go to work everyday driving a car, you do that same route riding a motorcycle, you'll see twice as much stuff that you'd never see in a car.â€
“World War I, II and military connection
When America entered World War I in 1917, the military needed reliable bikes to get around the front. During that time Harley-Davidson made about 20,000 motorcycles for the military.
The military called on Harley-Davidson again nearly 35 years later when the world was back in conflict. The company told dealerships it could only put out one new model per year due to commitments with the military.
Nearly 90,000 motorcycles were built for the military during 1941-45 along with thousands more repair parts.
Harley-Davidson’s connections to the military and service personnel continue to this day.
“I was in the service, and I got out of the service after 11 years and I missed the brotherhood,†said Justin Lowe of Kenosha. “And I bought a motorcycle; I bought a Harley and all of a sudden I have brothers and sisters all over.â€
After both major conflicts, there were thousands of people who knew how to ride a motorcycle, which benefited Harley-Davidson during peacetime.
“All of our kids grew up in the sidecar. I still have the original sidecar… I got pictures of everyone one of them (in the sidecar), some asleep and I show them when they’re 40 years old, They still talk about being involved with Harley-Davidson at a young age,†said Jim Nielsen said adding he has photos of his kids sleeping in a sidecar.
“The enjoyment that a Harley brings to you, it's so much more than just a vehicle. And it's difficult to explain.â€
250 years celebrating the essence of America, I’m very proud of that and knowing that Harley-Davidson has been around for at least half of that time, I’m even more proud,
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