Kickflips and Kickstands
A podcast where skateboarding and motorcycle cultures combine. We hang out with all sorts of characters and find out when, where, how and why they love either or both of these things.
Kickflips and Kickstands
S3E2 The "almost" complete history if Harley Davidson
The homies are back on a totally new day different than the first episode. This time we're bringing you a little recap of everyones favorite vtwin icon, Harley Davidson, enjoy or dont? Either way we had fun.
Since its establishment in 1903, harley-davidson has become an iconic American motorcycle brand, synonymous with power, freedom and the open road. Over the course of its illustrious history, harley-davidson has witnessed triumphs, challenges and significant transformations. In this episode, we dive into the comprehensive evolution of Harley-Davidson, highlighting key milestones, technological advancements, cultural impacts and the enduring legacy of the brand. What is up? What is up everyone? We're back during a completely different day recording a whole different episode. This isn't happening right after the last episode. That button keeps doing that. Good to know. We'll put that in note. Welcome back to Kickflips and Kickstands everyone. I, of course, as always, am Danny, joined by me. Joined with me my co-host.
Speaker 2:Grayson Conner. Grayson Conner.
Speaker 1:Grayson Conner's here in the studio, everyone and our guy in the chair, everyone's favorite, Josh, Josh Britt.
Speaker 3:Hi guys, it's good to have me.
Speaker 1:We're back and this is our first historical episode of season three where we're going to get into the history of Harley Davidson who it's actually multiple people. That who it's actually multiple people.
Speaker 3:That's from Suicide Squad.
Speaker 2:It's the guy yes that singer it's Margot. Robbie, oh, you're thinking of Jared Leto.
Speaker 3:I'm always thinking of Jared Leto.
Speaker 1:Jared Leto in Fight Club or Jared Leto in Requiem for a Dream?
Speaker 3:That's a good one.
Speaker 1:Like you want to hit both of them.
Speaker 3:You want to hit all Jared Leto's except for Dallas Buyers Club Jared Leto, sure, yeah, no, I want to hit him. Okay, cool, fuck it, it's still Jared Leto.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he lived, the only Jared Leto that I don't want to hit is 30 Seconds to Mars, jared Leto. Oh, if he would have just stuck with that.
Speaker 3:My favorite punk band, god damn it my favorite space travel band, so.
Speaker 1:Yeah, anyways, we're back. You guys, like we mentioned in the last episode, seem to like the historical ones and me thinks there's some Harley riders in our listeners, so I figured it'd only be fitting that we talk about the bike that brought a lot of people our way, that two-thirds of us ride. Grayson, I'd love to get you on a bike for some content.
Speaker 2:Dude, I'd actually really like to man, that would be good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, watch it before my death Maybe we just like walk you around a bike and point at things and have you name what you think they are.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, I actually love that. Yeah, I love that idea That'd be fucking hilarious.
Speaker 3:You know why I love that? Why?
Speaker 2:Because I know every single part, oh yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, we could do the same thing with guitars and me. Yeah, you would know though, yeah, neck, that's right, the neck, the neck frets is a different thing, is it?
Speaker 2:No, I'm just kidding Body Chamber. Yeah, yeah, you're nailing it. It sounds like you know Really, yeah.
Speaker 3:This season better. Oh, okay, okay.
Speaker 1:This is my guitar deck Danny.
Speaker 2:Yeah. I am for bikes, the Curbitrator, the Bling Blam, all that stuff.
Speaker 1:Curbitrator sounds like a fucking punk band name.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a Larry David proprietary motorcycle part.
Speaker 1:Oh no, I thought you were going to say a Larry David punk band.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Larry.
Speaker 2:David's D-Beat band Curbitrator your enthusiasm.
Speaker 1:So, um, okay, let me. Let's get into it. The story of harley davidson begins in a small shed in milwaukee, wisconsin, william s harley in the name and arthur davidson the other one, told you multiple people, along with their brothers wal, walter and William A Davidson Now the writer me wrote there, but it's really just not William. You know Arthur Davidson's brother, not their brothers, so it was one.
Speaker 3:Harley and three Davidsons. Seems a little off kilter.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they embarked on a journey to build motorcycles that would revolutionize transportation. In 1903, they produced their first motorcycle, a single-cylinder machine. This milestone marked the birth of the legendary brand, which quickly gained recognition for its reliability and innovative design. To go back on the shed we're talking about a shed that's like what is it 15 by 10 or? 10 by 20? Yeah, something like that. It's about the size of the room that we're in, no bigger.
Speaker 3:I was gonna say a one car garage, but like there were, there wasn't really there, weren't really cars.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's like there's a literal shed in their backyard. That still is the shed, still there and uh, it's not.
Speaker 3:I feel like, didn't they like disassemble and reassemble it, like moved it right?
Speaker 1:yeah, yeah it's in the museum which the museum's where the brand is from like it's still in milwaukee?
Speaker 3:yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1:I mean hq, their offices, everything's still milwaukee, yeah and I mean, if you don't know or if you do, I mean be a disservice to not mention it when we're talking about the single cylinder bike it was. It says motorcycle, but we're talking about at this time. You gotta remember it's 1903. They started developing this thing in like 1901, which technically, I probably started developing it earlier than that, like late, late, like 1800s. It was a 116 CC single cylinder motor. So to either like someone like Grayson or someone that doesn't't too knowledgeable, that's about the like a Honda ruckus, like most scooters, are anywhere from 50 CC to 150 CC scooters now.
Speaker 1:So in 1903, these motherfuckers start strapping 116 CC motor to like basically a bicycle yeah, a bicycle. Yeah, like we say motorcycles, because it was a motor cycle. But this is like when you're like in the fucking hood these days and see the fucking motor kit strapped to a fucking beach cruiser. This is essentially what they were doing, with like no brakes on dirt roads and shit like it was. It was a wild time, it was a lawless fucking time because they were just like they just were.
Speaker 1:It wasn't the first motorcycles, you know, it wasn't quite the. It was right there at the beginning of it. But just to put that together in your head and think of like we did it, now we're just gonna ride down this fucking dirt road with no brakes and like no, but again there's not really cars or there's some, but it's not as crazy as it is now with cars all over the road. But it's kind of insane when you think of it, when you look at like the early, like there weren't model a's, what were the fucking first the? This is just like model one, I think it's called right like harley model one.
Speaker 3:It's like think about how much more likely you were to hit a cow than a car oh yeah on the early motorcycles like that's tenfold, you're more likely to hit livestock or a fence.
Speaker 1:The early years of Harley-Davidson were marked by experimentation and refinement. They expanded their lineup with more powerful engines and improved features. By 1909, they unveiled their first V-twin engine, a design that would become synonymous with Harley-Davidson motorcycles. A design that would become synonymous with Harley-Davidson motorcycles. This powerful engine set new standards for performance and durability, solidifying the company's reputation as a leader in the industry. So again, 1903 is their first bike, single-cylinder, 116cc, literally fucking. Six years later, and again, this is mostly Harley. William Harley was an engineer by trade, so he was the one that like was is mostly Harley. William Harley was an engineer by trade, so he was the one that like was designing the engines.
Speaker 3:Six years later, they come out with the V-twin which, as stated, that's where you get your like.
Speaker 1:It's a V-shaped, like it, one of the reasons why the V-Rod was hated was because it just you lose kind of your brand recognition when you start fucking slapping shit all over that motor and covering it up, they changed the geometry on it too right. Was it a 90 degree V-Rods or was it still a?
Speaker 3:45? No, I think it was kind of different, it wasn't?
Speaker 1:I don't remember if it was a 90 or a 45. I just know that it was like a Porsche designed engine.
Speaker 3:I mean that means great engine, Amazingly designed motorcycle that I would never want to be seen.
Speaker 1:No, it definitely looks like Oakley glasses and affliction shirts.
Speaker 2:That's my stuff, yeah.
Speaker 1:Harley Davidson introduced several groundbreaking innovations that propelled the company forward. Yeah, harley-davidson introduced several groundbreaking innovations that propelled the company forward. Their commitment to technological investments and pushing the boundaries of motorcycle engineering was evident. One significant innovation was the introduction of electric start in 1914. This revolutionary feature eliminated the need for strenuous kickstarting and made motorcycles more accessible and user-friendly. So again, this timeline is kind of nutty when you're thinking of 1903, slap on single cylinders on the bicycles six years later. That's when it's like it's no longer a bicycle. It's a much bigger, proprietary V-twin engine, and all of the accoutrements surrounding it are built specifically for it. This is when you're starting to, when motorcycles actually start to take shape and look more like motorcycles and less like bicycles so I would assume the early ones were pedal start, right, yeah, you like, you just have to kind of yeah, bump started every time you're they had center well, not technically not center stands, it's like a, it's a rear stand.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like a fold down kickstand that yeah, picks the whole back of the bike up. Yeah, then you, there's like a whole song and dance where you like you got to pump some gas, you got to pump some oil, and then you just start fucking like you hold a lever in? Yeah, and then you start pedaling until the engine's turning enough that you can fire some spark to the gas.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And then you just kind of pop off that rear stand and you're on your way off that rear stand and you're on your way, jesus.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so you said electric start is what came around that time, 1914, which is crazy to think about something happening that early?
Speaker 2:yeah, I still I maybe this is just because I don't know, but like I feel, like I see y'all kickstarting oh yeah, often so if is, it is electric start not preferred, or is that?
Speaker 1:uh, there's a consensus that kickstart only bikes are super cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's just a coolness, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's. It's really cool until you fight the beast Exactly. It's really cool until you're kicking like 30 times on the side of the road and you're just fucking like beating sweat.
Speaker 2:There's a there's a margin of coolness into yeah, sweat, there's a. There's a margin of coolness into.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I think I think in the and listeners chime in in fucking on the instagram that I would say that windows between the 20th and 30th somewhere in there where you're just like all right, well, yeah and if you're crying while you do, it probably doesn't look as cool. Yeah, no yeah, are you sweating or crying? It's like just fucking get over it.
Speaker 3:Build your own bike, but yeah, that's.
Speaker 1:It's actually insane to think of.
Speaker 2:Like 1914 is when they're like now we got electric start and then they go into their house.
Speaker 1:That probably didn't have electricity, yeah well, I'm gonna pull this into my shack, yeah, and sleep on the cot next to it Light a nice lantern.
Speaker 1:Another milestone came in 1928 with the introduction of the teardrop fuel tank design, which became an iconic symbol of Harley-Davidson motorcycles. The sleek and distinctive tank shape not only enhanced aesthetics but also improved rider comfort and handling. Furthermore, harley-davidson's involvement in World War I as a major supplier of motorcycles to the military helped solidify its position as an American icon. The military relied on Harley-Davidson motorcycles for their reliability and durability, which further enhanced the brand's reputation. In fact, this would mark the second time Harleys were used in a military-style conflict in the same decade. Same decade as harley davidson's were also used to chase the mexican revolutionary pancho villa, at the request of general john jay. Well, john jay blackjack pershing what a fucking name, dude. Like your nickname's blackjack, but your regular name is just john jay pershing. Yeah, like I don't know, that's fucking rad.
Speaker 1:Uh, with machine guns mounted the sidecars, the harleys were credited as being exceptionally adaptable and capable in the rough terrains of the chihuahuan desert. That's fucking insane. So that's like right before world war one. It's like I think that happened, timeline wise, a year or two before world war one. Obviously happened before. Like, harley supplied them a couple years in the world war one, but not yeah, not very long, but it probably still would have happened. But that whole military expedition chasing down pancho villa and that whole situation was like this dude was like yo, we were just in the desert.
Speaker 1:Yeah, fucking ripping around on these things just ripping through po homie in the sidecar with the fucking machine gun just shooting whatever the fuck.
Speaker 2:Imagine seeing your first motorcycle and it's shooting at you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they're like what the fuck is that?
Speaker 2:What's that?
Speaker 3:weird horse he's on. That's the thing. Like you can shoot all the cattle and fences you need to. You don't have to hit him with the bike anymore. In a way, it's a tank.
Speaker 1:Tank logic right there Well and that was the thing Like Well, and that was the thing like when you mentioned horses, like they were chasing them and they were so they were like so used to being on horseback and this dude's like we need something else, and then Harley's like we got this thing. It's most would call it an iron horse and they went. Oh sick they're like okay.
Speaker 1:And they're like how can you make it better? And I was like, well, you can put a sidecar on it. And they're like, well, that's fucking rad and then someone was like what if we put a gun on the sidecar?
Speaker 2:they're like keep it coming. Yeah, yeah, this is working.
Speaker 3:Yeah, then they were like, do you want electric start? And they were like, no, that's probably not gonna look that cool man we'll just kick it in the desert.
Speaker 2:What am I, a little boy?
Speaker 1:it's gonna look way better on instagram if we kick it. They're like I don't know what you're saying, but I'm loving it, yeah, but I mean I gotta imagine, yeah, but I mean I got to imagine that that was also like we'll get into this a little bit in the episode too, but like, obviously it's a, it's a struggle and it's like a terrible time. But back to the Pancho Villa thing first, where they're just like the day that the bike showed up and they're like wait a minute. Yeah, we get to fucking rip these things around now.
Speaker 1:They're like war is sick yeah, like, uh, go back home to my wife or fucking rip around on fucking machine gun mounted sidecar bikes like I don't know sending fucking. It's like a dear john letter, but like we didn't find them, so we're just gonna kick it in the desert for a little longer. It's gonna be a couple more weeks, I don't know.
Speaker 1:That's fucking crazy. Harley motorcycles became more than just a mode of transportation. They represented a symbol of rebellion, adventure and the free spirit of the open road Motorcycle clubs. And the rise of the outlaw bike Yep Motorcycle clubs and the rise of the outlaw biker subculture depicted in movies like the Wild One ever heard of it further contributed to Harley-Davidson's cultural impact. The brand became an emblem of freedom and non-conformity, captivating the imaginations of riders across the nation. However, the Great Depression in the 1930s posed significant challenges for the company. Like many others during that time, harley-davidson had to navigate through financial hardships and adapt to the changing economic landscape. Despite these obstacles, the company managed to survive by focusing on quality and developing motorcycles that met the needs of its customers which that's another crazy thing, and it's just like there's actually a really good miniseries on this with the old boy, jay barrenthal.
Speaker 1:John barrenthal, yeah, um, it's called, I think it's called harley and the davidsons. It's like a three-part mini series. Um, if you haven't seen it, or any of our listeners or now watchers, because we're, uh, video on the internet as well um, it's pretty good, it's? I think it's a three-parter.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's something like that Three or four or five.
Speaker 1:It goes through kind of the same shit we're talking about in this episode but paints the picture a little more fun. They embellish some of it, but it's just insane to think that like they had already been producing motorcycles for 20 something odd years at this point and then like the literal great depression happens and they're just trying to navigate that Like we think of shit like COVID and how companies survive through COVID. Yeah.
Speaker 3:But I mean, they also survived Spanish flu and yeah. Like all sorts of other stuff.
Speaker 2:They had a super where they were. Yeah, a world war.
Speaker 3:Yeah, several world wars yeah, like all sorts of other stuff. They had a super pandemic yeah. A world war yeah, then a world war, several world wars, yeah, almost three.
Speaker 2:Yeah, all, both of them. There's going to be live wires in World War III.
Speaker 1:Like they're on electric bikes with fucking side mounted machine guns now Just segues Put the .50 cal on it.
Speaker 1:Dude, sign me up, I'll do that. Put a 50 cal on it, dude, sign me up, I'll do that. Um, however, the great depression in 1930s posed significant challenges for the company. Oh, I already read that. I already read that. Uh, harley davidson experienced a resurgence, buoyed by returning veterans who sought the thrill of motorcycle riding. The 1940s and 1950s marked a golden age for the brand. Harley Davidson introduced iconic models like the Sportster in 1957. Ever heard of it? A lightweight motorcycle that combined power, speed and maneuverability. This model became incredibly popular and set the stage for future successes. So that's when we start to get into so the 1940s, we're talking. Now we're getting more into like World War Two. So World War Two happens, and again all of our dudes are sent over there and they're like, hey, this is going to fucking suck, but you got Harley's.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and there's another head and here's other brands. Here's a big twin flathead.
Speaker 1:You will and from the company side, obviously supplying. Supplying for world war one. They had an in for world war ii, um. But that's another like you talk about like surviving through, like great depressions and like hardships, where it's like at that time, all these factories that were producing toys and recreational vehicles, it's like we're going to war so you either produce for the war or just shut down and you're never coming back. So it's like one of those things where it's that double-edged sword, that catch 22, where it's like you don't want to go to war and a lot of people are going to not be able to work.
Speaker 1:But I think harley supplied something like 80 000 motorcycles for world war ii yeah so, like you're facing the decision of, like, shuttering down forever or you know, everyone in your factory gets, if I can take that check home every week, um, so then you got veteran. Well, they're not veterans at the time, they're active duty soldiers fucking ripping around on all these bikes. And they come back. And at the time pts always fucking existed Just back then we called it shell shock yeah, so they're coming back and basically society is like well, fucking, listen, I know shit sucked, but there's a lot of jobs now. Yeah, they're all office jobs and you can buy a house for super cheap and start a family. So basically we're training these people to become killing machines. They were doing that and then coming back and they're like why don't you sit in a cubicle and fucking?
Speaker 2:it's nice and quiet, just go crazy for a couple weeks.
Speaker 1:So they started to buy up. There was all these cheap bikes, these army surplus bikes. They start buying all these bikes and this is where you get into like the birth of, basically, chopper culture. They start chopping up all these pieces that they don't need and modifying their bikes and, fucking hot, running them around town to fucking cause a ruckus because their brains all rattled from fucking literally fighting a war for us, sure? Um, so that's pretty much the birth of, like the chopper subculture was. It came from veterans, which, if you really want to get into it, there's like a whole thing with like hippies and biker veterans. And when you get into the sixties, and yeah it, because like drugs, like hippies really love drugs and bikers really love drugs, um, but then right around this is kind of ping ponging around history, but then the Vietnam war happens and like all these college hippies start protesting the war and all these bikers that were hanging out with them doing drugs were like wait a fucking second, like you, this is my shit.
Speaker 3:Like yeah, we're the war guys.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we don't get to talk about war, yeah you were really cool, until you fucking turn your back on me pretty much yeah um, but yeah, I mean, that's the, the fucking choppers that we ride, that these fucking dudes are kicking 30 times on the side of the road. Like none of that shit would exist Hadn't it been for World War Two. So I mean, who's to say it might have still kind of taken off. It just maybe been later or not at all. But I mean for sure, if Harley didn't provide those 80,000 bikes, if they shuttered the doors, then we probably wouldn't have choppers today. Like it could be a world without that whole subculture and we wouldn't have a podcast. It would just be kickflips, yeah.
Speaker 3:I can talk about kickflips.
Speaker 1:The 1960s witnessed another significant milestone for Harley-Davidson with the introduction introduction of the electric glide, a touring motorcycle that provided increased comfort for long distance rides. This model revolutionized the touring segment and cemented harley davidson's dominance in the market. The 1990s saw a launch of leg of the legendary fat boy, which became an instant classic with its muscular appearances. Also, we call grayson the legendary fat boy as well.
Speaker 1:I'm getting used to it with its muscular appearances, chrome accents and powerful performance, the fat boy captured the imagination of riders and solidified harley davidson's position as a cultural icon and it was in terminator 2 yeah, that was a terminator 2 bike.
Speaker 3:Huh dang the fat boy or bad boy, maybe a fat boy because he was, it had like the disc wheels yeah, I'll tell you what I'll watch terminator 2 tonight never need a reason to watch terminator 2 yeah, um, and I'll report back.
Speaker 1:We should do that as episode 2, like fucking top 10 screen used conversation today.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, who had that conversation today? Oh tight dang, I wasn't even today, me and him.
Speaker 1:I did oh tight Dang, I wasn't even there. No, you don't work there. That's crazy, I did for a brief stint.
Speaker 2:That was great. Oh, that was you. Yeah, oh, yeah, yeah, I knew it, I saw you somewhere.
Speaker 1:Yeah, fuel its expansion into international markets, making a global phenomenon. Today, harley-davidson motorcycles can be found on roads across the world a testament to the brand's enduring appeal and around that time.
Speaker 1:Let's see. The latter half of the 20th century witnessed both successes and challenges for Harley-Davidson. Financial struggles in the 1980s threatened the company's survival, but a renewed focus on core values and customer loyalty enabled a remarkable turnaround. Harley-davidson implemented strategic initiatives to streamline operations, improve product quality and enhance customer satisfaction. This is when we start talking about like they started, like the hog chapters, like the harley owners group. They started doing things like was basically like they saw that all these motorcycle clubs when we're talking like back like 40s, 50s, 60s, and like when chopper started to pop off and all these, like they're seeing all these guys come back and start these motorcycle clubs and they're like wait a minute, they're buying our bikes and riding around together in groups. So they come up with the Hog, the Harley Owners Group, h-o-g, which is basically a brand-fueled club that you buy into Can we see what they did there, yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, which?
Speaker 1:the name? The Hog name. This is like not 100% confirmed historically. But if you backtrack into the 20s, um, when you talk about like in the so in the 20s I didn't really touch base, so we can kind of go back and do that a little bit here. Um, right before that, first was it between world war one and the great depression um, again they come back, soldiers come back and they're like these fucking bikes are sick dude. Like we were running them all around fucking jumping over trenches with like a ton of fucking dead bodies in them, but like it was pretty rad we should do something with them so they start racing and listener.
Speaker 1:If you haven't yet, you can go back and listen to after this episode, of course. Uh, we have a uh the murder drum episode, the the history of board track racing. This is around this time where they're like, well, what if we just fucking start racing these things because we got to do something with them? Um, and there was. That's when you start to get into like the wrecking crew. So harley had a uh brand, so the board track super fucking dangerous. I mean we're talking bank turns of like 50 degree banks on two by four tracks, like the two by fours were on their sides. Because that's how at the time, how they can fucking bend wood to create these ovals.
Speaker 3:It's time breaks, yeah no breaks. People dying I mean riding on these weird thin rubber tires.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and the banks are so excessive that they have to hit them at like. I think it's something like between 60 and 90 miles an hour.
Speaker 3:You gotta hit that bank to just for the fucking stay on it for the science to work it out that you stay on the track, yeah, um, so super dangerous.
Speaker 1:The brand pulls out of that. They're like, dude, people are fucking. They're they were dying on our bikes when they're at war. And then they come back and they're dying on our bikes not at war like this is a bad look like we're not gonna sell the bikes if they just keep killing people. Um, so then that's when you switch, that's when they switch to flat track racing, that's when flat track racing starts to pop off. And um, ray weischer is credited with. He had a pet pig that after winning a race he did a victory lap and went into the victories, the winner's circle, with the pig on his tank in his lap. And that's when they also the hog kind of moniker started to kind of drip into the ethos of harley. So that's where you get that. So then cut to in the eighties. Um, they made a lot of police bikes, made a lot of police bikes which also yeah that's a good little hog right there.
Speaker 2:I don't look at that. Um see what I did there. It's all connected.
Speaker 1:Yeah, um, they also in the seventies, seventies, 80s with all these like fucking financial tribulations they sold the company to the american. What's the fucking that's amf, amf, uh, amf, uh, which you would know as uh a bowling company amf lanes. Yeah, they sold the brand to amf because again they were like fuck, I don't think we've weathered two wars and a depression, but like shit's rough 1970, yeah, 69, 70s, when they sold amf they sell the amf and amf is really good at um building a lot of machinery, because this is what they were doing.
Speaker 1:But what ended up happening is that whole. You know, harley, quality, reliability, dependability that just starts to fucking go out the window, because amf is just pumping these things out, because I mean, they're fucking big daddy warbucks at this point like they can do what they want with the brand. But what they were doing was kind of tarnishing the brand, because you're known for one thing reliability is like one of your things, like they're like yeah, it's a it's a efficient, moderately efficient, but reliable and easy to work on motorcycle.
Speaker 1:And what amf is doing is they're not really they're not innovating, like they're not changing the bikes up. It's no different. So it's not like in cars and like, well, anything new when you introduce something new, there's going to be some bugs. That you have to work out sure, and that's not some, not to say that it's excusable, but it's expected. It's like oh, it's fucking. Electric cars and bikes are out now and sometimes the batteries explode and fucking go into a fucking lithium flame ball.
Speaker 2:Like, but it's expected. I have no idea what you're talking about.
Speaker 3:You've witnessed this, you witnessed this.
Speaker 1:I've seen you after you witnessed this, yeah.
Speaker 3:AMF got really, really nutty with the licensing as well with Harley-Davidson and they started making. There were golf carts there were. They licensed the Harleys out to Aromaki, the Italian bike brand.
Speaker 1:Yeah, those are sick though, Dude. Those things are so cool.
Speaker 3:This is like.
Speaker 1:These are like small, we're not talking like big fucking hogs 125 cc little italiano I'm like hey, I like it to go fast on the little bike I like that yeah the topper was way before that.
Speaker 3:Right, that was the 50s. The topper came out the little like these are bikes now that same size as that fucking first bike that they made.
Speaker 1:We're talking like 115 cc bikes, little fucking buzzers.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but they were. I mean they were putting the Harley brand on anything and everything that they could and absolutely kind of gutting. It's like when you know, a skateboard company gets really big and a holdings company ends up buying it and passing it around and then it gets sold back to another team rider and then back to a different holdings company and they get swallowed up by another distribution company and eventually you end up uh under vf's banner exactly.
Speaker 2:And then, yeah, it all roads lead to vf is that iconic harley uh shield logo a thing at that point?
Speaker 1:yeah, the bar and shield.
Speaker 3:I think that popped up shit 50, 60s, yeah, somewhere in there I was a better writer, I would have put it in this episode but no, no, it's fine yeah, that that's coming around in like 50, 60s, the bar and shield logo.
Speaker 1:Um, I'm trying to think, if we want to backtrack real quick, I didn't mention it when in 19. Oh nine, when they came out with that V twin. That's when you start to get your iconic Harley sound so.
Speaker 1:Harley's are known for that whole potato, potato, potato, like it's a thing, that comes from the engine design and how they timed and engineered the engine to run that way. So like it was. It wasn't a design flaw. They never meant to like make a Harley sound like that. It was just something that they had to do in the engineering of the engine, of the actual engine, the power plant for it, which then, by happenstance, gives you that sound that Harleys are known for. Yeah, and since then, like it's another one of those things like when we talk about like that's, there's a butterfly effect where, like, if they hadn't have done that and designed the motor differently, harleys would have never sounded like that. But they did and people loved it. Yeah, so now that's like it's, you can hear a harley.
Speaker 1:you know what I mean like coming down the road or just idling at a light where it's like a lot of bikes have their own distinctive style. But like the only other bike that I can think of as far as distinctive style is like ducati's transmission. Yeah, ducati has like a dry clutch, so it's known as like the basket of bolts. Like you hear ducati idling next to you in traffic and it sounds like it's broken in a different way. It clicks and rattles it hardly sounds like it's broken, because you're like is that bike going to die?
Speaker 1:It's like idling, it's like starving for fucking and a Ducati is like you have fucking loose parts inside of your engine. It's like no, inside of your engine. It's like no, it's just my clutch.
Speaker 3:Or if you rode it more than 3,000 miles, you have loose parts inside your engine because it's a Ducati Yep.
Speaker 1:No, shade to Ducati. No, ducatis are tight.
Speaker 3:They're wonderful. There's just so much that goes into tuning and adjustment.
Speaker 2:They're fast, huh, but that's a story for another time.
Speaker 1:They are but the iconic. I for another time they are but the iconic. Oh, I mean, if we want to side shoot into another brand right now, that one ducati that everyone knows it was the one in the matrix, so everyone paused. Think about the matrix the one that carrie fisher uh, we're in it um the black one that carrie fisher rides with like the little slit eyes for um headlights. Yeah, that one at the time wasn't the fastest bike like there were like hondas and suzuki's faster than it.
Speaker 2:It was just the most balanced and could could do everything better which you could argue, would kind of make you faster if it can handle better right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, if you, if you're faster in the corners, you're faster all the way around the track for sure. What's up y'all? I wanted to talk to you about burnouts in Denton, texas, at Dan's Silver Leaf. It's all going down September 21st, 2024. That's this September 21st, so get your bike show and shine ready. Right now. I bet you're driving around You're asking me, danny, what the hell is burnouts? It's a shopper show, dingus. I know you like those. There's going to be live music. There's going to be live music. There's going to be vendors there. You need some parts. Somebody's probably got that. You need a black t-shirt with a little logo on the front and a big design on the back. I'm pretty sure everyone will have one of those to sell you Shit. We even do two Choppers music, shopping, beer. I don't know what else to tell you. Pack your shit and get on down to Burnouts this September 21st at Dan's Silverleaf in Denton, texas. Check them out on IG, y'all.
Speaker 1:In recent years, harley-davidson has embraced innovation with the launch of the LiveWire, an electric motorcycle that represents a new chapter in the company's history. This move showcases Harley-Davidson's commitment to sustainability and adaptation to changing market demands. The LiveWire combines cutting-edge technology with a signature Harley-Davidson experience, opening doors to new audiences and paving the way for a more environmentally conscious future to new, new audiences and paving the way for more environmentally conscious future. I know live wire has branched off into its own thing. Um, I know harley still has like a stake in it. I think they have like it's like 20 or something holding on that company. Okay, but live wire is its own brand now.
Speaker 1:But they developed that bike. So the live wire ev. It's an electric bike that was produced by harley and, as a listener, grayson, you you've all seen this bike already was produced by Harley and as a listener, grayson, you've all seen this bike already. It was in a couple like Marvel movies, like Avengers and shit like that. There was a huge push when they kind of were first releasing it. It wasn't available to market yet but they were just doing all the promo for it, but that again we actually Chris Corona he's worked a lot with live wire yeah, doing the live wire promo stuff he's working on those.
Speaker 1:Shout out to fucking chris corona. That's one of my favorite people oh, he's wonderful.
Speaker 3:He's fantastic um. What are your thoughts on the live wires?
Speaker 1:I haven't written one, yeah. So as far as like seat time thoughts, I have none. My thoughts on the live wires are probably my same thoughts on like all EVs. Do I think that electric vehicles are the complete future? Not quite, Because then that's where we can get into the whole like then you got to mine for the resources and then like they're not, once they're bad, they're like you don't really recycle fucking burnt up lithium.
Speaker 1:You just whip it into the ocean, yeah, you just put it back into the ground in a more toxic state, like so I mean, there's that? Um, as far as the science behind electric vehicles and especially electric bikes, I love the thought of it. I hate the thought of not having a transmission to shift, but the idea of having the full vehicle's power instantly whenever you want. Like there's no with electric vehicles, there's no power curve, it's just like if you want to stop which they there is with programming and software. Like you can't just stomp on the pedal of a tesla and that shit's gonna fucking give you all of its power to the wheels instantly. If you fucking I don't know re remap that bitch, like you probably could hot rod it that way. But it's the same thing with bikes like I again, I haven't ridden one, so but I can't imagine that. Like if you crack that throttle, just all that bike's power is like there's abs, there's like a shit ton of sensors on them, yeah, so that you don't fucking whiskey throw that thing into the moon.
Speaker 3:Throw it two blocks down the street.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't know, these EVs have a lot of torque and power. I guess, but no, I think it's rad. I think that I don't know again whoever did the like. Separating Like. I think it maybe is a good move for both companies to have it be like. It's very known that harley like did the r&d on that thing, but now it can live as its own brand. Um, it can live or die as its own brand sure and maybe not tarnish the, the, the bar and shield yeah, so much.
Speaker 3:Um. Well, as a harley purist, I think those things are tight yeah, I mean and I want one. Uh, have you seen the new one, the s2 delmar?
Speaker 1:yeah, yeah, those are.
Speaker 3:That's the one man because I to have one of those to just rip around town and be able to plug into your house when you get home which again live wire, chris corona.
Speaker 1:I know at least chris is listening to this. If you're a good friend, um, if I can, I mean don't hook it up with like a free bike, but like we'd love to have you, chris, on the show, we'd love to have one of those bikes on the show. Yeah, if I can shoot some little viddy content, maybe some some verticals for the kids that they love the vertical shit now yeah you can't look at.
Speaker 1:I want like I'm just waiting for that move where people are like yeah, I've seen it pop up now where, like, there's that little like, instead of like the timing ticker, it's like the please turn your screen. Yeah, it's like man. I just I would love if that caught on, because I fucking hate watching things vertically yeah I don't think it's a lot of work to just do this with your phone yeah, and you get to see so much more like I saw someone cut lord of the rings to vertical oh god, but did they?
Speaker 1:but did they feel? No, they made it work. But yeah, yeah, it's still disconcerting sure? Well, the battle of mordor is happening and you're just like what is happening.
Speaker 1:You see, one orcs back I did not see legolas surf down the stairs. That was off screen fucking. But yeah, um, so they. They started like kind of innovating with the live wire but the other big thing that they've done, which at first it seemed like it was too little, too late, um, but they started to develop some new bikes because for the longest time again, harley from other kind of bike purists were kind of known as a one-trick pony, like they have different models, but it's all a v-twin bike, uh, with, like you know either some were like single, hidden, like the soft tails you know they look like hard tails when they were developing those, but it had a single shock hidden in the frame, um, to give you that comfort, um.
Speaker 1:But I mean a sportster, a dyna, a fucking fat boy, a soft tail. It's all the same bike and now at this point I've lost half of our audience and a lot of fucking purists. But if you really break it down, it's fucking two wheels and a V twin and some handlebars in a in a gas tank from 1936 to 1999, big twin Evo engines changed marginally. Right.
Speaker 3:But it was all still based on the same thing, outside of having to use a little tiny spacer for knuckleheads and ul flatheads. Um, basically, everything is relatively interchangeable right for 60 years, before they bounced over to the milwaukee aid.
Speaker 1:It's got a different mount system and sure obviously the you know eight valve, but even fucking shout out to eric the fucking mad wizard at fna customs over in florida. He just fucking.
Speaker 1:You see, he slapped on some m8 heads on a shovel no, he, that was his born free build oh no kidding, he fucking took I think it was a dual mag fired m8 headed shovel build, because that dude's just a fucking maniac in builds. My, that's some of my favorite harley builds because of I don't know the way his brain works over there. It must be a florida man thing, yeah, but he's just got the sickest shit because it's like again he's.
Speaker 1:He's working with the same shit that people are doing, but he's just doing it in a different way that, like, you just have to fucking pay him some props and in the shit that he's cooking up, I'll have to show you.
Speaker 3:Yeah, for sure yeah, I uh the only bike I remember from born free. I've watched videos and looked through pictures and everything but uh gax, uh knucklehead and sports to frame every time he yeah, I think I see that bike.
Speaker 1:It's man, I'm so stuck theuxter, I think they called it.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:But what I was getting at there is that, aside from the Livewire and again some people were like you finally built a different bike, but it might be too late, so Harley puts out or started. I know they like teased them first, so they've got a new platform now. So technically the sportster was their longest running same bike. Yeah, like, aside from rubber mounting the engine and switching from carburation to fuel injection, the sportster stayed relatively the same from when they introduced it. And what do we say?
Speaker 3:1957 yeah from 57 until 2022 I mean, if you want to roll the k models in there, 50, was that 51, sure doing the case.
Speaker 1:So like from this bike's inception to fucking a year or so ago yeah, it was relatively unchanged. Like, obviously it got better but, like you know, they cast it out of better materials and, like you know, some had fucking more sensors on them. But like, as far as like motor wheels, handlebar where the gas comes from, fucking the look of it, relatively the same, um. So harley finally designs the? Um. They haven't released the bronx. I think they shelved that one but the sportster is new.
Speaker 1:Um, and then they released the Pan America, which is like that's the fucking bike. I want.
Speaker 3:Oh, that's. Yeah, dude, that thing's cool Because it's all on the new 1250 platform.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so they have another new engine platform and it's just a. It's a new bike, it's an adventure bike. So you've seen, like those big BMWmw fucking off-road touring bikes, so harley releases the pan america, which is that? And I mean, I gotta be honest, myself included when they started teasing it, I was like there's no fucking way this thing's gonna like I'm I'm glad you're trying something new, but to release a bike that's in a market that's fucking so dominated by BMW, ktm.
Speaker 3:Africa the Honda Africa Twin.
Speaker 1:There's so many already established bikes that, like fucking Harley was you know they were shooting for the moon on that one and it fucking stuck. It's an amazing bike.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:People love it. It's the one thing that like I think for I don't know if the everyone they're going to have to, if they aren't already and excuse my fucking ignorance on this, but the Pan Americas came with, like adaptive suspension. So like we're all I mean me and Josh are kind of the same height, like we're somewhat different heights, but like that big ass bike suspension will adapt to your height so that it gives you a more comfortable riding experience and that's just something like on those big 1250 adventure bikes. Like myself as a fucking hashtag, short king, that's just something like I would. I would love a bmw fucking 1250, fucking perry dakar fucking ripping through the sand dunes, but the second I get to a stoplight.
Speaker 3:I gotta fucking, I gotta hit the like 45 degree bike lean tip, and then you lean back up and just yeah, yeah, and I'm that fucking mallory.
Speaker 1:I'll tell you that like I can't be a short person riding giant bikes she's, she's my hero.
Speaker 1:She's fucking insane, um. But so, yeah, they released the pan america and it fucking sticks. It's a great bike. People love it. It's been running for like three years now, um that since they released it, uh, or maybe it maybe tail end of 2020 because the whole fucking pandemic, but pretty much three production years and it's fucking. It's working for them. And I mean, prove me wrong and proved a lot of people wrong. A lot of people were like there's no way, like you're gonna have to either undercut bmw or it's gonna have to be an amazing bike as far as undercut and price wise, which they didn't, obviously.
Speaker 1:But it came out and it's a great bike and if anyone wants to, let us ride one of those and review it, feel free. So as Harley moves forward, it continues to face challenges and seize opportunities in an ever evolving industry, and I'm just going to redo it. As Harley Davidson moves forward, it continues to face challenges and seize opportunities in an ever-evolving industry. I'm just going to redo it.
Speaker 3:As.
Speaker 1:Harley-Davidson moves forward. It continues to face challenges and seize opportunities in an ever-evolving industry. By staying true to its heritage while embracing innovation, the company strives to maintain its status as a global leader in the motorcycle industry. The roaring thunder of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle will forever resonate as a symbol of freedom and adventure on the open road. The roaring thunder of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle will forever resonate as a symbol of freedom and adventure on the open road. From humble beginnings to a global powerhouse, the company's commitment to quality, innovation and its passionate community of riders has solidified its place in history as it navigates the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. Harley-davidson continues to evolve while staying true to its core values. The iconic brand's ability to adapt, pioneer new technologies and captivate and capture the spirit of motorcycle enthusiasts ensures its place as an enduring symbol of power, freedom and adventure. And that's our little fucking ride through history, a little hog ride through history.
Speaker 3:What company was this again?
Speaker 1:this is uh um harley davidson wine cooler company, oh okay actually scooter juice inc so that wasn't. Maybe it was amf. That was like 75 when the wine cool. That's a real product. By the way, if you guys are wondering what, harley davidson about the wine coolers.
Speaker 3:I got the fucking. Oh, is that? That's what that?
Speaker 2:is. That's what that is.
Speaker 3:I thought that was just like somebody made weird Like I don't know.
Speaker 1:It's like a weird fan art or something. No, this is a real fucking.
Speaker 2:What I wouldn't do to Dude, that's so ridiculous.
Speaker 1:Produced by Scooter Juice Inc in Scooter Juice Park, Victoria Show the Rectangle. It's a good band name. Look at this internet. Yeah, Harley released in like 75, I think you can still buy bottles of it on eBay, I mean don't drink it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's no.
Speaker 1:Bartles and James. Did I just think of an idea for content. Would it be hilarious to see one of us drink that on the internet? Yes, are we going to do it? Probably not.
Speaker 2:I have medical insurance. Now I'll do Crystal Pepsi.
Speaker 1:You'll do Crystal Pepsi.
Speaker 2:I have a sip of almost anything won't hurt you.
Speaker 1:Fucking Matty Matheson when he has chicken hand.
Speaker 2:he just licks his finger, but he's fine. Yeah, mostly fine.
Speaker 1:Take that scientist.
Speaker 3:If you have enough panheads, you can outrun salmonella. Yeah, we should.
Speaker 1:I'll look into that and see if AMF started producing this.
Speaker 3:It was a white wine. Cooler AMF started producing salmonella oh.
Speaker 1:Salmonella's an inside job. Well, that's what we got for you, listener. Thank you so much. Don't forget to follow us on Instagram. Don't forget to share us with your homies, like, subscribe, all that stuff. We're going to be on YouTube. Hit all the bells so that you never miss an episode. And, yeah, we'll see you on the next one. Mm-hmm, thank you.