Customer Reviews

100 Years of Harley Davidson

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Harley-Davidson motorcycles hardly seem, at first thought, the appropriate topic for a glossy coffee-table type book. Having carefully cultivated a rebel image, Harley has for decades revelled in such perceptions, while customarily watching monied professionals drive off the lot on a Softtail. It's the ultimate in "irony advertising".
But the Harley story is also an American story, one of tales from the road across the USA. The company, celebrating its 100th year, is one of the few motoring ventures that maintains an image of quality vastly superior to Japanese knockoffs, primarily because of its storied history and presentation in culture for the last 100 years.
The story of the Harley Davidson corporate mentality, its financial devastation and recovery, and its appeal to an American society that loves its image takes up a good deal of space in this book, and makes for fascinating reading. In fact, the story alone would be worth a somewhat reduced price of admission (this book is expensive, after all), but the photography makes this a big keeper.
Double page after double page of legendary Harley models, dating back to the 1900's, capture the imagination, and the beauty of design in an incredible light. Photos from across the country call out for road trips. The photos capture much more than the HOG they portray - they are an invitation to hop on for a ride through American history.
This book is an excellent Christmas gift for anyone who owns, or always wanted to own their own Harley.

you'll find a good read. First, the pictures are sensational. They capture the simplicity which is at the heart of H-D's designs since inception. Also, this book explains many of the bike and engine nicknames, that I was always curious about, in an easily understandable way i.e. Shovelhead, Flathead etc....

It also covers most of basic history of the MoCo but does so in a corporate promotional way. The author glosses over the AMF years when the quality of their products were poor. It's a 1 or 2 sentence mention and I think deserved more specifics. This is the only major soft spot in the book in that, at times, it seems like one of their rah rah brochures. Look past that and you'll find a great coffee table book.

One question the book left me with is how much the author is genuinely involved in the design of bikes. He may just wish to support the other people involved (humbly). Otherwise, to read the book it seems his major talent is drawing logos (as it reads). The book wasn't solid on that.

This book is written from the heart and soul of the one and only Willie G. It has great pictures and great stories. No one can tell them like the people who experienced it from within.
An absolute seller, and when you want to collect some 100th Anniv. books this year: this one may not be missed on your shelve.
Get it now!

I would recommend this one to any cycle enthusiast; however I did miss:
- More mechanical facts
- A more thorough coverage of all models (e.g. the 800 sporstster is barely mentioned)
Otherwise, a must-have.

William G. Davidson, or as he is affectionatly known, Willie G., gives an insiders view of the history and near demise of an American institution. I drank the Harley Kool-Aide years ago, but it was interesting to get another viewpoint on the Motor Company. The historical pictures are fantastic, especially the old hill climb photos. This is a must have for any Harley owner, and a gotta have for bikers in general. Be forwarned, you will also drink the Kool-Aide if you haven't already!

Ride Free, Willie G.!

Perhaps Harley is going to publish an after-market book to correct all of the flaws in this book. Probably in chrome. I originally bought the book hoping to do some resarch on historic color schemes for a new bike, and in that quest I found the book to be quite valuable. Beyond that I found it to be curious that the book was a square format and all of Harley's bike are a horizontal format, so that every beauty shot of the bikes is printed across a gutter. You never get to see a bike in full. It's maddening. That being said, the history of the company and the culture is wonderful and inspiring. The shots from the archives are very well done and the tone of voice is very engaging. I just wanted to see the bikes. It's just like Harley's seats, good looking but kind of uncomfortable.

Clearly a grand advertisement & a fine way to take a peek at the transformation of The Hog. Along the way you'll catch glimpses of both ten decades of advertising & dressage styles.

If you're expecting to see the development of the mystique we've come to associate with The Hog, you will be disappointed for those who make The Hog are not necessarily those with whom it is associated. I don't think I've seen so many squeaky-clean, carefree people up close, sans helmets too!

Actually, a fascinating book & certainly one any lover of motorbikes, the open road & social styles will enjoy.

First class work from the top-shelf Harley Davidson Guy, grandson of the founder. If you buy any Harley book in your life get this. Don't miss the chance to read the rare Harely novel "THE SECOND COMING OF AGE" by: Vedrine. These books will be collectable classics; highly treasured and read at the next centennial celebration.

I searched for several days for this book for my boyfriend for Xmas. And it wasn't cheap. The book itself is awesome! I recommend it for any H-D enthusiast. However the carton it was shipped in was not in the best of shape, for starters. It was packaged this way...just kinda thrown in a box. I was surprised it didn't get damaged. That is until i opened the film covering the book...there is a sticky spot on the cover about the size of my fist and i really see no way of getting it off without damaging the book. I would love to have it replaced but since they are getting harder to come by, i really don't see that happening.

I gave this book as a gift to my Boss. He said he liked it a lot. I looked through it, and thought the photos were great.