Harley Davidson logos are among some of the most recognized logos in the world. Even people who don't know anything about the company know a Harley Davidson logo when they see one. The main Harley Davidson logo is the company name in front of what appear to be wings. Other logos incorporate eagles, roses, skull and wings, flames and other representative symbols into the design.
The History of Harley
Harley was created in the early 1900s by two men who had a simple idea. All they wanted to do was figure out how they could successfully attach a motor to a bike. A few years after the started tinkering with the idea, they rolled out their first Harley Davidson. In 1920 Harley Davidson became a household name because Leslie Parkhurst broke speed records while riding a Harley Davidson bike. Parkhurst was a known motorcycle racing ledged. Harley Davidson was also used during the World War I effort. Harley Davidson sold roughly half of its bikes to the federal government to use in the war. By the time World War II rolled around in the 1940s, Harley Davidson decided to stop selling civilian motorcycles and concentrate all of its production efforts on army bikes. The war drummed up a huge demand for the bikes. When the war was over, Harley started making bikes for civilians again.
Since the 1940s, the company has changed its bike numerous times. It has applied different technologies to change the style and ride of the bike. It just recently entered a contract to start producing trikes, or three wheel bikes. This is a big step for a company that's been devoted to two-wheel bikes for roughly 100 years.
The Harley Davidson Logos
Every great company needs some kind of logo that makes it recognizable. As soon as Harley Davidson recognized that it had developed its cash cow, it created its first logo. This logo is usually called the bar and shield logo. This is the logo that you see on all of the bikes.
The skull and wings logo came about because in the early 1930s, motorcycle riders started to develop a kind of modern day outlaw reputation. The skull and wings logo is a derivative of the skull and bones logo. Americans typically associate the skull and bones logo with poison or death. This logo was first placed on tombstones in the late 1600s. Harley Davidson morphed this logo into its own by removing the bones and adding wings.
Dealers in different areas of the country can add certain elements to the logo. For example, the Colorado dealer ahs added mountains to the background of one of its Harley Davidson logos. Adding anything to Harley Davidson logos has to be approved by the company first.
