Turning Technique into Art

Harley-Davidson was fortunate to have a designer on the team with a passion for motorcycles and a deep understanding of the Harley brand.

William G Davidson was the grandson of William A Davidson, Harley-Davidson’s co-founder. His father, William H Davidson, was president of the company from 1942 to 1971. William G Davidson, or ‘Willie G’ as he was known, had joined the company in 1963 after an early career in automotive design. He had grown up steeped in Harley-Davidson tradition, attending races and rallies with his parents and getting his first Harley in 1948 when he was 15.

He had a deep understanding of what his fellow bikers wanted from their machines.

“They really know what they want on their bikes,” he told Peter Reid, author of Well Made In America: Lessons from Harley-Davidson on Being the Best. “The kind of instrumentation, the style of bars, the cosmetics of the engine, the look of the exhaust pipes, and so on. Every little piece on a Harley is exposed, and it has to look just right. A tube curve or the shape of a timing case can generate enthusiasm or be a total turnoff. It’s almost like being in the fashion business.”⁵⁹

Willie G sees Harley-Davidson’s distinctive designs as a kind of art form. “I consider them the ultimate mechanical art. Rolling sculptures,” he told his local Milwaukee magazine in a 2015 interview. “You’ve got to feel good on the bike. And when you park it, you have to say, ‘I love it’ just looking at it.”⁶⁰

Willie G and the rest of the Harley-Davidson team were literally ‘turning technique into art’.