Harley Davidson. The name brings to mind wind in your hair, the smell of leather, and the freedom of the open road. Most who have ever owned or dreamed of owning a motorcycle place the Harley Davidson as the pinnacle of the motorcycle-riding world. The father of all motorcycles and the founder of over 100 years of tradition, Harleys have been filling the garages and parking spots of motorcycle enthusiasts since the turn of the twentieth century. With a few well-placed movie appearances in a few culture-defining movies, Harley skyrocket into the place of world top selling motorcycle.

Harley Davidson single handedly made the motorcycle an acceptable form of transportation, first with the counter culture movement then moving into mainstream. Today the brand has become one of the most recognizable brand names in the world. Harley makes almost as much on marketing and licensing every year as they do on motorcycles. The name is used to describe a certain style of motorcycle by most who do not ride and has reached the level of being part of everyday language the way Kleenex has. Just as popular with the upper and middle class riders as with the counter culture, Harley has managed to shake most of its tough guy image.

Harley Davidson was originally an American fad, but in the past few decades. Worldwide sales have skyrocketed and people in every country and most territories have found the joy of Harley Davison ownership. With the turn of the century, Harley has taken hold of the worldwide motorcycle market and is poised to be in control of this market for a long time to come. Their business and advertising campaigns and the product placement that have made the brand such a success should serve as an example to us all of the proper and effective way to build a business into a household name.

In the past few years of rising fuel and energy costs, Harley has taken a new identity as an eco- friendly alternative form of transportation. With gas mileage between forty-five and fifty-five miles per gallon, Harley Davidson is more efficient than ninety-nine percent of the production vehicles. Fuel prices are expected to get worse over the foreseeable future and Harley is poised to take advantage of the peoples? demand for high mileage vehicles.