Harley-Davidson's latest and greatest bikes
As part of Road Trip 2010, CNET reporter Daniel Terdiman got a chance to see how Harley-Davidson makes its motorcycles. Here, racks of power trains stand at the ready.
(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET)YORK, Pa.--Take the world's most iconic motorcycles. And take industrial geekiness at its best. Mix the two. And what you get is what I'm looking at: the production lines of the 2011 model year Harley-Davidson touring, Softtail and "trike" motorcycles.
I've come here as part of Road Trip 2010 knowing that there are few ways more popular among those who travel the highways of America than Harleys. When planning this visit, I had in mind the motorcycle version of the story and photo package I did on the Corvette assembly plant in Bowling Green, Ky., on Road Trip 2008. And looking out at this production floor, I am not at all disappointed.
The only complication is that the timing of my arrival here in York is about three weeks before Harley's annual dealers show in Las Vegas, and those hundreds of people have yet to lay their own eyes on the 2011 bikes--so because offering my readers photographs of the production line was so important to me, I agreed to let Harley take the pictures, at my direction, and hold on to them until the dealers were let in on what the new year's models had in store.
Click here for a full photo gallery on the production of the new 2011 Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
And that's where we are now.
As any Harley aficionado probably knows, the company has several factories besides York: Kansas City, Mo., where motorcycles are assembled, and two in Wisconsin, where power trains are made.
This is new to me because, I admit, I'm not someone steeped in the Harley mystique. But I know that mystique when I see it--after all, I've traveled tens of thousands of miles around the United States and I've certainly seen my share of people riding the famous bikes.
Here in York, anyway, it's all about three things: fabrication, assembly, and painting. That means huge, powerful presses that pound sheets of steel into things like fenders, gas tanks, and many other parts; putting those parts together so that what comes off the line looks something like a Harley-Davidson; and finally, painting those almost-Harleys and having them emerge as the real deal.
And it's quite impressive, these different elements. For example, the 400-ton progressive die press that we've walked by can be configured to make 22 different parts. Or a robot on the line can pick up a piece of sheet steel, lay it on a table and pound out a front fender in just 29 seconds.
The rear fenders, on the other hand, are done manually on a deep draw hydraulic press--because they're done with heavier gauge metal--and are then passed on to a carbon dioxide laser that focuses a concentrated beam on the steel and trims out all the little holes that are required.
"Jiffy stands"
One of the fun things about this visit is seeing all the little pieces that go into making a Harley. In one place, it's a huge bin full of foot plates. In another, it's the production of the "jiffy stands," or kick stands, done by putting bars into induction ovens, where they are shaped in just 11 seconds at 1,950 degrees Fahrenheit.
And it's the hollow steel tubes--the forks--that have to be individually X-rayed to ensure that they have no cracks.
A Harley touring motorcycle comes down the production line.
(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET)It takes the workers here about two hours to put together one of the seven models of motorcycles they make. But the process that has been practiced here for years is about to change. The York factory is consolidating, and changes are coming. Instead of, for example, bikes being elevated and suspended, in the near future, Harleys made here will be brought through the factory on magnetic strips that can easily be changed in order to modify the line.
Still, for now, the old process governs, and it all begins with a two-piece frame and the stamping on of a vehicle identification number. Next comes the powertrain--just the first major element of a total of 1,300 parts that go on a Harley. Next up is the rear-end of a bike's frame, onto which goes the fender, the luggage carrier, the tail lights, and so on.
Once a Harley is finished--it needs to be painted before it's done, of course--it goes to final inspection, where they check its speed by riding the bike on rollers, as well as its operation in all six of its gears.
The general public is always welcome on tours in York, but one thing I got to see that most don't is the production line for the "trikes," the increasingly popular three-wheeled Harleys. These have grown massively in popularity in recent years, and the company is now making a new line of trikes instead of simply retrofitting two-wheelers.
All in all, the process isn't that complicated. It's certainly not a complex as making a Corvette. But it's no less exciting watching these machines go from a collection of disparate parts to something that can take someone on the adventure of a lifetime.
I may not be a motorcycle rider myself, but I certainly understand adventure. And coming here to watch other people's fantasies made real is a big part of mine.
For the next week, Geek Gestalt will be on Road Trip 2010. After driving more than 18,000 miles in the Rocky Mountains, the Pacific Northwest, the Southwest and the Southeast over the last four years, I'll be looking for the best in technology, science, military, nature, aviation and more throughout the American Northeast. If you have a suggestion for someplace to visit, drop me a line. In the meantime, you can follow my progress on Twitter @GreeterDan and @RoadTrip and find the project on Facebook. And you can also test your knowledge of the U.S. and try to win a prize in the Road Trip Picture of the Day challenge.
Daniel Terdiman is a staff writer at CNET News covering games, Net culture, and everything in between. E-mail Daniel. 
While they may not be completely out of business in 10-15 years, there are certainly elements of truth in the statements about increased pricing and an aging fanbase. As a younger rider, I see no benefit to what a Harley offers at a premium cost versus their competitors
Perhaps I am misusing the term "balanced". But I believe we are both referring to the same thing - Harley engines do not fire at even 360 degree intervals, but rather in gaps of 315 degrees and 405 degrees, as described here:
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question325.htm
While this allows Harley to hold a copyright on the sound, I am sure this is not the only thing from other companies from producing engines with such an uneven firing order - ie it is not exactly a superior engine architecture.
Also I still would love to hear a sales pitch of why somebody like myself should buy a Harley. And this sales pitch cannot rely on "the sound" or "they're cool" or "American classic" etc. Also keep in mind my first bike was 1978 Honda CB550, which ran great, so claiming Harley has superior quality over foreign bikes is a tall claim to me.
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You could not be more correct, Harley has been riding the coat tails of their name for way to long, the only thing that would make owning one of these junkers better, is getting a free mechanic to ride with you to fix all the problems along the way.
Based on the writer's article, Harley has nothing against technology or using it to produce what their customers want. Their customers want exactly what they make. I give HD a lot of credit for understanding that.
@squashman lots of new york workers are that far out, most take a train, though.
a motorized bike is second only to a pedaled bike in terms of fuel economy.
"You go out and ride fast for an hour or so, stop at a roadside bar for a beer, have several and when you come out after an hour, that Harley is going kink-twink-twink-kink 'cause it's still cooling down. That, by God, is a motorcycle and that, by God, is a Harley."
It also didn't mention what Harley is doing to make their engines run better. They seem to have some kind of problem because most riders have to keep gunning them all the time, just like I have to do to keep my 30-year old chain saw running.
I have no objection to motorcycles, but I think all motor vehicle operators must obey the same laws and to respect the rights of others, and that includes not making excessive and unnecessary noise (not to mention speed laws). For example, if a car or even a truck made anywhere close to the same amount of noise as a Harley, the driver would receive a noise citation, but apparently Harleys are exempt from this for reasons I cannot understand.
In the old days motorcycles were louder than cars because you couldn't put a decent muffler on a small, low-powered machine, but I've noticed that modern high-quality Japanese and German bikes make a fraction of the sound of Harleys - probably another area where American technology is behind.
The bottom line is that the joy one person receives from riding a Harley should not infringe upon the rights of others to be free from excessive and unnecessary noise.
for those who don't get the biting sarcasm in your comment, allow me to explain...
Buell was America's ONLY sportbike company (that produced in non-custom volumes).
Buell was actually quite cutting edge in some design elements, and finally had a good engine going (made by Rotax....which is an AUSTRIAN company).
Harley owned Buell...and killed Buell last October.
If I had to ride one for an hour, I would get drunk too.,
(sorry if this posts twice; the comment box was acting funny)
Some of you obviously own a computer but most of you do not own or ride a motorcycle, you have no business commenting on this article.
Leave the comments to the ones that actually know what riding a motorcycle is. Geeks.
And rasping down the cobbled thruways of lower Manhattan in too low a gear on too much bike.
Otherwise, I totally don't get what is the attraction all about. I do think their fan-base will be dying off.
That said, I would rather have a road full of Harleys than the other rice burners that are sold. I can hear a Harley a mile away coming up behind me, I know where that rider is when I'm going to change lanes and I can hear him when he passes.
I know the horror I felt when changing lanes moving right with nothing in my rear view only to have to swerve back left in the nick of time to avoid a green helmeted Kawasaki rider looking at me through the passenger side window of my truck in the slow lane....never heard him coming up on my right. Loud pipes save lives!
Ha! My husband (not a geek) and I would love to buy a trike, but will have to wait for the price to come down a bit. Thanks for the article.
Small phallus support system.
- by sosowhat August 2, 2010 10:26 AM PDT
- Since I am a Harley rider the enjoyment my wife and I receive from pleasure riding is something that those who do not ride will never understand. Now you can go back and start arguing about iphone and android with your small phallus sized brain.
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- by August 2, 2010 10:58 AM PDT
- I've ridden off and on for that last 38 years. I completely undrestand the thrill of the ride. If I had much more money expendable income, I might waste some of it on a Harley too - maybe a few different kinds. But since I don't have that luxury, I have to be strategic with my money, and basically cringe at wasting it (especially on toys), and prefer expensive motorized things which actually perform well, I've got to go with any Japanese sport-touring bike over any Harley. The performance technology atually makes those bikes safer to rise as well. But the point really is why on CNET? Maybe the the author was impressed with the manufacturing, but the engineering is still extremely outdated, and there's nothing technologically new enough to mention on CNET.
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