Hog Heaven: The Story Of The Harley-Davidson Empire
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Just a few brief years ago, Harley-Davidson was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and extinction. We'll see how they got to that point, fought to survive and finally prospered as we take our cameras into the Harley world. It's an American story about four young men who believed in the future and thought they'd put the world on two-wheels. In 1903, the three Davidson brothers and William Harley, launched this now global marketing wonder in a ten-by-twelve foot shed behind the Davidson family's home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For years they struggled to become the best motorcycle manufacturers in America. One by one their competitors fell away. By 1953, they were the only company still building motorcycles in the U.S. But motorcycling was developing a bad reputation. Films like, "The Wild One," starring Marlon Brando, stigmatized the riders by showing them as fist-fighting, hard-drinking outlaws. The 1960s saw "Easy Rider" hit the screens and bikers once again were cast as outsiders. At the same time a new rival, Honda, was selling its little bikes as the kind of machine on which you'd meet the nicest people. Not only were the people supposed to be nicer, the bikes actually were well built and reliable. Like US automakers, Harley-Davidson had to overcome its quality problems or risk going out of business. They had a loyal following but that wouldn't last forever. In one of the most remarkable turn-arounds in American business, Harley-Davidson reinvented itself while keeping what its fans held most dear. Harleys are better than ever and showing the world that America can compete in the global marketplace. It's an icon and a success story but to most it's an adventure.