Harley-Davidson cofounder and avid pioneer motorcyclist Walter Davidson ca. 1906. Road surfaces life this were typical in America at the time, making the motorcycle an ideal form of transportation and sport.
"Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads." That may have been the case for time machines in 1985, but in 1906, most everyone in America desperately wished they had a decent road or two. The turn of the 20th century was a time of significant change in America, a moment when the country first began its transition into its modern form. It was a technological renaissance, a time of social, economic, and political growth which resulted in the emergence of American culture as we know it today. Within the bloom were new modes of transportation, giving birth to new industries, sports, and recreation. The rapid pace of change and innovation brought a need for new infrastructure. As was the case with much of the motorcycling world at the time, the roots of development and progress rest deep in the culture of bicycling. Many people would be surprised at just how much of what America has become today can trace its genesis to the bicycle.
The soaring popularity of the bicycle in America in the late-1800s marked the coming of a new era. Still, as the bicycle was refined from the comical Victorian Era high-wheelers into their modern form, enthusiasts found the surfaces on which they had to ride severely lacking. Enter cycling magnate and future auto/motorcycle pioneer Col. Albert Pope. As the godfather of the American bicycle, Pope recognized the value that social organization and activism brought to the business of selling bicycles. He formed the League of American Wheelmen in 1880, a national organization for cyclists to promote the active and ever-growing interest in cycling.
With the League's rapid expansion, Pope was presented with a platform to advocate the interests of cyclists. The core issue quickly became lobbying for improved infrastructure on a national scale. The League, with Pope at the helm, became one of the country's loudest voices for the construction of better quality roads. The Good Roads Movement gained momentum on both a local and national level, with Pope himself establishing more lobbying groups and funding courses at M.I.T. to study engineering road construction. Then, in 1893, with the support of Congress, the U.S. Department of Agriculture established the Office of Road Inquiry. At that time, less than 4% of roads were paved in America, and though no national project would begin for some time, it was a positive start.
As the daylight broke over a new century, the first automobiles and motorcycles were making their debut. The earliest motorized machines were often finicky and delicate, requiring an operator with nerve enough and a strong set of kidneys to conquer the poor state of roads at that time. In 1903, 26-year-old George Wymann, onboard his 1.25 HP California (Yale) motorcycle, endured a 50-day trek from San Francisco to New York City, frequently finding his machine stuck in mud or sand so deep that it stood upright on its own. Soon the feat would be accomplished by automobiles and later by avid long-distance riders like the legendary Erwin "Cannonball" Baker. America's early motorcycles not only proved themselves rugged and capable, but they also excelled as one of the most effective solutions to the state of the road conditions at the time. The motorcycle was practical enough to navigate the muddy washouts and potholes that dotted American thoroughfares, a fact that added to their wild popularity. They provided an agile and affordable mode of transportation that increased range, efficiency, and expense, quickly becoming an essential tool across several industries, including the U.S. Postal Service, law enforcement, and courier service. In 1904, just one year after Wyman's harrowing adventure, the first federal roads census revealed that just 141 miles of roads in the United States were paved.
The motorcycle's capability in such poor conditions had quickly proven itself in the worlds of industry and recreation. Still, naturally, having been born in the sporting world, a new form of competition soon emerged for motorcyclists. Endurance runs, timed races over long distances became an exhilarating aspect of the culture. Testing the limits of the motorcycle's durability and the rider's grit became a staple of early American motorcycle culture. Pioneer motorcycle brands like Indian and Harley-Davidson became staple entries at these grueling events, with their founders being the ones in the saddle more often than not. Harley-Davidson, a brand notorious for its lack of a full factory racing program in the grand age of the American motordrome, was a regular at these early endurance competitions. Success in an endurance event made for great advertising and promotional material. Still, co-founder Walter Davidson's passion for riding and competition was the driving force behind the company's interest and successes at the events.
This photo of Harley-Davidson co-founder Walter Davidson was snapped during one of those runs around 1906 and showcased the sad state of the typical American road at that time. An avid competitor, Walter Davidson routinely traveled the country to compete in road runs and endurance races. His victories often filled the trade articles, provided Harley-Davidson's advertising department with a testimony of their machine's prowess, and helped establish its reputation as a rugged, reliable, capable motorcycle in an ever-crowded marketplace. Davidson's frequent participation and success in endurance competitions made him somewhat of a mascot for the iconic motorcycle company in its early days. His victories provided much-needed visibility for the company and stood as a testament to the brand's quality, earning both the man and the business a reputation of excellence. For every archival photograph of the four founders of The Harley-Davidson Motor Company, one can find at least a half-dozen more of Walter Davidson mounted up with muddy tires or dusty goggles. Walter Davidson was the first champion of Harley-Davidson, a true sportsman, and a passionate, life-long motorcycle enthusiast.
By 1910, the motoring age had arrived. American motorcycle manufacturers numbered in the dozens, Henry Ford's Model T made its debut in 1908, and between 1900 and 1910, motor vehicle registration in America increased by 5,500%. The Office of Road Inquiry had continued to lobby for improvement with limited success. Still, by 1916 the demand was deafening, moving Congress to pass the Federal-Aid Road Act and the Federal-Aid Highway Program. The Great War stalled progress a bit, but further progress was made with the Federal Highway Act of 1921, which received an injection of funding and laborers during the Depression Era recovery efforts. Local and regional road campaigns continued to pull in funding, improve construction, and organize, with massive transcontinental highway projects like the Lincoln Highway of the 1920s and later the iconic Route 66 in the 1930s catering to and fueling an increasingly automobile-based America.
Eventually, paved roads connected all but the smallest towns and villages in America, while Eisenhower's high-speed ribbons of smooth concrete united the country in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1966 the U.S. Department of Transportation was formed, and the days of navigating muddy washouts, dusty alleyways, and avenues riddled with potholes had become all but a memory (maybe save for the potholes). It took the better part of a century to get a decent surface to ride on, but now a two-wheeled cross-country trip can be made comfortably at speeds only the fastest motorcyclists used to race. Photos like this one illustrate how far we've come and just how lucky enthusiasts are today. It also demonstrates the grit of pioneers like Walter Davidson, a true testament to what it meant to be an American motorcyclist in the era where the concept was defined.