The Best Idea Yet - 🏍️ Harley-Davidson: Tattoo’d on 700,000 Biceps | 46

Episode Date: August 26, 2025

It started with a souped-up bicycle inspired by a vaudeville show, and the need for speed. The dream – shared by four Harley brothers and one Davidson – came true, and became one of America’s most iconic companies. But their real innovation? Myth-building.These machines roared through death-defying races and two world wars to start an entire subculture built around the open road…and became a symbol of freedom, defiance, and American grit.Along the way, the bikes became machines of contradiction: beloved by outlaws and police, favored by rebels and retirees. And from the silver screen of Easy Rider to the suburban streets of weekend warriors, Harley became not just a way to ride, but a way to belong. And under the tattoos and leather chaps was a brand constantly reinventing itself — surviving quality scandals, foreign competitors, and a botched corporate buy-out.Find out how a thirsty pig in a murderdrome gave the company its nickname (HOG), why greybeard marketing can be more magical than Gandalf, and why Harley-Davidson is the best idea yet.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to the best idea yet early and ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondry app or on Apple Podcasts. Jack, if you absolutely just had to have a brand logo tattooed on your body, what would it be? Where would it be? A tattoo? Answered like a guy who doesn't have any, I got to point out. Brand tattoo. I thought you would do calf tag. Yeah.

You were going to get Ben on one calf and Jerry on the other calf. And like together, it's like a Ben and Jerry situation on both legs. That would be on point. It would work. It would work. What about you, dude? Oh, you mean, if I did, but I already did, Jack. Would you do?

You ready? One sec. I just got to take off my shirt. What do you see on this left bicep, Jack? That's the logo of this podcast. Yeah, it is. The best idea yet. Yeah, yeah.

She struggled with the font at first, and I'm not going to lie, there are some tears involved, but the show's going to last forever. She said, this thing will, too. Wait, is that real? It is. Oh, my goodness. I know, and Jack, you know what? It was a two-for-one special that day, so there's another surprise I got coming at you later in the episode. Yeties, did you know that one of the most tattooed logos in history is not this podcast, it's Harley Davidson?

That's right, an estimated 700,000 of those tattoos worldwide. Today's subject signifies freedom, rebellion, and life on the open road more than any other. It's the dawn of a new era at Harley Davidson. Together we dream, and united we ride. Harley Davidson, the nearly $3 billion publicly traded motorcycle company with an attitude that screams you can look, but you can't touch. Don't you dare. It's one of the rare products to hit all five senses.

From the sound of thunder to the heat of that chassis to the taste of freedom. Harley even tried to trademark the sound of its engine. Out of all the viral products we've covered on this show so far, none carry as deep a brand commitment as the Harley. For what other brand? Would you drop 25K, strap on some other chaps in 100 degree heat, and just sit on it all day long? Riders are as loyal to the screaming eagle logo as they are to their own mothers.

Jack, how about the motorcycle clubs? You got the Mongols, the Warlocks, and the Hells Angels, each of them operating like little fiefdoms with deeper backstories than Game of Thrones. Beyond the bike, beyond the community, you buy a Harley for the tension-packed values it stands for. It's part machine, but it's part art. Open roads, but closed clubs. rebellion from the rules, but strict rules around the brand.

Harley hates posers, and yet it sells over $200 million of merch every year. But it didn't start out that way, did it, my friend? In this episode, we'll hear how the founders, three Davidson brothers and one Harley, got inspired by a vaudeville show to strap a motor to a bicycle. And we'll tell you why the best brand insights don't come from the focus groups. They come from the fringes. Will Gen Z's hips ever hug a Harley? Who knows?

We call it the midlife crisis strategy, and we'll tell you if it's working. Oh, and don't worry, by the way. By the end of this episode, you'll know your shovel head from your knucklehead. Nick, I'm going to go put on my custom chaps, but it's nothing compared to your tattoo. Yeah, I got to put my shirt back on, Jack,

and I think I got to ice this thing. It's pretty fresh. Yeties, here is why Harley Davidson is the best idea yet. From Wondery and T-Boy, I'm Nick. Martell, and I'm Jack Kravici Kramer, and this is the best idea yet. The untold origin stories of the products you're obsessed with, and the bold risk takers who made them go viral. Accidents happen daily, but there's nothing routine about the damage they cause.

The right personal injury lawyer understands the physical and emotional challenges you face following an injury. While we can't take away your pain, learners' experience trial lawyers can help you navigate the complex legal issues on your recovery journey. When you suffer an accident, get the care and compensation you deserve with a learner's lawyer. Visit learnerspersonalinjury.ca.ca.com.ca. today. That's learnerspersonal injury.ca. What if I told you that the crime of the century is happening right now?

From coast to coast, people are fleeing flames, wind, and water. Nature is telling us, I can't take this anymore. These are the stories we need to be telling about our changing planet. Stories of scams, murders, and cover-ups and the things we're doing to either protect

the earth or destroy it. This is Lawless Planet. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondry app. or wherever you get your podcasts. Laughter, cheers, and loud ragtime tunes ring out from a marquee lit theater on a cold Wisconsin night in Milwaukee. On stage, a chorus line of dancers' parts

a curtain opens and outbursts the star of the show. The flamboyant Broadway star, Anna Held. She's dressed in a large, brimmed hat, a feather boa, with an oversized peacock tank. strapped right to her back. But she's upstaged by the very thing that's transporting her across the stage. A bizarre tricycle

with a puttering engine. The audience laughs. The show moves on. But two guys in the back row are transfixed. Because while everyone else saw a punchline on wheels, these guys saw the future of freedom and the open road. It's 1901, and these two men are William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson.

They're both 20 years old, and they grew up on the same street in Milwaukee, and they're both obsessed with bicycles. They also both work at the same manufacturing company. Will Harley is a draftsman, drawing up designs for mechanical parts, and Art Davidson is a pattern maker, building molds for casting metal components. So, Jack, our two buddies leave the theater, throw their legs over their bicycles, and face the long, cold, wobbly ride home. And as they do, they just can't stop talking about that motorized truck.

bicycle from the show. They'd just never seen anything like it before. And then Will hits the brakes, skits to a stop. And he says, we should build one. But instead of three wheels, it should have two, a motorized bicycle. At this time in 1901, transportation in America is transforming. Railroads are crisscrossing the country. The Wright brothers over in Ohio fits bicycles by day so they can build the first airplane by night. And up in Detroit, Henry Ford is hard at work on what will be his first mass market transportation machine. Basically, the horse is getting disrupted. So when it comes to ways of getting from A to B, invention is in the air.

And now, Will & Art have caught the buck. Now, there are already a handful of factories making motorized bicycles or motor cycles in the United States. But they're underpowered. The engine is more like an add-on. You still need to pedal, especially uphill. Will and Art wants something faster, more reliable, and simply put, enjoyable. So they start building their own machine from scratch.

These two 20-year-olds have a shoestring budget, so they improvise. They even use a recycled tomato can for the carburetor. Carburetors are the engine chambers where gas and air mixed together. You don't need to be a mechanic to know that using a tin can is a, how would you put it, a non-standard modification. Technically, their motor runs, but barely. Like every other motorcycle out there,

this bike cannot get up hills. So to get any further, Art and will need help. Luckily, Art knows just the person, his brother, Walter. Walter Davidson's been working on the railroad all the live-long day. He's a machinist, and he's out in Kansas, building precision parts for locomotives. He also happens to be a self-taught electrician, and he used to race bicycles. Walter has exactly the skills that Art has. and will need.

So when Walter comes home for a family visit, he follows Will and Art into the backyard for the big unveil. Art cranks the pedals and the engine sputters to life. To Art, this is his beautiful bait. But to Walter, well, Walter just rolls his eyes. Look at this weak, a little Frankenbike, held together with pipe dreams and pink cans.

But then Walter takes a closer look at the design drawings and he whips out a pencil. He goes, hey, maybe we lose the whole thing. tomato can. And that 116 Cc-sized motor? Yeah, let's triple that. You want it to go up hills, right? We've got to add power. So within a few weeks,

they get a version two. It's bigger, it's stronger, and it's got way more soul. Now, there's only one way to see if it all works together. Someone has got to take this puppy for a test drive. Now, we should point out, that homemade engine is a few loose bolts away from being a homemade

explosive device. But that doesn't worry Walter. He hops on the bike, and takes off down a rugged path. Will and Art wait anxiously? Half expected to hear a huge crash. But after a few minutes, the throaty chug of the engine, their engine, it breaks the silence. The bike is still in one piece,

and Walter is still on the saddle, grinning like a madman. Reality check, the bike isn't moving up much more than a jogging pace, but it's fast enough to give Walt a rush of excitement. Walter pulls up, heart-bounding, eyes wild. He turns to his brother, And he says, we got to add more power. Arthur just shakes his head.

Too dangerous, too loud. The Walter just smiles wider. That's exactly what this thing needs. Soon, another Davidson brother, also called William, pitches in to help. And for anyone keeping track, we've now got three Davidson's, Art, Walt, and William, and one Harley. Also, William.

And at the moment, just one bike. That's it. But they're just getting. started. In 1903, Harley and the Davidson's built just three motorcycles. That's it. But they do make their first sale to a local resident. It's not huge, but it's a start.

They're officially a business, no longer amateur tinkerers. By 1906, they build 50 bikes. Okay. And move into a proper factory in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which is still Harley Davidson H.Q. to this day. And as they grow, they keep refining. They build custom frames strong enough to hold the growing motors, which are gaining horsepower with each and every iteration. And new ignitions means starting the engines gets easier each and every time. By 1908, they produce 450 bikes a year and hit two big milestones. First, a Chicago man named Carl H. Lang establishes the first Harley-Davidson

dealership. And this is a big deal because of what he does at the dealership. He sets a a motorcycle club for his customers. The idea is to get together to cruise around the city, go off on weekend trips, and bond over the bikes. This is the birth of the Harley-Davidson community, and it's basically the heart of the company's success for the next century. Now, the second milestone of 1908 is a race that Walter Davidson enters. It's a grueling 170-mile endurance run all the way from the Catskill Mountains

in upstate New York, down through the city, and then you hang a left and go all the way around Long Island. The upper part of this course winds through mountainous terrain that one reporter called the most strenuous test of motorcycles which has ever been made. But that little machine takes every bump, every climb, every mile, and it wins. And with this win, Harley Davidson goes from regional curiosity to national fame. But 1908 also brings a challenge. A major challenge.

Yeah. Because remember how Henry Ford had been working hard on his own project up in Detroit? Well, 1908 is the year that he launches the Model T automobile. And America falls hard for full wheels. The Model T is marketed as safe, comfortable, family friendly. Meanwhile, a motorcycle kind of looks like a death wish with handlebars and no room for a kiddo. And I think it's the reason my mom made my dad sell as Harley right before I was born. My mom and my dad

sell his bike right after I was born too. Are you kidding? Either way Harley and the Davidson's need a new angle because of competition from the Model T. They need a new message for a new kind of rider. Because if they don't shift gear soon, they're going to crash and burn.

Today's show is brought to you by Amazon Small Business. Nick and I are obsessed with this hot, crispy, chili oil called Boone. Yeah, it's great. Spicy, crunchy, goes on everything. Pasta, pizza, even paella, total game changer for my fridge.

Okay, but yeties, here's what's wild. This incredible chili oil is actually from a small company in Los Angeles. And when I ran out recently, I was amazed I could get it delivered the very next day because this small business chili oil it's on Amazon.

And that's part of a bigger story. Did you know more than 60% of sales in Amazon store are from independent sellers, most of which are small and medium-sized businesses? That means your next go-to sauce, soap, or skin care routine might come from a local small business, not a big corporation. Here's the thing besties. Most small businesses want to focus on what they do best, making amazing products.

But handling the storing, the bagging, the delivery, that's the tricky part. And that is where Amazon steps in. By handling fulfillment and shipping logistics, Amazon helps small businesses get their products out into the world fast. It's a partnership that goes together like, well, boon, chili oil, and just about everything. So the next time you're shopping, think small. Check out Amazon.com slash support small. In 1925, 18-year-old Howard Hughes inherited a fortune,

and he wasted no time putting it to use. With a million dollars burning a hole in his pocket, he headed west determined to conquer America's booming new capital of entertainment, Hollywood. Hi, I'm Lindsay Graham, host of Wondry Show business movers. We tell the true stories of business leaders who risked it all, the critical moments that define their journey, and the ideas that transform the way we live our lives. In our latest series, Howard Hughes clashes with Hollywood's power players as he fights to see his

name in lights. But Howard has deep pockets and even deeper ambitions, and he revolutionizes the movie business by breaking rules and spending big, because for Howard, the best way to level Hollywood's playing field is to explode the entire industry. Follow business movers on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes of business movers early and add free right now by joining Wondry Plus. A dozen riders cling to the screaming bikes as they whip around bend so steep, they're nearly vertical. The circular track they're racing on isn't made from asphalt, but entirely out of a million wooden boards, which is why it's known as a toothpick track.

But it has another more sinister nickname. Welcome to the Murder Drome. The Murder Drome. Technically, it's actually called the Motor Drome, but... After a few too many fatal crashes, including spectators being taken out by flying bikes, the nickname, oh, it sticks. After a few laps, you're dodging oil slicks, flaming bike racks, and fallen riders. The daredevils who raced in the murder drone were total lunatics.

And also, absolute legends of their age. And Harley Davidson has its very own team competing, which they call the wrecking crew. I mean, Jack, this reminds me of the strategy that we'll see from Ferrari a couple decades. later, compete in popular sports to win the love and respect to fans before parlaying that fame into marketability and consumer sales. And Harley's latest bike, the Model 7D, is dominating the murder drum. Every win boosts Harley's reputation, like Maximus Decimus Meridius crushing skulls in the Coliseum. Are you not entertained by that torque? And every engineering breakthrough made to survive these brutal tracks helps make Harley's tougher, faster, and better built

than ever. We call this R&D and M, research and development and marketing. Introduced in 1911, this 7D bike is faster than any Harley-Davidson before, topping out at around 60 miles per hour. Now, you may not be impressed by that top speed by today's standards, but keep in mind, the Model T car was only going 45 miles per hour tops. At Harley's speed boost, it's thanks to a major new innovation. A new, more powerful, V-Twin, two-cylinder engine. It's called a V-twin because the cylinders are arranged in a V-shaped, and twin because there are two cylinders.

And one of the hallmarks of a V-twin engine is that classic deep, throaty throttle sound that makes you think of a Harley Davidson. Rebellious type fell in love with the Harley from their performance at the murder drums and the powerful roar of the V-Twin engine. It's this moment that the modern Harley brand identity really takes form. And Harley prices this 70 bike at $300, around 10 grand in today's money, or just about what you'd spend on the cheapest Harley model in 2025, and Harley's manufacturing 5,000 of them in this very first year.

By 1912, there are over 200 Harley dealers in the U.S. But Nick, guess who is one of the biggest and earliest and most surprising bulk buyers of motorcycles. Who was it? Who was it? Police departments. Because with more motorists on the road, there's more traffic violations, and motorbikes have the speed and nimbleness to dodge traffic and pursue perps. Jack, no better customer than one with a fresh annual budget. In 1917, the U.S. enters World War I and companies brace for impact. And as you've heard from previous episodes of this show, World War I means materials will be rationed, factories will be repurposed, and civilian sales could dry up.

Harley Davidson sees something else. They see opportunity, because if they can convince the army that motorcycles belong on the battlefield, then maybe Harley Davidson could actually come out stronger on the other side. Somewhere in northern France, a U.S. Army scout blasts across a cratered battlefield on an olive green army issue motorcycle. Suddenly, from the tree line ahead comes the flash of enemy gunfire. The scout's training instantly kicks in. He pulls his bike into an extreme slide.

He's basically executing a controlled fall to the ground. As the bullets continue to zing around him, he pulls out a grenade, pulls out the pin, and lobs it toward the tree line. The explosion throws up a screen of earth and rocks, an improvised smoke screen. The scout then leaps back onto his bike, guns the engine, and speeds right back toward the friendly lines to deliver his intel on the enemy's position. His bike is one of the more than 20,000 that Harley Davidson supplies to the U.S. Army for use in World War I. If we suppose $300 per bike, that would be $6 million in cycle sales for Harley to the U.S. Army,

worth more than $150 million in today's money. That'll more than just keep you in business. that'll transform you into a freedom-fighting brand. Yeah, just ask Jeep. But bikes aren't the only thing that Harley-Davidson lends to the war effort. Harley offers to provide free maintenance training for all the military mechanics.

Here's what Harley-Davidson is thinking. All of those soldiers who get trained up on riding and repairing Harley-Davidson bikes, they're going to come home as loyal Harley-Davidson riders. Because once you've ridden a Harley through the literal hell of war in back, You are loyal to that machine. So Harley Davidson offers free education to the U.S. Army to train mechanics to help win the war.

But this is the key. Harley is also indoctrinating that first generation of hardcore Harley fans. During World War I, the company also launches The Enthusiast, a magazine for service members overseas. Part tech tips, part home front updates, part emotional lifeline. Harley just jumped into the media industry, like the Condi Nast of horsepower. And it's working, it's building a community, Jack. Soldiers start writing in from the front lines, sharing stories of their trusty Harley-Davidson's and their plans to hit the open road when they can return home from the war and see their wives.

And when the war ends, Harley-Davidson is ready to welcome them with open saddlebags. And we see it in the numbers. By 1920, Harley-Davidson is building around 30,000 bikes a year and selling, through more than 2,000 dealerships in 67 different countries. As the Roaring 20s War, Harley Davidson makes a strategic shift. It starts to consider aesthetics in addition to performance. They streamline the body and add their now iconic teardrop-shaped gas tank. For the first time, Harley doesn't just care about how it rides, but how it looks doing it.

Fashion is catching up to function. Add it all up, and by the late 1921, Harley Davidson is the biggest motorcycle maker in the world. Harley has created, dominated, and run away with an entirely new industry, beloved by veterans, embraced by cops, and stylish enough to make a dance and flap or do a double-take. When the Great Depression hits, William Harley doesn't want to hunker down. In fact, he wants to double down on Harley Davidson's growing image for speed, style, and attitude. So he sets his engineering team to work on something audacious.

An all-new model that will define the look, sound, and the soul of Harley Davidson for generations. The sand of Daytona Beach isn't your typical Florida suns-out, guns-out beach scene with bottles of Hawaiian tropic. This Atlantic Ocean sand is empty and packed hard. The sky's wide open and the tide is out and that roar you hear and isn't the ocean. It's motorcycle racing champion Joe Petrally gunning his Harley Davidson along the beach. The crowd leans forward as Joe rockets past in a blur. The speedometer on his bike clocks 80, 90, 100. When Joe Petrale flies across the finish line, he clocks 136 miles per hour.

It is a new land speed record set in 1937, and it will stand for the next 11 years. For Joe, it's a career high. For Harley Davidson, it's the kind of publicity that money can't buy. The bike Joe's riding is a modified version of the newest Harley Davidson called the Model E.L. Better known by its nickname, the knucklehead, because of how the pistons on the top of the engine make it look like a clenched fist. This machine, it has a new frame, a new engine, and it's double the horsepower of anything they've made before.

In fact, every one of the huge Harley-Dohs, Harley Cruisers traces its DNA right back to the knucklehead on this beach in Florida. The record-breaking run by Joe Petrally gets people talking about Harley Davidson like it's the Fifth Kardashian. Totally. And those conversations kickstart sales. And just in time. Because a few years later, the world goes to war again.

Three of the four original founders are gone and only Art Davidson is left. But by this point, Harley Davidson is a major, major. manufacturer, with the capability to build more than 88,000 motorcycles for American troops and their allies. And just like in World War I, Harley Davidson trains U.S. Army mechanics to keep the bikes running. So when tens of thousands of Harley riding GIs come home from the Second World War, the trust Harley earned on the battlefields translates to loyalty in the marketplace. And those veterans put what they learned in the field into practice on their new rides to make them their own.

They modify the frames, they chop off parts, and they add new ones to achieve a unique look. This is exactly where the word chopper comes from, like chopped down bikes that were built to go faster and look more badass. It also spawned countless custom reality shows like American Chopper filling up the entire Discovery Channel lineup. Now, some of Harley Davidson's engineers can't stand seeing customers chopping up. They're carefully designed bikes.

But there's one person who thinks this is awesome, and he's not even on the payroll. Nick, he's actually still in high school. Jack, are you talking about Willie G. Davidson? Willie G. Yeah, the grandson of co-founder William Davidson. Okay, we've lost count of how many Williams and Davidson's are involved now. So like I said, let's just call this guy Willie G. And Jack, when young Willie G. sees these wild homemade choppers out in the world, he gets it.

To him, these aren't scrap heap monstrosities. They're love letters by some of the most devoted Harley riders out there. And these riders are forming clubs where they ride, swap stories, and live out the freedom they fought for overseas. That original idea to foster a community around Harley Davidson, we are seeing it right here in full bloom. Unfortunately, though, it's about to produce some bad seeds. In 1947, the American Motorcyclist Association hosts a rally in Hollister, California.

It's a quiet little town, an hour and a half south of San Francisco, so this should be a chill weekend for motorcycle enthusiasts to meet up and trade some road stories. Except over 4,000 bikers show up. They drink. They party. They race. And they repeat. By the time the dust saddles, the town looks like it's been hit by a leather tornado.

The newspapers call it the Hollister riot, and America starts taking on a new impression of bikers as lawless hooligans. Eight months later, the Hells Angels are officially founded in California, and it becomes the world's most powerful decentralized fraternity in history. A lot of them are ex-military, and they even take their name from a World War II Air Force bombing unit, Hells Angels. With that shared veteran background, they build their own code. Brotherhood, loyalty, no rules, but their own. Hollywood takes notice.

In 1953, Marlon Brando stars in The Wild One as a brooding anti-hero in a leather jacket slouched on a motorcycle. Elvis Presley spends his first big paycheck on buying a Harley-Davidson, young men across America, and beyond. They start dreaming of the open road, the wind, and the attitude because of what they're seeing on the screen. In 1969, Easy Rider hits theaters, following a pair of rebels with Harley Choppers on a cross-country counterculture odyssey. All of these movies cement Harley's image as the ride of the outlaw. It is great for street cred, but get this, it's actually not great for sales. For every kid dreaming of rebellion and driving a Harley, there's a parent crossing Harley off the shopping list. Meanwhile, there's also a new challenge that is roaring down the road.

cheaper, faster, smoother bikes built in Japan. Harley's got to step it up, or they'll be left in the dust. How hard is it to kill a planet? Maybe all it takes is a little drilling, some mining, and a whole lot of carbon pumped into the atmosphere. When you see what's left, it starts to look like a crime scene. Are we really safe? Is our water safe? You destroyed our time.

And crimes like that, they don't just happen. We call things accidents. There is no accident. This was 100% preventable. They're the result of choices by people. Ruthless oil tycoons, corrupt politicians, even organized crime. These are the stories we need to be telling about our changing planet. Stories of scams, murders, and cover-ups that are about us.

And the things we're doing to either protect the Earth or destroy it. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondry app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes of Lawless Planet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondry Plus in the Wondry app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. It's your man, Nick Cannon, and I'm here to bring you my new podcast, Nick Cannon at night. I've heard y'all been needing some advice in the love department. So who better to help than yours truly? No, I'm serious.

Every week I'm bringing out some of my celebrity friends and the best experts in the business. to answer your most intimate relationship questions. Having problems with your man, we got you. Catching feelings for your sneaky link? Let's make sure it's the real deal first. Ready to bring toys into the bedroom? Let's talk about it. Consider this a non-judgment zone

to ask your questions when it comes to sex and modern dating in relationships, friendships, friendships, situationships, and everything in between. It's going to be sexy, freaky, messy, and you know what? You'll just have to watch this show. So don't be shy. Join the conversation and head over to YouTube.

to watch Nick Cannon at night or subscribe on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcast. Want to watch episodes early and app-free? Join Wondery Plus right now. Grab a lucky strike and a shot at Jim Beam because by the 1960s, the Harley Outlaw image is at full throttle.

But Jack, where does that leave the good folks whose idea of rebellion is wearing Birkenstock, instead of biker boots to the office. The reality is that some people just want a cheaper way to get to work. Yeah. Especially with traffic clogging up city streets. With the rise of the car in the suburbs, the commute has become a noun in America and not a fun one.

And that's the gap Japanese bike maker Honda sees. Now, Honda's only been making motorbikes for like 20 years at this point. So Harley, yeah, they got a head start. But in terms of sales, Honda's been yanking on the accelerator. In fact, they've overtaken Harley as the world's biggest motorbike manufacturer. When Honda arrives in America in 1959, motorbike sales in the U.S. are around 60,000, while sales in Japan are more like 600,000. So Honda has locked in the Asian market, and now they're gunning for the U.S.

And Honda takes a counterintuitive approach in this new country that prioritizes size, America. Bigger maybe isn't better. Honda bikes, they're way smaller, they're way cheaper, and they're way more reliable than Harley's. And Honda capitalizes on this in their marketing. Because while Harley is selling grit, danger, and size, Honda is selling the opposite image. Simple, safe, and small. Suddenly, motorcycles aren't for outlaws, nonconformists. They're for college kids and commuters. In 1960, Honda sells around 3,000 motorbikes in the U.S. But by 1969, they're selling more than 300,000 per year. Okay, how about our buddies over at Harley? They're selling just 27,000. Harley is getting outsold 10 to 1 by Honda, and they

become financially desperate. So in 1969, Harley accepts a buyout from AMF, the American machine and foundry company. AMF is the company famous for making both. bowling balls and bowling pins. You may have played at one of their bowling spots. And once they're in control of Harley, AMF tries streamlining the company with layoffs, cost cuts, and assembly line speedups. Classic private equity moves.

Quality falls into the gutter, and Harley Davidson gets a bad reputation, even among its diehard fans. But before you give up on Harley, in the middle of all of this, one person still believes Willie G. Davidson. Willie G. The last time we saw him,

he was graduating high school and heading off to college. Well, now Willie G. is back at the family firm and he's gone full like this guy's got the bandana the beard and the chaps oh and even though the company has been taken over by amf willie g is still a vice president overseeing design now willy g wants harley davidson to lean into its chopper culture to him that represents the true essence of harley davidson rebellions self-reliance individualism something that the company has just lost along the way so willie Pitches something radical.

What if Harley Davidson builds custom-style bikes straight from the Harley factory? Okay. Instead of making customers chop up their Harleys, let's chop them up for them. It's the bike equivalent of pre-torn jeans. Yeah, work for Levi's. May as well work for Harley. So in 1971, Harley-Davidson rolls out the Superglide. The Superglide.

Later, they come out with the lowrider. These bikes are sleek or leaner, mean, or straight from the outlaw. playbook. Willie is helping Harley reclaim its soul. But there is another problem. Oh boy. These bikes looked apart, but they're still plagued with quality issues thanks to AMF's obsession with cost cuts. So behind the scenes, Willie G is frustrated. And by 1981, the company that built its name on grit and guts is just weeks away from shutting its doors forever. Jack, our boy, Willie G, he just can't take it anymore. So he gets together with 12 senior executives. People who share his love for the company, the bikes, and the images family built. And they take a huge gamble that

they're the ones who can turn it around. So in 1981, they buy the company back from AMF for $80 million, getting most of the money from loans. So this is a classic leveraged buyout. And with Willie G in the saddle, they try to shift the battlefield. Instead of trying to out-engineer the Japanese, hardly doubles down on what they are selling. Identity. As their new slogan puts it, American by birth, rebel by choice.

Prior jack. Instead of turning into the competition, they opt to be the biggest version and loudest version of themselves as possible. And they make some other strategic moves too. They actually pull back on the number of bikes they produce to focus on the quality issues. But it's a struggle.

You see, got 70 million bucks in debt from the buyout, the country is in a recession, and just one year in the early 80s, they rack up losses of more than $50 million. That's going to break your tailpipe right there. So to get out of the hole, they go public on the New York Stock Exchange under the best ticker symbol yet that they still have today. Oh, this is so good. H-O-G hog.

But Willie G knows that it's not just about the financials. To make Harley-Davidson truly roar again, it's a good. needs to tap into its tribe. So in 1983, he launches the Harley Owners Group. H-O-G turning loyal customers into a two-wheeled army of brand ambassadors. And then 1990 comes around. Do you know what that means, Nick? Actually, Jack, I can't remember. We were just two years old. Good point. Yeah. The 90s are when the first baby boomers, our parents, hit middle age. Interesting. And with that age, the midlife crisis. Checks out. So when Arnold Schwarzenegger rides a Harley down the L.A. River in Terminator 2.

It's like a siren call to the tens of thousands of boomers, including both of our fathers and sales spike. The bikes are iconic again. Loud, proud, and back in style. Harley Davidson was saved by Midlife Crisis Marketing. While the brand was going through its own Midlife Crisis, so were your parents. Perfect timing. And we see it in the number.

By 1996, demand is so high, there's an 18-month wait list for some models. Willie Gene is team? They've turned around a dying brand by making it mean something again. In fact, this one detail says it all. The company gets so confident they actually try to trademark their engine sound. Potato, potato, potato, potato. Although they dropped the attempt when competitors argued that their engines were equally loud and rumbling. We cover Harley-David's stock.

Daily Show, the best one yet, especially when Harley reports quarterly earnings. And for five of the last 10 years, sales shrank. Yeah, interestingly, the brand has doubled down on boomers, but those retirees have been hanging up their helmets, literally and figuratively. As one former Harley Davidson exec put it, Nick, what we sell is the ability for a 43-year-old accountant to dress in black leather, ride through small towns, and have people be afraid of it. I can't believe he actually said that. That is so honest, it hurts. And while doubling down on boomers, Harley has basically ignored millennials. And that is part of the recent struggles. The bikes are still big, loud, and built like tanks, but they come with a price tag to match. Harley can start at around $22,000 for a cruising

model. Compare that to the $12,000 for a triumph or just $8,500 for a Honda. And if you're a 30-year-old expecting a family, that high-end Harley Cruiser, that's going to cost you more than a Ford SUV. and it doesn't have much space for your diaper runs. But Nick, while the bike side has been struggling recently, the brand has become so powerful, Harley is mining it like gold. Get this, in 2022, Harley sold $270 million of merch and gear. We're talking jackets and tops, Tumblers and coosies. If you can stick a Scream and Eagle logo on it and orange, Harley's selling it for green.

And the margins on merch, by the way, are better than on bikes. Great point. That $45 dollar Harley Davidson hat, is a profit puppy. And to sprinkle on a little more context here, that merch division of Harley, it is bigger than Brandy Millville and all birds. So yeah, maybe you aren't in the market for a full hog yet,

but you'll probably buy that tank top. But maybe Harley is thinking at an even higher level than any of us even realize. You look at Harley ignoring millennials and you think that might be a strategic mistake. But maybe Harley just knows that one day you're going to turn into your parents. You're going to mow your lawn, fly down to Florida, and have a little midlife crisis of your own.

I mean, Jack, he used to make fun of your dad's new balance sneakers, but look what you got on your feet right now. Yeah. So when you're ready, Harley will be ready for you too. This is the gray beard strategy, though it applies to the non-bearded as well. You see, Harley doesn't have to bother selling cheap bikes to 28-year-olds or going viral on TikTok to please Gen Z. Because once you hit the age of 45, something just clicks. And what you really crave is an open road and a leather outfit, maybe even a brand tattoo for that full crisis package. And that feeling is what Harley is really selling.

So, Jack, now that you've heard the story of Harley Davidson, and we've both mentally prepared for our pending midlife crisis while podcasting on a couple of roadhogs, what is your takeaway? Don't fear the fringe. Embrace it. In the 1960s, 1970s, Harley's purists hated the chopper movement. Riders were stripping down bikes, chopping off parts, welding on new ones, and Frankensteining together wild machines that look nothing like what came off the factory floor. Inside the company, a lot of engineers saw that as an insult. But Willie G. saw riders who were so passionate, they couldn't wait to put their own spin on the brand.

That's when he came up with the factory customs that looked like garage-built choppers. But they came with a Harley logo and a Harley reliable warranty. That move to embrace the choppers turned Harley around. The fringe of the Harley community showed the future of the brand. Don't fear the fringe, embrace it. What about you, Nick? What's your takeaway? Education is the best investment you can make from both sides of the coin. Harley sold a ton of bikes to the U.S. military during both World Wars.

The key was that Harley tossed in free maintenance and repair training. You see, that was a huge investment that paid big dividends. Why? Well, when Harley trained thousands of U.S. service members on the ins and outs in their motorcycles, it turned them into evangelists of the brand. Plus, the bikes used in that war were operating better thanks to Harley's investment in repair education. The result was that thousands of Americans who fought in those wars came home with an image of Harley. not just as part of the war effort, but as reliable machines.

And it was those servicemen who became customers for Harley during peacetime. We're all told that you should invest in your education. We've heard that a million times from our parents. But now we're seeing it from the other side of the coin. Companies can invest in educating their potential customers because that pays dividends too in future sales. Okay, Jack, before we go, it is time for our absolute favorite part of the show, The Best Facts Yet.

These are the hero stats, the facts, and the surprises that we discovered in our research but couldn't fit in the story. All right, Jack, for the first fact, I've been dying to know this. Where does the term hog for Harley Davidson actually come from? One of the stars of Harley's early racing team, the wrecking crew, was a guy named Ray Wisehar, nicknamed the Kansas Cyclone. But the real crowd pleaser was his pet piglet, Johnny. Because after every win in the murder drone, Ray would see. Scoop up Johnny, plop him on the gas tank, and take him for a victory lap. At 10, they would reward Johnny the little piglet by letting him guzzle a can of soda.

Johnny the pig became the team's mascot and the origin for Harley Davidson's nickname, Hog. It was kind of adorable. It was like a little circus act. All right, I got another one for you. Here we go. In our research, we actually came across a whole bunch of weird and I want to say wonderful Harley Davidson side businesses. Like, did you know that at one point Harley Davidson made snowmobiles

and golf carts and even wine? But Jack, our favorite part has to be that 1990s line of Harley perfumes with scents including territory, black fire, but unsurprisingly, they bombed. Turns out people who are happy to have

the Harley logo as a permanent tattoo, they're not dabbing Oda Harley behind their ears. Yeah, oh, speaking of tattoos, Jack, remember I told you I got the two-for-one deal on the bicep tat? Yeah. Okay. What's the other? Oh, well, it's on my back. You ready for this?

One second. Yes. What is this? A tramp stamp? Don't pause the pod. One second. It's almost ready. This one's still wet. All right. We're going to have to keep this PG, Nick. This is a family show. And that is why Harley Davidson is the best idea yet. Coming up on the next episode of The Best Idea Yet, how a bankrupt Baltimore baseball team was transported to New York City to become the most

dominant and most divisive brand in sports history. From pinstripes to Powerplace, we're stepping up to the plate with the story of the Yankees. And don't forget to rate and review the show. Jack and I love reading all your reviews. And five stars, that actually helps us grow the pod in the rankings. And tap to follow the show so you can get the best idea yet every single Tuesday. Follow the best idea yet on the Wondry app, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcast. You can listen to every episode of The Best Idea Yet early and ad-free right now

by joining Wondry Plus in the Wondry app or on Apple Podcasts. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey at Wondery.com slash survey. The Best Idea Yet is a production of Wondery, hosted by me, Nick Martell, and me, Jack Kravici Kramer. Our senior producers are Matt Beagle and Chris Gautier. Peter Arcuni is our additional senior producer. Our senior managing producer is Nick Ryan and Taylor Sniffon is our managing producer. Our producer is H. Conley, research by Brent Corson.

This episode was written and produced by Adam Skeuse. We use many sources in our research, including the Discovery Channel mini-series, Harley and the Davidson's. Sound design and mixing by C.J. Drummler. Fact-checking by Brian Pogne. Music supervision by Scott Velazquez and Jolina Garcia for Free Sons. on sync. Our theme song is Got That Feeling Again by Blackalack. Executive producers for Nick and Jack Studios are me, Nick Martel, and me, Jack Kravichie Kramer. Executive producers for Wondry are

Jenny Lauer Beckman, Erin O'Flaherty, and Marshall Lewy. comes The Roses, starring Academy Award winner Olivia Coleman, Academy Award nominee Benedict Cumberbatch, Andy Samburg, Kate McKinnon, and Alison Janney. A hilarious new comedy filled with drama, excitement, and a little bit of hatred, proving that marriage isn't always a bed of roses. See The Roses, only in theaters Friday. Get tickets now.