Harley-Davidson makes motorcycles. It also makes
some trikes. And it even made scooters once upon a time. But the Motor Company
also made bicycles in its early days… and now it’s offering them again.
The Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee and Heritage
Bicycles out of Chicago have teamed up to reproduce the 1917 Model 7-17
Standard bike. It’s said to be a faithful recreation of one of the original
bicycles that William S. Harley and the Davidson brothers made between 1917 and
1922, right down to the HD pedal gear and the cast-metal badges. The only major
difference to speak of is that the frame was enlarged to suit taller riders.
(Apparently people have grown a bit over the last century or so.)
Want to get your hands (and feet) on one? That may
be something of a tall order, because Heritage Bicycles will only make ten of
them, each coated in olive green with pinstripes hand-painted by a local artist
in St. Francis, Wisconsin. The museum will handle sales (and is now taking
reservations). And as Autoblog and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report, each
will command a rather princely sum of US$ 4,200.
Now that’s not a lot for a Harley, some of whose CVO
custom touring bikes sell for ten times that much. Even an entry-level Street
500 cafe racer will set you back nearly US$ 7k, and most of its cruisers carry
price tags in the US$ 15-20k range. But any way you look at it, that’s a lot to
spend on a bike you pedal yourself – even for Heritage Bicycles, whose classic
rides sell for upwards of US$ 800.
