<P> The prototype of the new loop - frame Harley - Davidson was assembled in a 10 ft × 15 ft ( 3.0 m × 4.6 m ) shed in the Davidson family backyard . Most of the major parts , however , were made elsewhere , including some probably fabricated at the West Milwaukee railshops where oldest brother William A. Davidson was then toolroom foreman . This prototype machine was functional by September 8 , 1904 , when it competed in a Milwaukee motorcycle race held at State Fair Park . It was ridden by Edward Hildebrand and placed fourth . This is the first documented appearance of a Harley - Davidson motorcycle in the historical record . </P>
<P> The prototype of the new loop - frame Harley - Davidson was assembled in a 10 ft × 15 ft ( 3.0 m × 4.6 m ) shed in the Davidson family backyard . Most of the major parts , however , were made elsewhere , including some probably fabricated at the West Milwaukee railshops where oldest brother William A. Davidson was then toolroom foreman . This prototype machine was functional by September 8 , 1904 , when it competed in a Milwaukee motorcycle race held at State Fair Park . It was ridden by Edward Hildebrand and placed fourth . This is the first documented appearance of a Harley - Davidson motorcycle in the historical record . </P>
when was the first harley davidson bike built
when was the first harley davidson bike built
September 8 , 1904
September 8 , 1904