Harley davidson sells Blueprint and tooling to Japan
Thanks to the effort of Alfred Child, Harley Davidson has sold the license, blueprints,tooling and machines to the Japanese.
Yep it's true.
In 1935 while all of the other American motorcycle builders with the exception of Indian faded into history Harley Davidson was in a desperate search for a way to raise cash. Alfred Rich Child a harley enployee put together a package of blueprints, tools, dies and machinery and then licensed them to the Sanko Co, of Japan, bringing in a desperately needed load of cash. HD believed that japan was too far away to ever be serious competition.
The result of that sale was the Rikuo motorcycle. Rikuo roughly translating to Land King.
18000 Rikuo's were produced between 1937 and 1942 most going to the police and military of Japan. After the Second world war the remaining factories continued to produce the 750cc (45 cubic inch) RQ and the 1200cc (74 cubic inch) VLE model still using the old flathead total loss lube system. The 750cc gained the telescopic fork but the 1200 retained the springer fork.
So You guys on your sport bikes owe Harley Davidson a thank you.
And you Harley guys need to remember without your Japanese cousins your Harley may have gone the way of the Simplex.
Later
MotoMan