Harley-Davidson's Milwaukee motorcycle legacy

You know that sound. It’s the sound of spring, when warmer weather finally thaws the winter roads. It’s the sound of the wind blowing across your face and through your hair. It’s the sound of speed, freedom, the open road. It’s the sound of summer, long rides cross-country or a short trip to the beach.

It’s the sound of friends William Harley and Arthur Davidson’s turn-of-the-20th-century ingenuity that grew from tinkering in a backyard shed to the construction of a two-wheeled, motor-powered bike and the desire to make it go fast, then faster. It’s the sound of a business born in 1903 and raised in Milwaukee, then taking off to become an internationally known brand. It’s the sound linked to leather, and the smell of gasoline. It’s the sound of putting the pedal to the metal.

You know that sound. It’s the sound of a Harley.

See the rest of Milwaukee's 100 objects

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Harley-Davidson's Milwaukee motorcycle legacy