Oct 07, 2007 (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- HOG | charts | news | PowerRating -- When designing a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, sometimes a paper bag or a bar napkin will suffice for capturing the initial inspiration.

 

Willie G. Davidson, grandson of one of the founders of the iconic motorcycle company, once sketched a design on a brown paper bag he found in a parking lot.

That drawing, which Davidson did while returning from the annual Sturgis, S.D., motorcycle rally, resulted in the Harley-Davidson "Sturgis" bike introduced in 1991.

Davidson still has the drawing as proof that inspiration sometimes comes at odd times.

"We constantly have new ideas for bikes. But I can't talk about them because I love my job and don't want to get canned," Davidson said in an interview last week.

For more than 40 years, Davidson has guided the designs of Harley-Davidson motorcycles. The company named its product development center after him, and the design team draws inspiration from "Willie G" as their styling guru.

"The philosophies that he has taught us over the years are instilled in how we view things. In essence, he has touched every product," said Ray Drea, a Harley styling director.

Harley-Davidson is the world's largest manufacturer of heavyweight motorcycles.

The 104-year-old maker of Fat Boy, Sportster and Electra Glide cycles has 10 stylists responsible for ushering designs from the drawing board to final production. It's a lengthy, arduous process involving engineers, cost accountants and manufacturing specialists.

But, at the beginning, the process sometimes starts with an individual who has a dream for a new motorcycle design.

"I think we are in the emotion business. That's a very important part of what we do," Davidson said.

Harley's product development center is housed in a steel-and-glass building tucked behind the company's manufacturing plant in Wauwatosa.

The center has a large conference room called "the bunker" where company executives review designs and prototypes. The bunker's tall glass windows have motorized shades to keep prying eyes from getting even a glimpse of bikes that might not be released to the public for years, if ever.

"I love it when the shades move up and down. I can't resist being a kid once in a while," said Louie Netz, a Harley vice president and styling director.

Secure design studio

Above the bunker, there's an 11,000-square-foot-design studio and model shop where artists work with drawing boards, clay, wood and plastic to breathe the initial life into a motorcycle design. The studio has a "motorcycles only" elevator. People use a spiral staircase to reach the facility, which is strictly off-limits to the public.

From a raw concept to a finished product, a Harley design might go through dozens of changes. Netz, who has worked at the company more than 30 years, describes the process as the "gantlet."

"Art has to be tempered with science," he said. "But data and research only, I think, would lead to an unemotional product."

Designing a complete motorcycle, such as Harley's V-Rod, can take up to a decade and involve a million test miles.

Harley introduced the V-Rod in 2001, partly as a way to attract younger riders with the bike's European, sport-bike styling.

"We started with a clean sheet of paper. We wanted a whole new look," Davidson said. "The V-Rod doesn't appeal to everyone, but it was an important step for us."

Harley redesigned the Sportster for 2004. Not since the 1950s did the company make so many changes to its most basic, least expensive road machine.

For 2007, Harley introduced the Nightster, a macho, rawboned member of the Sportster family.

The Nightster's design was led by Rich Christoph, the youngest member of Harley's design team.

Raised on a farm in northeastern Iowa, Christoph spent his youth tinkering with motorcycles to make them go faster and look cooler. At one point, he dropped out of college but later finished with an art degree from the University of Wisconsin-Stout.

Christoph wanted the Nightster to look like it was handmade by a cycle tinkerer. He worked closely with Davidson to give the bike a slightly "illegal" look.

"In my mind, I was designing a bike for people who build motorcycles in garages. I wanted a 'rat rod' rather than a pretty bike," he said.

Harley products don't leave the nest until they've been approved by a committee of 12 executives.

Generational challenge

The designers must bridge a generation gap between baby boomers, who turned the Harley brand into an icon, and younger riders who may have no brand loyalty at all.

It's a constant balancing act, according to Davidson.

"We are accomplished designers. We could design a motorcycle that looks nothing like what we are about . . . but I think that would be wandering too far from our heritage. There are historical elements in our designs that, over time, have become very important to our identity. Our brand really is everything. We treat that with great respect and reverence and try to keep the flame burning. That's our job."

Motorcycle design is as much about art as science. Opinions vary widely on how well Harley has done in coming up with fresh designs.

The company has catered to a well-established market. It has played the "nostalgia card" well, said Hector Cademartori, USA representative for the Motorcycle Design Association.

But Harley might have become too good at designing cruisers and touring bikes at the expense of other designs.

"I think Harley is painting itself into a corner where it will have difficulties attracting new customers. I don't think the V-Rod is enough," Cademartori said.

"You can grab a Harley catalog from 1989 and it looks pretty much the same as today's catalog," he added.

But at least Harley has a colorful past to draw from, a claim that some motorcycle manufacturers can't make. Also, Harley has made hundreds of product improvements over the years and has added new technologies such as antilock brakes.

"I think if people really study and ride the bikes, they would understand the tremendous improvements that have been made," Davidson said.

As for styling: "I think looking in the rearview mirror is perfectly logical, to a certain extent. Our company has a glorious history, and we are extremely proud of that."

Target date: 2012

Right now, Harley is designing bikes for release in 2012 and beyond. It's a complex process, but at the end, the bikes have to strike an emotional chord with riders.

"Motorcycling is a culture of people with a little gasoline in their veins," Davidson said. "When you spend time in the (bike) saddle, you have time to think. . . . Then, back home, you get to the drawing board."

Everyone on the Harley design team is a motorcycle rider. As part of their jobs, company executives are required to attend motorcycle rallies, including the big annual events in Sturgis, S.D., and Daytona Beach, Fla.

"You can't design these things from an ivory tower," Davidson said.

"We follow the motorcycle culture closely," he added. "Our lunch hours are spent in the conference room looking at race videos. . . . It's kind of a total immersion, but we love it."

The designers have a hard time getting away from work, especially when they go home to Harleys in their garages.

For the most part, they have a great deal of creative freedom.

"Form follows function," Netz said. "But both form and function report to emotion. It's part of the look, sound and feel of a Harley."