Until the First World War, Indian was the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world. After that, this honor went to Harley-Davidson, until 1928 when DKW took over as the largest manufacturer. BMW motorcycles came on the scene in 1923 with a shaft drive and an opposed-twin or "boxer" engine enclosed with the transmission in a single aluminum housing.
By 1931, Indian and Harley-Davidson were the only two American manufacturers producing commercial motorcycles.This two-company rivalry in the United States remained until 1953, when the Indian Motorcycle factory in Springfield, Massachusetts closed and Royal Enfield took over the Indian name.
There were over 80 different makes of motorcycle available in Britain in the 1930s, from the familiar marques like Norton, Triumph and AJS to the obscure, with names like New Gerrard, NUT, SOS, Chell and Whitwood, about twice as many motorcycle makes competing in the world market during the early 21st century.In 1937, Joe Petrali set a new land speed record of 136.183 mph (219.165 km/h) on a modified Harley-Davidson 61 cubic inch (1,000 cc) overhead valve-driven motorcycle.
The same day, Petrali also broke the speed record for 45 cubic inch (737 cc) engine motorcycles.
In Europe, production demands, driven by the buildup to World War II, included motorcycles for military use, and BSA supplied 126,000 BSA M20 motorcycles to the British armed forces, starting in 1937 and continuing until 1950. Royal Enfield also produced motorcycles for the military, including a 125 cc lightweight motorcycle that could be dropped (in a parachute-fitted tube cage) from an aircraft.
Early jackets used for motorcycle riding from 1920-30 were aviator/military style jackets with a button front closure, and short mandarin style collar. Brown goatskin styles were very popular with short styling, fitted waist. Many of these emulated the A-1 jacket used by the Army Air Corp prior to WWII. Also used were button front coat styles constructed of thick horsehide. The hides were abundantly available prior to WWII because the Army Calvary and most farmers used horses and provided hides from their stock to the clothing industry.
The initial development of the motorcycle jacket began with companies like Schott who opened in 1913, and began producing motorcycle jackets during the 1920’s. In Detroit, The Joseph Buegeleisen Co. started business in 1933 providing motorcycle accessories & saddlebags, and began producing motorcycle jackets in the 1940’s. Other early jacket makers/retailers include Indian Motorcycles with only one model jacket, the “Ranger” for men, and the “Rangerette” for women. The woman’s model had the pocket and zipper opposite of the man’s model. Both jackets were produced during the 1940’s until the bankruptcy of the company in 1953.
Harley Davidson has also fielded quality leathers since the early days, starting business in 1910. The 1940’s “Cycle Champ” for men, and the “Cycle Queen” for the ladies were the epitome of the style and function during the 1940’s. The “Pistol Pocket” holster shaped design on Harley Davidson jackets was also used by such makers as: Buco, Hercules, Beck, and a number of others. This was a popular 1940’s design element that carried over into the 1960’s with the Sears Oakbrook model. Another old style design incorporates a storage pocket in the back accessed by a zippered opening on the left side, not unlike the pockets on many hunting jackets. This style was used by companies such as: Buco, Blatt, and Grais. These design elements required more man hours to produce. As a result they fell victim to the need to cut corners and streamline the process. All of this maneuvering was in order to compete with products being imported and sold for mass consumption by non motorcyclists of the early rock & roll period.
An additional factor in the design of the motorcycle jacket was the Seminal influence on fashion provided by Marlon Brando in “The Wild One” in which his double breasted “one star” Schott jacket became the norm. Many jacket manufacturers followed suit, and added another star to the epaulet, though not necessarily a quality improvement over Schott’s original
Early jackets used for motorcycle riding from 1920-30 were aviator/military style jackets with a button front closure, and short mandarin style collar. Brown goatskin styles were very popular with short styling, fitted waist. Many of these emulated the A-1 jacket used by the Army Air Corp prior to WWII. Also used were button front coat styles constructed of thick horsehide. The hides were abundantly available prior to WWII because the Army Calvary and most farmers used horses and provided hides from their stock to the clothing industry.
The initial development of the motorcycle jacket began with companies like Schott who opened in 1913, and began producing motorcycle jackets during the 1920’s.
In Detroit, The Joseph Buegeleisen Co. started business in 1933 providing motorcycle accessories & saddlebags, and began producing motorcycle jackets in the 1940’s. Other early jacket makers/retailers include Indian Motorcycles with only one model jacket, the “Ranger” for men, and the “Rangerette” for women. The woman’s model had the pocket and zipper opposite of the man’s model. Both jackets were produced during the 1940’s until the bankruptcy of the company in 1953.
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