Harley and the Davidsons (2016) s01e01 Episode Script
Amazing Machine
1 I'm feeling good, I'm feeling fine I can show you, too I'm feeling good, I'm feeling fine I can show you, too well, I've never felt the freedom like I do I feel stronger every day, don't you? Well, I can show you how a new day, a new way watch out, I'm only gonna get stronger a new day, a new way watch out, I'm only gonna get stronger Hey! What do you want?! Get the hell off my property! Looks like it ain't your property anymore.
Hey! Get off! [Bone cracks.]
Ooh.
Oh.
Now, that's enough.
Enough! [Gunshot.]
Your signature on this paper, please.
[Breathing heavily.]
Sign it or jail.
[Gun cocks.]
Your land is hereby transferred to the C.
M.
P.
Railroad under eminent domain.
Due compensation is included, 15 cents per acre.
Thank you.
Robbery by fountain pen.
[Whistle blowing.]
MAN: Easy! Easy! What the hell is that?! It's a clock.
It's crude, but it works.
I made it from spare parts.
Enough! I need you to make a new pattern, the same gear, 2 inches wider diameter-wise by end of day.
[Men yelling indistinctly.]
- Hey, Dad.
- Son.
WOMAN: Are you done studying for your entrance exam? Yes, ma'am.
You need to be extra prepared I'm prepared, Ma.
with your brother convalescing here now and your father barely able to work.
Those are your Sunday clothes.
Where are you going all dressed up? To town, dance recital.
I'm gonna meet Art.
Arthur Davidson? Lord, be careful.
Don't wait up for me, Joe.
I'll be out late.
[Indistinct conversations.]
- Hey.
- Hey.
Where have you been? - Okay.
Are you ready? - I don't know.
- Are you sure about this? - Absolutely.
I promised you flesh.
And I shall deliver said flesh.
- We're not gonna get in.
- Of course, we're getting in! Hey.
When have I ever gotten us in trouble? All the time.
- Hey.
[Laughing.]
- Wow.
- So so I said - Stronger.
[Lively music playing.]
Ladies and gentlemen, Anna Held.
[Cheers and applause.]
[Burlesque music plays.]
Oh, I have such a way with me a way with me, a way with me I have such a nice little way with me do not think it wrong I should like you to play with me Incredible.
To play with me come play with me Incredible.
I wish you'd come and play with me play with me all day long one thing I ask Her foot? It shows the scale to the miniature gas-explosion engine.
Anna Held like that, and you draw this.
I'm gonna figure this out, maybe use it for a school project.
You see, this is what I'm talking about.
With your smarts, you don't need to go to college.
I'm trying to concentrate, Art.
I'm fond of games and fun, you see I wish you'd come and play with me Snuck in again, huh? I have such a way with me a way with me, a way with me WOMAN: I hope Walter is able to come to your wedding.
Oh, I wouldn't if I were him.
He has 1,200 acres he has to watch over by himself.
- Arthur! - What happened? Oh, just a bit of bad luck.
Yeah, follows you everywhere.
When are you gonna find a job? I work.
Not angles, a job with a paycheck.
Yeah, time to pull your weight around here.
Where did you get that? I earned it.
It's $3, enough to buy a month's worth of groceries for the entire family.
There.
See? Pulling my weight.
I don't want dirty money in this house.
Go out and earn yourself an honest wage.
Just because I'm smart enough not to have to break my back like a slave or work some job that I hate doesn't make me worth less than my brothers.
Yeah? I build things.
Walter works his ranch.
What do you do? Boys.
ARTHUR: Well, what do you think? I think it's an upside-down bike.
No, your foot engine on the bike.
This is it.
This is our venture, a motorized bicycle.
I don't know.
Others are messing around with engines on bikes.
So we do it better.
Maybe.
But the the foot engine isn't even big enough to power a bicycle.
I thought we'd just, uh No.
Before you say we just do this or do that, building an engine, any engine, is a massive undertaking.
You build railroad engines.
I'm just a draftsman.
This would take metallurgy, combustion science, machine tools and money, none of which we have.
Bill.
Bill, I've known you since we could walk.
You were born for this.
You know it, too.
MAN: Yeah! Looks great! Whoa! Hey.
Is Joe Merkel here? Yeah.
What would he want with you? You owe him money or something? Do you know where he is? Hey, Joe! Joe! These boys over here are asking about you.
Joe Merkel.
Pleasure, sir.
I've been riding Merkels my entire life.
Impressive.
I've only been making them for six years.
What do you want? To talk about the future.
I think we all agree that there is one problem with bicycles Pedaling.
We offer the perfect solution, a small, powerful gasoline engine, not much larger than a lady's foot.
My associate, Bill Harley, has engineered it, improving on a European design.
Engineered? This is a piece of paper.
Uh, that's why we need you, sir.
You have a machine shop, a foundry.
We would need a modicum of financial resources as well.
You did these? Joe, you got to look at this.
This is way better than those flimsy mail-order engines we're using.
Mail-order engines? De Dion-Bouton from France.
They work some, ain't reliable.
We'd call ours the Davidson-Harley-Merkel.
Ha! My name comes last, huh? You are last to the show, sir.
We would give you a majority ownership as well.
I get it, kid, but this won't work.
Bike frame can't carry the horsepower.
Should've put his name first.
Look at these hacks.
They're using scraps.
If I can figure out another way to get you the parts you need, can this actually work? Yeah, I think so.
Why? What are you thinking? You sure you're up for honest work? Yes, sir, Mr.
Davidson, sir.
- It could hang here - Uh-huh.
here and right over here.
[Men yelling indistinctly.]
Good.
You can start on the drilling.
Yeah.
Come on.
Stealing from my shop? I can't let this go.
My whole crew knows.
Ooh! [Coughing.]
Bu bu bu [Sighs.]
All right.
ARTHUR: And forget whether it's possible or not.
You at least agree that there's a market, right? Yeah.
It's making it, though, Art.
That's not what we're talking about.
Bill, I think we should get some ice cream.
- Arthur, no.
No! - Yeah, let's get some ice cream.
What can I get for you? You'll have to excuse my silent partner here.
Partner? Hmm.
What do you boys do? We're from Davidson-Harley.
And we invent things.
Picture this, only faster because it has a revolutionary gas-explosion engine.
Doesn't look so revolutionary to me.
Ours will be revolutionary, will be.
It's in the future tense.
Well, then I'll bring it back in the future.
[Giggling.]
All right.
Ah! Go.
Come on! Come on! [Engine starts.]
Yes! You, you! [Engine sputtering.]
What? What happened? These home-brewed parts aren't cutting it.
We need precision machining and new parts, Arthur.
We can't just keep cannibalizing everything.
Okay.
Grab a pencil.
Grab a pencil.
Write this down.
Dear brother, I write to you of a great opportunity.
You really think Walter will invest in such a small operation? He's family.
Besides, he's a big-time rancher and a railroad machinist.
And this is smart money.
Remember Bill Harley, from across the road? He and I have made an amazing machine, a motorized bicycle.
The engine is strong and swift.
She'll take you anywhere you're brave enough to point her.
We could use some capital, $75 for marketing and such.
We'll gladly repay you with interest.
Initial estimates put sales in the hundreds.
Don't be ridiculous, Arthur.
Maybe you're right.
Initial estimates puts sales in the thousands.
Hello? To the bride and groom.
ALL: To the bride and groom! [Lively music playing.]
Walter! - Walter's back, everybody.
- Hey.
I'm a married man.
Hey.
Here's my wife.
- Pleasure.
Hi.
- Hi.
You came back.
I did.
I'm glad you're home.
Me too.
So, uh, it isn't ready.
You think I came all the way back here to see your amazing machine? Oh, you're back for the wedding? Of course.
He's our big brother.
[Speaking native language.]
Although I am a bit curious to see what you've bothered to write me about.
[Speaks native language.]
Okay.
Let's see it.
I just said it isn't ready! You were gonna take your brother's money for that? And pay me back how, huh? You've never worked a full week in your life.
How many others have you floated this past? - No one.
- It isn't like that.
- And what is it like? - We made the engine.
- It works.
- It works? It did, until, uh, it didn't.
You made this, Harley? We both did.
You both drew these? It's it's not bad, Harley.
Is it fuel delivery? So maybe the problem is it's starving.
No.
No, the the mixture's rich enough.
It's the firing sequence.
It almost seems delayed, like the fuel isn't burning fully or something.
What if you change the point when the spark occurs? I could advance the position, fire the spark earlier.
What about the final drive? Um, the main issue there is the chain.
It keeps breaking.
Chain, huh? You could try a belt drive.
Like on a tractor? It ain't pretty, but it'll work.
Let's try it.
Good.
[Lively music continues.]
BILL: This frame is too small, so we made it bigger.
- Yeah, I see.
- You see? Bend it out.
- All right.
- Come on.
Let's just do it, boys.
Ugh.
Wait.
Wait, wait, wait.
[Lively music continues.]
There you go.
WALTER: Go, go.
Press the inlet valve.
Hold it, okay? - Push it.
- It's pressed! - Are you pressing it? - Yeah! [Engine starts.]
- Oh! Huh! Huh, ah! - Keep pedaling! Keep going! [Laughter.]
See?! It works! We'll never be late again! Damn it, my exam! Where is he going? - College.
- He's goin' to college? Yeah.
That's his plan.
What's yours? I guess I didn't come back just for a wedding.
Well, we just needed capital, not another partner.
You take the front.
Listen.
It's the cost of business.
You know that.
Besides, it took the three of us to get it to work.
You can't just walk in here and be part of this.
This is our venture! You need me.
Get over it.
[Crowd murmuring.]
- Walter! Hi! - Walter! Oh! Oh! Come on! Ah! You're back.
What? What is it? This machine, it's I I can't explain.
It's like this is it! And our next version Oh, I'm I'm sorry.
Our? No, no.
You must mean Bill and I because I I don't see why we would Forget about trams, cars, trains.
This is like nothing else.
I'm I'm I'm still shaking.
I rode it until it ran dry twice.
How'd it go? It didn't.
I missed it.
- No.
- Yep.
My parents say that's what I get for wasting my time with this.
You built something out of nothing.
Do you know how rare that is? What's rare is going to college, getting a career, taking care of my family.
Can this go faster? For what? No.
No, it'll It'll be too loud, too dangerous.
Nobody's gonna want to buy that.
People will want it.
Trust me.
We can't make this one faster, but if we had money, sure.
Yeah, we definitely could.
$175 that's all I got.
Well, we don't need all you got.
Railroad and the bank got the rest.
They allowed me to sell for 15 cents an acre.
If I'm gonna put my money into this, it needs to be real.
What's "it needs to be real"? Others are already doing this.
So we got to be different.
Ours needs to be bigger, stronger, faster.
We build it tough.
I want ours to go anywhere.
It goes anywhere.
It's a tall order, Walter.
What do we have to lose? [Engine running.]
- Good? - Yeah.
Come on.
Come on, come on! Come on! Pull! Pull! Pull! Come on.
Pull! One more, one more! Pull! Come on! Ugh! Come on! Ugh! [Engine stalls.]
It's not even a two-horse engine.
Okay.
So we just use it for For what? For pastors who want to take it on Sunday picnics? Or do you want to sell it to old ladies? The key word here, Walter, is sell.
Hey, Davidson.
That Merkel's new bike? There she is.
Just getting her ready for when Hendee comes to town.
Hendee bicycles is coming here? Yes, sir.
They are now the biggest makers of motorized bicycles in America, calling theirs the Indian.
But why is he coming here? Draw spectators, sell bikes.
Merkel wants to make an impression.
When? I saw Walter Davidson flying through town on your revolutionary contraption.
Actually, it's it's our contraption, the motorcycle.
We all built it together.
So when do I get to see this motorcycle? Walter has it.
Probably driving it across the state house lawn.
Have you ridden it yet? - Yeah.
- What's it like? Like an explosion between your legs.
Excuse me? I mean, it's it's fast.
Hmm.
So this is what you want to do? I wanted to study engineering in college, but I missed the exam.
Well, can't you send them these? Those are just just drawings.
These are more than just drawings.
- I don't know.
- So why not try? ARTHUR: I've been reading about Hendee.
His main markets are New York, Boston and Philadelphia.
It's a city bike.
WALTER: Good.
Ride a bike through Wisconsin Clay, you can sure as hell ride it down a city street, not the other way around.
All I'm saying is it should be recognizable, sellable.
We build a loop frame, it'll handle a little better.
Does look like a motorcycle.
Remember we're selling to people who come from bicycles.
Should we make it look like a horse? [Engine running.]
Only problem now is the carburetor.
It keeps over-fueling the engine.
I need to rework this.
[Sighs.]
This just came.
They accepted me.
[Laughs.]
Thank you.
Thank you.
College? So how's this gonna work when you're away in college? I don't know.
Look, do you even need me? Walter knows this stuff inside out.
Yes, Davidson-Harley Motorcycles has a ring to it.
Of course we need you.
I'm sorry, guys.
[Clattering.]
No.
Y you can't not go.
You can send us drawings from school.
You'll still be our partner.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
Are you kidding me? Art, this this is real.
- We'll figure out - I put all my money into this, and our engineer is walking out on us? We committed to this, Bill, all of us! All of us.
So you need a carburetor.
A trade for our self-oiling bearings.
Harley come up with that? How do they work? That's kind of the point, Joe.
You don't know.
If you can't be civil, you can leave.
W we drill a hole in the crank case to feed oil directly to the big-end bearing.
Bullshit.
Can't be done.
We use a dental drill.
Fine then.
Here we go.
My last spare.
You should have Bill put that on, make sure it's right.
Well, we're very busy here.
Nice doing business with you.
HENDEE: What the hell is George Hendee doing here in our sleepy town? [Crowd murmuring.]
Some of you know me as a bicycle racer.
And I win.
World champion in 1886.
That's why I made the Indian the best.
Don't believe me? There are now 50 motorcycle makers in America.
Everyone gets a chance to race against Indian in our expo run next spring, races in every city, all makers welcome.
If you can best my machine, then I want to partner with you to take Indian Motorcycles to the next level.
[All cheering.]
- All right.
- Yeah.
Mr.
Hendee, it is an honor, sir.
Let's show this easterner how we do things in Milwaukee.
[Engine revving.]
Uh-huh, I see.
[Laughter.]
ART: The needle didn't seed properly in this carb.
We need our goddamned engineer.
If the potential energy functions as an independent of time, all vectors are scaled by a non-zero concept.
And the entire Lagrangian is scaled by the same factor.
We fall back on this when Newton's formulation is inconvenient.
So he turns to Cameron and says, "you can have it in any color you want so long as it's black.
" That is typical of Henry Ford.
He's an idiot.
He's an ass.
I don't know why father works with him.
We could have our own factory producing our own Oh.
I'm so sorry, sir.
Is your name Harley? You made the ladyfoot.
- Huh? - The engine.
We've raced a machine at the hills.
- Oh.
- I'm Ira Mason.
And this is my brother, Cecil.
I've seen you at the university.
What are you studying? Engineering.
Good.
You make a lousy waiter.
[Laughter.]
See you tomorrow, Eddie.
All right, Joe.
Hey.
Lot of excitement yesterday.
Look, that wasn't my idea, okay? - I didn't - Have the balls to speak up? I want the real carb.
Well, I'd have to break in.
He'd fire me.
Better than a broken arm.
Is that a threat? Without a doubt.
Now, I thought what Joe did was lousy.
You almost cost me my machine, Eddie.
I don't like Joe Merkel any more than you.
But I need this job if I'm gonna race these machines.
Get me the carb.
And then we can talk racing maybe.
Race for you? Just go get it.
Now, the float for the carb goes here.
- See that? - Uh-huh.
Knows his shit.
We'll give you 50 cents a day and meals.
- Oh, hey, what? - You got yourself a deal.
No.
No.
No.
We need to talk about this.
We need the help.
This is what expansion looks like.
You boys got Harley's engine, the loop frame plan.
Let me help you.
We put this together, we beat Hendee.
Cecil and I graduate this spring.
We're starting an enterprise backed by our father.
Mason Gears, I know.
We've used them.
Father built a business, the Westinghouse, and now Henry Ford, too.
But we'd like to make our own machine.
We're looking for an engine designer.
Well? She's bleeding oil like a pig.
I was hard on her.
I wasn't that hard.
Gents, the machine I've been telling you about.
Sir, you walk how far each day? 10 miles a day at least.
You know, you get a better sense of the lines from this side.
Come around here.
Come on.
- Hey, Myron.
- Hey.
Now, we have sold out our first production line.
But $50 deposit from the gas man for our prototype.
He'll pick it up after the expo run.
You saw a problem with the oil leak? We need our engineer.
[Door opens.]
Sir Isaac Newton, I presume? Art.
Walter.
What are you, uh We heard you made some new friends.
A few.
Something about a motor business? It's different than what we do.
What we're doing is racing our bike.
We need you back for the race.
I can't.
I have schoolwork and this meeting to prepare for.
I'll try to be there, but - Try to be there? - Shh.
Look, I'm sure you'll come up with something.
What does that mean? I love the motorcycle that we built, but this, this is less of a risk.
There he is.
I'm Cecil Mason.
- This is my brother - Mason Gears.
These are your new friends? Is there a problem with that? Not if there's no conflict of interest.
We didn't know you had a contract with Bill.
We don't.
Do you? [Chair clatters.]
I never saw Bill as a Judas goat.
You know he's got a family to think about, a sick brother.
Sick brother? Hell, I got two of those.
Welcome to the Indian expo run.
More than a race, it's a wide-open clash of ideas materialized in steel.
Is that your merchandise? All right.
Same sequence again, all right? Once over.
Are you conc Are you listening to me? Hey, how you doing? Hey.
I'm glad you came.
Glad you came.
I don't know where Walter is, but there's a beer tent just over here.
And you can check out the the rest of the bikes.
That's Merkel.
Remember Joe Merkel? - What? - I told you about him.
- How's she running? - Good.
This is make or break for us.
- How you feeling? - Like I'm gonna make or break.
- Look at you, Mr.
Fancy Man.
- Better late than never.
Yeah, I'm not so sure about that.
Bike looks good, really good.
I think there's a spot in the stands if you came to watch.
Should be a good view from over there.
[Engines revving.]
Quite an engine you have there.
How many horses does she have? We estimate it at three, sir.
Quite a substantial machine.
But there's your problem, too.
What the hell does that mean? How heavy is it? About 140 pounds, give or take.
I'm sorry, you can't participate.
I thought this was an open event! Yes, but there's a weight limit, safety considerations for others.
Oh, come on.
You're making this up.
You don't want us on the track.
- Uh-huh.
- You're afraid we'll win.
Keep this up, I'll have you ejected from the grounds.
You built this as an opportunity for upstarts when it's really just self-promotion.
You're a fraud, Mr.
Hendee! Multi-faceted.
Do you leave on your own or do you need help from my boys? It's okay.
We're leaving.
- Walt.
We're racing.
- What? - We're leaving.
- What? No.
Good luck, Mr.
Hendee.
Such a shame.
Those dirty bastards, this was never an opportunity.
Just push me off.
- What? - What? [Gunshot.]
Push me off! Push! Push! Push! Go! Watch it! Move! Go! ART: Come on, Walt! Come on! Go! Come on! Let's go! He's with the Indian! - Come on, Walter.
- Come on, Walt.
Come on, Walt.
Crank it, Walt! Go! Come on.
- He's ahead! - Come on! No, no! - Yes.
- [Laughing.]
[Cheers and applause.]
Oh, my god.
Come on.
You could have killed yourself.
Congratulations, guys.
Don't you have somewhere to be? I I I do, actually.
That's what I wanted to talk to you about.
Your family needs money.
Whatever the masons are offering, we can't match it.
Hey, Harley.
The frame holds up.
Yes, it does.
Young man, I saw you with that racer.
Whose machine is that? It's mine.
No, sir, that's mine.
I won my motorcycle.
I feel like I won the race myself.
C.
H.
Lang.
Piano tuners.
I own the largest manufacturer in North America.
Well, if you're interested in purchasing a Davidson-Harley, I suggest you act fast.
Our initial factory run has sold out.
- Do you have a card? - They're being printed.
At your factory? Your coat is a hand-me-down.
Your shoes are covered in grease, and you have no card.
I believe this company you speak of is largely fiction.
Well, our bike is real.
You saw my brother steal the race out there with it.
Well, how about we discuss how to get your machine built en masse and into dealerships across the country? In dealerships.
Mr.
Davidson, I see a great opportunity for both of us.
My sons have the interesting idea of making an affordable car.
They say you're the guy to make it run.
We offer a full salary while you complete your degree.
You'll work summers and consult during the year.
It's a non-compete.
If they're paying, you work only for my sons.
Let's go see the show.
[Indistinct conversation.]
I thought, "there's only one way to get back.
" I've got a check here for $1,000.
Whoa.
- From whom? - A Chicago businessman who wants to open a dealership and back us.
Another shady associate? Business is full of shady associates, Mother.
But this one is for real.
- C.
H.
Lang? - Bank says it's good.
- Really? - Yeah.
Yeah.
Ohh! Yes! Big Bill, we're going to need a foreman to, uh, oversee things.
Like I'm gonna work for my bonehead little brother.
Maybe I'll think about it.
Ahh! [Indistinct conversations.]
Indy, here we come.
[Chuckles.]
He was right about the weight.
We should get it down.
Yeah.
You can do that, right? I trained as a machinist, not an engineer.
You said the family needed this.
School and income, it's a blessing.
But it won't be mine, any of it.
What do you mean? The company.
It's the Masons'.
Son, you need to sign this.
[Engine running.]
Sounds good.
Surface of the leather oil seal burns after a few miles and then starts leaking oil on both sides of the crank.
Maybe you could cast a counter-rotating spiral into the crank pin? It'll force the oil back into the motor.
That's not a bad idea.
You were great the other day.
This thing, it's a part of you.
Huh.
Come to say goodbye? Well, good luck.
Thanks.
Hey, Harley, it's a part of you, too.
All right.
Sell me.
A motorcycle will get you where you want to go.
It'll pull a cart, traverse any terrain.
And what you see is what you get, a machine that wears its heart on its sleeve.
No, not the sales pitch, Arthur, you.
Walter wants to make a machine that goes anywhere, rides hard, ignores the rules.
But beyond money, why does Arthur Davidson want this? I want to make my good name.
And you could, too.
We got money, Bill, an investor.
Not enough to pay you what the masons are promising, but enough to keep your parents happy.
A million men built the pyramids, and none of their names are on it.
Ours could be, but not working for the masons.
Speaking of names, I've been thinking.
You have to trust me.
Do you know what you're throwing away? I haven't taken this lightly.
This is my chance, mine.
Beg your pardon? You brought us up to stand up for ourselves, and I am.
And I want you to support me.
Ma.
[Door closes.]
Whoo-hoo-hoo.
Like sitting on a stack of dynamite.
Three out of five? You got it, Chief.
Hold on, let me check something.
Where'd you come from anyway? Texas.
No, I mean you ride like the devil.
Well, it's the only thing I'm good at, turns out.
Only thing I really own, you know? Yeah, I know.
Thank you, Walter.
On this bike, out here, speed racing, only time I'm somebody, not just the son of a field hand.
But I tell you one thing.
When I get on that track, they gonna know my name.
All right.
Three out of five.
Five out of seven.
51 out of 100.
It's your pride.
Good job.
All right.
It's just like riding a bicycle.
Only complex and powerful.
So you pedal it to start it.
Okay.
And then, um, once it's turned over, hold her steady, and, uh, use this lever to engage the belt.
- Okay.
- Okay, you ready? - Yeah.
- Here we go.
This is a breakthrough.
It is? Yes.
Women can ride a Harley-Davidson, errands to the grocer, the post office.
It's a whole new market.
She can really ride, which is Very appealing.
Very appealing.
Go, Ida.
Here we are.
So these are the bikes? Yeah.
All our motorcycles are assembled here on site.
That's Big Bill Davidson, the foreman.
- Hello.
- Hello.
Right in here, Miss "Bee-sel.
" Beisel.
It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Might not want to shake my hand when you hear why I've come here today.
- Oh.
- I'm writing an article about the dangers of motorcycling, murder-cycles, I call them, and wanted to give you the chance to go on record.
Another article.
Great.
Yes, thank you.
This is very kind of you.
- Pardon? - Please.
"Murder-cycles have captured the attention of young men across the country.
There seems to be something about these deadly machines which excites the spirit.
The freedom and the speed of these machines provokes a new kind of wildness.
" Thank you.
I couldn't have phrased it better myself.
This kind of press is hard to stimulate.
You look like the cat who swallowed the canary.
Nope, not at all.
I understand being driven to a cause, and I respect somebody who stands for their beliefs.
Please, Miss Beisel, write as many anti-motorcycle articles as you possibly can.
Uh, do me one favor, though.
What's that, Mr.
Davidson? Please don't ever ride one of our machines because if you do, you'll have too much fun.
You'll become a huge enthusiast, and then there goes all my free press.
Eddie, Walt, look at this.
Come here.
Oh! This design's gonna concentrate power.
- What's that? - That? It's a butterfly valve.
- More power.
- A lot more power.
- Good job, Bill.
- I just hope it works.
It's gonna eat up the rest of Lang's investment.
It'll work.
We enter the Catskills enduro race.
It ends with a ceremony at Hendee's headquarters.
The press from New York is covering it.
This race is about three things.
Number one, sales.
We need dealers to survive.
And this is how we get them.
Two, we have the better machine, but no one knows about it.
That ends at this race.
Three, we beat the bastards! This is it! The future of this company will be determined upon this race.
- Ms.
Beisel! - Mr.
Davidson.
- Hello.
How are you? - Good.
How are you? - Oh, please, allow me.
- Oh, thank you.
It's great to see you.
You, too.
Uh, you we we actually We have a race this weekend.
Would you, by any chance, like to accompany me? - A race? - Yes.
It's an enduro race, so it pits man against machine.
It'd be a really great story for a really great journalist.
- It's in Upstate New York.
- New York? - Yeah.
- I think not.
I don't think that my fiancé would appreciate that.
Oh.
No.
No, of course not.
- Town Hall.
- Ma'am.
- Have a nice day.
- You as well.
[Indistinct conversations.]
[Indistinct conversation.]
LANG: There he is.
Preston King, head of the east coast dealers association.
He's the one we need to get us our dealerships.
- Mr.
King! - Ah.
- How are you, sir? - Good to see you.
He seems a bit buddy-buddy with Hendee.
Yeah.
Doesn't smell good, does it? No.
That's him.
That's the man to impress.
I'm gonna impress the whole crowd.
Yes.
I'm sure you will, Walter.
But the crowd can't get us dealerships.
Mr.
King can.
Why can't we just open our own dealerships? LANG: Because beneath his stuffed shirt beats the heart of a cheap gangster.
If he doesn't approve of a dealership, then leases are broken, shops burned.
We can light fires, too.
Impressive machine.
I'm Preston King.
Walter Davidson.
This is Bill Harley, Eddie, Mr.
Lang and my brother Arthur.
Mr.
King, it is a great pleasure, sir.
Pleasure to meet all of you.
Uh, as you know, we're looking to expand our operations.
I hope you like what you see out here today.
Let the best man win.
Oh, we will, sir, so long as everybody plays fair and square.
Good luck, gentlemen.
Look forward to speaking after the race! Yeah, yeah.
How's she holding up? Gentlemen, this is a race around three circuits of the course.
This race is about the machine and not the racer.
If your rider injures himself, you may replace him.
You are allowed to refuel.
But if your bike breaks down, you're out.
Yeah.
We'll be fine.
Go! [Cheers and applause.]
[Grunts.]
Ah! Aah! What's wrong? ARTHUR: Whoa! Whoa! It's a little rough out there.
- Get the first aid kit! - Grab the bike.
- Come on.
Help me get him up! - Hey, I'll take over! No, no.
- Do you need a doctor? - No doctor.
You okay? You all right? Walt.
Hey.
Can you do this? I can do this.
Help me get him on the bike.
- Come on.
- Give me your goggles.
- Give me the helmet.
- Help me get him on.
Let me ride! I'm ready to go! I don't want to hear it.
Walt! MAN: Hey! [Both grunting.]
[Groaning.]
Hey! HENDEE: Indian Motorcycles only.
How do we feel, gentlemen? Are we in? Good man.
Good man.
We're gonna make a lot of money, gentlemen.
We will do.
We will do.
Trust me on this.
It's a win-win deal.
- Hello, Mr.
Hendee.
- Good man.
- Excuse me, gentlemen.
- Trust me.
He giving you Indian stock options, too? - Pardon me? - Hendee is giving dealers premium stock to only sell Indian Motorcycles.
You should get in there, buddy.
I'm gonna be giving you Indian stocks, shares.
That's money in your pocket.
Come in.
Come in.
You want to hear about this deal? [Cheers and applause.]
First place, Harley-Davidson! My friend wants to know your name! It's on the bike! Oh, well, Harley-Davidson, - can we buy you a drink? - Without a doubt! - Onto the victory ceremony! - Come on, Harley-Davidson.
Let's get you on that winner's stand.
Guys, Hendee has got a sweet gimmick.
He's giving premium stock options.
He's paying dealers to sell Indians exclusively.
Robbery by fountain pen all over again.
Hey, Hendee! You may have those clowns in your pocket, but no one can ignore what they saw today, what the whole crowd saw.
All they saw was a ruffian.
We built a better motorcycle.
What good is a better bike if you can't sell it? Congratulations, gentlemen, on your victory.
- Come here! - No! Come here! You seem to be missing your racer, huh? This candy-ass-looking guy in a red suit? - That's enough! - Come here! Get back! Nothing to see here! [Punches landing.]
[Laughter.]
Does it hurt? Not much.
Oh.
Well, what can we do to make it better? You know, that's a great question.
Hey.
How'd we do? - Bye.
- See you.
Two.
Two? Only two new dealerships signed up After that stunt you pulled.
I won.
We won, Walter.
And it takes more than winning races to generate sales.
They threw the first punch.
There were a dozen photographers there today.
Tomorrow, it'll be in all the papers.
- We need more press.
- Selling Selling motorcycles, Walter, not mayhem! You should thank me.
The last thing our company needs is the public thinking we're sissies.
The outlaw image is much better.
Far better! That machine has muscle, is tough, goes anywhere, does anything.
That's what the customer wants.
That's what you want, Walter! You're damn right.
President of the company does not get into fistfights with competitors in front of the man who can get us dealerships.
Enjoy your evening.
I can't help you.
We're open to varying terms of sale.
It ain't you guys.
I can't sell Curtisses or Excelsiors or Griffins, neither.
My contract is solely Indians.
We put it all in.
This this'll this'll ruin us.
The house, the savings If this don't work, we don't eat.
WALTER: W w why did you do this? Well, there there were overages, bills to pay.
I I didn't think it'd go south.
What were you thinking, huh? That that you damn dumb idiots knew what you were doing! You let us down.
And you, huh, I should've known from day one you'd screw this up.
Arthur Davidson, head of sales and marketing.
- You ungrateful - Hey! Hey! - Hey! Hey! Hey! - Come here! - Come here! - Hey! Hey! Hey! You stay out of this! This is a Davidson matter.
Quiet down there! That's enough! Stop it, or I'll knock your heads together.
That goes for you, too, Bill Harley.
Have a little faith in Arthur.
He's brought you this far.
[Laughter.]
- I need a beer.
- Yeah.
- Beer? - Yeah.
Do we have to do this? I've heard nothing but bad things about this guy.
No bank is gonna give us a loan without more dealerships.
How many do we have? - 11.
- Indian has over 100.
Yeah, well, we hear him out.
A new race with new machines, radical engine modifications, a track made entirely of wood, with all turns banked at no less than 60 degrees.
60? That means speeds of around 80 miles per hour.
My engineers have that number closer to 90.
90 miles an hour? Physics do not lie.
So, like a bicycle velodrome.
At motorcycle speeds.
Everything I offer is tangible and based on scientific principle.
Thousands of spectators, close enough to feel the heat of the engines.
So how many of these do you plan on building? There'll be 30 motordromes in operation inside 3 years.
That's, uh, 200,000 people, all watching Harley-Davidson in action.
Think of the press, the dealers, the potential customers.
Are you singing the same tune to Hendee? [Chuckles.]
What's an arena with only one gladiator? So the rider will experience something called G-force.
Theoretically, the faster they go, the greater the pull on them toward the track.
To keep them safe? Hardly.
One knock into another bike going 100 miles an hour will send the rider flying, with obvious results.
Great.
What else? Uh, he also wants to standardize bike specs.
- For safety? - Uh, the opposite.
Fixed speeds, the bikes are either on or off.
So how do they, uh No brakes.
[Laughing.]
No.
I don't think we do this.
What do we do instead? I don't know.
This is not some test of a rugged, dependable, go-anywhere machine.
This is a blood sport, period.
Got to be a Harley-Davidson on that track, period.
I'll do it.
I'll ride.
What happens if we don't do this? What happens when Indian wins big and we're nowhere to be seen? We sell a bike here and there until we close up shop.
- Hell, Walter - I'll ride.
No brakes, G-forces, 25 machines going 100 miles an hour - Uh-huh.
All clumped together? Forget it.
This is suicide.
We're not doing it.
Says who? I said I'll ride the motordrome! I'm sorry, Eddie.
It's not that you're not good enough.
You are.
It's that it's too dangerous.
But not too dangerous for you.
I wouldn't ask anyone else to do this.
We are not asking anyone to do anything.
If Harley-Davidson endorses this race and someone gets hurt, or worse, killed Hold on, Arthur.
You know I'd win.
You know I'd win, and it would just kill you to see another man cross that line first.
I'm sorry, Eddie.
The answer is no.
Okay.
I quit.
Good luck.
Eddie! - Eddie, come back! - No, Big Bill.
I waited too long, man.
Harley-Davidson is not racing the motordrome.
Are we clear? [Cheers and applause.]
[Engines revving.]
It wasn't personal, Eddie.
You might be the best rider I know.
Without a doubt.
ARTHUR: There he is, that son of a bitch.
He's risking everything we worked for.
I know.
Let's get down to the pits.
I'll stay.
You go.
- You sure? - Yeah.
Go.
I can't back up! Look at them! Yeah! MAN: Go! [Cheers and applause.]
Ugh! Let's go, Walt! Ooh! Come on.
Come on.
Whoa! Eddie! WALTER: I didn't want to race in that motordrome, but I did for Harley-Davidson.
Stop it, Walt.
You raced for you.
You couldn't bear to miss out on that race.
You could not stand to have anybody tell you what you couldn't do.
BILL: The Harley-Davidson Motor Company announces that it not only condemns motordrome racing, but boycotts it completely.
Racing drives sales.
You know it.
We have to find a way to compete.
WALTER: If we go back to flat track racing, this time we build bigger, faster bikes, way more powerful than the motordromes could handle.
Is this it? BILL: This is power, control and speed.
The last decision I will be making as chairman is to appoint my successor.
Gentlemen, Mr.
Randall James.
You think you can come here and humiliate me in front of my peers? We are gonna destroy you.
We're being sued.
It's a class action lawsuit.
It'll mean layoffs, losing entire production lines and bankruptcy.
Hey! Get off! [Bone cracks.]
Ooh.
Oh.
Now, that's enough.
Enough! [Gunshot.]
Your signature on this paper, please.
[Breathing heavily.]
Sign it or jail.
[Gun cocks.]
Your land is hereby transferred to the C.
M.
P.
Railroad under eminent domain.
Due compensation is included, 15 cents per acre.
Thank you.
Robbery by fountain pen.
[Whistle blowing.]
MAN: Easy! Easy! What the hell is that?! It's a clock.
It's crude, but it works.
I made it from spare parts.
Enough! I need you to make a new pattern, the same gear, 2 inches wider diameter-wise by end of day.
[Men yelling indistinctly.]
- Hey, Dad.
- Son.
WOMAN: Are you done studying for your entrance exam? Yes, ma'am.
You need to be extra prepared I'm prepared, Ma.
with your brother convalescing here now and your father barely able to work.
Those are your Sunday clothes.
Where are you going all dressed up? To town, dance recital.
I'm gonna meet Art.
Arthur Davidson? Lord, be careful.
Don't wait up for me, Joe.
I'll be out late.
[Indistinct conversations.]
- Hey.
- Hey.
Where have you been? - Okay.
Are you ready? - I don't know.
- Are you sure about this? - Absolutely.
I promised you flesh.
And I shall deliver said flesh.
- We're not gonna get in.
- Of course, we're getting in! Hey.
When have I ever gotten us in trouble? All the time.
- Hey.
[Laughing.]
- Wow.
- So so I said - Stronger.
[Lively music playing.]
Ladies and gentlemen, Anna Held.
[Cheers and applause.]
[Burlesque music plays.]
Oh, I have such a way with me a way with me, a way with me I have such a nice little way with me do not think it wrong I should like you to play with me Incredible.
To play with me come play with me Incredible.
I wish you'd come and play with me play with me all day long one thing I ask Her foot? It shows the scale to the miniature gas-explosion engine.
Anna Held like that, and you draw this.
I'm gonna figure this out, maybe use it for a school project.
You see, this is what I'm talking about.
With your smarts, you don't need to go to college.
I'm trying to concentrate, Art.
I'm fond of games and fun, you see I wish you'd come and play with me Snuck in again, huh? I have such a way with me a way with me, a way with me WOMAN: I hope Walter is able to come to your wedding.
Oh, I wouldn't if I were him.
He has 1,200 acres he has to watch over by himself.
- Arthur! - What happened? Oh, just a bit of bad luck.
Yeah, follows you everywhere.
When are you gonna find a job? I work.
Not angles, a job with a paycheck.
Yeah, time to pull your weight around here.
Where did you get that? I earned it.
It's $3, enough to buy a month's worth of groceries for the entire family.
There.
See? Pulling my weight.
I don't want dirty money in this house.
Go out and earn yourself an honest wage.
Just because I'm smart enough not to have to break my back like a slave or work some job that I hate doesn't make me worth less than my brothers.
Yeah? I build things.
Walter works his ranch.
What do you do? Boys.
ARTHUR: Well, what do you think? I think it's an upside-down bike.
No, your foot engine on the bike.
This is it.
This is our venture, a motorized bicycle.
I don't know.
Others are messing around with engines on bikes.
So we do it better.
Maybe.
But the the foot engine isn't even big enough to power a bicycle.
I thought we'd just, uh No.
Before you say we just do this or do that, building an engine, any engine, is a massive undertaking.
You build railroad engines.
I'm just a draftsman.
This would take metallurgy, combustion science, machine tools and money, none of which we have.
Bill.
Bill, I've known you since we could walk.
You were born for this.
You know it, too.
MAN: Yeah! Looks great! Whoa! Hey.
Is Joe Merkel here? Yeah.
What would he want with you? You owe him money or something? Do you know where he is? Hey, Joe! Joe! These boys over here are asking about you.
Joe Merkel.
Pleasure, sir.
I've been riding Merkels my entire life.
Impressive.
I've only been making them for six years.
What do you want? To talk about the future.
I think we all agree that there is one problem with bicycles Pedaling.
We offer the perfect solution, a small, powerful gasoline engine, not much larger than a lady's foot.
My associate, Bill Harley, has engineered it, improving on a European design.
Engineered? This is a piece of paper.
Uh, that's why we need you, sir.
You have a machine shop, a foundry.
We would need a modicum of financial resources as well.
You did these? Joe, you got to look at this.
This is way better than those flimsy mail-order engines we're using.
Mail-order engines? De Dion-Bouton from France.
They work some, ain't reliable.
We'd call ours the Davidson-Harley-Merkel.
Ha! My name comes last, huh? You are last to the show, sir.
We would give you a majority ownership as well.
I get it, kid, but this won't work.
Bike frame can't carry the horsepower.
Should've put his name first.
Look at these hacks.
They're using scraps.
If I can figure out another way to get you the parts you need, can this actually work? Yeah, I think so.
Why? What are you thinking? You sure you're up for honest work? Yes, sir, Mr.
Davidson, sir.
- It could hang here - Uh-huh.
here and right over here.
[Men yelling indistinctly.]
Good.
You can start on the drilling.
Yeah.
Come on.
Stealing from my shop? I can't let this go.
My whole crew knows.
Ooh! [Coughing.]
Bu bu bu [Sighs.]
All right.
ARTHUR: And forget whether it's possible or not.
You at least agree that there's a market, right? Yeah.
It's making it, though, Art.
That's not what we're talking about.
Bill, I think we should get some ice cream.
- Arthur, no.
No! - Yeah, let's get some ice cream.
What can I get for you? You'll have to excuse my silent partner here.
Partner? Hmm.
What do you boys do? We're from Davidson-Harley.
And we invent things.
Picture this, only faster because it has a revolutionary gas-explosion engine.
Doesn't look so revolutionary to me.
Ours will be revolutionary, will be.
It's in the future tense.
Well, then I'll bring it back in the future.
[Giggling.]
All right.
Ah! Go.
Come on! Come on! [Engine starts.]
Yes! You, you! [Engine sputtering.]
What? What happened? These home-brewed parts aren't cutting it.
We need precision machining and new parts, Arthur.
We can't just keep cannibalizing everything.
Okay.
Grab a pencil.
Grab a pencil.
Write this down.
Dear brother, I write to you of a great opportunity.
You really think Walter will invest in such a small operation? He's family.
Besides, he's a big-time rancher and a railroad machinist.
And this is smart money.
Remember Bill Harley, from across the road? He and I have made an amazing machine, a motorized bicycle.
The engine is strong and swift.
She'll take you anywhere you're brave enough to point her.
We could use some capital, $75 for marketing and such.
We'll gladly repay you with interest.
Initial estimates put sales in the hundreds.
Don't be ridiculous, Arthur.
Maybe you're right.
Initial estimates puts sales in the thousands.
Hello? To the bride and groom.
ALL: To the bride and groom! [Lively music playing.]
Walter! - Walter's back, everybody.
- Hey.
I'm a married man.
Hey.
Here's my wife.
- Pleasure.
Hi.
- Hi.
You came back.
I did.
I'm glad you're home.
Me too.
So, uh, it isn't ready.
You think I came all the way back here to see your amazing machine? Oh, you're back for the wedding? Of course.
He's our big brother.
[Speaking native language.]
Although I am a bit curious to see what you've bothered to write me about.
[Speaks native language.]
Okay.
Let's see it.
I just said it isn't ready! You were gonna take your brother's money for that? And pay me back how, huh? You've never worked a full week in your life.
How many others have you floated this past? - No one.
- It isn't like that.
- And what is it like? - We made the engine.
- It works.
- It works? It did, until, uh, it didn't.
You made this, Harley? We both did.
You both drew these? It's it's not bad, Harley.
Is it fuel delivery? So maybe the problem is it's starving.
No.
No, the the mixture's rich enough.
It's the firing sequence.
It almost seems delayed, like the fuel isn't burning fully or something.
What if you change the point when the spark occurs? I could advance the position, fire the spark earlier.
What about the final drive? Um, the main issue there is the chain.
It keeps breaking.
Chain, huh? You could try a belt drive.
Like on a tractor? It ain't pretty, but it'll work.
Let's try it.
Good.
[Lively music continues.]
BILL: This frame is too small, so we made it bigger.
- Yeah, I see.
- You see? Bend it out.
- All right.
- Come on.
Let's just do it, boys.
Ugh.
Wait.
Wait, wait, wait.
[Lively music continues.]
There you go.
WALTER: Go, go.
Press the inlet valve.
Hold it, okay? - Push it.
- It's pressed! - Are you pressing it? - Yeah! [Engine starts.]
- Oh! Huh! Huh, ah! - Keep pedaling! Keep going! [Laughter.]
See?! It works! We'll never be late again! Damn it, my exam! Where is he going? - College.
- He's goin' to college? Yeah.
That's his plan.
What's yours? I guess I didn't come back just for a wedding.
Well, we just needed capital, not another partner.
You take the front.
Listen.
It's the cost of business.
You know that.
Besides, it took the three of us to get it to work.
You can't just walk in here and be part of this.
This is our venture! You need me.
Get over it.
[Crowd murmuring.]
- Walter! Hi! - Walter! Oh! Oh! Come on! Ah! You're back.
What? What is it? This machine, it's I I can't explain.
It's like this is it! And our next version Oh, I'm I'm sorry.
Our? No, no.
You must mean Bill and I because I I don't see why we would Forget about trams, cars, trains.
This is like nothing else.
I'm I'm I'm still shaking.
I rode it until it ran dry twice.
How'd it go? It didn't.
I missed it.
- No.
- Yep.
My parents say that's what I get for wasting my time with this.
You built something out of nothing.
Do you know how rare that is? What's rare is going to college, getting a career, taking care of my family.
Can this go faster? For what? No.
No, it'll It'll be too loud, too dangerous.
Nobody's gonna want to buy that.
People will want it.
Trust me.
We can't make this one faster, but if we had money, sure.
Yeah, we definitely could.
$175 that's all I got.
Well, we don't need all you got.
Railroad and the bank got the rest.
They allowed me to sell for 15 cents an acre.
If I'm gonna put my money into this, it needs to be real.
What's "it needs to be real"? Others are already doing this.
So we got to be different.
Ours needs to be bigger, stronger, faster.
We build it tough.
I want ours to go anywhere.
It goes anywhere.
It's a tall order, Walter.
What do we have to lose? [Engine running.]
- Good? - Yeah.
Come on.
Come on, come on! Come on! Pull! Pull! Pull! Come on.
Pull! One more, one more! Pull! Come on! Ugh! Come on! Ugh! [Engine stalls.]
It's not even a two-horse engine.
Okay.
So we just use it for For what? For pastors who want to take it on Sunday picnics? Or do you want to sell it to old ladies? The key word here, Walter, is sell.
Hey, Davidson.
That Merkel's new bike? There she is.
Just getting her ready for when Hendee comes to town.
Hendee bicycles is coming here? Yes, sir.
They are now the biggest makers of motorized bicycles in America, calling theirs the Indian.
But why is he coming here? Draw spectators, sell bikes.
Merkel wants to make an impression.
When? I saw Walter Davidson flying through town on your revolutionary contraption.
Actually, it's it's our contraption, the motorcycle.
We all built it together.
So when do I get to see this motorcycle? Walter has it.
Probably driving it across the state house lawn.
Have you ridden it yet? - Yeah.
- What's it like? Like an explosion between your legs.
Excuse me? I mean, it's it's fast.
Hmm.
So this is what you want to do? I wanted to study engineering in college, but I missed the exam.
Well, can't you send them these? Those are just just drawings.
These are more than just drawings.
- I don't know.
- So why not try? ARTHUR: I've been reading about Hendee.
His main markets are New York, Boston and Philadelphia.
It's a city bike.
WALTER: Good.
Ride a bike through Wisconsin Clay, you can sure as hell ride it down a city street, not the other way around.
All I'm saying is it should be recognizable, sellable.
We build a loop frame, it'll handle a little better.
Does look like a motorcycle.
Remember we're selling to people who come from bicycles.
Should we make it look like a horse? [Engine running.]
Only problem now is the carburetor.
It keeps over-fueling the engine.
I need to rework this.
[Sighs.]
This just came.
They accepted me.
[Laughs.]
Thank you.
Thank you.
College? So how's this gonna work when you're away in college? I don't know.
Look, do you even need me? Walter knows this stuff inside out.
Yes, Davidson-Harley Motorcycles has a ring to it.
Of course we need you.
I'm sorry, guys.
[Clattering.]
No.
Y you can't not go.
You can send us drawings from school.
You'll still be our partner.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
Are you kidding me? Art, this this is real.
- We'll figure out - I put all my money into this, and our engineer is walking out on us? We committed to this, Bill, all of us! All of us.
So you need a carburetor.
A trade for our self-oiling bearings.
Harley come up with that? How do they work? That's kind of the point, Joe.
You don't know.
If you can't be civil, you can leave.
W we drill a hole in the crank case to feed oil directly to the big-end bearing.
Bullshit.
Can't be done.
We use a dental drill.
Fine then.
Here we go.
My last spare.
You should have Bill put that on, make sure it's right.
Well, we're very busy here.
Nice doing business with you.
HENDEE: What the hell is George Hendee doing here in our sleepy town? [Crowd murmuring.]
Some of you know me as a bicycle racer.
And I win.
World champion in 1886.
That's why I made the Indian the best.
Don't believe me? There are now 50 motorcycle makers in America.
Everyone gets a chance to race against Indian in our expo run next spring, races in every city, all makers welcome.
If you can best my machine, then I want to partner with you to take Indian Motorcycles to the next level.
[All cheering.]
- All right.
- Yeah.
Mr.
Hendee, it is an honor, sir.
Let's show this easterner how we do things in Milwaukee.
[Engine revving.]
Uh-huh, I see.
[Laughter.]
ART: The needle didn't seed properly in this carb.
We need our goddamned engineer.
If the potential energy functions as an independent of time, all vectors are scaled by a non-zero concept.
And the entire Lagrangian is scaled by the same factor.
We fall back on this when Newton's formulation is inconvenient.
So he turns to Cameron and says, "you can have it in any color you want so long as it's black.
" That is typical of Henry Ford.
He's an idiot.
He's an ass.
I don't know why father works with him.
We could have our own factory producing our own Oh.
I'm so sorry, sir.
Is your name Harley? You made the ladyfoot.
- Huh? - The engine.
We've raced a machine at the hills.
- Oh.
- I'm Ira Mason.
And this is my brother, Cecil.
I've seen you at the university.
What are you studying? Engineering.
Good.
You make a lousy waiter.
[Laughter.]
See you tomorrow, Eddie.
All right, Joe.
Hey.
Lot of excitement yesterday.
Look, that wasn't my idea, okay? - I didn't - Have the balls to speak up? I want the real carb.
Well, I'd have to break in.
He'd fire me.
Better than a broken arm.
Is that a threat? Without a doubt.
Now, I thought what Joe did was lousy.
You almost cost me my machine, Eddie.
I don't like Joe Merkel any more than you.
But I need this job if I'm gonna race these machines.
Get me the carb.
And then we can talk racing maybe.
Race for you? Just go get it.
Now, the float for the carb goes here.
- See that? - Uh-huh.
Knows his shit.
We'll give you 50 cents a day and meals.
- Oh, hey, what? - You got yourself a deal.
No.
No.
No.
We need to talk about this.
We need the help.
This is what expansion looks like.
You boys got Harley's engine, the loop frame plan.
Let me help you.
We put this together, we beat Hendee.
Cecil and I graduate this spring.
We're starting an enterprise backed by our father.
Mason Gears, I know.
We've used them.
Father built a business, the Westinghouse, and now Henry Ford, too.
But we'd like to make our own machine.
We're looking for an engine designer.
Well? She's bleeding oil like a pig.
I was hard on her.
I wasn't that hard.
Gents, the machine I've been telling you about.
Sir, you walk how far each day? 10 miles a day at least.
You know, you get a better sense of the lines from this side.
Come around here.
Come on.
- Hey, Myron.
- Hey.
Now, we have sold out our first production line.
But $50 deposit from the gas man for our prototype.
He'll pick it up after the expo run.
You saw a problem with the oil leak? We need our engineer.
[Door opens.]
Sir Isaac Newton, I presume? Art.
Walter.
What are you, uh We heard you made some new friends.
A few.
Something about a motor business? It's different than what we do.
What we're doing is racing our bike.
We need you back for the race.
I can't.
I have schoolwork and this meeting to prepare for.
I'll try to be there, but - Try to be there? - Shh.
Look, I'm sure you'll come up with something.
What does that mean? I love the motorcycle that we built, but this, this is less of a risk.
There he is.
I'm Cecil Mason.
- This is my brother - Mason Gears.
These are your new friends? Is there a problem with that? Not if there's no conflict of interest.
We didn't know you had a contract with Bill.
We don't.
Do you? [Chair clatters.]
I never saw Bill as a Judas goat.
You know he's got a family to think about, a sick brother.
Sick brother? Hell, I got two of those.
Welcome to the Indian expo run.
More than a race, it's a wide-open clash of ideas materialized in steel.
Is that your merchandise? All right.
Same sequence again, all right? Once over.
Are you conc Are you listening to me? Hey, how you doing? Hey.
I'm glad you came.
Glad you came.
I don't know where Walter is, but there's a beer tent just over here.
And you can check out the the rest of the bikes.
That's Merkel.
Remember Joe Merkel? - What? - I told you about him.
- How's she running? - Good.
This is make or break for us.
- How you feeling? - Like I'm gonna make or break.
- Look at you, Mr.
Fancy Man.
- Better late than never.
Yeah, I'm not so sure about that.
Bike looks good, really good.
I think there's a spot in the stands if you came to watch.
Should be a good view from over there.
[Engines revving.]
Quite an engine you have there.
How many horses does she have? We estimate it at three, sir.
Quite a substantial machine.
But there's your problem, too.
What the hell does that mean? How heavy is it? About 140 pounds, give or take.
I'm sorry, you can't participate.
I thought this was an open event! Yes, but there's a weight limit, safety considerations for others.
Oh, come on.
You're making this up.
You don't want us on the track.
- Uh-huh.
- You're afraid we'll win.
Keep this up, I'll have you ejected from the grounds.
You built this as an opportunity for upstarts when it's really just self-promotion.
You're a fraud, Mr.
Hendee! Multi-faceted.
Do you leave on your own or do you need help from my boys? It's okay.
We're leaving.
- Walt.
We're racing.
- What? - We're leaving.
- What? No.
Good luck, Mr.
Hendee.
Such a shame.
Those dirty bastards, this was never an opportunity.
Just push me off.
- What? - What? [Gunshot.]
Push me off! Push! Push! Push! Go! Watch it! Move! Go! ART: Come on, Walt! Come on! Go! Come on! Let's go! He's with the Indian! - Come on, Walter.
- Come on, Walt.
Come on, Walt.
Crank it, Walt! Go! Come on.
- He's ahead! - Come on! No, no! - Yes.
- [Laughing.]
[Cheers and applause.]
Oh, my god.
Come on.
You could have killed yourself.
Congratulations, guys.
Don't you have somewhere to be? I I I do, actually.
That's what I wanted to talk to you about.
Your family needs money.
Whatever the masons are offering, we can't match it.
Hey, Harley.
The frame holds up.
Yes, it does.
Young man, I saw you with that racer.
Whose machine is that? It's mine.
No, sir, that's mine.
I won my motorcycle.
I feel like I won the race myself.
C.
H.
Lang.
Piano tuners.
I own the largest manufacturer in North America.
Well, if you're interested in purchasing a Davidson-Harley, I suggest you act fast.
Our initial factory run has sold out.
- Do you have a card? - They're being printed.
At your factory? Your coat is a hand-me-down.
Your shoes are covered in grease, and you have no card.
I believe this company you speak of is largely fiction.
Well, our bike is real.
You saw my brother steal the race out there with it.
Well, how about we discuss how to get your machine built en masse and into dealerships across the country? In dealerships.
Mr.
Davidson, I see a great opportunity for both of us.
My sons have the interesting idea of making an affordable car.
They say you're the guy to make it run.
We offer a full salary while you complete your degree.
You'll work summers and consult during the year.
It's a non-compete.
If they're paying, you work only for my sons.
Let's go see the show.
[Indistinct conversation.]
I thought, "there's only one way to get back.
" I've got a check here for $1,000.
Whoa.
- From whom? - A Chicago businessman who wants to open a dealership and back us.
Another shady associate? Business is full of shady associates, Mother.
But this one is for real.
- C.
H.
Lang? - Bank says it's good.
- Really? - Yeah.
Yeah.
Ohh! Yes! Big Bill, we're going to need a foreman to, uh, oversee things.
Like I'm gonna work for my bonehead little brother.
Maybe I'll think about it.
Ahh! [Indistinct conversations.]
Indy, here we come.
[Chuckles.]
He was right about the weight.
We should get it down.
Yeah.
You can do that, right? I trained as a machinist, not an engineer.
You said the family needed this.
School and income, it's a blessing.
But it won't be mine, any of it.
What do you mean? The company.
It's the Masons'.
Son, you need to sign this.
[Engine running.]
Sounds good.
Surface of the leather oil seal burns after a few miles and then starts leaking oil on both sides of the crank.
Maybe you could cast a counter-rotating spiral into the crank pin? It'll force the oil back into the motor.
That's not a bad idea.
You were great the other day.
This thing, it's a part of you.
Huh.
Come to say goodbye? Well, good luck.
Thanks.
Hey, Harley, it's a part of you, too.
All right.
Sell me.
A motorcycle will get you where you want to go.
It'll pull a cart, traverse any terrain.
And what you see is what you get, a machine that wears its heart on its sleeve.
No, not the sales pitch, Arthur, you.
Walter wants to make a machine that goes anywhere, rides hard, ignores the rules.
But beyond money, why does Arthur Davidson want this? I want to make my good name.
And you could, too.
We got money, Bill, an investor.
Not enough to pay you what the masons are promising, but enough to keep your parents happy.
A million men built the pyramids, and none of their names are on it.
Ours could be, but not working for the masons.
Speaking of names, I've been thinking.
You have to trust me.
Do you know what you're throwing away? I haven't taken this lightly.
This is my chance, mine.
Beg your pardon? You brought us up to stand up for ourselves, and I am.
And I want you to support me.
Ma.
[Door closes.]
Whoo-hoo-hoo.
Like sitting on a stack of dynamite.
Three out of five? You got it, Chief.
Hold on, let me check something.
Where'd you come from anyway? Texas.
No, I mean you ride like the devil.
Well, it's the only thing I'm good at, turns out.
Only thing I really own, you know? Yeah, I know.
Thank you, Walter.
On this bike, out here, speed racing, only time I'm somebody, not just the son of a field hand.
But I tell you one thing.
When I get on that track, they gonna know my name.
All right.
Three out of five.
Five out of seven.
51 out of 100.
It's your pride.
Good job.
All right.
It's just like riding a bicycle.
Only complex and powerful.
So you pedal it to start it.
Okay.
And then, um, once it's turned over, hold her steady, and, uh, use this lever to engage the belt.
- Okay.
- Okay, you ready? - Yeah.
- Here we go.
This is a breakthrough.
It is? Yes.
Women can ride a Harley-Davidson, errands to the grocer, the post office.
It's a whole new market.
She can really ride, which is Very appealing.
Very appealing.
Go, Ida.
Here we are.
So these are the bikes? Yeah.
All our motorcycles are assembled here on site.
That's Big Bill Davidson, the foreman.
- Hello.
- Hello.
Right in here, Miss "Bee-sel.
" Beisel.
It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Might not want to shake my hand when you hear why I've come here today.
- Oh.
- I'm writing an article about the dangers of motorcycling, murder-cycles, I call them, and wanted to give you the chance to go on record.
Another article.
Great.
Yes, thank you.
This is very kind of you.
- Pardon? - Please.
"Murder-cycles have captured the attention of young men across the country.
There seems to be something about these deadly machines which excites the spirit.
The freedom and the speed of these machines provokes a new kind of wildness.
" Thank you.
I couldn't have phrased it better myself.
This kind of press is hard to stimulate.
You look like the cat who swallowed the canary.
Nope, not at all.
I understand being driven to a cause, and I respect somebody who stands for their beliefs.
Please, Miss Beisel, write as many anti-motorcycle articles as you possibly can.
Uh, do me one favor, though.
What's that, Mr.
Davidson? Please don't ever ride one of our machines because if you do, you'll have too much fun.
You'll become a huge enthusiast, and then there goes all my free press.
Eddie, Walt, look at this.
Come here.
Oh! This design's gonna concentrate power.
- What's that? - That? It's a butterfly valve.
- More power.
- A lot more power.
- Good job, Bill.
- I just hope it works.
It's gonna eat up the rest of Lang's investment.
It'll work.
We enter the Catskills enduro race.
It ends with a ceremony at Hendee's headquarters.
The press from New York is covering it.
This race is about three things.
Number one, sales.
We need dealers to survive.
And this is how we get them.
Two, we have the better machine, but no one knows about it.
That ends at this race.
Three, we beat the bastards! This is it! The future of this company will be determined upon this race.
- Ms.
Beisel! - Mr.
Davidson.
- Hello.
How are you? - Good.
How are you? - Oh, please, allow me.
- Oh, thank you.
It's great to see you.
You, too.
Uh, you we we actually We have a race this weekend.
Would you, by any chance, like to accompany me? - A race? - Yes.
It's an enduro race, so it pits man against machine.
It'd be a really great story for a really great journalist.
- It's in Upstate New York.
- New York? - Yeah.
- I think not.
I don't think that my fiancé would appreciate that.
Oh.
No.
No, of course not.
- Town Hall.
- Ma'am.
- Have a nice day.
- You as well.
[Indistinct conversations.]
[Indistinct conversation.]
LANG: There he is.
Preston King, head of the east coast dealers association.
He's the one we need to get us our dealerships.
- Mr.
King! - Ah.
- How are you, sir? - Good to see you.
He seems a bit buddy-buddy with Hendee.
Yeah.
Doesn't smell good, does it? No.
That's him.
That's the man to impress.
I'm gonna impress the whole crowd.
Yes.
I'm sure you will, Walter.
But the crowd can't get us dealerships.
Mr.
King can.
Why can't we just open our own dealerships? LANG: Because beneath his stuffed shirt beats the heart of a cheap gangster.
If he doesn't approve of a dealership, then leases are broken, shops burned.
We can light fires, too.
Impressive machine.
I'm Preston King.
Walter Davidson.
This is Bill Harley, Eddie, Mr.
Lang and my brother Arthur.
Mr.
King, it is a great pleasure, sir.
Pleasure to meet all of you.
Uh, as you know, we're looking to expand our operations.
I hope you like what you see out here today.
Let the best man win.
Oh, we will, sir, so long as everybody plays fair and square.
Good luck, gentlemen.
Look forward to speaking after the race! Yeah, yeah.
How's she holding up? Gentlemen, this is a race around three circuits of the course.
This race is about the machine and not the racer.
If your rider injures himself, you may replace him.
You are allowed to refuel.
But if your bike breaks down, you're out.
Yeah.
We'll be fine.
Go! [Cheers and applause.]
[Grunts.]
Ah! Aah! What's wrong? ARTHUR: Whoa! Whoa! It's a little rough out there.
- Get the first aid kit! - Grab the bike.
- Come on.
Help me get him up! - Hey, I'll take over! No, no.
- Do you need a doctor? - No doctor.
You okay? You all right? Walt.
Hey.
Can you do this? I can do this.
Help me get him on the bike.
- Come on.
- Give me your goggles.
- Give me the helmet.
- Help me get him on.
Let me ride! I'm ready to go! I don't want to hear it.
Walt! MAN: Hey! [Both grunting.]
[Groaning.]
Hey! HENDEE: Indian Motorcycles only.
How do we feel, gentlemen? Are we in? Good man.
Good man.
We're gonna make a lot of money, gentlemen.
We will do.
We will do.
Trust me on this.
It's a win-win deal.
- Hello, Mr.
Hendee.
- Good man.
- Excuse me, gentlemen.
- Trust me.
He giving you Indian stock options, too? - Pardon me? - Hendee is giving dealers premium stock to only sell Indian Motorcycles.
You should get in there, buddy.
I'm gonna be giving you Indian stocks, shares.
That's money in your pocket.
Come in.
Come in.
You want to hear about this deal? [Cheers and applause.]
First place, Harley-Davidson! My friend wants to know your name! It's on the bike! Oh, well, Harley-Davidson, - can we buy you a drink? - Without a doubt! - Onto the victory ceremony! - Come on, Harley-Davidson.
Let's get you on that winner's stand.
Guys, Hendee has got a sweet gimmick.
He's giving premium stock options.
He's paying dealers to sell Indians exclusively.
Robbery by fountain pen all over again.
Hey, Hendee! You may have those clowns in your pocket, but no one can ignore what they saw today, what the whole crowd saw.
All they saw was a ruffian.
We built a better motorcycle.
What good is a better bike if you can't sell it? Congratulations, gentlemen, on your victory.
- Come here! - No! Come here! You seem to be missing your racer, huh? This candy-ass-looking guy in a red suit? - That's enough! - Come here! Get back! Nothing to see here! [Punches landing.]
[Laughter.]
Does it hurt? Not much.
Oh.
Well, what can we do to make it better? You know, that's a great question.
Hey.
How'd we do? - Bye.
- See you.
Two.
Two? Only two new dealerships signed up After that stunt you pulled.
I won.
We won, Walter.
And it takes more than winning races to generate sales.
They threw the first punch.
There were a dozen photographers there today.
Tomorrow, it'll be in all the papers.
- We need more press.
- Selling Selling motorcycles, Walter, not mayhem! You should thank me.
The last thing our company needs is the public thinking we're sissies.
The outlaw image is much better.
Far better! That machine has muscle, is tough, goes anywhere, does anything.
That's what the customer wants.
That's what you want, Walter! You're damn right.
President of the company does not get into fistfights with competitors in front of the man who can get us dealerships.
Enjoy your evening.
I can't help you.
We're open to varying terms of sale.
It ain't you guys.
I can't sell Curtisses or Excelsiors or Griffins, neither.
My contract is solely Indians.
We put it all in.
This this'll this'll ruin us.
The house, the savings If this don't work, we don't eat.
WALTER: W w why did you do this? Well, there there were overages, bills to pay.
I I didn't think it'd go south.
What were you thinking, huh? That that you damn dumb idiots knew what you were doing! You let us down.
And you, huh, I should've known from day one you'd screw this up.
Arthur Davidson, head of sales and marketing.
- You ungrateful - Hey! Hey! - Hey! Hey! Hey! - Come here! - Come here! - Hey! Hey! Hey! You stay out of this! This is a Davidson matter.
Quiet down there! That's enough! Stop it, or I'll knock your heads together.
That goes for you, too, Bill Harley.
Have a little faith in Arthur.
He's brought you this far.
[Laughter.]
- I need a beer.
- Yeah.
- Beer? - Yeah.
Do we have to do this? I've heard nothing but bad things about this guy.
No bank is gonna give us a loan without more dealerships.
How many do we have? - 11.
- Indian has over 100.
Yeah, well, we hear him out.
A new race with new machines, radical engine modifications, a track made entirely of wood, with all turns banked at no less than 60 degrees.
60? That means speeds of around 80 miles per hour.
My engineers have that number closer to 90.
90 miles an hour? Physics do not lie.
So, like a bicycle velodrome.
At motorcycle speeds.
Everything I offer is tangible and based on scientific principle.
Thousands of spectators, close enough to feel the heat of the engines.
So how many of these do you plan on building? There'll be 30 motordromes in operation inside 3 years.
That's, uh, 200,000 people, all watching Harley-Davidson in action.
Think of the press, the dealers, the potential customers.
Are you singing the same tune to Hendee? [Chuckles.]
What's an arena with only one gladiator? So the rider will experience something called G-force.
Theoretically, the faster they go, the greater the pull on them toward the track.
To keep them safe? Hardly.
One knock into another bike going 100 miles an hour will send the rider flying, with obvious results.
Great.
What else? Uh, he also wants to standardize bike specs.
- For safety? - Uh, the opposite.
Fixed speeds, the bikes are either on or off.
So how do they, uh No brakes.
[Laughing.]
No.
I don't think we do this.
What do we do instead? I don't know.
This is not some test of a rugged, dependable, go-anywhere machine.
This is a blood sport, period.
Got to be a Harley-Davidson on that track, period.
I'll do it.
I'll ride.
What happens if we don't do this? What happens when Indian wins big and we're nowhere to be seen? We sell a bike here and there until we close up shop.
- Hell, Walter - I'll ride.
No brakes, G-forces, 25 machines going 100 miles an hour - Uh-huh.
All clumped together? Forget it.
This is suicide.
We're not doing it.
Says who? I said I'll ride the motordrome! I'm sorry, Eddie.
It's not that you're not good enough.
You are.
It's that it's too dangerous.
But not too dangerous for you.
I wouldn't ask anyone else to do this.
We are not asking anyone to do anything.
If Harley-Davidson endorses this race and someone gets hurt, or worse, killed Hold on, Arthur.
You know I'd win.
You know I'd win, and it would just kill you to see another man cross that line first.
I'm sorry, Eddie.
The answer is no.
Okay.
I quit.
Good luck.
Eddie! - Eddie, come back! - No, Big Bill.
I waited too long, man.
Harley-Davidson is not racing the motordrome.
Are we clear? [Cheers and applause.]
[Engines revving.]
It wasn't personal, Eddie.
You might be the best rider I know.
Without a doubt.
ARTHUR: There he is, that son of a bitch.
He's risking everything we worked for.
I know.
Let's get down to the pits.
I'll stay.
You go.
- You sure? - Yeah.
Go.
I can't back up! Look at them! Yeah! MAN: Go! [Cheers and applause.]
Ugh! Let's go, Walt! Ooh! Come on.
Come on.
Whoa! Eddie! WALTER: I didn't want to race in that motordrome, but I did for Harley-Davidson.
Stop it, Walt.
You raced for you.
You couldn't bear to miss out on that race.
You could not stand to have anybody tell you what you couldn't do.
BILL: The Harley-Davidson Motor Company announces that it not only condemns motordrome racing, but boycotts it completely.
Racing drives sales.
You know it.
We have to find a way to compete.
WALTER: If we go back to flat track racing, this time we build bigger, faster bikes, way more powerful than the motordromes could handle.
Is this it? BILL: This is power, control and speed.
The last decision I will be making as chairman is to appoint my successor.
Gentlemen, Mr.
Randall James.
You think you can come here and humiliate me in front of my peers? We are gonna destroy you.
We're being sued.
It's a class action lawsuit.
It'll mean layoffs, losing entire production lines and bankruptcy.