Harley-Davidson

The Challenge:

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) used Harley-Davidson motorcycles but had an issue with the level of sound produced that did not conform to the Canadian noise standards. The RCMP advised H-D to be in compliance or lose the business to a competitor.

The Solution:

Two years prior to the Canadian issue, I had visited the H-D environmental engineering department to introduce a newly patented muffler (US 3,710,891) which I represented and felt confident would be of benefit both sound and performance wise. They rejected the new muffler and stated that they were happy with their present supplier which was located near their Milwaukee plant. But with the Canadian issue that could not be solved by their existing suppler, they asked that I work on a solution. The inventor (who I represented) and I requested a motorcycle for testing which was provided. We used the Sears Point raceway to perform our tests which resulted in meeting the Canadian noise level requirement and improving performance. Within one year, H-D awarded all of their muffler business to us which over the years has resulted in over three hundred million dollars in sales.