Have you ever wondered why Harley Davidsons have so much trim?

I have had owners tell me a number of reasons, I have been told the trim is for looks, the trim protects the bike when it falls over, it intimidates other bike owners, letting them know you own the road.

Well I was curious. So I investigated the facts and for the most part what I was told was true, Harley put it on there to protect the bike against light impacts and it had to look good while doing it.

But diving further into the matter I found the following photo in a Harley design book.

It appears they know their bikes have some issues and have planned ahead.

It proves the old adage, "93% of all Harley Davidson Motorcycles built are still on the road...The rest made it home."

Of course there are those that made it home due to medi-vac,