Bill Holland's History-Circa 1970

John Harman and Harry Holland started a company called H & H Cycle where I was the only employee. John Harman came up with a design for an internally spring girder. H & H started building the front end where as I had a big involvement in making the parts and John doing the welding and my brother, Harry doing machine work. (We also were building frames and forward controls) After working out all the details of manufacturing the front end, H & H started the procedure of patenting the front end and in May of 1973 the Harman Front End was patented. A year later and a difference of opinions Harry transferred his partnership to me (Bill Holland) and he left the Company. At that point I was solely responsible for building the front end and John built the frames. We went on to building our own along with 100s of customers custom bikes.

In the early 80’s as the length and style changed the demand to run long front ends declined and gave me the break I needed. I was able  to clear my head from the repetitiveness of building the same thing over and over and over again (approx. 4000 units). I started building weightlifting equipment and owned a World Gym in 1986. After that I started manufacturing high end hand forged stair railings. Through the years I’ve had friends and customers who knew my reputation as a bike builder and want me to do work for them. In 2003, with the encouragement of my wife and a friend of mine, I pulled the original front end fixture out of storage and began to design a new version of what is now known as "Harman/Holland Front End".

In 2005, I finished my first prototype chopper with the new front end on it. This bike was totally built by me which includes:

• frame
•  front end
•  forward controls
•  oil tank
•  exhaust pipes
•  handle bars with risers
•  top motor mount
•  axles
•  license plate frame mount
•  fender with led lights milled into fender supports
•  seat pan
•  transmission plate
•  gas tank is a stock sportster with modifications
•  engine is a 113” polished S & S
•  transmission is a 6 speed, kickstand-hot match weld on
•  wheels-front: Billet Boys 21” with avon, rear Billet Boys 16”-180 avon
•  paint-James Dean Rebel Design
•  chrome-Sherms/Custom Chrome & Bumper.

I was contacted by Bob Clark who was the editor for Street Choppers in the 70’s & 80’s to see if I would answer some questions from “Pay Up Suckers Production” (Jesse James) in regards to a special documentary from which Jesse James & Discovery Channel are doing on the History of the Chopper. I was flattered and gladly accepted. The film crew came to my shop in April of 2005 and interviewed me about my contribution to the chopper industry and my affiliation with John Harman. When Bob Clark contacted me, I also told him about my intentions on starting fabrication on the new Harman Front End. He was excited about the rebirth and volunteered to do a press release. So here I am, my career has come full circle back to doing what my passion is and that is to build custom motorcycles and design and fabricate cool motorcycle accessories.