05/19/2024
Did you know that the term “hog” when referring to a Harley-Davidson motorcycle originated from the early part of the 1900s? Harley’s racing team, known as the Wrecking Crew, had a small pig as a mascot. One of the riders would do victory laps with the pig sitting on the bike’s gas tank.
The History Behind the Photo
The racer is Ray Weishaar, a member of the factory racing team since 1914. The animal is Johnnie Duroc Weishaar, a six-week-old piglet, adopted from a local farmer, who became the race-winner’s mascot—complete with a festive white and green H-D pennant tucked into his harness—for the 100-mile road race held at Marion, Indiana, on Sept. 6, 1920.
