I haven't had a chance to find out when the first Harley came to New Zealand or what model it was.

"The Model B side valve Harley was initially a reasonably good seller. In fact, a large number were also exported to Britain, Australia and New Zealand"

It was competition racing in NZ that caught on with the Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

It was the Harley-Davidson 350 cc overhead-valve 'A ' which was apparently called the 'Peashooter' and was used on grass and dirt tracks. "It was never an official Harley-Davidson model name; however, it stuck. Surprisingly the "Peashooter' owes it survival to the marketplace and, strangely enough, it was a favourable vote from New Zealand and Australia which ensured that the Americans sat up and took notice. At the time of its release in 1926, things did not look bright for the overhead-valve competition Model S. The race scene in the United States was in a disarray. The national governing body of motorcycle sport was fictionalized, beholden to the major manufacturers and financially strapped - a natural consequence of this being the development of local, unsanctioned, non-professional meets.  The 'boards' had already died and dirt racing was on the decline."

The Peashooter was  a hot favourite because it won the races and the mechanics soon cottoned on it had big  potential as a racer.  "When the first 350 cc 'AA' Harley raced on beach and grass tracks in New Zealand, opposition and spectators were stunned by the performance.  It was in effect a road bike which had been tuned by mechanics and riders associated with Jones Brothers in Christchurch - the great Geoff Hockley being to the fore in these proceedings. If that machine was capable of so much, it had to be questioned what the genuine 350 'Peashooter' racers were like."

"A cable was sent to Milwaukee, and three months later bike number SM 516 landed in New Zealand.  These machines remained the property of the factory, in effect on lease.  The potential is clear: you're sitting on the starting line, the string goes up and, if you're good enough, in a couple of seconds the engine is positively singing at 7,000 rpm plus!"

Of course this leads to the "arguments about where grass-track racing originated are like the question of who invented the Pavlova. It may surprise some to learn that grass-track racing started in New Zealand well before the outbreak of hostilities with Germany in 1914.  Geoff Hockley noted that Bill Hyslop, riding a Triumph, gave a demonstration on a grass cycle track in Cornwall Park, Hastings in 1908. Significantly, interest in this form of motorcycle sport grew rapidly, to the point where at many of the meetings held on racecourses spectator numbers exceeded those anticipated for the biggest horse carnival of the year.  Quarter-, half- and one-mile grass track racing became very popular with riders and spectators in New Zealand and Australia, and the 'Peashooter' was the bike to ride."

"When the news got back to the United States, things in the competition arena had again started to hot up.  Harley-Davidson announced it would return to competition, with particular emphasis on the 'lightweights', then employed the great Joe Petralli as its rider."

The other impact the Harley had in New Zealand was as Arthur Davidson predicted, was the Horse you didn't have to feed.  Back in the 1930's the Mills moved their logs and supplies on rail tracks by use of 'trolleys'. Talk about Kiwi ingenuity for a man named Frank Heinz whom would buy up 10/12 Harley-Davidsons in reasonable order.

"These machines were sent to the West Coast by the 'the trainload' during the 1930's. Imagine this: a rectangular wooden frame made from 8 x 2 timber, about four metres wide ( 3' 6" in fact).  Attached to either end of the frame were railway wheels with axles in open bearings....'a dash of grease each morning'.  Then, on top of the frame, a bench seat capable of sitting six men, one such seat either side and, in the middle between the benches, a Harley 10/12."

"Brakes were simply a lever which jammed a wooden block against the wheel.   The downhill run to home was often exciting, with corners approached too fast and the shout 'she's off!' with thirteen men  bailing out into the bush. The trolleys were seen by the millers as a disposable commodity. They were simple, anyone could build them. If the engine gave problems, they could be changed over in ten minutes. Of all the engines used the Harley was the BEST." 

The Harley powered trolleys were the best thing for carting men and the injured in and out of the bush.  The idea caught on and some people had their own private trolleys.  As forest service roads became the in thing over the next 30 years and slowly the Harley powered trolley disappeared along with the trams in the 50's & 60's. 

One story told was of a 1905 Cadillac used as a taxi. The engine died and the typical Kiwi put a Harley 10/12 in it instead and it sure went like the clappers.

So you see the Harley in New Zealand was a very sought after motorcycle for it's parts and many of the early models just sat in the barns or sheds waiting to be restored in years to come by enthusiasts.

One such out of it story I was told that became local news, about a particular Harley which was like winning the Lottery for some lucky bloke.  He had an old Harley that he decided to restore(?) and he rang the local dealer about parts giving them the model and make number of his Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Not sure how the story goes but he was offered quite a lot of money for his bike which puzzled him because it certainly wasn't worth that much, so he thought I guess at the time.  I believe he rang overseas to check up on this model, only to be offered even more money for his bike.  I am sure he scratched his head and thought what the F*** is going on here. I got this real old rusted out bike and everyone is offering me large amounts of money. As it turns out, the Harley was one of the Elvis Harley Collection and that this particular Harley had  belonged to James Dean. Fact or Fiction?  If it's fiction then I will be speaking to the person that told me and telling them they are ALL SHIT but the source of the information came from a few directions so I have no reason to doubt the validity of such a story. Lucky Bastard and it would have been better than winning the Lottery as far as collectors bikes go.  Wonder how many left of the Elvis Collection to find now?

On that note I will leave you with that small taste of Harley History in New Zealand.

Footnote: Classic Motorcycles in New Zealand by Kerry Swanson, 1997 The Dunmore Press Ltd.