Harley and the Davidsons based on nine reviews. Larry Lawrence of the motorcycling news magazine "CycleNews" gave the series a mixed to negative review, stating that it was "by most accounts a highly entertaining watch", but was critical of the highly dramatized portrayal of the company and its founders, particularly the Harley/Indian rivalry which culminated in an unresolved cliffhanger with the infringement case in the second episode, and the events of the third episode, where Harley unveiled their new motorcycle in a (fictional) outlaw race. The show received positive reception from Harley-Davidson themselves. Bill Davidson, great-grandson of the original founders, and Bill Jackson, head
Harley-Davidson FL hydraulically damped telescopic forks, replacing the leading link spring suspension of the time. These forks were standard on all big twin models for 1949, including the E, EL, F, and FL. Harley-Davidson offered the spring suspension units on these models and recommended their use on sidecar combinations, because the hydraulic forks did not have enough trail to allow the combination to be stable enough for safe operation. During their debut model year of 1949, Harley-Davidson referred to their new suspension systems as the "hydraulic front ends". Harley-Davidson's marketing department promoted the new suspension systems by renaming the big twin models