Herbert Wagner in his book "At the Creation" details how the motorcycle that Harley-Davidson calls "Old Number 1" could not be the first production machine. He concludes that no machines were sold prior to 1904 at the earliest. "Old Number 1" has features that were not developed until 1950. The original HD machine had a De Dion Bouton Engine (copied from DDB) just as did all the previous US makers of motorcycle had done.

"Old Number 1" in fact, sits in a frame that is remarkably similar to the 1899 Laurin & Klement Model A, which some people credit as the first "real" motorcycle since it was the first motorized bicycle to be designed and built from the beginning to be engine powered.