Steel Toe Tour - Harley-Davidson Plant, York, Pennsylvania

     You can take a free tour at the Harley-Davidson plant in York, Pennsylvania or you can pay $35.00 for the Steel Toe Tour.  Take the $35.00 tour.  You'll be outfitted with steel toe shoe covers, safety glasses, and a bright orange vest.  You'll see a short film, then spend a couple of hours walking around the super clean factory floor with a guide who explains every step of the process of motorcycle manufacturing.  Since photography inside the plant is prohibited, the Harley people give you a souvenir photo of your group at the end of the tour - so you can prove you were there.  Like all factory tours, this one ends at the gift shop where you can use the $5.00 discount coupon that accompanied your entry ticket.
   

Here are my steel toe shoe covers.

This is the closest I'll be getting to riding on a motorcycle.

 
     Since I couldn't take any pictures inside the plant, here's a video I found on YouTube.  Take notice of the fender stamping process.  They cut fenders and gas tanks from steel sheets.  Those sheets come from huge rolls of steel.  Our guide emphasized that Harley recycles all steel left over from the manufacturing process.  You'll also see the powder coating of gas tanks.  Powder coating is superior to painting because it is more durable.  Our guide explained that black is the most popular color.  That electric green bike that I am sitting on in the picture sports a 2015 custom color.  Also, check out the pinstriping.  Harley paints the stripes.  They don't use vinyl appliques.  Those orange carts seen in the video are run by computer.  Once a frame is assembled and painted, it is attached to the cart.  The cart weaves its way around the plant, and employees have about 80 seconds to complete their part of the process.  The plant produces 800 bikes per day, 400 bikes on each 10 hour shift.        


   
     Here's our tour group photo -