Harley Davidson′s
Classic Riders in Cuba

The first automobile entered Cuba in 1898, and a year later, according to the magazine Le Figaro, on September 3, 1899, a three-wheeler built by Prinetti & Stucchi in Milan, Italy entered the port of Havana. The motorcycle had only a 138 cc engine and used benzene as fuel.

Then in the United States in 1903, Arthur Davidson and Walter and William S. Harley started the opportune process of building the first Harley-Davidson bike in a room in their home. Four years later the Harley-Davidson Motor Company made its appearance.
The precursors of the motorcycle market in Havana were Cristián Bru and José Presas, two traders who dedicated their lives to motors on the island. But by 1917, the Harris Brothers Company began to flood the Cuban market with Harley-Davidson bikes in competitions.

However, despite their skill and fascination, they could not maintain market dominance there faced with the competition from British motorbikes. In the 20s the company was sold to José Luis Bretos, a motorcycle merchant in eastern Santiago de Cuba.

With fresh capital and Bretos at the helm, the Harley business in Havana had a new dawn. Why not say it? As happened in the US, Bretos′ money, intelligence and experience, together with his good relations with the police, guaranteed the supremacy of the brand in Cuba both in the civilian and military markets.