The Cyclone was a motorcycle built in St. Paul from 1912 to 1917. Belle Plaine-based Excelsior-Henderson had a brief, unsuccessful go at big bikes in the late 1990s. The Indian brand, now in the latest of its many incarnations in North Carolina, was the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer until 1920 but is significantly smaller now. And we must not forget Minnesota's own Victory, the Polaris subsidiary headquartered in Medina that's currently the only other American builder mass producing V-Twin cycles successfully.

But for the bulk of the American iron story, we must turn to Harley-Davidson (H-D), the Milwaukee icon whose devoted owners and fans won't let its bikes - or their distinctive exhaust note - die.

Harley-Davidson started modestly - William Harley and Arthur Davidson started in a backyard shed in 1903 - but it was one of only two early 20th century American motorcycle makes to survive the Great Depression from the 150 brands once available. By 1953, when the first Indian company went bankrupt, H-D was the lone American survivor. But it was no stranger to trouble. First, it battled a poor image amplified by numerous 1950s' and '60s biker films. Affordable, quality Japanese cycles (Japan's industry got its start in the 1930s using Harley technology), added to H-D's problems. And finally, Harley's own quality problems in the 1970s almost did in a motorcycle derisively called "Hardly Ableson" by some.

But the bike of Evel Knievel and film "Easy Rider," the bike that's won thousands of races and numerous national championships, the bike that customizers used to create "choppers" wouldn't go away. Fans who affectionately dubbed models "knucklehead" (1936), "panhead" (1948), "shovelhead" (1966) and "hog" kept H-D going. It helped that Harley introduced its first Sportster in 1957, invented the "cruiser" class in 1971 and launched the Low Rider in 1977.

The "hog" designation started its attachment to the Milwaukee make when 1920s' race winners ferried pigs on victory laps on their Harleys. Today, the Harley Owners Group (HOG) boasts more than 500,000 members and the company's New York Stock Exchange ticker reads "HOG."

Known for their teardrop-shaped gas tanks (introduced 1925), Harleys have been running exclusively on V-Twin cylinders with their pistons at a 45 degree angle since 1911. Originally an engineering trade-off to get a high-torque engine in a small space, this arrangement is no longer necessary. Harleys still have it, however, to keep the growling "potato-potato"-with-pops exhaust sound the bikes are known for. That sound occurs because the V arrangement forces the pistons to fire unevenly.

Japanese brands dominate worldwide motorcycle sales now. Harley-Davidson is able to hold its own in the U.S. in one segment - 750 cc and larger cycles. Harley offers more than 30 models in six lines, most drawing on the classic styling of their predecessors and customizers. Models start as low as $6,999 for a 2010 Sportster 883 Low. The top-end model, a CVO Ultra Classic Electra Glide, starts at $35,999. In between are the Dyna line, the Softails, the VRSCs and the Touring cruisers. H-D also has two three-wheelers, bringing them back last year after a 36-year break.

There's more to American motorcycles today than Harley-Davidson and Victory, of course. Buell, a sportbike brand that's now an H-D subsidiary, has been around since 1983. There are also a number of small off-road brands like ATK and Rokon as well as custom chopper brands like Alligator, Big Dog, Detroit Brothers and West Coast Choppers. But when all is said and done, the story of American cycles still rides largely on the two wheels of Fat Boys and Low Riders, Dyna Glides and Road Kings.