Harley-Davidson and U.S. Mail Delivery Motorcycles (1907–1920s)
Long before mail trucks became common, motorcycles helped carry letters and parcels across America. In the early twentieth century, rough rural roads, long delivery routes, and growing mail volume created a need for faster transportation than horses or horse-drawn wagons. Harley-Davidson motorcycles became part of that transition.
This chapter of history also helps explain why Harley-Davidson later developed commercial machines such as the Motorcycle Truck, the Package Truck, and eventually the Servi-Car.
1907: Motorcycles Approved for Rural Mail Routes
In 1907, Postmasters were officially authorized to allow rural mail carriers to use motorcycles on their routes. Before that change, many carriers relied on horseback or horse-drawn carts. For long rural routes, a dependable motorcycle could dramatically reduce travel time.
The change also created a new market. Motorcycle manufacturers quickly advertised to carriers through publications such as the National Rural Letter Carriers' Association magazine.
Harley-Davidson's Sales Pitch
Harley-Davidson promoted its motorcycles as serious working machines, but with an added twist: they were also enjoyable personal transportation after the workday ended. That dual-purpose appeal was smart marketing. A rural carrier could justify the machine for business use while still enjoying it privately.
1912–1913: Postal Testing of the Motorcycle Truck
Harley-Davidson went beyond standard motorcycles by developing the unusual Motorcycle Truck, a front-loading commercial machine designed to carry cargo. Period accounts state that the U.S. Postal Service tested the Motorcycle Truck in Wisconsin during the winter of 1912–1913.
That detail is important because it shows Harley-Davidson was actively pursuing government and fleet business years before later commercial models.
1915–1916: Regulations Change
Postal policy briefly shifted in 1915 when the Postmaster General moved toward automobile use and planned to remove motorcycles from service by 1916. That decision did not last. The policy was later revised, allowing motorcycles to remain if they used a waterproof commercial body to protect the mail.
This regulatory change helps explain why enclosed and cargo-bodied commercial motorcycles, including package-truck style machines, had practical appeal during the period.
After World War I: Surplus Motorcycles to USPS
After World War I, the U.S. War Department transferred more than 1,000 motorcycles to the U.S. Postal Service. Many of these machines entered service in both cities and rural areas, extending the working life of military motorcycles in civilian use.
It also shows how valuable motorcycles still were for transportation in the years before light trucks became dominant.
Mail Protection and Escort Duty
Motorcycles were used for more than carrying letters. In the early 1920s, following an armed robbery of a U.S. Mail truck in New York, some motorcycles were assigned to escort duty in large cities to help protect valuable shipments.
In period photographs, a passenger can be seen carrying a rifle or shotgun. It is a reminder that postal security could be serious business.
Why Motorcycles Disappeared from Postal Service Use
By the 1920s, improving roads and better automobiles began to replace motorcycles for many postal duties. Cars and light trucks offered greater weather protection, more cargo capacity, and room for multiple bags of mail.
Motorcycles had helped bridge the gap between the horse era and the automobile era, but technology had moved on.
Why This Story Matters
Harley-Davidson postal motorcycles are more than a curiosity. They help explain why Harley pursued commercial transportation at all. Rural carriers, fleet users, and government service proved there was a market for practical machines, leading directly to Harley-Davidson's later commercial vehicle line.
That makes postal motorcycles an important early chapter in the history of Harley work machines.
Final Thought
The U.S. Postal Service no longer uses Harley-Davidson motorcycles, but there was a time when two wheels helped keep American mail moving. For Harley enthusiasts, these machines represent an overlooked era when speed, reliability, and utility mattered more than style.
Source: United States Postal Service and period references.