Harley-Davidson (1st production run)

The Harley-Davidson pinball machine (1st production run), designed by Barry Oursler with concept and art by Mark Sprenger, was produced by Midway Manufacturing Company under the Bally trade name in 1991. Rather than pushing technical boundaries, the game was a deliberate experiment in the opposite direction: it was intended to emulate the success of Gottlieb's 'Silver Slugger', a low-cost game whose earnings rivaled expensive Williams/Bally titles like 'Diner'. As a result, it has virtually no ramps, toys, or backbox animation.

The machine offers engaging, straightforward gameplay built around two flippers, three pop bumpers, and two slingshots, along with eight standup targets, three kick-out holes, two 3-bank drop target sets, two spinning targets, and left and right crossover return lanes. A shaker motor provides an immersive touch that suits the motorcycle theme, with music and sound by Dan Forden.

The game has a notable backstory: it was originally designed as 'Poker Night', with a theme centering on a congregation of poker-playing, pizza-eating men, before being re-themed around Harley-Davidson motorcycles. It also holds the distinction of being the last Bally game with alphanumeric score displays. The first run totaled 2,187 confirmed units (with detailed records indicating 2,202 built including prototypes and samples), and a second, sparsely documented production run followed later in 1991.