Founded in 1903, Harley-Davidson is perhaps the best-known name on motorcycling. Yet, in the early 80s, they faced strong Japanese competition; H-D's machines were much more expensive and far less reliable than its Japanese rivals. Only 5% of Japanese bikes failed quality control checks compared with over half the H-Ds coming off the production line. In showrooms, the machines were even put on cardboard because they leaked oil! Dealers who had sold H-Ds for decades switched to selling Japanese models. In 1981, in a single year, H-D sales dropped by 18%. While Honda's share of the heavy bike market rose to 33.9%, H-D's fell to 29.6%.