After 49 years with the company, Wille G, famed Senior Vice President and Chief Styling Officer of Harley-Davidson, who is widely recognized as a legend in the world of motorcycle design has announced his retirement effective from April 30, 2012. He is 78 years of age, and one of the 13 executives who purchased the brand from AMF in 1981.

Also the grandson of company founder William.A.Davidson, Willie G will remain onboard as an ambassador at motorcycle rallies and events, and lead special design projects as Chief Styling Officer Emeritus. Fans of the brand need not be disappointed because 19-year company veteran Ray Drea who is now in charge of the styling department has already collaborated on many milestone models with the design genius and going by what we hear there will be no radical changes to H-D’s overall design philosophy.

Over the course of his career, he built a design team at Harley-Davidson that established the company’s unrivaled leadership in custom, cruiser and touring motorcycles. Willie G has long served as ambassador of Harley-Davidson at rallies around the world – meeting riders, talking to customers, lending his famous signature to jackets, and setting an example of being close to the customer that has become one of the hallmarks of the company.

via motorauthority