If there’s a fine line between customizing a motorcycle to look cool and unique and taking it to ridiculous excesses and extremes, Dell Battle of Crown Point, Ind. walks it perfectly with his 2003 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy from Snake Alley Customs in Chicago. At Saturday afternoon’s Martin Luther King Drive Street Party, Battle received an almost constant outpouring of high praise from admirers of the bike in the few minutes I spent with him. Besides getting a chance to see...
Bruce Springsteen proved his rock n’ roll legend stature all night as the headline act of the Harley-Davidson 105th Anniversary celebration in Milwaukee. His epic three and a half hour, 31-song show with his E Street Band on a perfect night on Milwaukee’s lakefront will likely long be remembered as one of his best ever by the mix of Harley riders and Springsteen fans who attended. This was the ninth time I had seen Bruce since 1980 and it was...
Riding in my second anniversary parade for the 105th Anniversary reminded of something very special about both Harley-Davidson and the city it calls home. As my wife Janice and I rode my 1989 Electra Glide Classic through the streets of Milwaukee with about 7,500 other bikes, we were struck by the diversity of the thousands of enthusiastic Harley fans lining the way. Whether it was age, gender, race or even religion, people representing just about every group you can imagine...
While Harley-Davidson riders have a reputation for being rather provincial when it comes to their bikes, some divergent crowds hanging out at the North Avenue Street Party seemed to get along pretty well, for the most part. Thousands of riders mixed with an eclectic group of neighbors and the college crowd from nearby UW – Milwaukee for the festivities on North Avenue. From the Oriental Theater, where the Violent Femmes were discovered busking on a streetcorner by the Pretenders in...
The passion that hard-core riders have for Harley-Davidson often knows no boundaries, whether they be regional, cultural, international or any other degree of separation you can imagine. Three Brazilian riders who I met at the Club H.O.G. 25 event (more on that later) at Miller Park on Wednesday brought that bond home to Milwaukee big time. Husband and wife Alexandre Rodrigues and Paula Bauaresco of Sao Paulo, Brazil, were getting their picture taken in the HogTales booth when a friend/MDA...
With thousands of Harley riders and enthusiasts enjoying the 105th Anniversary festivities, there were a couple of local enthusiasts who really seemed to epitomize the spirit of Harley on this night. Lifelong Milwaukeean Steve Peters and his nephew Ryan arrived at Juneau Avenue on a 1974 XLCH Sportster. While riding a bike of that era is unusual on its own, Peters’ retro customization, costume and attitude take it to another level. Peters, a self-employed graphic designer specializing in vintage design,...
This is a tight knit group. The people I’m riding with have ridden together for years, and it is obvious when we get to the bikes this morning. Brian’s bike has been… well… TP’d. Artfully wrapped from fender to fender, the few of us there chuckle and shake our heads. Just then, Michael Davidson walks by and says, “Please don’t squeeze the V-Rod…” Someone else says it’s a good thing this happened on the last day of the ride. With...
I wish every Harley rider could experience what I have in the last six days. If starting in New York City and riding more than 900 miles in five days through seven states with nearly perfect weather sounds like a great ride, just add in that I was privileged to ride with Willie G. and the rest of the Davidson family and you should get the picture. The details of the ride are well covered here by Peter Reitzfeld, but...
The last day. Exciting and sad all at the same time. My odometer shows 3350 miles for this little adventure. Eleven days. Wow. A part of me is excited to be home and ready for the celebration. I’ve been on the road a long time and miss my family, but another part of me wants to keep riding. There’s more country to see and more fascinating people to meet. I guess they say all good things must come to an...
Getting on the bike this morning I feel a little scattered like I’m forgetting something. At the risk of jinxing myself, I’m not forgetting anything… I know that I’m not… but I don’t feel a hundred percent. Tim, the ‘top hog cop’ assembles everyone for the pre-ride meeting. Our group is large enough that it is being split into two: group #1 and group #2. I am to ride with the first. Helmets on, people saddle up and get ready...
It's very early, dark and chilly. I'm a little numb after the long night saying goodbye to the many good people we met on our ride. I have decided to head home to see my family as soon as I can, since the coming days will be even busier and full than the last ten. I have a side bag full of gifts for them and am looking forward to bestowing the talking monkey (don't ask). We crossed the mighty...
We had a new member join our group this morning. We’ve seen Bill at every dealer stop since Bakersfield, CA, but today was the first day he rode with us. He’s a fascinating guy, and has been riding his 100th Anniversary Ultra all over the country. Consistent with our “big things” theme from yesterday, Bill suggested that we go see the world’s largest pecan which was right along one of the possible routes for today. On the way to the...
Starting the day by taking a page out of yesterday’s lesson book, I load the bike before having breakfast. At the bikes, Willie G. walks by and greets me with a “Heyyy Photo-man.” He asks how I am doing, and I ask him “what could I possibly have to complain about?” During our pre-ride meeting, we’re told we have a fair amount of miles to cover to get us to Dayton, OH and that, although we’ll spend a lot of...
One way of indicating our path north was to figure out where the last dead armadillo we saw was, as dead armadillos (or live ones) are not a common site in the Midwest. These little guys are a bit more complex to see in the road as they have those shells that stick up like speed bumps. If you went directly over one, it really would be a serious speed limiter if you know what I mean. I believe it...
We spent some time this morning debating freeway vs. back roads for our ride today. With the added incentive of seeing the world’s largest ball of twine, the back roads became an easy decision. We’ve done big holes, now it’s time for big things. What’s better than a big ball of twine? It seems like we (maybe just me) might be getting a bit cocky about not hitting any rain. We had one close call already with rain, but things...
The last couple of days our growing group of riders has been carving its way north through north Texas, north Louisiana and now Arkansas. Last night and yesterday we visited a Harley-Davidson dealership in Bossier City, Louisiana outside of Shreveport. They had a very well done celebration with ribs and po boys, as well as heat like a steam bath that turned my skin into a seeping soaker hose of sweat. Aside from the cool surprise appearance of actor John...
Riding with a group is different in many ways than riding solo. For starters, you don’t want to be the one holding everyone else up in the morning, especially if you’re the new guy in the bunch. This goes double if the bunch is as tightly knit as the group I’m riding with. We are about 16 bikes, which is a fairly decent size pack. Of the lot, I have the most gear to load up, so with the early...
Is it “always” or “never” return to the scene of the crime? I don’t remember, but after an early morning gas up I ride with Bill, John and Brian back to Harley-Davidson of Ocean County for some last minute fan-fare and good-byes. They’re having another party today (for their 8th anniversary) and we’ve got a few miles to cover, so we part ways. We are headed to York, PA where we’ll meet up with the rest of Bill’s family: Willie...
Back to riding today after our extra day yesterday in Colorado Springs. Hays, KS is the destination and after a quick breakfast we hit the road. I think I witnessed the fastest consumption of a breakfast ever this morning by the H-D photographer, Victor. One minute. Crazy. We’ve had what I’ll call an unbelievable ride so far. Fun people, great scenery, some heat, some cool, but no rain and overall great weather. Haven’t even touched the rain suit. No bikes...
Today was scheduled as a rest day. No riding, but a party at Pikes Peak H-D in the afternoon. I think the group needed the rest. Most of us have been on the road for a week, and a day to take it easy and get some laundry done sounded good. Eric, thinking he was the smart one, dropped off his laundry to be done rather than doing it himself. Turns out they never picked it up. We now know...
Lots of somewhat random thoughts today. The reality of work is hitting me. Although we are “working” on this amazing ride while meeting customers from across the country, for several of us, our real jobs are waiting for us back in Milwaukee. Squeezing in e-mail and phone calls has been a bit challenging. As a result, we hit the road the road a little bit late today due to some calls this morning. Changes are beginning to happen to our...
It may be a function of life, or perhaps it’s just having a couple of kids, but it seems like there is always something to do and something that never gets done. My boots died in Sturgis and that’s where they stayed. After being away from home so long, new boots aren’t a priority – until they’re needed. Trying to plan ahead, I buy a pair at the beginning of the week, which would have been smart if I hadn’t...
It was a little bit of a slow morning today. Last night, after our late-night ride from the Grand Canyon to Flagstaff, our gang got together for pizza and beer in one of our hotel rooms. We were so hungry, it had become a quest for solid and liquid nourishment. Wow, I don’t recall pizza and beer ever tasting that good. Perfect after another amazing day. This morning we hit the road for Albuquerque. We headed out with an objective...
We left McAllen this morning to a mariachi band, high school cheerleaders, and two firetrucks with ladders extended in full salute, complete with hanging American flags. The mayor blessed the bikes, and we busted a piñata to christen the journey further. About 25 of us headed out, including many who continued with us from Mexico. An hour or so outside of McAllen, we hit a US border patrol checkpoint. When they learned that we were with Harley, it seemed like...
Our first leg today was a quick one from Vegas to the Hoover Dam. I’ve been to Vegas countless times (four times so far this summer), but have never made the quick trip over to check out the Dam. Impressive. Hard to believe it was built without the assistance of modern construction technology. Too bad it was so early, because I would love to have tried one of those Dam Dogs in the concession area. Nothing like a half pound...
And carrying a lot of it with me on my bike and my backpack. I am "importing" Mexican dirt and glad for it. I arrived in Monterrey last evening at dusk under the shadows of two mountain ranges flanking the city – impressively beautiful and majestic. One of them is the Sierra Madre. They look more like the kind of dramatic vertical pillars of rock you see in Europe, less like the Rockies. The smaller mountains leading up to them...
Hardly back from Sturgis, and it’s time to start getting ready for another great ride. One hundred and five years ago, an American institution was founded and a legend born: Harley-Davidson Motor Company. To commemorate this achievement and to celebrate the Motor Company, “The Ride Home” has already begun. Riders from around the world are descending on Milwaukee for a celebration acknowledging this momentous occasion. With 105 starting points around North America, Harley riders are making a pilgrimage. My journey...
Las Vegas is the destination today. We hit the road early, trying to beat the heat. Mike Hamilton from the South Bay H.O.G. chapter rode with us today. Having Mike with us was great, but I’ll admit, was a little challenging for me. Ok. I’m not tall. In fact, I’m short. 5’4”. Mike on the other hand is not. 6’10”. That’s like a different atmospheric layer. I bet seat height isn’t an issue for him. With a 6 a.m. departure,...
The day started off amazing – long smooth highways, the best roads yet. We passed miles and miles of gnarled palm trees so twisted they looked like some Dr Seuss illustration and a virtual zoo – goats, more dogs, horses, sheep and even bulls. We rode onto an incredible stretch of two lane road through the sunny Mexican desert, heading to an old-world Mexican town called Real de Catorce. Our lead, a dealer in Mexico I now call El Jefe...
At some point on this trip, I’m hoping we’ll see some sun. I keep thinking I should appreciate the cool temperature since I’ll soon be feeling like someone has a blow dryer on high in my face, but it’s hard to believe it is warmer back in Wisconsin than it is here. We were able to head out of Morro Bay, CA today at a leisurely pace. We have a relatively short and easy ride down the coast to Glendale...
Headed out from Mexico City this morning, navigating layers of bumper to bumper rush hour traffic. There are 12 of us, including a Mexican novela star and a number of the members from the HOG chapter of Mexico City. We're riding Ultras, Road Kings, Electra Glides, my V-Rod Muscle and even a Sportster. I've got nothing but a backpack and a helmet bag for the entire trip back, while another rider has a huge roller bag strapped to his passenger...
After flying into San Francisco, the first order of business was picking up my ride for the trip. The folks at Perkins were great getting the bike ready to go. We loaded our gear and headed for Salinas. I’ll admit that I may not have done the best job getting ready for this trip. Too much going on back in Milwaukee. Checking the weather is probably at the top of the “should have done it” list. I am well prepared...
I picked up my bike today in Mexico City for the 2,000 mile ride home – a beautiful new V-Rod Muscle. El Muscle en Mexico – unleash the castanets and maracas, shoot off some rifles! It's the first one in Mexico and three people have tried to buy it. I love it – It's stout. Fast. Fun. And a looker. Now, there are a few people who think a V-Rod isn't a "real" Harley-Davidson. Some think that because it has...
This was one of the copy lines we used this summer in an ad, meant to reflect our rider's mentality in the face of fears about the economy. I would like to celebrate that mentality again as I begin my exciting, nearly 2,000 mile ride home from Mexico City to Milwaukee. In the month leading up to my departure for Mexico – a country I am truly excited to see since the only Mexican city I've been to is Tijuana...
It’s hard to believe that my 105th Anniversary Ride Home is almost here. It feels like just last year I was on the 100th ride. Where did the years go? I’ve done many bike road trips, but Anniversary rides are something special. Knowing that thousands of other riders are also making their way to the birthplace of H-D from all corners of the world is a pretty amazing feeling. I’m not usually one to ship my bike, but schedule and...
