ALFONSO SOTOMAYOR AND MEXICAN STUNT RIDING

Harley-Davidson is one of the most iconic brands in U.S. history. We’re a household name and have been for the last 123 years. But our history doesn’t start and end within our borders. In fact, we have a global presence that stretches back over a hundred years.

In Mexico, for instance, by 1913, a mere 10 years after the company was founded in Milwaukee, dealers in Guadalajara and Chihuahua were already selling bikes to eager riders.

To service those riders and keep bikes on the road, people like Benjamín Martín del Campo were opening shop all over the country. He established his in Mexico City in the 1920s, and H-D sales folks were regularly visiting, providing motorcycles for a country recovering from many years of disruption and the violence of revolution.

By the 1920s, H-D in Mexico had taken off and rider groups were popping up all over.

The first motorcycle police organization in Mexico, the Hermandad de Motociclistas, was founded in 1927. Officers performed stunts and people like Mexican photographer Vicente Cortés Sotelo were there to capture the action.

And when they weren’t stunt riding, Cortés also made portraits of officers and their machines in beautiful civic parks and in front of imposing urban monuments. Police stunt teams still exist in Mexico City and other areas of the country, performing at festivals, parades, and in competitions.

Sotomayor was the first motorcyclist inducted into the Mexican Motorcycling Hall of Fame (Confederación Deportiva Mexicana, Salón de la Fama) in 1978 when it was first created, earning himself a well-deserved page in the history books.

The entire Sotomayor family, including his wife Pilar and many of their children, have been avid riders, stunt performers, and racers. One of Sotomayor’s sons also made it into the Hall of Fame, and his daughter performed with the Mexico City police stunt team just like her dad.

After a long and full life riding Harley-Davidsons to their limits, Sotomayor passed away in 1986. He continued to support police stunt groups and is listed among the deceased members of La Confederación Internacional de Motociclistas, Oficiales y Policías de Caminos, A.C.

In 2021, the Harley-Davidson Museum acquired Alfonso Sotomayor’s 1957 FL. The bike was raced, jumped, and stunted all over the world in the Salto de la Muerte.

Like many of the old bikes of the time period, it includes some heavy modifications (and some good old-fashioned feats of ingenuity) that helped make it purpose-built for performance riding. Aside from the dual “shotgun” pipes and magneto ignition, Sotomayor also tied ropes to the front forks to limit front end travel on jump landings.

The gas tank is covered with the hand-painted flags and city names from the different places Sotomayor performed, and the oil tank pays homage to his fellow Mexico City traffic police officers.

In addition to the motorcycle, the acquisition included fascinating artifacts like trophies, a bust depicting Alfonso, and clothing such as his brown leather riding suit and a stunning riding costume, featuring detailed, colorful stitching on both the shirt and pants.

The H-D archives already had in its possession a video, a poster, and Alfonso’s business card, so the 2021 donation was a welcome addition to fill in our collection, allowing us to help share Sotomayor’s story in an even more compelling way.

Alfonso Sotomayor is a Harley-Davidson legend, and we’re proud to remember him here at the museum.