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Hog-wild over Harleys

By Tim Wood

Originally published in The Columbia Daily Herald Oct. 11, 1998

One of the best parts of civic club membership is hearing interesting programs. Recently, I've heard a couple of especially good ones.

One was serious - a speech to persuade people to sign organ donor cards. The other was a little less serious - unless you are a Harley-Davidson fan.

The organ donor presentation has been covered in the pages of this newspaper. The Harley-Davidson story, though deserves some attention.

I learned, for example, that one of our fine, upstanding judges likes Harleys. This is not something one would expect of a judge, but I, for one, think it's great.

I do not ride motorcycles.As safe as motorcycle riding has become, it's still too risky for me. My family needs me in one piece. They can't afford to lose their head light bulb changer, mower of the lawn, solid waste engineer, contributor of income and driveway basketball referee.

Motorcycle riding is riskier than driving cars. I don't want to get in a wreck. As much as I like the folks at Maury Regional Hospital, I don't want to spend any more nights there.

In my younger, unmarried years, I had a fling at riding motorcycles. Both of my older brothers owned motorcycles. They took for me for rides, during which I hung on for dear life. They had a need for speed, and I wondered if they were trying to get rid of little brother by opening up the throttle and hoping I would fall off of the back.

Sometimes they let me ride their motorcycles. They weren't Harleys, but they were fun. One was a Honda 175 and the other was a small, but very fast Yamaha 350. Every time I hear "Born to Be Wild," I remember what it was like to fly down the highway, caught up in biker mystique.

The high priests of Harley shared their passion with us. Harley fans have a motto: "If I have to explain it to you, you wouldn't understand anyway" - or something like that.

Harley-Davidson is a lifestyle, they told us. One of the spokesmen, a life-time Harley employee, told of the ups and downs of the company, almost coming to tears at one point when discussing the company's comeback in the 1980s.

The company is definitely "up" now, with plans to build a large store in Cool Springs next to the Saturn dealership. With most products, manufacturers suggested retail price is where you start to haggle down - but with Harleys, you start with MSRP and go up. Some dealers require you to sign a contract saying that you won't sell your Harley for a year unless you first offer it back to the dealer.

Production is up to 100,000 a year, with plans for a capacity of 200,000 by the year 2003. You can buy Harley-Davidson stock, Harley-Davidson clothes, and even Harley-Davidson underwear.

If you've got the bucks, you can even buy a motorcycle. You might have to wait awhile if you're insistent on buying a certain model.

One of my favorite "cult" movies is "Electra Glide in Blue," the title of which came from a Harley Davidson motorcycle. After the meeting, one of the high priests of Harley told me that yes, that particular model is still in production.

After speaking with him, I went out and admired the two Harleys they rode to the meeting. The engines probably had more cubic centimeters of displacement than the car I drive. You could buy a nice car for less than what you'd spend on a high-end Harley.

But then again, American icons don't come cheap.

There are numerous stereotypes about motorcycle riders. Forgot Marlon Brando and the Wild Ones, forget Hell's Angels. Your neighbor or your co-worker may ride motorcycles. I discovered that someone with whom I work loves motorcycles and has a Harley. More power to her.

And if I ever get hauled into court, I want the judge who rides a Harley.

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