HOG 041 (July 2017)

2017

HOG® MAGAZINE CANADA

JULY

CANADIAN EDITION |

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O T TAWA

N AT I O N A L

H O G

®

R A L LY

DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE

M E AT L O A F

I N

THE JOYS OF RIDING TWO-UP T O R O N T O

T H E

R A C E

O F

G E N T L E M E N

HOG.COM

$6.99CAN

Š2017 H-D or its Affiliates. H-D, Harley, Harley-Davidson and the Bar & Shield Logo are among the trademarks of H-D U.S.A., LLC.

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SM

Rider-exclusive discounts of 10% or more.

Earn bonus points toward free stays.* To sign up for Best Western Ride Rewards® or book a stay, visit bwrider.com or call 1-888-292-2453.

*Restrictions apply. See bestwesternrewards.com for complete details. Each Best Western® branded hotel is independently owned and operated. Harley-Davidson, Harley, H-D, the Bar & Shield Logo, and the H.O.G. Logo are among the trademarks of H-D U.S.A., LLC. Best Western and the Best Western marks are service marks or registered service marks of Best Western International, Inc. ©2017 Best Western International, Inc. All rights reserved.

HOG® MAGAZINE CANADA

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INSIDE

40

FEATURES

40 The Race of Gentlemen

28 High-Tailing it to the Tail of the Dragon

A brotherhood of hot-rodding motorcycle enthusiasts races modified vintage bikes over the hard sands of the Jersey Shore.

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50 Leader of the Pack

32 Double Your Pleasure

How meditation and riding his Harley® motorcycle make Jonathan Czinder a better dog trainer.

Riding two-up can be twice the fun.

38 You Can Take It With You There’s no need to leave anything behind given the range of luggage and packs by H-D® Parts & Accessories.

ON THE COVER

Peter and Mary Lollar have logged more than 200,000 kilometres together.

Photo by The Moto Foto | Dan Lim.

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32 6 Intake 10 Opening Shots

THE WORD 15 HD News Notes from the world of Harley.

18 Gear Cool H-D® Performance sportswear with coldblack® technology.

20 Next Ride Riding U.S. 50 in Nevada, a.k.a.

“The Loneliest Road in America.”

21 2017 HOG® Rallies An overview of upcoming rallies in 2017.

24 Spotlight 50

Adam Sandoval and his dog, Scooter, break records raising money for veterans.

26 Meet Ignacio de Isusi An interview with Harley-Davidson Canada’s managing director.

EXHAUST 54 Riding Story An Alberta couple tours through four states.

56 Enthusiasts Readers and riders share pictures and stories.

62 Between the Lines How to prevent the adverse effects of motorcycle-related hearing loss.

64 H-D Museum A greater insight into Motor Company founder William A. Davidson.

66 Last Stop 28

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Lenny Paulson lends an ear to fellow H-D motorcyclists.

SOUND OFF – LOUD AND PROUD.

INTAKE FROM THE EDITOR

FEEDBACK

The Best Place to Ride a Harley®

Expect the Unexpected

robably like yours, my inbox is assaulted daily by dozens of emails peddling all manner of questionable objects and ideas. And as a magazine editor, I’m also inundated with marketing and PR pitches for just about anything under the sun that can be construed to be related in any way, shape or form to Harley-Davidson in particular or motorcycles in general. Most of these I delete after a quick scan of the subject line, but recently one email caught my eye, and I read it. The title was something like “The Best City in America to Ride a Motorcycle.”

The main reason I opened it was to see if Milwaukee made the list, which it did not, although Madison, Wisconsin, was in the Top 10, and Fort Collins, Colorado, was ranked No. 1.

Since my hometown was dissed, I deleted it, but it did get me thinking about what makes a place great to live in if you ride a motorcycle. The first is good weather, which doesn’t explain why any city in Wisconsin or the American Upper Midwest would be listed. Next you’d probably want proximity to good roads. While we don’t have any epic mountain passes here in Southeastern Wisconsin, and most of our local roads are in rough condition, the further west you go in the state – especially toward the Mississippi River – there are many fun, winding country roads. This does work in the favour of Madison, which is close to a lot of good riding. You’d also want a place that’s friendly to motorcyclists and has a strong riding culture. As the home of HarleyDavidson for nearly 115 years, I think Milwaukee has that covered. Madison, being the state capital and a college town, is more of a bicycle and pedestrian kind of place.

Another way to think about great places to live if you ride is to figure out where there are a lot of motorcycles. According to a 2014 study using data from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the top five American states for motorcycle ownership on a per capita basis were South Dakota, New Hampshire, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Being small states that are home to big motorcycle rallies and many excellent roads, South Dakota and New Hampshire aren’t big surprises, nor are Wyoming or Wisconsin. Iowa I can’t explain. Based purely on the number of motorcycles on the road and weather, the stats favour the big states like California, Florida and Texas.

Take any of this for what it’s worth, but I think the answer to the best place to live if you ride a Harley® motorcycle is wherever you are. If you think your hometown tops the list, tell us why at hogmagazine.ca@harley-davidson.com. And send a picture!

P

MATT KING

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It’s a warm, bright summer day, and I have miles of clean, dry roadway ahead of me. The bike is handling like a dream as I lean into the late apex of a 70-degree limited-visibility curve on the highway. As I begin to straighten up the bike, there is suddenly a car coming at me directly in front, doing 360s on the dry pavement. At the same time, a large cube van is coming at me backwards from the left at about a 45-degree angle. Split-second thinking and reflex action tell me to go right while just lightly touching the brakes and attempting to down gear. The bike leaves the pavement for the gravel of the shoulder and a metre-deep ditch on the right. The bike still has enough momentum to leap over the ditch, landing as straight as an arrow in the dirt of a ploughed field. The suspension of the bike rebounds upon landing, launching my body vertically into the air. The bike continues on for roughly 10 metres and falls onto its right side.

Me? Well, I land fairly hard on my right side in the dirt.

The driver of the car had run a stop sign, and the cube van struck the car, triggering this chain of events. The car driver’s insurance company ended up having to pay for everything. I was on crutches for a week and at the chiropractor for several visits with what finally turned out to be a deep bruise on the hip bone. Lessons learned? Perfect your riding skills and always expect the unexpected.

ROB ALEXANDER

St. Catharines, Ontario

An Action-packed Journey While riding from Ontario to Saskatoon on a 1970 Shovelhead I had just put together, I pulled into what I thought

was an old trail into the bush to rest for the night. I tied my tent across two trees and crawled into it. I was woken up early in the morning by a growling diesel motor and discovered that I had draped my tent across a logging road. Luckily, my tent was orange, so the trucker spotted it in time. On the way home, I broke a chain adjuster late at night and slept beside my bike. The mosquitoes were eating me alive, so I crawled into the back seat of a derelict car to sleep. I didn’t realize I was in a farmer’s field until the following day when he came by to see what I was up to. When I explained what had happened, the farmer brought my bike into his tool shed so I could fix it. It was quite a trip!

RAY CLOUTIER

South Mountain, Ontario

Tri Glide® Equals Tri-awesome Glenn Abbott’s article on trikes (May 2017) was important to those of us who have chosen to ride a trike. I first saw the Harley® trike at Port Dover (Friday the 13th, 2012). After many years of not riding (finances, aging parents, older knees and now retired), I wondered if I could still ride a bike. I decided to retake the course at our local community college. This led to more confidence, and I was able to purchase the Tri Glide at Rocky’s Harley-Davidson in London, Ontario. The salesman, Wayne King, told me trikes didn’t stay on the floor long.

My spouse (who is a passenger only) and I had decided to do some travel in our retirement. We chose the trike, as he would not ride on the back of a bike with me. In 2016, we travelled from near London to Vancouver and back. The adventure of the ride and the scenery made for a never-to-be-forgotten experience. This year we plan to go to Newfoundland.

As we live in the country, I try to get out on the trike most days on the less travelled but paved Huron County roads.

The last spin of 2016 was December 7, and the first spin of 2016 was April 1. The number of men (around my age) who (when not in the company of others) ask me how I like the Tri Glide, how it

Gary and Mary Ellen McGayhey with their 2016 Tri Glide® model.

responds to turns and so on is amazing. I always say that I love to ride, and for me at my age and stage of life, it is freedom and adventure that I can experience. At our local Tuesday bike night at Bayfield, I once saw a T-shirt that said “Harley hooligans – over the hill but still on the road.” For the two of us, that seems to sum it up.

keep riding, so was thrilled when we bought our 2016 Tri Glide® last summer – I can get on and off that bike without any problems!

MARY ELLEN MCGAYHEY

Shelter Island, New York

A New Chapter EDWARD AVEY

Dashwood, Ontario

Three Wheels Have Been Life Changing I was so pleased to see the “Trikes of Glory” article. I’ve been a passenger on my husband Gary’s bike for 25 years. I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 15 years ago, and last year started to have problems getting on and off of our Electra Glide® motorcycle, which was making it difficult for my husband to hold up both the bike and me. When I first came across trikes at an H-D dealership, I thought they were for old people and a bit uncool. But as an older person (57) with MS, what did I care about being “cool”? I just wanted to

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After 53 years on bikes – 20 on HarleyDavidson® motorcycles – I faced a tough decision: succumb to age and feeble knees and quit riding, or get a trike. I still wasn’t sure when I took the keys to my new 2015 Tri Glide® model in my trembling hands, but not riding wasn’t an option. It only took four hours in the saddle to alleviate my concerns.

Riding a trike is not better or worse than two wheels, it’s just different. Not having to worry about finding the “right” parking space or manoeuvring through crowded streets or muscling a heavy bike (plus gear and passenger) on steepbanked stops has made riding enjoyable again. I miss my board-scraping twisties on occasion, but the trike has proven its mettle for the other 99 per cent of my

INTAKE

riding. And the teasing from my buddies has died down. Most of them now admit that they would willingly “trike rather than hike.”

DAVID OSBURN

Griffin, Georgia

The Old-fashioned Way I was using the map app on my phone while on a recent trip, and there were several times when I wished I had my HOG® touring handbook with me. While I use map apps all of the time, sometimes you just want to look at a route all laid out in front of you!

CINDY LEGGE

to Afghanistan, and it would be our last opportunity to ride together for some time. We had a great trip through Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee to enjoy our favourite roads in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Chris’s 2002 Dyna® motorcycle was pretty bare bones, so I had most of the camping gear – tent, sleeping bags, etc. – on my 2000 Electra Glide® bike. We were gone for five or six days, and on the second night we camped at Claytor Lake State Park in Virginia. During the night, we heard rustling in the woods near our campsite, but thought it was probably deer or raccoons. The next morning we saw bear scat between our campsite and the showers. Good thing my son is like me rather than my wife, otherwise the trip would have ended that day!

Bennington, Vermont

I’d forgotten how beautiful my surroundings were. After a long day in the saddle and a sound night’s sleep, I’d sometimes wake in a fog, only to be taken aback when I’d unzip the tent and peer outside. Some of the sights permanently etched in my memory are of Monument Valley on the Arizona-Utah border. It’s desert camping at its finest, as you’re on a bluff in a Navajo tribal park, overlooking the sandstone monoliths that are so familiar from countless Westerns. In 1989, I slept trackside at Laguna Seca, California, the night before the Moto Grand Prix. And starting my day in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, was an experience to savour. Every biker should give motorcycle camping a shot and take the challenge of seeing the country through the eyes of a true adventurer.

STEVEN VAUSE JACK HANRAHAN

Chesapeake, Virginia

At One With Nature In May 2008, my son Chris and I took a camping trip just before his college graduation and commissioning into the U.S. Army. He was heading off to his initial training, followed by a deployment

Waterford, Wisconsin

The Best Views I’ve ridden in 49 states and camped in 37 over my 52 years on two wheels. My fondest memories are of the times when

True Gentlemen I’m so pleased that the Harley-Davidson Museum™ is featuring an exhibition on The Race of Gentlemen (TROG). This group of crazies deserves our attention and admiration. I made a point of checking out the TROG event in Wildwood, New Jersey, as part of my summer road trip before going to see the exhibit at the H-D Museum.

JOHN TATE

Trumbull, Connecticut

We agree, John. See our feature on pages 40-48 highlighting some of the stars of the exhibit. –Ed

WHAT’S YOUR STORY?

Steven Vause’s son Chris with his “bare bones” Dyna® model.

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We welcome your letters, photos and riding stories. Please email yours to hogmagazine.ca@harley-davidson. com or mail them to HOG® Magazine Canada, 100 New Park Place, Suite 330, Vaughan, Ontario, L4K 0H9. Please include your name, address and telephone number and/or email address. All submissions become property of HarleyDavidson®. We reserve the right to edit submissions for length and content.

FROM HARLEY-DAVIDSON CANADA

True North strong and free

PHOTO: VIKTOR RADICS

I

feel like I am uniquely

Canadian – as I suspect you do, too. All Canadians feel this way, although we don’t like to talk about it. We do, however, love to hear the rest of the world speak highly of our hospitality, our manners, our sarcasm, our love of hockey and, of course, our “free” health care (said no Canadian taxpayer ever).

Having been born in French Canada and raised in English Canada, I truly believe that I’ve been given the very best perspective of our glorious country. I’ve also been an avid world traveller for the better part of three decades (I learned to ride my first motorcycle in Thailand!) but regardless of what crazy adventure I’m engaged in abroad, I’m always full of excitement and pride when I land back on Canadian soil. There is no better place to call home.

And because I wasn’t around during the last centennial (nor do I expect to be for the next), this is my one and only chance to celebrate this rare national birthday occasion, and I plan to do so all year long. Everywhere you turn, Canada 150 is a headline – and there is so much going on out there to take advantage of in 2017!

Whether you want to spend the riding season visiting every Parks Canada destination you can with your Discovery Pass (Google “Parks Canada trip planner”), hitting the nation’s capital for the 2017 National HOG® Rally or spending time with your local chapter, this is the year to shout out your national pride in whichever way makes you happy!

This year also marks 100 years of Harley-Davidson in Canada (and in Australia, too!). We have been busy here at Harley-Davidson Canada creating Limited Edition Genuine Merchandise and paint kits (for Fat Boy® Lo and Street Glide® Special models), hosting the H-D 100 Challenge on the EatSleepRide app – see page 14 for details, but hurry, the contest closes July 29, and the Grand Prize is a 2017 Street Glide Special complete with a Limited Edition H-D® 100 paint kit, not to mention the 500 secondary prizes – and creating a unique series of documentary-style videos where riders from across the globe tell their stories while experiencing some of Canada’s best riding.

Check out Common Ground at hdcommonground.com.

This is a great year to ingest beaver tails not just for dessert but for breakfast also – guilt-free. To finally knock out that iconic Canadian ride that you’ve always talked about – and call in sick to do so. To adorn your bike and your gear with whatever kitschy, celebratory Canadiana ornaments you feel like – because next year, the fashion police may just call you out on those.

However you chose to celebrate on July 1, we hope that you had a great Canada Day holiday –and by all means, don’t stop the celebrations there. Keep on breathing our fresh air and relishing our freedom and giving thanks for our country.

And along the way, because we are uniquely Canadian, we will continue to peace sign our fellow riders, we will stop to help a biker on the roadside and we will ride our asses off to raise funds for charities across the country. Because we are Canadian HOG® members, and THIS IS HOW WE ROLL! KAREN MAYBERRY

Lead, Consumer Experience and Public Relations Harley-Davidson Canada

Editor in Chief

MATT KING Design and Production ARCHANT DIALOGUE • Publishing and Content Director ZOË FRANCIS-COX Copyeditors MATT COLLEY & AMY REID • Editorial Assistant CIARA JACK • Art Director RICHARD BERRY • Production Designers LUCY PERKINS & NICOLA PRESTON Digital Designer RUPERT BURROUGHES • Production Manager KAY BROWN • Account Manager KATHERINE BERRYMAN • Studio Manager NICKY WRIGHT July 2017 Contributors JOSH KURPIUS, MICHAEL LICHTER, DAN LIM, JEREMY PICK, CHARLES PLUEDDEMAN, JOHN SANDBERG, DUSTIN WOODS Canadian Editorial FRESH AIR PUBLISHING • Editorial Director GORDIE BOWLES • Copyeditor CHRISTINA NEWBERRY Visit Harley-Davidson Canada on the Internet at www.harley-davidson.com.

We care about you. Ride safely, respectfully, and within the limits of the law and your abilities. Always wear an approved helmet, proper eyewear, and protective clothing and insist your passenger does too. Never ride while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Know your Harley® motorcycle, and read and understand your owner’s manual from cover to cover.

HOG® Magazine Canada is published by Harley-Davidson Canada LP and the Harley Owners Group, the official riding club of Harley-Davidson.

We reserve the right to edit all submissions for publication in HOG® Magazine Canada.

All submissions become property of Harley-Davidson Motor Co. and Harley-Davidson Canada LP. If you’d like your photo returned, please send a self-addressed stamped envelope with your submission.

All H-D® product illustrations, photographs, and specifications mentioned in the publication are based on the latest product information at the time of publication.

The right is reserved to make changes at any time in prices, colors, materials, equipment, specifications, and models and also to discontinue models. Some vehicles in this publication are shown with available equipment.

HOG® Magazine Canada will not intentionally publish fraudulent or misleading advertising. HOG® Magazine Canada does not endorse any advertiser or its products, and cannot be responsible for advertisers’ claims.

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To advertise in HOG® Magazine Canada, email info@freshairpublishing.ca.

No part of HOG Magazine Canada may be reproduced for any purpose in entirety or part without the express written consent of Harley-Davidson.

Harley-Davidson, Harley, H-D, HOG, and the Bar & Shield logo are among the trademarks of H-D U.S.A., LLC. Copyright 2017 Publication Mail Agreement No. 400337386 CANADA POST Publication Mail: 4161505 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: HARLEY OWNERS GROUP™ 100 New Park Place, Suite 330, Vaughan, Ontario, L4K 0H9 Tel: 1-800-668-4836

Victory Lap Since 1995, NASCAR racer Kyle Petty has hosted an annual motorcycle ride across the United States to benefit Victory Junction, a camp in Randleman, North Carolina, dedicated to enriching the lives of kids with chronic or life-threatening illnesses. Over the years, the Ride Across America has raised more than US$17.5 million (about CDN$23.6 million) for Victory Junction and other children’s charities, helping send nearly 8,000 children to Victory Junction. This year’s ride was 3,800 kilometres from Portland, Oregon, to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Photograph by Kevin Kane Photography

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/'#6 .1#( 61 6141061 Fans treated to preview of Bat Out of Hell musical on Yonge Street

Story by Dustin Woods Photos by Greg Henkenhaf & Dustin Woods Meat Loaf ’s timeless Bat Out of Hell is not only a classic multi-platinum-selling rock album – it has recently been reimagined as a stage show. Shutting down Yonge Street during rush hour and attracting thousands of spectators, cast members from the new Jim Steinman musical gave the boisterous crowd a sneak peek performance of the rock and roll show that will be coming to Canada this October.

Looking to add some drama to the occasion, organizers of the event reached out to the Toronto HOG® Chapter for help. Given the iconic artwork on the album cover, they wanted to assemble a bike procession to ride up Yonge Street and park alongside a stage constructed outside the Mirvish Theatre. Members from the Toronto, Scarborough and York Region HOG Chapters, and even the Forest City HOG Chapter from London, Ontario, assembled at the CTV building

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on Queen Street West before riding up Yonge Strett to Shuter Street led by a police escort. “We were excited when our brothers and sisters of Toronto HOG reached out to us to join in this amazing opportunity to represent the unity of HOG nation,� said Murray Velkow, founder of the Forest City HOG Chapter. “It was an honour to kick off such an iconic musical based on the timeless hits of the Bat Out of Hell album.�

When the 40 motorcyclists parked in formation along the street shut off their engines, it was a signal for the event to get underway. Mayor John Tory spoke first, followed by words from the composer Jim Steinman, David Mirvish, and Meat Loaf himself. “The Harley-DavidsonsŽ were the stars of the show, setting the stage for this long-awaited announcement,� said Beth Velkow, assistant director of the Forest City HOG Chapter. “The streets were lined with spectators and flashing cameras. It was definitely an unforgettable experience.�

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EVERY RIDE IS A CHANCE TO WIN. †

HOW TO PLAY Download the free EatSleepRIDE® App and join the H-D® 100 Challenge Contest.

Complete a Ride or Route Challenge, visit a Point of Interest, or visit a Harley-Davidson® Dealership.

Visit a Harley-Davidson® Test Our Metal™ Event.

Complete and repeat to earn chances of winning the grand prize; a Street Glide® Special with limited edition 100 Years of Harley-Davidson® in Canada paint kit.

Contest ends July 29, 2017. †NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open January 6, 2017 to July 29, 2017, to legal residents of Canada who have reached the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence and have a current motorcycle licence valid for operation in their jurisdiction of residence as of the date of prize fulfillment. 500 secondary prizes available to be won, each consisting of one (1) genuine H-D merchandise prize pack (approx. value $50 each).

One (1) grand prize available to be won by secondary prize winners: one (1) Harley-Davidson® Street Glide Special Motorcycle with a limited edition 100 Years of Harley-Davidson in Canada paint kit (approx. value $28,000). Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received and skill in accruing points. Math-skill test and App registration required. Rules: https://pages.m.harley-davidson.ca/H-D100challenge.

Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google Inc. Apple and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. ©2017 H-D or its Affiliates. H-D, Harley, Harley-Davidson and the Bar & Shield Logo are among the trademarks of H-D U.S.A., LLC.

THE WORD DON’ T JUS T K E E P UP. TAK E T H E LE AD.

Hosting a Nation Need another reason to celebrate this summer? You have no doubt celebrated the 100 years of Harley-Davidson in Canada this year in your own way – and if not, grab hold of your last-minute summer planner and plug in Ottawa for July 27-29. The nation’s capital will play host to the 2017 Canadian National HOG® Rally, and it’s bound to be epic. The rally’s motto, “Cruise the Capital,” highlights the aim for riders to have an adventure in Ottawa and the surrounding areas – from the Highlands, to the world-famous 1,000 Islands, to the breathtaking hills of Gatineau Park – all from the seat of a HarleyDavidson® motorcycle. See next page for details.

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THE WORD HD NEWS NATIONAL HOG ® RALLY

The pinnacle celebration of 100 years of Harley-Davidson in Canada will take place in the nation’s capital.

The Cruise the Capital weekend will celebrate the world’s most legendary motorcycle, its riders and their stories in true Northern fashion.

TIO

NAL

2017 N A T I O N A

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AL

RAL

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Welcome to Party Central

Thursday, July 27, 2017 Rally kick-start!

Registration at Freedom HarleyDavidson of Ottawa (host dealer) Self-guided ride outs Welcome social (off-site)

• • •

Friday, July 28, 2017 Ride and explore the beautiful Ottawa region Registration at Freedom HarleyDavidson of Ottawa Self-guided ride outs Evening dinner and entertainment (off-site)

• • •

Saturday, July 29, 2017 Monumental parade, show n’ shine, amazing bike games

A Canadian Harley-Davidson celebration would not be complete without an evening of entertainment as legendary as the HOG® members themselves. Attendees can expect top-shelf performers in a one-of-a-kind atmosphere.

• Group photo • Parade • Bike games and show n’ shine • Closing events: Dinner and entertainment at Freedom Harley-Davidson of Ottawa

Last-minute registration and all event details can be found at hog.com STURGIS

A True Classic

The Black Hills Motor Classic is just around the corner, and it’s not too late to book a spot at the Pappy Hoel Campground, the official campground of Harley Owners Group. Whether you’ll be “roughing it” or not, there’s plenty to see and do in the Black Hills. Look for HOG member exclusives at the Iron Horse and Full Throttle saloons, along with new 2018 model motorcycle demo rides and other displays at the main Harley-Davidson event location at the corner of 3rd and Lazelle streets downtown August 5-12. For a full list of events, visit h-d.com/Sturgis.

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MILWAUKEE

USA National HOG Rally Harley Owners Group™ and the Harley-Davidson Museum™ team up in Milwaukee for the USA National HOG Rally over Labour Day weekend (August 30-September 2). Daily activities at the H-D Museum include a special summer exhibit of The Race of Gentlemen. For more information or to register for the rally, visit hog.com/MKE.

THE WORD HD NEWS DIVIDED HIGHWAYS

Minimalist Touring or Sagging Saddlebags?

We’re in the midst of touring season, so when you pack up your bike ready for the road, are you someone who thinks lightweight and bare minimum, or do you squeeze everything but the kitchen sink into your saddlebags?

5 THINGS ABOUT

WE ASKED:

75% TRAVEL LIGHT

1

100 Years of HDU The precursor to HarleyDavidson University (HDU), the H-D Quartermaster School began in 1917 as a training program for military mechanics to better understand the motorcycles they used during the First World War.

2

Stay in School After the First World War, the name was changed to the Harley-Davidson Service School, and enrolment was opened to any employee of an authorized dealership. According to the records, student evaluations were rigorous.

25% HEAVY LOAD

YOU SAID: I only take what’s in my

pockets when I jump on my HarleyDavidson® Cross Bones.® I like to let the open road control what happens on my adventure. –Luke V. … When travelling solo to a rally, I pack for no more than two days. If it doesn’t fit in my saddlebags, it doesn’t go. –Lenny D. …

When my wife and I first rode together we shared my saddlebags. Now we ride our own bikes and have two saddlebags and a T-bag each, but we never have enough room. The more space you have, the more junk you carry. –Carroll A. …

I only need one change of clothes, a hoodie, a jacket and rain gear. If you need a fresh shirt there’s always an H-D® dealership nearby. –Jeromy H. …

I traded in my 2012 Road Glide® Custom, with Tour-Pak,® for a minimalist 2016 Softail Slim® S. The only things I need are a full tank of gas, air in my tires and my wife riding on the back. –Paul M. … What saddlebags? I tour with my Softail® Standard and carry one decent-sized bag stuffed with necessities, which I secure on the passenger seat behind me. –Gary R. … I take what I need: a pair of pants, two shirts, two pairs of socks, and two pairs of undies and hit the laundromats along the way. I’d rather save the extra space for things I want to bring back. I leave with very little and come back fully loaded. –Valerie S. … I get the saddlebags and my wife gets the rest.

And the trailer! … –Lynn R.

Fair-weather rider or all-year die-hard?

Although it’s summer now, it won’t be long until the temperature starts to drop.

Do you prefer to ride when the sun is out and there’s little chance of rain, or do you ignore the weather, bundle up, and take your bike out in showers, sleet and snow? your thoughts to hogmagazine.ca@harley-davidson.com with “Divided Highways” in the « Send subject line. We’ll publish the best responses in the next issue.

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3

The Digital Revolution HDU offered e-learning courses in the late 1990s and went online in 2001.

That year it also launched its first highly customized learningmanagement system.

4

5

NEXT QUESTION:

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War and Peace With the advent of the Second World War, the focus of training shifted back to the military, and the name Quartermaster School returned. After the war, the name Service School was used until the late 1990s, when training efforts were consolidated under Harley-Davidson University.

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Global Growth Since the first Service School class was conducted in Japan in 1928, HDU training programs and facilities have expanded to train dealership personnel around the world. HDU’s proud heritage ensures that authorized HarleyDavidson dealers and factory trained staff are the experts in maintaining and servicing your motorcycle.

THE WORD GEAR

Keeping Cool in Style H

arley-Davidson® motorcycle riders love to wear black. There’s no question it looks cool, but a black shirt may not feel so cool under a blazing sun. Harley-Davidson Performance Sportswear offers a solution to this dilemma with coldblack® technology, available in select men’s and women’s shirts and tops. A patent-pending finish by Schoeller Technologies, coldblack® technology applied to fabrics offers sun reflection and a barrier against harmful UV rays. These new styles reflect up to 96 per cent of UV rays, resulting in up to a 12 C cooler body temperature, while offering a UPF 30* rating. Fabric treated with a coldblack® finish offers effective heat management and feels cooler to the touch. In addition, coldblack® won’t wash out or wear off, so its effect is long lasting.

A Sporting Chance

The Long Game

The sporty black Men’s Performance Polo with coldblack® technology offers high-tech performance with cool, breathable polyester closed-hole mesh fabric for airflow. Details include custom H-D® Performance neck tape, contrasting stitching throughout for an athletic shape, and embroidered graphics. Offered in S to 5XL sizes. P/N 99006-17VM, from $89.95

The new black Men’s Performance Long Sleeve Tee with coldblack® technology in comfortable 100 per cent polyester closed-hole mesh for breathability and airflow features custom H-D Performance neck tape and contrasting stitching for athletic style, and embroidered graphics. Offered in S to 5XL sizes. P/N 99005-17VM, from $89.95

Simple Yet Classic

Rebel Without a Cause

Show some class on the bike or on the town in the black button-front Men’s Performance Shirt with coldblack® technology in an easy-care cotton/poly-blend poplin fabric. This shirt features a tidy snap-down collar, custom H-D Performance neck tape, two button chest pockets, stylish contrast stitching, and embroidered graphics. Offered in S to 5XL sizes. P/N 99016-17VM, from $89.95

Edgy graphics and contrasting colour give this dark grey Men’s Performance Polo with coldblack® technology a rebellious attitude. The fabric is breathable 60/40 per cent cotton/polyester pique, with a rib-knit collar and sleeve trim. This shirt is detailed with contrasting stitching and twill tape accents, custom H-D performance neck tape, and printed and embroidered graphics. Offered in S to 5XL sizes P/N 96598-17VM, from $89.95

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THE WORD HD NEWS FOLLOW US

Eagle Eyes ®

*The UV protection rating of coldblack® fabric depends on the structure, thickness and material composition of the fabric.

The new Women’s Performance Genuine Tee with coldblack technology and the V-neck Women’s Performance Eagle Tee with coldblack® technology are in a phantom grey soft and comfortable slub jersey, with distressed graphics. Custom H-D Performance neck tape is a finishing detail. Offered in XS to 2XL and Plus sizes. Genuine Tee P/N 99139-17VW, $70.95; Eagle Tee P/N 99138-17VW, $70.95

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@harleycanada

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youtube.com/ harleycanadaofficial

The Ins and Outs of Bug Removal It’s an occupational hazard that every rider faces during the riding season – bug splatters on your windshield and visor, and on the paint and metal surfaces of your motorcycle. Bugs have natural acids in their systems that can prove to be very damaging to motorcycle finishes, causing discolouration if not removed. So what’s the best way to handle bug splatters?

The ideal way to remove stuck-on bugs is to soften them by pre-soaking. This avoids abrasions that can occur by applying pressure or by using harsh cleaning materials on the surface finishes of your bike. Soak a towel or large soft cloth in hot water and a mild soap detergent, such as H-D® Sunwash™ Bike Soap, and drape the cloth over the windshield and fairing, or paint of your bike. Leave the cloth on for a few minutes – or more, depending upon the level of bug splatters – to allow the

warmth and moisture to soften the bug remains, then wash them off with a goodquality leather chamois. Avoid scrubbing, as this can abrade surfaces – particularly windscreens, which will affect visibility and finish. You can use this same process for removing bug splatters from helmet visors without abrading the surface and compromising visibility.

For bugs that are especially difficult to remove, use a spot application of HarleyDavidson® Bug Remover before or during the cleaning process to melt away bugs – it’s safe for use on metal, painted and plastic surfaces, including Harley-Davidson windshields, and it’s biodegradable. Avoid using harsh chemicals that could damage the surface of your windshield or abrasive materials, including paper towels, which contain wood fibres that can damage surfaces. Use microfibre cloths or

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a Harley-Davidson Wash Mitt. Wash surfaces from the top, working down, then rinse from the bottom up with clean water, ending with a final top-down rinse. Use a soft drying towel to remove water to leave the surface clear of watermarks or, better yet, dry with warm air using the HOG® Blaster Motorcycle Dryer.

An ideal way to remove bugs from wheels and tires is by using Harley-Davidson Wheel & Tire Cleaner along with the H-D Wheel and Spoke Brush, and rinsing thoroughly.

Finally, apply Harley Glaze Poly Sealant to the painted surfaces by using a soft cloth or microfibre detailing cloth, and then buff those areas with a soft cloth to leave your motorcycle sealed and protected for easier bug removal next time you clean.

Shop Genuine Motor Accessories at harley-davidson.com.

THE WORD NEXT RIDE

Only the

Lonely

Road Captain Recon

Riding Nevada’s U.S. 50, “The Loneliest Road in America”

Tips from Reno’s Northern Nevada HOG® Chapter TOP GUN

O

n the Loneliest Road in America, gas stations and restaurants are few and far between, cellphone service is practically nonexistent and rattlesnakes likely outnumber humans. It’s more than 400 kilometres of near emptiness, surrounded by snow-capped mountains and sagebrushspeckled high desert. Heaven never felt so close.

SPLENDID ISOLATION

Life magazine wrote in 1986 that U.S. 50 between Ely and Fernley, Nevada, had “no points of interest” and warned motorists not to travel there “unless they’re confident of their survival skills.” Accompanied by a photograph of a silhouetted man on horseback crossing an asphalt ribbon that stretched to the horizon, the caption read, “The Loneliest Road.” The name stuck. Life had thrown down the gauntlet, and motorcyclists everywhere rose to the challenge.

coast to coast. In Nevada, it’s characterized by long stretches of sandy desert interrupted by a series of mountain ranges. Part of the Lincoln Highway, the first transcontinental route in the United States, 50 also parallels the trail of the original Pony Express. Forty kilometres east of Fallon, you can walk among the rocky ruins of the Sand Springs Pony Express Station, a way station for riders who transported the mail 2,800 kilometres in 10 days on horseback back in 1860-61.

A precursor to the interstate highway system, U.S. Route 50 spans nearly 5,000 kilometres

FEED THE BEAST From the west, gas up in Fallon before continuing east. Austin (175 km) or Eureka (290 km) will be your next gas stop before Ely, 420 kilometres away. “You don’t want to run out of gas on a road with little traffic and sketchy cell service,” advises Gina Yorks, Northern Nevada Chapter director.

For dining, Robert recommends the steakhouses at Jail House Casino in Ely or Stockman’s Casino in Fallon, and Gina recommends Middlegate Station Restaurant, 80 kilometres east of Fallon.

SEA OF TRANQUILITY IRON HORSES AND STEEL PONIES

ROLLING HISTORY

You may get to experience the sensation of being strafed by fighter jets outside of Fallon, home of a Naval Air Station and the TOPGUN Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program. “They have signs up that say, ‘Caution, Low Flying Aircraft,’ but if you don’t know they’re coming, it’s a little shocking,” says Robert Boom, one of two head road captains for the Northern Nevada Chapter.

Ely, originally a stagecoach stop for the Pony Express and a copper mining town, is at the eastern end of the Loneliest Road. Be sure to visit Nevada Northern Railway, founded in 1905.

The U.S. Department of the Interior called this National Historic Landmark the “best preserved, least altered, and most complete main yard complex remaining from the steam railroad era.”

Also in Ely, the six-storey Hotel Nevada and Gambling Hall was the state’s tallest building when it opened in 1929. Some of its rooms are decorated with memorabilia from famous guests from the past, like Jimmy Stewart and Wayne Newton.

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“Highway 50 is one of those roads you have to experience for yourself to know the true meaning of ‘open road,’” says Gina. “The middle of Nevada may be lonely, but it’s a place to appreciate the quiet and give you a sense of inner peace.” And that’s what riding a motorcycle is all about.

For more information: travelnevada.com ponyexpressnevada.com hotelnevada.com nnry.com

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Rallies

Pin Stops

2017

USA HOG® RALLIES & PIN STOPS 30- National H.O.G. Rally SEP 2 Milwaukee, Wisconsin

JULY 10-22 Lewis and Clark Portland, Oregon to St. Charles, Missouri 11-15 Southern Backroads Cookeville, Tennessee

13-15 Revolution Rally Utica, New York 20-22 Pacific Northwest Meridian, Idaho 21-23 N HRA Mopar Mile-High Nationals Denver, Colorado 27-29 Iron Adventure of New England Lincoln, New Hampshire

14-16 Western Chandler, Arizona 15-16 Tomahawk Open House Tomahawk, Wisconsin 20-23 Bikes, Blues & BBQ Fayetteville, Arkansas 28-30 York Open House York, Pennsylvania 28-30 Reno Street Vibrations Reno, Nevada

OCTOBER 5-7

AUGUST 3-5

SEPTEMBER

National Bikers Roundup Kansas City, Missouri

5-12 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Sturgis, South Dakota

Central Ardmore, Oklahoma

13-15 Islands Kahului, Maui, Hawaii 19-21 Biketoberfest® Daytona Beach, Florida

NOVEMBER

17-19 Rally in the Valley Grantville, Pennsylvania

1-4

17-19 Great Lakes Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

Southeast Pensacola, Florida

2-5

Lone Star Rally Galveston, Texas

25-26 Kansas City Open House Kansas City, Missouri

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT HOG.COM/EVENTS Dates and locations are subject to change.

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THE WORD SPOTLIGHT

One Man and His Dog Adam Sandoval and his dog, Scooter, have ridden through hardship, low points and near disaster to become multiple record breakers.

T

wo-and-a-half years ago, Adam Sandoval made a life-changing decision. After selling his house and all of his possessions, he packed up his 100,000mile (160,000-km) 1996 Harley® Electra Glide® Standard motorcycle with its Evolution™ engine – nicknamed “The Warhorse” – and, accompanied by his Chihuahua, Scooter, set off on an epic trip across the United States on a mission to visit every Harley-Davidson dealership and raise money for veterans along the way.

Since then, Adam and Scooter have become Internet celebrities and multiple record breakers. The pair has become the first to visit every U.S. H-D® dealership and holds the titles for most money raised by one man on a motorcycle, most miles in one adventure on a motorcycle and longest charity ride. In the two years of the trip, Adam and Scooter have crisscrossed the United States coast to coast six times and north to south four times, covering more than 128,000 kilometres and raising a staggering $300,000 for two charities: the Wounded

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Warrior Project and the American Legion Legacy Scholarship.

“I was 36 years old when I made the decision,” says Adam. “I was working a corporate job and had a house in Florida, but I was going through a period of transition. Poor choices and distractions in my teens and 20s meant I’d never joined the military, a decision I regretted by the time I reached my 30s. So I decided to make amends by doing something to raise money for wounded veterans charities.”

Adam will be the first to admit that

PHOTOS : JOSH KURPIUS

Story by JEREMY PICK

THE WORD SPOTLIGHT

in the early stages of the journey he was underprepared and had underestimated what was involved in a trip of that magnitude.

“I didn’t realize what a commitment it was until two months into the trip,” he recalls. “I had a 20-year-old bike with no cruise control, I was way over-packed, and, worst of all, no one was aware of what I was doing. Until my mission became more widely known, and HOG® members and the wider motorcycling community began to support us, it was much more of a mental struggle than I’d anticipated.”

Staying motivated and focused was hard to start with, Adam admits.

Although he had packed a tent, it soon proved impossible to keep dry, so Adam and Scooter would sleep under a bivouac tied to the bike wherever they happened to stop.

But by that point awareness of Adam’s project was growing, fuelled by postings on social media and word of mouth from dealers and HOG chapters.

“As the momentum grew and the motorcycle community came to know about the project, I’d be offered accommodation and help by dealers, technicians, and HOG members. As I provided more content online, the support grew, and more people and bikes would follow the rest of the journey and join me riding from dealer to dealer. When I’d arrive at a dealer and 200 bikers were waiting to join me, or I got a hug from an injured soldier’s mother who’d heard what

I was doing, that made it all worthwhile.”

Soon Adam found himself giving speeches at dealerships, hosting HOG events, holding seminars on packing and travel, and leading group rides from dealer to dealer – and the money raised for charity began to increase.

“When I started, the intention was to ride for a year, and so I budgeted for that,” Adam recalls. “Then I learned that the more time I spent with the dealers, the greater the impact and the more money it would raise, so I slowed it down.

That meant I had to spend another year on the road, making it a two-year trip. I even wrote a book, Inside my Helmet, while I was riding. And by the end I was getting two million hits a week on social media and drawing crowds of hundreds of riders to accompany me.”

Then, a year and nine months into the trip, and with 100 dealerships still to visit, disaster struck. A driver texting on her mobile phone strayed across the centerline and took out The Warhorse, Adam and Scooter, leaving Adam with a badly broken leg and requiring an airlift to a hospital. “At one point they thought my leg would need to be amputated, but they saved it,” says Adam. “I was in the hospital and then in a wheelchair for a month, and in rehab unable to walk for another month, but no way was I going to quit at that point. I’d ride to the next dealer then be carried off my bike, put back on it, and off I’d go. Scooter stayed with me the whole time; he was on the bike when we had the accident, but his

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carrier kept him safe.” Despite the setback, Adam was determined to finish what he had started.

So what did he learn on his two-year journey? “The first thing I learned is that the motorcycle culture is a culture that is second to none, filled with great people who are always looking to help. Wherever you are, you have a support team; it is quite unbelievable that complete strangers will help you because of the common denominator of motorcycles – nowhere else will you get that. The motorcycle community, and HOG in particular, is what made this happen, taking me in and helping me. I couldn’t have done it otherwise.

“I rode with hundreds of HOG members, chapters and supporters – they really took me under their wing. It was like passing on the Olympic torch; we’d meet out of the city and ride to the next one, a really unique thing. I’ve now officially ridden with more motorcyclists than anyone else alive, and I want to thank each and every one.

“Second, nature is relentless; you can’t do anything about it, so you have to learn to grit your teeth and tough it out. I’d started the trip by covering all the Southern states, so by February I was riding in Chicago in blizzards and snowstorms, sleeping outdoors in all conditions. The challenge comes when you know you have to ride every single day; even if it is hailing or snowing, you have to be out riding in it.”

By the time the trip was successfully completed, Adam was understandably nervous. With use of one leg still severely limited and faced with the prospect of starting his life over again, the future was looking bleak. “Then something amazing happened. Harley-Davidson had heard about my journey and wanted to keep me on the road, so they gave me a 2017 Milwaukee-Eight™ Road Glide® Ultra motorcycle and sponsorship to keep me going. It was mind-blowing. Now I can continue riding, raising money and inspiring others to make that road trip they never thought they could do.

“It is amazing that if you do something you really feel you need to do, something that feels right and gives back to others, then it can turn into your future – and what can be better than to be able to do what you love doing most at the same time?”

An interview with Harley-Davidson Canada’s managing director

I

gnacio de Isusi took the helm earlier this year as managing director for Harley-Davidson Canada, where he oversees all sales, business development and marketing activities for motorcycles, parts and accessories.

He is also a member of the HarleyDavidson International Leadership Team.

Born and raised in San Sebastian, Spain, Ignacio has held several Harley-Davidson Motor Company leadership roles around the world since joining the ranks in 2004, giving him a unique perspective on the company around the globe. Prior to taking on his role at Harley-Davidson Canada, Ignacio was the sales operations director for the Americas, responsible for sales operations and logistics for Canada, the United States, Mexico, Brazil and Latin America. HOG® Magazine Canada connected with Ignacio to talk about where he’s been, and where he sees the company going.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN RIDING? I’ve been riding since I was a teenager, but I got my licence for big motorcycles 13 years ago.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST MOTORCYCLE? I rode plenty of scooters and urban bikes in my hometown in Spain, but the first big motorcycle I got was a 2007 Street Glide® model.

WHICH HARLEY® MODEL IS YOUR PERSONAL FAVOURITE? It’s so hard to choose! My favourite classic model is the ’77 XLCR. I currently ride an XR1200® model, and I’m planning to get a Road Glide® model this year – although I may consider a Street Rod® model too, for urban riding.

WHAT DOES THE HARLEY BRAND MEAN TO YOU? On a personal note, Harley has been an extremely important part of my life. Not only has it provided me with an exciting career where I can live my passion, but it has also allowed me to immerse myself in so many different cultures and have amazing experiences on two wheels.

WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES HARLEY RIDERS UNIQUE? The riding community from all around the world seems to share the core values

of camaraderie, love for freedom and an open mind.

HAD YOU BEEN TO CANADA BEFORE TAKING THE MANAGING DIRECTOR JOB? I have visited family in Calgary and Toronto, but I am excited to explore more of it on two wheels.

WHAT ARE YOUR IMPRESSIONS OF CANADIAN CULTURE SO FAR? I am still amazed by the cultural mosaic that makes up Canada. Day-to-day life is so civilized and harmonious among all walks of life here, proving how diversity enriches us all.

WHAT ARE YOUR EARLY IMPRESSIONS OF THE CURRENT CONDITION OF HD-C WITHIN THE CANADIAN MARKETPLACE? It’s been almost two years since we took over the business from Deeley, and the transition has been smooth and – of course – challenging at the same time.

As the market leader in Canada, we have a responsibility to care for our dealers and customers. We have a really professional network of dealers who are passionate about our products and deliver outstanding experiences to our customers.

HAVE YOU NOTICED ANY INTERESTING SIMILARITIES OR DIFFERENCES AMONG H-D RIDERS WORLDWIDE? I think our customers are very similar all around the world. They relate to the brand and are in search of common experiences. I think the Canadian rider is very knowledgeable and has high customer service expectations.

I always feel at home surrounded by our customers no matter where in the world I am.

WHAT OPPORTUNITIES DO YOU SEE FOR HD-C TO DIFFERENTIATE ITSELF? As a market leader, we can afford to make investments in our customer experience that other manufacturers cannot. From the roster of talent at our Canadian headquarters and 22 international offices, to the retailer staff of our 70 dealerships, we can utilize this insight to offer programs that raise the bar for our customers. We have a unique lineup of products, and our customers have a great emotional connection to our brand, both

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MEET

of which are really difficult to imitate. Our opportunity is to ensure we’re addressing the needs of our customers on a local, personal level.

WHAT CHANGES HAS THE MOTOR COMPANY UNDERTAKEN TO ENHANCE THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE SINCE MAKING THE INVESTMENT IN A FULL SUBSIDIARY IN CANADA? We’ve been an H-D subsidiary for around 20 months now. In this time, we have made strides to ensure we remain competitive on price and customer service. We lowered our prices and analyzed our entire operation to prioritize the consumer experience, which will

IGNACIO DE ISUSI include e-commerce, opening stores in urban areas and customer programs that go beyond HOG®. We also opened a dealer training school in Quebec earlier this year.

WHAT CHALLENGES DO YOU SEE AHEAD? The big challenge is to ensure our customers receive the highest level of service, living up to the high standard set by Deeley and our dealer network.

Our customers expect the best, and that stretches me and my team every day. We also have the challenge of communicating and adapting to the changes in demographics in Canada over the years.

When it comes to business, we have targets and goals. As the largest market outside of the U.S., we have a responsibility to our investor community.

Right now, with 100 years in Canada, we share a common challenge of building the rider community locally, which in our case means appealing to new demographics.

WHAT ARE YOUR FIRST PRIORITIES AT HD-C? After the first year and a half as a subsidiary, we have spent a lot of time building a plan for the next five years to build a foundation for future success. We are going to invest heavily in providing urban experiences and

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getting closer to the younger and diverse demographics in Canada while keeping true to the H-D essence.

WILL YOU BE ATTENDING ANY HOG RALLIES THIS SUMMER? Of course! I am looking forward to seeing our loyal HOG base at the Ottawa National HOG Rally later in July.

ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE? It’s a privilege and a great responsibility to represent Harley-Davidson in Canada. I am really looking forward to the years ahead – they are going to be outstanding in terms of product and customer experience.

*KIJ UCKNKPI Montreal riders tackle 4,000 kilometres in just ямБve days STORY AND PHOTOS BY DANNY JULIEN

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fter 720 days of helplessly watching my mother lose her battle to a cruel disease, by the winter of 2015-16 life was starting to get back to “normal.” I spent many snowy Sunday mornings unofficially planning a summer ride to the Tail of the Dragon.

The hardest part was finding the right time to go, since taking two weeks off of work wasn’t an option.

Summer 2016 was beautiful in Montreal. Labour Day weekend came too soon, and the end of the riding season was approaching fast. I was checking the weather in various areas trying to plan a last big ride for the season, and there it was: the perfect window, with a beautiful forecast from Montreal to Tennessee and back in five days. Fortunately, I found a buddy that was ready to drop work and all his weekend plans for this last-minute 4,000-kilometre ride. He rushed his last client out the door at noon on Saturday, and by 1 p.m. we slipped the bikes into first gear.

Day one was a get-the-job-done kind of day, as we had booked a hotel in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Once we got off the 401 and crossed the very scenic Thousand Islands Bridge, the vacation officially began. For me, there is no better way to cross the border than on a HarleyDavidson® motorcycle.

In the morning we were off to Front Royal, Virginia, our entry to the Skyline Drive. It was a beautiful Sunday longweekend afternoon, and the lineup at the gates of Shenandoah National Park North crawled for about half an hour. It felt like waiting at the entrance of an amusement park while wearing five kilograms of riding gear – and walking our fully loaded bikes up an annoying slight incline. Then, after paying our US$15 entrance fee, we were finally in. The view was spectacular,

but there was just too much slow traffic for it to be enjoyable. After roughly 65 kilometres, we decided to make our way to Highway 340 and fast forward to Blue Ridge Parkway.

Our goal for the rest of the day was to get to Blue Ridge and ride it as much as possible before dark. After a couple of wrong turns, we found a little road with twists and turns that seemed to climb endlessly. There it was, a fork in the road as we held our brakes tight on this steep hill, a small wooden sign pointing to the left for Skyline Drive and to the right for Blue Ridge Parkway. Right it was.

We were alone on the smooth road through a dense wooded area. After a few quick twists of the throttle, the trees opened up and it felt like we were riding into a fantastic painting of mountains with a little road carved onto the edge of them. Looking in the rear view mirror, my riding buddy’s headlight seemed to

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ã9' 4#0 +061 (1) 6*#6 9#5 51 &'05' 9' 0''&'& 61 5612 61 9#4/ 72 #0& 276 10 6*' &4'#&'& 4#+0 )'#4ä

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be right on top of me, even though he was about 100 metres back. We made a few stops to take pictures, and the Great Smoky Mountains did not disappoint.

It was getting late, and we really didn’t want to cross paths with a deer, so we headed to our hotel. We arrived in Roanoke a little after 9 p.m., where the sweet security guard at our amazing hotel let us park on the balcony – and she got us a table at the bar, where the food was perfect. What a day!

For Labour Day, the agenda was Asheville, Blue Ridge Parkway, and making our way to the Tail of the Dragon.

The sun was out as we wiped the morning dew off of our bikes and planned out our route. Interstate 81 to Interstate 26 from Roanoke to Asheville, North Carolina, is really nice. Half an hour in, we ran into fog that was so dense we needed to stop to warm up and put on the dreaded rain gear.

Our stops were getting more and more interesting, as people would come up to

us wanting to know where we were from and where we were headed. The fog let up roughly 50 kilometres later and the rain gear came off. After a quick photo opportunity at the Welcome To Tennessee sign, we got on the 26 and headed to Asheville.

I’ve heard a lot about Asheville and wish we had stayed longer to explore. But we headed on to Highway 74 and then the 28. I have to say that the interstates, highways and back roads in this region were all spectacular.

Pressed for time again and trying to make it to the Dragon before dark, we unfortunately had to skip Fontana Dam. Route 28 was definitely a highlight for me.

It was a fast, twisty road, and at the end of it, there it was – the famous Tail of the Dragon. We had made it.

We arrived at 6 p.m. with a couple of hours of daylight left and it was empty.

Imagine that, the Dragon practically all to ourselves – amazing. Trying not to let the hype intimidate me, I headed out. After

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scraping my Pro Street Breakout® model’s foot pegs most of the way, and a heartstopping moment when a Mazda Miata coming the other way drifted in one of the corners, I realized we had reached the peak of our trip. We stopped for a few minutes at the end of it and tried to take it all in.

Heading north to our hotel in Knoxville, Tennessee, I saw the perfect shot. It was sundown, and the parking lot of the Harley-Davidson dealership on US 129 was empty. I parked my bike right in front and snapped a picture. It was the perfect way to summarize the trip.

When we woke up in Tennessee, we knew what was on the agenda: two days of interstate riding with a perfect forecast.

At our last gas stop of the day, we ran into Panhead Billy and had a great conversation – amazing how life is so random.

As I parked my bike in my driveway to unload after 4,000 kilometers in four and half days, it started to rain lightly – the only rain of this perfect trip.

The joys of riding two-up Photos by The Moto Foto | Dan Lim Story by Dustin A. Woods

Motorcycles are a hotly contested and wildly divisive topic in many households.

If embraced, however, they can also bring a couple closer together than they ever thought possible. Riding a motorcycle “two-up” safely requires the same attributes as a successful relationship – trust, communication, teamwork, compromise, resilience and a sense of adventure. A little physical contact every now and again doesn’t hurt either.

Adding a passenger changes everything for the rider; it impacts weight, balance, performance, handling dynamics, braking distance and range. One must not only plan further ahead to anticipate traffic and road conditions, but also

consider the safety and contentment of another human being.

For the passenger, making the decision to ride on the back of someone’s motorcycle requires putting your wholehearted trust in their riding and decision-making abilities.

If someone had suggested to Toronto HOG® Chapter member Mary Lollar 30 years ago that she would travel more than 200,000 kilometres on the back of a Harley-Davidson® motorcycle, she would have laughed hysterically and said they were nuts. But here she is in front of me, tanned and smiling from ear to ear as she enthusiastically recounts tales from the adventures she has had with her

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husband, Peter, all around North America.

“When Peter retired and purchased his beloved Road Glide®, he gave me a choice,” Mary says. “I could jump on the back, or I could stay home.” Reluctant at first but unwilling to miss out on the fun, she made the choice to go along for the ride and now wouldn’t have it any other way. That isn’t to say there were no growing pains.

“When the first 18-wheeler went by us on the highway, I thought that we were done,” Mary says. “But you slowly get more comfortable.” So comfortable, in fact, that Mary has actually fallen asleep on the back.

“When I see her head getting heavy

BOOM! AUDIO 20S BLUETOOTH HELMET HEADSET For those who wish to stay connected, the weather-resistant Boom! Audio 20S Bluetooth Helmet Headset allows riders to call hands-free via a Bluetooth mobile phone, listen to music or GPS navigation instructions, and converse with a passenger and up to eight other riders within a two-kilometre radius with the group intercom feature. Device settings and controls are configured through a smartphone app and accessed through voice commands. Talk time is 13 hours, and the device can remain charged for up to 10 days in standby mode. The kit includes the S20 headset units, helmet clamps, in-helmet stereo speakers, microphones, USB power and data cables, and mounting hardware.

and bobbing around,” Peter laughs, “I know it’s time to stop and take a break.”

When asked how they communicate, Mary says, “We don’t have a code, I just yell at him.”

“In all seriousness,” she adds, “we’ve been married for 30 years, so we know each other pretty well. We’ve found a rhythm that works for both of us.” Now 66 years old, Mary wishes that they’d started riding earlier. Not only is it a great outlet from her daily life of sitting at a computer all day, but it has allowed for some incredible experiences with people they otherwise would never have met and places they never even knew existed.

Putting your trust in someone you’ve been married to for decades is one thing, but it is quite another when you’ve just met.

Toronto HOG Chapter member Ron Porter was in his “crotch rocket” phase when he picked his now-wife, Sandra, up for a date early in their courtship. While definitely intrigued, she was also more than a little nervous. Ron helped quell her fears by bringing quality riding gear and ensuring she was wearing jeans and proper boots.

“Ron then said something that made me immediately calm,” Sandra says. “I’ll never forget. He said, ‘When you have another person’s life in your hands is not the time to be an ass.’ He also looked pretty hot in his gear.”

Ron subsequently purchased Night Rod® and Electra Glide® Ultra models before trading both for his Road Glide® Ultra motorcycle, which allows them to ride longer and further in comfort.

Sandra notes that if your passenger isn’t comfortable, then you’re not going to get them to enjoy riding. Ron believes that it’s also important to let your passenger have input on stops and destinations to keep them interested and involved. For the first few years they relied on hand signals, but they have recently been experimenting with Bluetooth headsets, allowing them to communicate with other riders as well as between themselves.

Storage space on a motorcycle can be at a premium when packing for two, but neither couple seems to have any problems.

“It’s actually so much easier than a

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traditional suitcase trip,” Sandra says.

“Somehow knowing you have limited space cuts right down on the waffling about wardrobe choices: a few T-shirts, an extra pair of jeans, sandals and running shoes, along with tiny travel products, and we’re good to go.”

Both women are frequently asked if they plan to get their licences or their own motorcycles. Mary says that at 66 years old, that ship has sailed for her. But that doesn’t stop her from experiencing what all riders enjoy – adventure, the open road and camaraderie with the people she and Peter have met along the way. Sandra says she may pursue it one day but is quite happy to be a passenger for now, since as a Type-A person, wife and mother, the back of the bike is the one place where she can simply relax and enjoy the ride.

The shared adventures on two wheels have brought both couples closer together, creating a deeper bond through a common hobby that allows them to spend quality time together. After all, the best experiences in life are shared with the ones we love.

KEEP FIRING ON BOTH CYLINDERS.

RENEW YOUR H.O.G.® MEMBERSHIP. AND GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR HARLEY-DAVIDSON.

Get the full-on, thundering Harley-Davidson experience with exclusive rides, a network of like-minded independents and a bunch of other perks that help you get every last towncruising rumble out of your Harley-Davidson motorcycle. RENEW TODAY AT HOG.COM/RENEW. ©2017 H-D or its affiliates. HARLEY-DAVIDSON, HARLEY, H-D, and the Bar and Shield Logo are among the trademarks of H-D U.S.A., LLC. Third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Story by Darrell LaFosse

F

or years now, I have been riding with my wife, Sharon. Still, I gravitate to the style of single seat motorcycles. The compactness and clean style of the back fenders seems to declare that the owner is a true independent, able to set the parameters of his or her own ride.

Sharon is often asked, “Do you ride?”

Of course, this means does she have her own motorcycle. It has caused some soul searching to determine if our approach to riding needs to be revisited.

Just last week, while riding two-up, we stopped for a break at the scenic overlook at Gates Pass looking down on Tucson, Arizona. The area and view provide the opportunity to reflect on our good fortune and interact with the many other riders and visitors. We always watch for licence plates from home, and many friendships have been spawned from that first short encounter – frankly, that’s one of the main reasons to ride.

As we took in the warm desert breezes and scenery, I happened to notice two ladies walking our way. As they passed my bike, one stopped and lingered, looking around. When she spied us dressed in riding gear, she walked our way. She said, “Sorry, but I am going to be a little rude now.” When I said to go ahead with my Canadian smile firmly in place, she said, “I’m not talking to you.”

Here is what she said to Sharon: “I lost my ‘front seat’ about two years ago. I still remember leaving on early mornings and feeling that special tap on my thigh as he reached around to say ‘It’s going to be a great day.’ I miss him terribly, and especially that reassuring tap. Enjoy every single mile you spend together.”

Tears were streaming down her face, and Sharon was following suit. I was inspired. On the ride back home, I began reflecting on why we ride two-up.

When you ride with a special passenger, you may end up at the same place, but you never get there the same way. Many times,

I find that Sharon’s experiences or what we have seen are completely and utterly different – did we ride together? I may have pointed something out only to find that she has “gone somewhere else” just enjoying the experience. Conversations slow, sometimes to a complete stop. I’m watching the road and traffic and Sharon watches the world spool by, taking in the sights, sounds, and smells and the overall experience of being out there. We come to be completely alone, together. Her experience would change dramatically if she had to concern herself with the dynamics of driving a bike. While gaining the driving experience, the feeling she now has would be lost. It’s not that one is better – it’s simply a choice. She describes her experience in the back seat as becoming one with her surroundings: the rhythm of the road, the vibrations, the wind, the sounds of the exhaust, the pull of acceleration, the compression of braking. She does most of her thinking back there, allowing her to dump the unimportant things.

When we return from a ride, we are both different from when we left. Recharged is the cliché; being who we truly are seems more accurate.

One of my most important discoveries is that on the rare times I ride alone, when I inevitably see or experience something noteworthy, it never truly seems real. I rode alone from Nova Scotia to Ontario via the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It soon inspired a repeat excursion with Sharon, just to demonstrate how beautiful the ride was. Without my special passenger having the same experience, it was like it didn’t happen.

I understand what drives the individuals who ride alone, male or female. I do look longingly at those customs with single super-low seats minus passenger pegs. I will, however, continue to keep my Tour-Pak® and passenger floorboards, if only to be able to reach around on those early morning rides, tap my special passenger’s thigh and say, “It’s going to be a great day.”

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PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHAEL LICHTER

RIDING TWO-UP: WHY WE DO IT

You Can Take It With You

Pack up your troubles, and all of your necessities, in one of the many options offered by H-D® Genuine Motor Parts & Accessories.

Y

ou can leave it all behind and take it with you. Harley-Davidson® Genuine Motor Parts & Accessories offers dozens of luggage options riders can use for the daily commute, an overnighter or a cross-country run. HarleyDavidson luggage and related accessories are all designed specifically for motorcycle travel, so you know your gear will be secure and protected.

All of the hard parts offer a factory fit, and the style is pure Harley-Davidson.

Detachables Harley-Davidson Detachables accessories are the quickest, easiest way to add touring or commuting versatility to almost any Harley-Davidson motorcycle. A Docking Hardware Kit is the foundation of the system. Once it’s installed, simply “slide and click” to add or remove a Detachables accessory. No tools are required. A 4-Point Docking Hardware Kit will support a rack, sissy bar, or both in combination. A rack

with sissy bar makes a great support for soft luggage, and with a backrest pad, the sissy bar can provide added comfort and security for a passenger.

Many Sportster,® Softail® and Dyna® motorcycle riders can add a Docking Hardware Kit to support Detachables leather saddlebags that increase style and touring convenience for the ride.

These bags are completely removable with the simple pull of the internal handle, leaving behind two inconspicuous docking points.

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Hard Luggage With a kit from HarleyDavidson Genuine Motor Parts & Accessories, you can add Tour-Pak® luggage to any Touring model and many Softail model motorcycles, with options for Detachables Two-Up or Solo Tour-Pak Mounting Rack installation.

Supported by the Detachables mounting system, the Tour-Pak can be quickly removed or installed. The classic King Tour-Pak (P/N 53000399DH, $1,095.95) and

Premium Touring Day Bag (P/N 93300017, $141.95) is sized for

the daily work commute and features an innovative mounting system with a spandex band that slips over a passenger backrest. For bikes without Tour-Pak luggage,

Keep your passenger supplied well on the road with the Rider Backrest Organizer (P/N 93300098, $141.95) that fits over a rider

Premium Touring Luggage System (P/N 93300003, $386.95) combines the

slimline Chopped Tour-Pak (P/N 53000402DH, $1,095.95) are offered in Vivid Black, but an authorized H-D dealer can order either with factory colour-matched paint. Make a style statement with a leather-covered Tour-Pak, like the Road King® Classic

2,400-cubic-inch-capacity Touring Bag and a compact 900-cubic-inch-capacity Day Bag in a versatile set that serves the needs of weekend travellers and daily commuters when mounted on a rack and sissy bar.

Organizers

Leather Tour-Pak (P/N 53147-98C, $902.95) or the studded Leather Heritage Softail Classic Tour-Pak (P/N 53209-09, $876.95), which

Real road warriors know how to pack efficiently and keep essential items handy, and H-D can help with touring organizers. The new Road

both can be mounted with available installation kits on many Sportster and Softail models.

Glide® Fairing Pouch (P/N 93300097, $199.95) is

shaped to fit perfectly over the

Soft Luggage Why bungee a duffel bag to your motorcycle rack when you can travel with Harley-Davidson Premium Luggage? Designed to maintain their shape and protect belongings over years of long-haul motorcycle touring, these heavy-duty bags are also tastefully styled to feel at home when carried into a nice hotel.

Each bag features an integrated rain cover, and the bags and rain covers are highlighted with 3M™ Scotchlite™ Reflective Material for enhanced visibility in low-light and nighttime riding conditions. Multi-purpose interlocking D-Rings allow for quick-and-easy attachment of other Harley-Davidson luggage pieces, bungee cords or cargo nets. The Premium Tour-Pak Luggage Rack Bag (P/N 93300006, $257.95) is perfect

for an overnight or a weekend getaway. This bag fits a Harley-Davidson Tour-Pak luggage rack perfectly. The new

contour of the Road Glide fairing. Magnetic closures secure the left and right pouches, sized to hold small items such as mobile devices and keys. Similar fairing pouches are offered for Touring models with a batwing fairing.

A good way to maximize motorcycle luggage capacity is by collapsing bulky clothing with Harley-Davidson Shrink

carry to and from the bike.

The collection includes Premium Travel-Pak for Hard Saddlebags (P/N 93300070, $167.95 per pair), Premium Travel-Pak for King Tour-Pak (P/N 93300072, $128.95) and Premium Travel-Pak for Chopped Tour-Pak (P/N 93300071, $115.95).

Packing Tips from Experienced Tour Riders

backrest and puts two zippered pockets and a mesh pouch – with room for a water bottle, cellphone, keys, sunscreen and lip balm – within easy reach of a passenger.

Find your stuff faster with the new Tour-Pak Lid Fitted Lining with Organizer Tour-Pak Lid Fitted Lining with Organizer (P/N 53000302, $205.95), with six convenient

storage pouches to keep smaller items secure and at hand. Hook-and-loop fasteners secure the one-piece formed lining to the lid, so it’s easy to remove for cleaning. Other organizers are available for the Tour-Pak wall, saddlebag lids and walls, and the trunk door of trike models.

Luggage in the Premium Travel-Pak Collection is shaped specifically to fit Harley-Davidson hard saddlebags and Tour-Pak luggage, and has comfortable handles that make it easy to

Sacks (P/N 90200719, $22.95 Medium; P/N 90200721, $25.95 Large; 3 count each). Simply load a bag

Your Stuff • Zipper-lock plastic bags of various sizes can be extremely useful for organizing items in saddlebags and duffle bags.

Use the one-gallon size to pack one day’s worth of clothes – jeans, undergarments and shirt. This makes it easier to unpack just what you need.

• Don’t fold your clothes – roll them. They take up less space that way.

• When travelling with other riders, conserve space by comparing packing lists and eliminating duplicate items.

• Pack all of your cold-weather and rain gear no matter what time of year it is.

• On long trips, consider bringing your rattiest clothing, then throw it away when you’re done with it!

For more motorcycle touring tips and a printable packing checklist, visit harleydavidson.com/roadtrip.

with soft goods, seal and roll to evacuate the air.

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The Bike • When loading your bike, keep as much weight as possible close to the bike’s centre of gravity. That means low and toward the tank, distributed evenly from side to side.

• Check the cargo weight limits of your bike – as well as the bags and racks – and adjust tire pressure and suspension accordingly.

• With your bike fully loaded for your road trip, check your headlamp to make sure it’s aimed properly.

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Each year a brotherhood of enthusiasts gathers on the beach of the Jersey Shore to race modiďŹ ed vintage motorcycles and give them the respect they deserve.

STORY BY CHARLES PLUEDDEMAN PHOTOS BY DAVID CARLO

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he first cackle of exhaust sounds at dawn, the staccato pop-pop-pop of a vintage engine sparking to life under the vigorous kick of a leather boot sole. A dropped wrench clangs on the pavement of a hotel parking lot, and voices murmur in mildly profane encouragement. The scent of internal combustion exhaust, fresh pomade and the first Marlboro of the morning hangs in air heavy with the salty mist of the Atlantic surf that hisses across the road.

Straight pipes bark in the distance as more engines are coaxed to life. Soon the procession begins; knuckleheads and flatheads rumble and snort out of hotel parking lots and onto Atlantic Avenue. The Gentlemen are about to hit the beach.

This is the prelude to The Race of Gentlemen (TROG), an annual celebration of the rightness of hand tools and straight-weight oil, of hacksaw engineering and swap meet salvation. TROG is a weekend immersion in the origins of hot-rodding culture, a gathering of like-minded enthusiasts intent on blasting modified vintage motorcycles and pre-war cars over the hard sand of the Jersey Shore.

“The point of TROG is to get all of these old bikes and cars somewhere we can do something with them,” says Meldon Van Riper Stultz III (a.k.a. “Mel”), the self-styled Maestro of Motor Mayhem, the 47-year-old co-founder and owner of the event. “We think it’s disrespectful to let these machines gather dust in a garage or sit on display in a parking lot bike show. Vehicles made to go fast look best at speed.”

Those old machines include motorcycles of pre-1948 vintage and pre-1935 cars that have been bobbed, stripped and modified for racing in a period-correct manner to emulate the beach-racing scene of the late 1940s and early 1950s. The idea is to build a bike or a car as it might have been created in the era, in a home garage, and entries are scrutinized for originality. The vehicles that appear at TROG – usually about 45 bikes and 65 cars – have been hand picked from hundreds of entries submitted months before the event. Each event features a new selection of vehicles unless the owner has made extensive modifications to a previous entry.

Mel is a Jersey boy, a former punk rock drummer and a U.S. Marine veteran who was the owner of the

successful Asbury Lanes bar in Asbury Park when he got interested in vintage hot rod cars and bikes. “I was so bored with the music scene,” he says. “The bar would be hopping, and I’d be in the back office scanning eBay and the H.A.M.B. for hot rod parts.”

In 2008, Mel and some of his hot rod buddies connected with Jim Nelson, one of the founding members of the Oilers Car Club, a seminal roadster and custom car club founded in Carlsbad, California, in 1947. With Jim’s blessing, Mel and his crew re-formed the Oilers with 10 members and began organizing vintage drags and shows on the East Coast.

The Oilers hosted the first TROG in 2012 on the Allenhurst, New Jersey, beach and moved the event to Wildwood, New Jersey, in 2013. An event on Pismo Beach in California was also organized in 2016.

“Back in the day, these guys would need a long, open stretch to test their cars and bikes, and the beach was perfect,” says Mel. “If the car got out of control, they would just steer it into the soft sand, and if it caught on fire they would just aim for the ocean.”

Today, the hard sand at low tide provides the perfect venue for period-correct exhibition runs on a 1/8-mile (0.2-km) course. The limited traction of vintage-style tires on the sand is a performance equalizer. Rider skill is more important than horsepower. The Googie- or Doo Wop–style hotels of the Wildwoods Shore Resort Historic District fit the TROG vibe perfectly, and the Oilers go to great lengths to provide a time-travel experience. Wooden pylons mark the course start and finish lines, and a flag girl starts each run. Marshals wear white coveralls and pith helmets. Sponsor displays are housed in vintage canvas tents; the Harley-Davidson® tent features vintage bikes. Participants wear period-correct gear. Somehow TROG stays on the right side of the line, separating cool from hokey, honest homage from parody.

“It works because everyone respects the era and the original founders of motorsports in America,” says Mel. “And they respect each other. That’s why we’re gentlemen. It’s a brotherhood that looks a little salty, but is here for fun and love of the machines.”

That brotherhood is celebrated at the HarleyDavidson Museum™ in “The Race of Gentlemen” exhibit. It runs June 16 to September 4, 2017, and features nine motorcycles and nine roadsters that have participated in recent events. We’ve profiled a few of these motorcycles on the following pages.

EVERYONE RESPECTS EACH OTHER. THAT’S WHY WE’RE GENTLEMEN. IT’S A BROTHERHOOD THAT LOOKS A LITTLE SALTY, BUT IS HERE FOR FUN AND LOVE OF THE MACHINES. HOG ® MAGAZ I NE C A N A DA

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BIKE OWNER BUILDER

1923 Harley-Davidson® Model J “Cutdown” Atsushi “Sushi” Yasui; Tokyo, Japan Matt Walksler; Waynesville, North Carolina

“The beach is the birthplace of speed because it was the first perfect surface,” says Matt Walksler, the 34-year-old owner of Period Modified and a specialist at restoring pre-1930 racing motorcycles.

“TROG is not so much about competition as it is about getting out on a piece of history. Imagine what it must have been like to go this fast back in the day. On this equipment, 100 mph [160 km/h] feels like the speed of light.”

Exactly as the name implies, a “cutdown” bike is a production motorcycle that has been modified to be shorter

and lower than stock, and, thus, a more agile and effective machine for competition.

Created by early racers who didn’t have access to rare and expensive factory-built competition motorcycles, cutdowns were among the first garage-built customs. Matt, who has built a number of bikes for TROG and loves riding on the sand, built this 1923 J cutdown for “Sushi” to race on dirt and ice, and in exhibition runs on the TROG beach course.

Combining ideas from many period cutdowns and starting with a damaged J frame, Matt

raised the neck and rear axle plate to lower the bike, lowered the seat, and then shortened the tank, while retaining the original location of the pockets for the heads and shifter gate.

The very rare front end is from a 1928-29 Harley-Davidson JDH, a sport model with forged legs that are stronger than the stock 1923 front end. A modified front fender covers the rear tire.

Matt modified an original 61-cubic-inch (1,000-cc) J engine for durability and retuned it for modern gasoline, boosting output from its original 13 horsepower to close to 30 horsepower.

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Matt first entered bikes at TROG in 2015, and has also prepared a 1919 HarleyDavidson J cutdown and a knucklehead bobber for the event.

“At first I was concerned about exposing an antique bike to the sand and salt air, but cleaning the motorcycle after TROG is like reliving the weekend,” he says. “It’s more fuel for the passion. As I wash off the sand and salt, I find I’m already thinking about how to do it better next year. TROG is so much more than the weekend. I spend all year working on it.”

BIKE OWNER BUILDER

1929 Harley-Davidson Model FH Two Cam Sheldon’s Harley-Davidson; Auburn, Massachusetts Andy Wood; Stafford, Connecticut

Andy Wood was channelling a racing legend when he first dropped the clutch of this hot rod Harley® motorcycle at TROG in 2014. The 1929 Harley-Davidson FH was originally owned and likely raced by AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame member Ben Campanale (below right), the first two-time winner of the Daytona 200 (1938-39, when the race was on the beach), and a successful racer and stunt rider before and after the Second World War. “That first year at The Race of Gentlemen, with the motor running while we waited to go, I was thinking that this bike was raced by Benny in just about the same condition back in the day,” says Andy. “I was about to share the same experience myself.”

Like many old racing machines, it has seen a few changes over the years, and the specific details of what happened, and when, can be a bit murky.

“The story goes that Benny removed the engine from this bike and took it to Milwaukee on the train when he went to service school,” says Andy.

“The Harley engineers modified it into an FH racing motor for him, so it’s quite rare.”

It was also Campanale who had the tanks chrome plated, says Andy. Campanale died in 2003, but Sheldon’s H-D acquired the FH as a trade-in.

“Orville Sheldon raced it a little and took it to some exhibitions, but then it got parked in a warehouse,” says Andy, who’s 50 years old and was the parts manager at the dealership when he spotted the bike in 2013.

“I’d heard about TROG, but I didn’t want to just go to watch. I wanted to race, so I asked if I could get the bike running and enter, and the dealership sponsored me.”

Andy spent eight months getting the FH in running order and tuned.

“In 2014, TROG was really still just an exhibition, and nobody was worried about winning. We were having fun and putting on a show for the spectators,” says Andy. “Going to Wildwood is like stepping back in time.

With all the old hotels along the beach, it’s like the 1950s.

A few people knew the history of the bike, but everyone who saw it appreciated it. The beach area gets a little rutted and hard to ride, but the course is surprisingly hard-packed. I won eight of 12 runs that year.”

THAT FIRST YEAR AT TROG, WITH THE MOTOR RUNNING WHILE WE WAITED TO GO, I WAS THINKING THAT THIS BIKE WAS RACED BY BENNY IN JUST ABOUT THE SAME CONDITION BACK IN THE DAY. HOG ® MAGAZ I NE C A N A DA

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1942 Harley-Davidson WLA Bobber BIKE OWNER/ BUILDER Ryan Mackey; Lakewood, Ohio When Ryan Mackey got an invitation to participate in TROG in 2014, he decided to go for the whole experience.

“I rode my bike from Ohio to New Jersey,” says the 26-year-old firefighter from Lakewood, Ohio. “I figured that back in the day, you’d probably ride your bike to the beach, strip off the lights, and bolt on a number plate and go racing. At the end of the day, you’d put it back together and ride home. So that’s what I did.”

Ryan started wrenching on bikes at 15 when his uncle gave him a tired 1975 HarleyDavidson SX250. In 2009, he won the Youth Program Basket Case Essay Contest organized by the Antique Motorcycle Club of America

(AMCA), which intended to get a student involved in old bikes. The prize was a pile of WLA parts donated by AMCA members, and access to the knowledge and tools of Carl’s Cycle Supply in Aberdeen, South Dakota, to turn the parts into a running motorcycle.

“I was in paramedic school, so I spent five weeks of Christmas break in South Dakota,” says Ryan. “We built the transmission at Wheels of Time in North Carolina over spring break, and Larry Medwig in Concord, Ohio, assisted with the paint. Then I went back to Carl’s in the summer, and we finished the bike and then took it to Sturgis.”

Ryan built the WLA with

mostly genuine H-D® parts.

Extensive damage to the frame had to be corrected, and the 45-cubic-inch (737-cc) flathead engine was rebuilt and modified slightly. The rear fender was sectioned and bobbed, and Ryan devised the paint scheme. The entire build is documented on the AMCA forum at antiquemotorcycle.org.

“I wanted a street-legal bike I could really ride, so we built it to be reliable,” he says.

Ryan’s brother followed him in a truck with some spare parts on the 800-kilometre run to New Jersey, but the WLA had no issues.

“Just being in Wildwood was such an experience,” says Ryan. “Bikes and hot rods take over the streets, and the old hotels are a perfect backdrop. It was like we were back in the 1950s. Running on the beach was just a blast.

The first year I went there

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were no brackets so you could line up and make as many runs as you wanted. In 2015, it was more organized, and people with faster bikes built for the sand started showing up. I don’t have a competitive race bike, but it was still fun.

At the end of the weekend, the bike was so sandy I didn’t want to ride it home. It took a long time to clean it up.”

Ryan has the TROG bug and is collecting parts to build another 45 – a very fast 45.

I WAS AT A SWAP MEET, AND A SELLER TOLD ME HE HAD A KNUCKLEHEAD AT HOME THAT WAS FOR SALE. HE SAID THE ONLY PROBLEM WAS THAT THE BIKE HAD BEEN IN A FIRE.

1941 EL Knucklehead BIKE OWNER/ BUILDER Jeremiah Armenta; Phoenix, Arizona For his first TROG run at the 2016 Pismo Beach, California, event, Jeremiah Armenta resurrected a knucklehead that’s literally the phoenix from Phoenix – a bike brought back from the ashes.

“I was at a swap meet, and a seller told me he had a knucklehead at home that was for sale,” says the 36-year-old owner of Love Cycles, a restoration and vintage-style custom shop located in Phoenix, Arizona.

“He said the only problem was that the bike had been in a fire.”

The old Harley motorcycle was stored in a mobile home in a junkyard in Rye, Arizona, when the whole place went up in flames.

“That bike was burnt to a crisp,” says Jeremiah.

“Anything aluminum was melted, and the sheet metal was shot. I was able to reuse parts of the frame, one cylinder and the heads, and the springer.”

The knucklehead turned out to be the perfect project for TROG. “For TROG, you have got to build a bike that runs. This is a race, not a bike show,” says Jeremiah, who has been invited to build bikes for the prestigious Born Free custom motorcycle show in California on three occasions. “It was

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just so much fun to get out on the beach and beat the heck out of an old bike. The neat part for me was using the bike for its purpose, for really riding it hard. I’ve done some vintage TT racing, but this was my first drag race and there was a learning curve, plus the rainy weather caused some electrical problems with my bike. They do such a great job making the event feel and look just right, so I spent a lot of time building a bike that looked the part.”

After dismantling the charred knuck, Jeremiah determined that the frame forgings could be reused, but the tubes needed to be replaced. He spent a lot of time extracting the forgings and then replicating the original frame shape with new tubes.

He built up a new engine and transmission and then beat out his own steel tanks and rear fender. The project took about six months to complete.

When we spoke to Jeremiah, he had the knucklehead engine on his bench “looking for a little more power” just weeks before leaving for TROG 2017 in New Jersey. After the race, the bike was scheduled to go directly to the HarleyDavidson Museum for its TROG exhibit, likely bringing a little Atlantic sand to Milwaukee.

Your H.O.G. membership is your ticket to the biggest ride you can take through the world of Harley-Davidson. It connects you to other riders wherever you roam. It’s your invitation to a year-round calendar of rallies, rides and events. And it gives you benefits as real as your Harley-Davidson steel. Like HOG magazine, Roadside Assistance, special deals, and more.

So renew your membership. The bigger you ride, the better it gets. Visit HOG.com ®

©2017 H.O.G., AND THE H.O.G. LOGO ARE AMONG THE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF H-D U.S.A., LLC.

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10/01/2017 15:54

Jonathan Czinder has turned his passion for man’s best friend into a successful business. He tells HOG® Magazine Canada how riding his Harley-Davidson® motorcycle makes him a better “dog whisperer.”

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can’t remember a time when I wasn’t surrounded by dogs.

Growing up in Iowa in a dog-loving family, I learned early on that I had a passion, and a knack, for training and working with dogs of every kind, and that I wanted to turn that passion into a full-time job.

Relocating to Portland, Oregon, eight years ago gave me the opportunity to take the role to the next level, and Oregon Tails was born. With a 400-hectare ranch at our disposal and a dedicated team, we handle about 50 dogs each day.

We collect them and bring them to the ranch, and then we run them as a pack using a four-by-four. We run the pack for more than six kilometres to let the dogs blow off steam, and then focus on individual training – this might be aggression training, working to overcome fear or instilling obedience – then off-leash hiking before cleaning and returning the dogs to their owners.

My core vision was to provide a service that mimics a dog’s natural environment,

including off-leash exercise in the outdoors, swimming and hiking, socializing and working with the canine pack mentality.

We guide dogs, as well as provide care while their owners work or travel. Dedicating myself to serving the needs of both dog and owner has been a lifechanging experience, and proves that you can achieve fulfillment when you follow your passion.

How you choose to train or handle your dog is polarized, with “positive only” trainers on one side and “alpha dog” trainers on the other. We’ve developed a system incorporating behaviour and etiquette training from the dog world within the structure of equine training. Regardless of the dog or its issues, we take steps to bring it to a better place. We’ve had great success getting dogs to where we want them, from excited or reactive to peaceful.

We can even get dogs that have spent 90 per cent of their lives indoors, and

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who are afraid of the outdoors and social contact, to a good, functioning place.

Meditation is a big element of my work with dogs. I’ve been meditating daily since age 10, so I’m able to remain calm and detached, and the dogs respond to that. You need a lot of patience – most people get frustrated, which hinders the process. I let it wash over and pass through me, so the dogs see a blank canvas and not a bunch of chaotic human emotions.

There are definitely parallels between meditation and riding a bike – there’s a similar meditative state with both. Riding a motorcycle, particularly a Harley-Davidson® model, relieves stress and allows me to switch off from day-to-day business.

I rode dirt bikes when I was younger and got my first road bike – a 1200 Nightster ™ – five years ago. I now ride a Softail Slim.® I like to keep it close to stock, as I think H-D does a great design job in the first place. I have a Stage One conversion, but I have no desire to change anything else – I love the way it looks, feels, handles and sounds.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOSH KURPIUS

My riding style is mainly short rides around the Portland area, or weekend trips with friends in the summer with my girlfriend and the dogs in the truck. My longest ride on the Slim has been a four-day trip, and my longest in the saddle was a 15-hour ride from Bozeman, Montana, to Portland.

The business has grown organically, mainly by word of mouth. We’ve never advertised, and we have more than 100 people on the waiting list. The next step is to start offering training workshops on the ranch, where owners can learn training methods they can use at home. I’ll still find time to ride my Harley,® though. I’m already planning the next motorcycle trip – my sister and I are riding to Crater Lake, four hours south in cowboy country.

And each year we do the Pendleton Roundup in Oregon – my girlfriend drives the truck so the dogs can come, too!

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he thought of a summer trip always brings a little sunshine to a cold Alberta winter. The Pacific Northwest HOG® Rally in Spokane, Washington, seemed like the right destination for this year’s adventure.

On August 12, my man, Arden, and I rolled out of Edson, Alberta, for a three-week trip, with me on a 2015 Street Glide® Special and Arden on a 2016 Road Glide®. A couple of friends rode with us for part of the day, but from Nordegg we were on our own adventure.

Once we crossed into B.C., the sun came out, and the warm wind in our faces told us we

that serves up fresh-baked banana bread in the morning.

Once we hit Bozeman (and Bozeman H-D), we had a sunny stretch until we reached Sheridan, Wyoming, for a terrific supper at Sanfords Grub & Pub, where the walls, shelves, and every nook and cranky were jammed with odds and ends, signs and trinkets.

The next day we started off to Cody, Wyoming, where we spent a couple of nights. Our supper and stay at the Irma Hotel were really impressive.

Our first lesson for this journey: Yellowstone National Park took longer to get through than planned. It was impressive – big buffalo (and lots of them) roam with no fear of humans or

were going to have another great trip.

We try to visit as many H-D® dealerships as we can squeeze in, so after a night in Golden, we set off for HarleyDavidson of the Kootenays in Cranbrook. Then we headed across the border to Kalispell, Montana, and on to nearby Missoula.

The Old Montana Prison Complex in Deer Lodge may seem an odd place to stop, but aside from a pretty cool old jail, there is a four-level antique car museum that is out of this world.

We then stumbled upon the Lewis & Clark Motel in Three Forks – a great little town and an absolutely awesome motel

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West Open roads of the

An Alberta couple tours through four states Story by Georgina Hansen motorcycles. Old Faithful was a disappointment, as we had to wait for an eruption that wasn’t really that great, but we’ve been there and done that now.

The second lesson: photo stops put us way behind schedule and saw sunny weather replaced with dark, wet skies. I think the road into Jackson, Wyoming, is probably very scenic, as the lightning illuminating the peaks of the Teton Range was quite a sight.

We pulled into Jackson around 10 that night.

The new day brought back the sun, and Teton Pass up toward Idaho was curves all the way – a great ride with unbelievable views.

Burley, Idaho, seemed like a good place to stop and recharge with a bit of sightseeing at Shoshone Falls, Twin Falls, and the Snake River. The scenery was unbelievable, and we lucked into a great find of a restaurant in Morey’s Steakhouse.

We rode west through Boise and then north. Highway

“Highway 55 went up and up and up around corners and finally to a lookout that takes your breath away .”

55 went up and up and up around corners and finally to a lookout that takes your breath away. We spent the night in Grangeville and then headed for Lewiston, riding through lots of quiet small towns with friendly people. Soon we were off again for Washington and a night in Moses Lake.

The next day’s ride towards the Grand Coulee Dam was spectacular. The dam is a marvel in engineering, and it was a nice ride through farmlands and small highways – which are still in better shape than some of Alberta’s major highways.

Next up was Spokane Valley and Coeur d’Alene for the rally, which was so well

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organized. We connected with friends we had met at a HOG rally six years ago and had such a great time. Kudos to the event organizers and all the riders.

When it was time to head home, we opted as usual to take the road less travelled. Sherman Pass was a great choice – so incredibly beautiful.

We rode a little more than 6,400 kilometres, covering four states and two provinces. We had some good laughs and saw breathtaking scenery. This summer we will do several shorter trips to northern B.C. to see family and possibly a HOG rally or two.

ENTHUSIASTS

STORIES F R OM T HE OPE N R OA D

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Port Alberni or bust

For 33 years, Port Alberni, B.C., has put on an annual Toy Run for the needy kids in town. Since day one we have raised over $1.4 million. Depending on weather, we average 1,500 riders. The Toy Run leaves Qualicum Falls and proceeds 30 kilometres through Port Alberni to the Fall Fair Grounds. We have bike games, beer gardens, a bike show and a show ’n shine, followed by a multi-band dance and then a poker run the next day that shows off many local points of interest in the Port Alberni area, including the Coulson world’s biggest water bomber.

MAC MAKENNY

Port Alberni, B.C.

EXHAUST 2

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What a day

With Lisa in Aruba at the northwest tip of the island at the California lighthouse – an awesome day of riding.

CHRIS EVANS

Toronto, Ontario 3

Fire and ice

This photo was taken at Sylvan Lake, South Dakota, during the Sturgis 75th in August 2015. It was an unusually cold day in the middle of a scorchinghot rally week.

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GEORGE AND LAURIE BOBOROS

Stevensville, Ontario

Couples that ride together, stay together 4

We were both riders before we met, then discovered our love for each other – and our love of riding together. After exploring 19 countries and covering countless kilometres, we had our greatest adventure on two wheels yet. This is us on our wedding day with one of our Harleys®, a 2009 Road King® Classic.

CINDY AND DARYL MAHONEY

Edmonton, Alberta 5

From desert to sea

For two years in a row, my husband and I have ridden our Street Glides® from Phoenix, Arizona, to Puerto Penasco, Mexico, for the Rocky Point Motorcycle Rally. This is one of my favourite rallies, with fantastic views of the Sea of Cortez from Old Port, where the streets are lined with shops, restaurants, bars, palm trees and thousands of motorcycles from Mexico, the USA and Canada. There are daily poker runs raising funds for local charities, a pirate boat cruise, desert runs to El Pinacate Biosphere Preserve, bands and a non-stop party in downtown Old Port. And yes, it’s very safe!

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JOELLE HENDREN

Smoky Lake, Alberta

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In it for the long haul

I have been riding since I was 15 years old and have enjoyed it for all these years. I lost my riding partner four years ago, and just before she passed away, she asked me to buy a black Harley®. I promised her I would but that it would not be black because I would need colour in my life if she was not here any longer. She agreed, and I bought a 2013 CVO Road Glide® Screaming Eagle®. I love the look of this bike and that was the only reason for buying it. Well, to my surprise, it was the best decision I could have made. It is as smooth as any Japanese bike I’ve owned or tried. At my age of 73, I’m lucky that I can go south and ride. I spend six months in Florida and now have 66,000 kilometres on the odometer. We are still riding together as far as I’m concerned. There are lots of good changes since my last Harley®, and I’m hooked.

TED OUWENS

Val Caron, Ontario

Future rider, realized 7

This is my oldest daughter, Larissa, back in the summer of 1989 on my 1987 Softail® custom, taken in my front yard. I take her for rides on my 2012 convertible CVO these days. She wants me to leave the bike to her in my will.

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LARRY CROSS,

Huttonville, Ontario 8

Boys and their toys

Last summer, four great friends – Doug Haas, Robert Morse, Rick Wittenburg and I – set out on our second trip to Deals Gap and beyond. We had no particular destination, just a back road ride for 15-18 days. We left the Annapolis Valley and took the ferry from Digby, Nova Scotia, to Saint John, New Brunswick, to make day one a quicker ride to Maine. From there, we set out through 15 states before coming back to the Maritimes through Ontario and Quebec. We rode along the pristine and scenic Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway, stopping in many small towns and meeting wonderful people. We toured the Wheels Through Time Motorcycle Museum, spent a crazy night in Nashville and took lots of back roads rarely travelled.

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EXHAUST

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With 15 days on the road and a total of four hours of rain, we all had a great time. Our next adventure is shipping our bikes to Calgary and riding the West Coast of Canada and the United States before we zigzag through 25 states and five provinces, ultimately covering 10,000 kilometres in three weeks. The riding brotherhood is what it’s all about.

JIM ROGERS,

Middle Sackville, Nova Scotia

Dreams do come true

9 I have dreamed of owning a HarleyDavidson® since I was 16. I have always had a passion for bikes. After owning several different bikes, like Honda and Kawasaki, it was at 33 years old that I finally realized my dream: my first Harley-Davidson, a 2017 Roadster®.

Believe in yourself and realize your dream.

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JIMMY RUEL

Via email 10 Finally! Here I am on my sixth bike – but my first Harley-Davidson®. I’ve wanted one for so long. For my not-quite50th birthday, I told myself that I only have one life to live.

ERIC BOULIANE

Val-des-Monts, Quebec 11

I bought my first Harley-Davison®, a 2016 Dyna® Street Bob®, on March 30, 2016, at Prémont Harley-Davidson Laval.

Not only was it one of the best decisions of my life, and the best present I could have given myself – it was also a dream that came true for my 40th birthday. I rode 4,200 kilometres in my first year. Now I’m off to make the most out of the 2017 season! See you on the road.

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DIANE SEVIGNY

Laval, Quebec

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Ever since I was a young boy, I have wanted a Harley-Davidson®. Even though I had never even sat on or rode one, my dream came true this year. I want to thank Kanes Harley-Davidson of Calgary for helping make my dream come true.

TYLER BALKO

Calgary, Alberta 13 One of Canada’s finest rides

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Last May on our awesome adventure up the Cabot Trail, we went through every kind of weather imaginable, from sun to sleet rain to snow! The best part was heading up Smokey Mountain in the rain with the fog blinding our view and looking down to see the gas light come on! We overheated, then froze to the bone, with our “three-hour ride” turning into 10 hours of excitement. Who gets lost on a circle road? Us – and twice!

Not once did we stop laughing at our awesome luck on our first road trip together. We have been all over the United States and travelled south, but this trip will always be our favourite.

JACK AND JENN

Cabot Trail, Nova Scotia 14

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50th in Death Valley

Three of the four of us are members of the Toronto HOG® Chapter. This shot shows us in Death Valley, California, celebrating my 50th birthday (I’m on the left). We rented the bikes from Las Vegas H-D. Great ride!

TODD SHULMAN

Toronto, Ontario

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JUNE 2017

BETWEEN THE LINES

Sounding Off About Wind Noise Story by JOHN SANDBERG

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hat wind rushing under your wheels and around your head as you cruise down the road is one of the all-time great sensations that characterize the motorcycle riding experience. Unfortunately, it’s also a reason many of us no longer hear quite so well.

As motorcyclists, we’re exposed to sound levels that put us at a high risk for permanent hearing loss, just like operators of loud equipment such as jackhammers and chainsaws, or heavy metal musicians (insert your favourite Metallica joke here). The bad news is that damage caused by prolonged and repeated exposure is permanent and ongoing, meaning it will only get worse.

Damaging Decibels Prolonged exposure to loud noise damages our hearing by literally hammering the tiny hairs deep within our ears. These hairs vibrate in response to sound waves and convert the mechanical energy of sound into electrical impulses that are carried to the brain via the auditor nerve. We’re born with 16,000 to 20,000 of these sound-sensing hair cells. Once they’re damaged we suffer hearing loss, and they don’t grow back. Noise-induced hearing loss is subtle, cumulative and permanent.

In fact, noise-induced hearing loss is the most common permanent and preventable occupational injury in the world according to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. It has found that most workplace hearing loss occurs not from a single loud sound event, but rather gradually over time due to prolonged and repeated exposure to elevated sound levels – the same kind of exposure that we experience as motorcyclists.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the louder the sound is, the shorter the time our ears can be safely exposed to it.

Sound intensity is measured in decibels (dB), and its scale is logarithmic, which means a noise that registers as 70 dB (such as a vacuum cleaner) is 10 times louder than 60 dB – the sound level of a typical conversation between two people standing a metre apart.

Decades of study by OSHA prove that permanent hearing loss can occur with eight hours of sustained exposure above 85 dB (an average lawn mower). When sound levels exceed 100 dB, permanent hearing loss can occur in just two hours.

At 115 dB, the exposure time is reduced

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to 15 minutes. Here’s the kicker: Riding a motorcycle at highway speeds typically exposes unmuffled ears to more than 100 dB. Depending upon speed, it can be as high as 110 dB. While it’s true that exhaust, machine and road noise are the predominant sources of sound below 65 km/h, the biggest source of noise motorcyclists experience is wind rushing around us.

This barrage of sound assaults our ears with everything from low-frequency vibrations to high-frequency whining.

Several equipment factors can attenuate the sound levels, notably fairings (which can direct wind around and over the rider) and helmets. However, some helmets and fairings make no change to sound levels, and some windscreens and helmets actually amplify wind noise due to buffeting and resonation.

Do you have a story or opinion about noise-induced hearing loss? Share it with us via email at hogmagazine.ca@harleydavidson.com or mail it to HOG® Magazine Canada, 100 New Park Place, Suite 330, Vaughan, Ontario, L4K 0H9.

H-D MUSEUM

Remembering a Founder We tell the story of Motor Company founder William A. Davidson, known as Bill, who left a legacy as one of the most empathetic, supportive, generous and selfless men in the organization’s long and proud history.

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hen Bill Davidson joined with his two brothers, Arthur and Walter, and family friend William Harley in their efforts to design and build a new and better motorcycle, he completed the quartet that would go on to found the Harley-Davidson Motor Company Although the transportation industry at the beginning of the 20th century was new and rapidly evolving, Bill was intrigued by the work his brothers and Harley were doing. Already a skilled mechanic, he brought a wealth of knowledge to the budding company, and his efforts went far in assuring its future success.

When the company was incorporated in 1907, Bill became the works manager.

As a toolmaker, he was ideally suited to identify and purchase the presses and other equipment needed to refine the manufacturing process. His desk was always covered with parts from various stages of the manufacturing process: a semi-finished hub, bearing, shaft or connecting rod. He knew the steel from which each part was made, the processes it had undergone, and those that were necessary for completion. He used this knowledge to continually improve factory operations, a necessary skill because the demand for Harley-Davidson® motorcycles continued to grow rapidly.

His expertise in the manufacturing process kept Bill in close contact with Harley-Davidson’s factory employees, whose insight he relied on to stay informed about any problems or possible improvements in factory operations.

Among the staff, he was known for his compassion, generosity and willingness to listen to even the smallest problem, remembering the days when he, himself, was pounding a hammer. He was always happy to help others, whether that was buying coal for the needy or lending an overcoat to a friend who didn’t have one.

These good deeds were never publicized.

This affability extended to everyone he encountered – from machinists and dealers to bankers and politicians.

He was willing to share his time with everyone.

William A. Davidson passed away on April 21, 1937, at the age of 66. He probably didn’t realize how far his legacy would extend – his son William H.

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“To have known Mr. Davidson, to have worked with him, to have been associated with him, was indeed a rare privilege.”

Davidson would serve as the Motor Company’s president, as would William H.’s son John. William H.’s other son William G. Davidson, better known today as Willie G., now serves as chief styling officer emeritus and brand ambassador for the Motor Company after an illustrious career spanning almost five decades, and is perhaps the most familiar face of the Harley-Davidson family. Willie’s G.’s children, Bill and Karen Davidson, make the fourth generation to contribute to the legacy of Harley-Davidson that Bill started nearly 115 years ago.

Typical of the tributes paid to Bill Davidson is the following from one of his co-workers: “To have known Mr. Davidson, to have worked with him, to have been associated with him, was indeed a rare privilege. His example, his precepts, his deeds, have left their influence on all those with whom he came in contact. The world is happier, a cheerier, a better place for his having been among us.”

Photographs courtesy of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company Archives. Copyright H-D.®

LAST STOP

Tales of the Road Story by LENNY PAULSON

R

aise your hand if someone has approached you to talk about your motorcycle while you were gassing up, or maybe at a rest stop on the highway. This probably wouldn’t happen often if you weren’t riding a HarleyDavidson® motorcycle.

I rode Japanese motorcycles from 1973 to 2001, and it was rare for anyone to stop to talk to me about my bike. It wasn’t until I bought my first Harley® in 2002 – a 2001 Super Glide® model – that I realized Harley-Davidson is more than just the riding experience – it’s a culture.

I firmly believe that many people who see us on the road with our motorcycles wish they were doing the same thing.

I’ve spoken to men who always wanted a motorcycle but their wives wouldn’t let them, people who wanted to take the plunge but thought they couldn’t afford to ride, and men who didn’t ride any more because they’d been injured.

One group of people I find especially fascinating is older women who used to ride with their late husbands. They obviously miss it, and I love hearing their stories. Many of them seem to be quite knowledgeable and talk about Knuckleheads and Flatheads. I often get the feeling they’re on the verge of asking me for a ride, but no one has yet.

About 12 years ago, my wife, Sharon, and I were riding from Mount Prospect to Springfield, Illinois. While at a rest stop along I-55, an elderly lady was so excited to see our Super Glide that she

got off of a bus full of seniors on a day trip to talk to us, even though she had trouble walking. She had ridden for many years with her husband, who was also on the bus. They were in their late 70s and still riding.

We met another elderly couple on a three-wheeler in Kentucky – they were heading home after a multi-day trip.

They told us how they’d ridden Harley bikes for many years. Unlike the many people who stop riding when they feel they can’t handle a two-wheeler, they just moved up to a three-wheeler. They were in their 90s, but they weren’t going to stop doing something they loved.

Harley-Davidson® motorcycles have always been popular with veterans. My wife and I met two military guys on the same two-week trip. The first was a retired U.S Marine, whom we met at Glacier National Park in Montana. He’d returned home on July 4, 2011, and was in the saddle of his Road King® on July 10. He wasn’t always sure where he was going – he just wanted to be on his beloved bike. We talked for about 30 minutes. He was a wonderful guy.

We met the second veteran in

Lenny and Sharon with their 2009 Ultra Classic® – one of four Harleys they have owned

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Wyoming. He was much younger and had been discharged from the U.S. Army.

He was from Tennessee but felt that there was nothing to keep him there. He was travelling around the country on his Sportster® motorcycle, doing various jobs while evaluating his options. All he owned was his bike and a few items of clothing. What more do you need?

On the first day I rode my 2017 Ultra Limited, I was standing in a parking lot and a retired motorcycle cop came up to me to talk about H-D® motorcycles for at least 20 minutes. He’d ridden other brands of bikes in the police force, but his own bike was a Harley.

We’ve also had some fun requests.

Once, Sharon and I were sitting at a stop light in Palatine when a guy pulled up and asked me to rev my engine. Apparently he used to ride a Harley while stationed in Vietnam. He then asked me to take off fast from the stop light so he could hear the engine roar! He caught up to us at the next light and was so happy.

This is a small selection of the stories I have to tell about the lovely people I’ve met, all thanks to my Harleys. And I’m sure I’ll have many more to come.

ADRENALINE RUSHES. LATE-NIGHT RUNS. 4 A.M. BREAKFASTS. TALES OF REVELRY. ALL FOR LESS THAN YOU THINK.

THE ALL-NEW STREET ROD. STARTING FROM $10,399*. ®

* Price shown for the model in Vivid Black only. Prices listed are the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Prices. Options such as colour are available at additional cost.

Prices exclude dealer setup, freight, taxes, title, licensing, fees and other changes and are subject to change. Availability of colours may vary from dealer to dealer and is subject to change without notice. All taxes, shipping and other fees (including dealership fees) are extra. Harley-Davidson reserves the right without prior notice to discontinue at any time any of the items herein or change specifications or designs without incurring any obligations to the customer. All items are subject to availability and prior sale by our dealers. ©2017 H-D or its Affiliates. H-D, Harley, Harley-Davidson and the Bar & Shield Logo are among the trademarks of H-D U.S.A., LLC.

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