HOG Mag Canada – Spring 2015

for the harley-davidson enthusiast since 1916 ®

canadian edition

PRINCE OF DARKNESS

» SOUTHERN COMFORT: ROLLING THROUGH THE SOUTH THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND ARIZONA » INTO AFRICA: FROM LONDON TO CAPE TOWN » MOTORCYCLE APPS

33 TIPS, TRUTHS & TO-DOS – 2015 H.O.G.® EVENTS

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spring

2015

$6.99 can

The new 2015 Harley-Davidson Street™ 750 motorcycle

2/9/15 3:05 PM

THE NEW STREET TM 750 AND 500 FROM HARLEY-DAVIDSON STARTING FROM $8,159*

X

TM

ENGINE ®

The new Harley-Davidson StreetTM motorcycles with the new liquid cooled, Revolution XTM engine.

Visit your authorized Canadian Harley-Davidson® Retailer today or online at www.harley-davidson.com Vehicle shown may vary visually by market and may differ from vehicles manufactured and delivered. *8,159 is the base price of a 2015 H-D Street™ 500 motorcycle. 2015 H-D Street™ 750 motorcycle with an MSRP of $8,999. Prices are subject to change without notice. MSRP excludes options, taxes, licences, freight and Retailer prep. Retailer prices may vary. See your Retailer for details.

With the purchase of any new Harley-Davidson® model from an authorized Canadian Harley-Davidson® Retailer, you will receive a free, full one-year membership in H.O.G.® Always ride with a helmet.

Ride defensively. Distributed exclusively in Canada by Deeley Harley-Davidson® Canada, Richmond and Concord. Deeley Harley-Davidson® Canada is a proud sponsor of Muscular Dystrophy Canada. ©2014 H-D or its affiliates. HARLEY-DAVIDSON, HARLEY, and the Bar & Shield Logo are among the trademarks of H-D U.S.A., LLC.

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CAFE STEEL

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» Departments

28

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WELCOME NOTE Stereotypical Harley-Davidson® Motorcycle Rider

EDITOR’S NOTE Lots of Good Times on the Horizon

46

7

INTAKE Letters from our Members

51

9

FRONT SHOP

10

NEWS “Che” Guevara’s Son Offers Motorcycle Tours; Windshield or Windburn?; Motorcycle Apps

14 BACKSTORY

Giddyup: The zany 1952 Harley-Davidson® Servi-Car 16 GALLERY

Photos and stories from

the field On the cover: 2015 Harley-Davidson Street™ 750

A DECENT SIZED PITSTOP WINDSHIELD IS Give the Cold the Cold Shoulder PROBABLY THE SINGLE RALLY RIDES MOST IMPORTANT 33 Tips, Truths & To-Dos – 2015 H.O.G. Events ADDITION THAT CAN RIDING STORIES IMPROVE YOUR COLD California Bound: Alberta rider hits the road to escape the WEATHER RIDING bone-chilling cold.

COMFORT. School’s Out Forever: Recently retired

45 BACK SHOP

58

®

Manitoban rides into her next chapter.

The 30-Day Dream: Quebec rider explores the great American parks in a month-long ride.

66

ARCHIVES Not All Bad: From 1969 to June 1981, AMF owned the Harley-Davidson® Brand. Nothing good came of that time. Right?

page 46

↓

41

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THE ADVENTURE ISSUE HOG ® MAGAZ INE CA NA DA

SPRING 2015

» Features

22 PRINCE OF DARKNESS

The latest Dark Custom™

model – the 2015 Harley Davidson Street™ 750

– brings a new kind of Harley-Davidson®

motorcycle to light.

By Dustin A. Woods.

Photographs by Tom Riles,

Brian J. Nelson, and Dustin

A. Woods.

28

INTO AFRICA Rider takes an inspirational and emotional journey from London to Cape Town.

Story and photographs by Roberts Jones.

35

SOUTHERN COMFORT Rolling through the Magnolia State on a twolane time machine. Story & Photographs by Glen Abbott.

41

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE ARIZONA From Canada’s “wet coast” to the American desert: a journey to escape the rain.

Story and photographs by Ed Sager.

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WELCOME + EDITOR’S NOTE Welcome Note

STEREOTYPICAL HARLEY® RIDER Part of the appeal of riding is also that it is kind of sexy

"There isn’t a typical Harley rider, and there never has been a typical Harley rider. We have cops and the occasional robber. We have the less rich, the very rich, the young and the old, the male, the female, every colour and creed." ~ Mark Hans-Richer, CMO, Harley-Davidson Motor Company

IT IS SO UNFORTUNATE THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE A PRECONCEIVED IMAGE IN THEIR HEADS OF A “TYPICAL” HARLEY® RIDER … but, like Mark Hans-Richer states, “there isn’t a typical Harley rider.”

When you see someone on one of our beautifully crafted bikes, male or female, you have no idea whether they are a fireman, neurosurgeon, judge, store clerk, farmer, housewife, or young CEO. The best part is that we all have the fun job of working hard to shake that mindset and welcome more people into the Harley® family and the sport of motorcycling, whether it be at the international level, the local Chapter level, or anywhere in between.

We are also always reaching out and doing research with all riders and intenders to find what resonates best to engage them more, and one of the things we know for sure based on the findings to date is that a majority of those asked ride to feel free, be strong, escape, and express themselves as individuals, and also for the independence.

Now blend that with how you can creatively provide a minimalist blank canvas of a stock motorcycle, like the Harley-Davidson Street™ 750 or Street™ 500 models, for a whole new generation to customize and personalize based on their own perception of cool or sexy, and with pure inspiration, the sky is the limit!

There is no such thing as a stereotypical Harley® motorcycle, either.

It’s our job as riders and enthusiasts to push the limits of perception through our passion for the Brand, our love of riding, and our desire to be individuals and help those who don’t understand the Harley® culture to aspire to join us on the road for the next ride.

- Gina McNeil, Manager, Enthusiast Services

Editor’s Note

LOTS OF GOOD TIMES ON THE HORIZON

Question of the issue:

What are your thoughts on the new Harley-Davidson Street™ 750 and Street™ 500 motorcycles?

WELCOME TO THE SPRING 2015 EDITION OF HOG ® MAGAZINE CANADA. Can you feel it?

The excitement and anticipation of riding is building fast! For many of us still stuck on the slushy sidelines of winter, we look for any signs of the change in season and the clearing and cleaning (bring on the rain!) of the roadways for what will certainly be another memorable riding season. And for some of us in more favourable Canadian riding climates, it wouldn’t be out of the question to anticipate a full year of riding on the street – ‘cause the street is where I live!

When the street is where you live, it starts to live in you. True of a rider. True of a motorcycle.

The look of the Harley-Davidson Street™ 750 and Street™ 500 motorcycles comes from the street, and it’s on the streets of Austin, Texas, that Dustin Woods provides us with an insightful Canadian review of the latest offering from Harley-Davidson (see pages 22-27).

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to experience Africa on a Harley® motorcycle? If so, you will truly enjoy reading about the highs and lows, with a sprinkle of challenges, enjoyed by our friend Roberts Jones as he navigated his way from London, England, to Cape Town, South Africa, through the heart of the African continent (see pages 28-34). If a road trip through Africa is not part of your 2015 plans, then make sure to review our 2015 North American H.O.G.® Rally schedule for something a little closer to home (see pages 51-55). Let the good times roll!

- Duarte Pita, Editor, HOG® Magazine Canada

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INTAKE

SPRING 2015 SUMMER 2014

LETTERS FROM OUR MEMBERS

EDITOR'S PICK

BRIDGE ENGINEERING 101 EDITION

-daVidSon

®

enThUSia

ST Since 1916

HOG® MAGAZINE CANADA IS PUBLISHED

BY THE HARLEY OWNERS GROUP® CANADA

SEND US YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO: EDITOR@HOGCANADA.CA HOGMAGAZINECANADA.CA

UNDER THE H The people ELMET within

HOG® MAGAZINE CANADA FEATURES SOME CONTENT FROM THE US EDITION OF HOG® MAGAZINE, UK AND AUSTRALIAN EDITIONS OF HOG® MAGAZINE.

H.O.G. Ca nada ®

ELECTRIC 66 – PROJECT LIVEWIRE™ THE ART OF ANTICIPAT ION 2015

»

- Sent in via email

» AWESOME ADIRONDA REGIONAL

CKS H.O.G. ® RALL IES

THE CANADIAN EDITION IS PUBLISHED BY:

» A CENTURY OF SUCCESS » MOTOTIPS » A PACIFIC COAST HIGH WAY JOUR

EAGLE EYES

I disagree with “The Eyes Have It”, listed under “Mototips” on page 11 of the last issue. I’ve made eye contact many times only to find out the person was looking right through me. After several close calls using this technique, I made a change and now focus on the front wheel of a vehicle at an intersection.

If their front wheel makes even the slightest movement, I prepare or begin to take action immediately. In my experience, the eyes can lie!

– Sent in via email

SOUND OFF

FoR The haRLeY

CANADIAN

Becky Tillman makes some excellent points in “The Art of Anticipation” in the Winter 2015 edition. I’d like to add that you shouldn’t be afraid to use your horn! Harley-Davidson® motorcycles have a horn that’s as loud as some car horns. I’ve found horns to be very effective when I see drivers sticking their noses out and trying to race out of the intersection. Sometimes it pays to be loud! The other

thing I want to mention is how I deal with tailgaters. When someone wants to give my rear fender a kiss, I drop my left hand and make a waving motion. More often than not, the following car will actually back off to a safer distance.

– Sent in via email

TIPPING MY HAT TO THE EDITOR!

I’ve been riding and reading HOG® Magazine Canada for several years and have witnessed the shift in the attitude and acceptance of riders. During this period, HOG® Magazine Canada has managed to always keep pace with their content to keep the readers informed and entertained. I truly enjoyed reading the Winter 2015 issue, as the magazine has constantly reinvented itself, while staying true to what matters the most: the members. This issue is visually attractive and entertaining with trivia, member travels, history, and new products plus ideas and tips for the DIY wrench. For

NEY

WINTER

2015

$6.99 CAN

I was reading “Bumps in the Road” in the last issue of HOG® Magazine Canada, and as a bridge engineer I wanted to comment on the bridge gratings and grooved pavements sections. Steel gratings are used to reduce the weight of a bridge deck, which is almost always the heaviest dead load.

Preventing snow and ice accumulation is a benefit of grated decks, but that is not why some bridges are designed with them. As for rain grooves on the roadway, the purpose of draining water is not quite accurate. The primary purpose of these tined roadway surfaces is to increase the contact area between the tires and the pavement for better traction. Roadway design uses cross sloping to drain water off the roadway to avoid hydroplaning problem areas.

the reader, seeing pictures or reading stories of events that they may have had the opportunity to be a part of is engaging. I was pleasantly shocked to see a picture of myself in the Under the Helmet feature. This was not only exciting for myself, but for my Chapter friends and family.

Thanks, H.O.G.® Canada!

– Gabriel (Gabe) Pintos Toronto, Ontario

IT’S ELECTRIFYING

I must say, I really enjoyed reading Alex Chacón’s review of the Project Livewire™ motorcycle “Electric 66”, in the Winter 2015 edition of the magazine. I’ve been very curious and starved for more information on this new and innovative Harley-Davidson® test motorcycle, and Alex’s raw and unfiltered review was just what I needed to feed my hunger.

I’m super-excited and looking forward to the Project Livewire™ Experience Tour hitting the Canadian Retailer circuit in 2015.

– Sent in via email

We welcome all letters and feedback to HOG® Magazine Canada. Letters should be 100-150 words. E-mail your feedback to editor@hogcanada.ca and put “Intake” in the e-mail subject. Include your name, telephone number and e-mail address. We reserve the right to edit submissions for length and clarity.

GINA MCNEIL MANAGER, ENTHUSIAST SERVICES DUARTE PITA EDITOR SCOTT CLARK PRODUCTION TERESA COLUSSI COMMUNICATIONS BRAD JANDREW DIRECTOR OF MARKETING PRODUCTION, DESIGN & SALES BY

WWW.FRESHAIRPUBLISHING.CA GORDIE BOWLES EDITORIAL DIRECTOR KAT MORGENROTH DESIGN CHRISTINA NEWBERRY EDITOR TYLER HUNT WEB DESIGNER PAUL SOLOVYOV IT PROGRAMMER Please direct any advertising inquiries to INFO@FRESHAIRPUBLISHING.CA 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 quarterly by the Harley Owners Group® Canada. Due to various circumstances, some information in this issue is subject to change.

No part of this publication may be reproduced for any reason without the expressed written consent of Deeley Harley-Davidson® Canada.

By sending your submissions, you are giving Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Deeley HarleyDavidson® Canada, Harley-Davidson Owners Group® of Canada Ltd., and their affiliates, the unrestricted right, permission, and authority to use and publish your name and city of residence, any photograph or image of you, including any statements you make, for publication in HOG® Magazine Canada or for posting on hog.com, without consideration or compensation of any kind whatsoever. You further hereby irrevocably release and waive any right, claim, or cause of action you may have against Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Deeley HarleyDavidson® Canada, Harley-Davidson Owners Group® of Canada Ltd., and their affiliates, for compensation, libel, or invasion of privacy, or any other liability whatsoever. Harley Owners Group® reserves the right to edit stories for content, length and clarity.

With the purchase of any new Harley-Davidson® model from an authorized Canadian Harley-Davidson® Retailer, you will receive a free, full one-year membership in H.O.G.® Always ride with a helmet. Ride defensively.

Distributed exclusively in Canada by Deeley HarleyDavidson® Canada, Richmond and Concord. Deeley Harley-Davidson® Canada is a proud sponsor of Muscular Dystrophy Canada. To find your local authorized Canadian Harley-Davidson® Retailer, visit www.harley-davidson.com today. ©2015 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. Printed in Canada.

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Take Our Rewards for a Test Ride Best Western® has been known for many years as the heart and soul of Canadian hospitality and travel. We care about what riders want in a hotel - that’s why we created our free Best Western Ride Rewards® program designed for Harley-Davidson® enthusiasts. H.O.G.® members are automatically upgraded to Platinum Elite status, so you’ll earn free nights even faster.

Staying with us allows you the freedom to ride across the country to over 100 Rider-Friendly® hotels in Canada*, so you’re sure to find a Best Western that’s right for your ride.

We invite you to Stay with people who careSM and start earning your rewards.

Enroll & Book Today | BWrider.com | 1.888.BW2BIKE * Numbers are approximate and may fluctuate. Best Western and the Best Western marks are service marks or registered service marks of Best Western International, Inc. ©2013 Best Western International, Inc. All rights reserved. Harley-Davidson, H-D, the Bar and Shield logo and H.O.G. are among the trademarks of H-D U.S.A., LLC.

® magazine canada » spring 2015 8 hogEach Best Western® branded hotel is independently owned and operated.

HOG Frontshop.indd 8 Magazine Ad 3-13.indd 1

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FRONTSHOP

SPRING 2015 NEWS

“Che” Guevara’s Son Offers Motorcycle Tours; Windshield or Windburn?; Motorcycle Apps

BACKSTORY

Giddyup: The zany 1952 Harley-Davidson® Servi-Car

GALLERY

Photos and stories from the field

Photographs courtesy of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company Archives. Copyright H-D. 9

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FRONTSHOP

NEWS

USA

Cuba Vietnam

CHE GUEVARA’S SON OFFERS MOTORCYCLE TOURS The youngest son of Argentineborn Cuban revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara is behind a tourism initiative that offers expeditions to different parts of Cuba on Harley-Davidson® motorcycles. The leader and coordinator of the project, 49-year-old Ernesto Guevara, is a lawyer who “inherited from his father the passion for motorcycles which enable[s] him to travel his country and to know it as few” and who has devoted more than 20 years of his life to restoring Harley-Davidson® motorcycles, according to the project’s website.

The tours – and the name of the Argentine-based travel agency offering them, La Poderosa Tours – are directly inspired by the expedition that Che and his friend, Alberto Granado, two medical students, made in 1952 on a run-down motorbike they gave the ironic name La Poderosa (The Mighty One). The Harley-Davidson® Brand was chosen for the tours because of its longstanding

tradition in Cuba and its postrevolution staying power, La Poderosa owner Mimi Kohen said, noting that the island even has a Harley® club.

– news.com.au

HARLEYDAVIDSON INTRODUCES NEW CVO™ MODELS IN VIETNAM Harley-Davidson has introduced three new 2015 Custom Vehicle OperationsTM (CVOTM) models to Vietnam as it expects major growth in the coming year.

The 2015 CVOTM Limited, CVOTM Street Glide®, and CVOTM Road Glide® Ultra models feature the twin-cooled Twin Cam 110™ engines and a combination of air-cooled and precision liquidcooling systems. All three bikes come with electronic cruise control, Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), keyless ignition, the H-D® Factory Security

System, and an indoor/outdoor storage cover. Harley-Davidson opened its first dealership in Vietnam in December 2013.

The showroom, located in Ho Chi Minh City’s Phu My Hung, has sold more than 200 motorcycles in less than a year.

– ThanhNienNews.com

WORLD’S MOST EXPENSIVE BIKE EVER SOLD The star-spangled custom Harley-Davidson® model from the 1960s classic movie Easy Rider, sold at auction this past October for $1.35 million, or just over $1.6 million after applicable fees, which is the highest price ever paid for a motorcycle, according to Hemmings. The chopper, nicknamed “Captain America” after Peter Fonda’s character in the 1969 flick, was owned by L.A.-based collector Michael Eisenberg.

However, just before the bike went under the hammer at the Profiles in History auction,

media reports were casting doubt on its authenticity.

Four motorcycles were originally made for the movie – Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper getting two each, and this was supposed to be the only one remaining – hence its milliondollar price tag. Three of the bikes were allegedly stolen after the film was made, while Fonda’s bike was crashed at the end of the film, going up in flames. Future Grizzly Adams star Dan Haggerty, who worked on the set as a mechanic, was given the bike and restored it years later. This is the bike that Michael Eisenberg put up for auction. Or is it? The Los Angeles Times reports that Haggerty sold a different Captain America back in 1996, claiming then it was the real deal. He now claims, however, that his authentication was a mistake, something the owner obviously has trouble believing.

Real or not, the bike is the most expensive ever sold.

– carbuzz.com

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SPRING 2015

MOVEMBER 2014 RECAP Funds raised globally

$82,000,000+

Another successful Movember campaign has come to an end! Once again, we’d like to thank all of our H-D® Retailers, H.O.G.® members, Associates, families, and friends for their role in helping change the face of men’s health.

Funds raised in Canada

$21,000,000+

Canadian Registrants

Total Registrants

717,523

115,273

We’d also like to congratulate Elliott Brown of Ottawa and Derek Leaney of Oshawa, each of whom was awarded an allnew Harley-Davidson StreetTM 750 motorcycle. For Elliott, winning the motorcycle was the perfect birthday present.

“I just got my licence but hadn’t yet purchased a bike,” he said.

“To win a bike is great, but for the staff to present me with a birthday cake and a new leather jacket as well makes this a birthday I will never forget.”

Harley-Davidson® Network in Canada

Network ranking in Canada

$162,873

10TH

WINDSHIELD H.O.G.® ASKED:

OR WINDBURN?

Do you prefer cruising down the highway with the protection of a windshield or the rush of nature flying by you?

“I love my windshield; it allows me to ride without having to fight the wind, bugs, or rain.” – RICK » When my best friend suggested I get a windshield, I said, “James Dean didn’t need one, Marlon Brando didn’t need one, and neither do I.” – GARY S. » “I love having a detachable windshield; you get the best of both worlds! Off for around town and on for longer trips.” – JAMES S. » “If my wife and I wanted to hide behind a windshield, we would just drive a car.” – TONY M. » “Thank goodness for my detachable windshield; it enables me to ride the distance while feeling energized. But at slower speeds on a short ride, the wind feels good.” – EDDIE M. YOU ANSWERED:

For Derek, winning the bike was more a case of fulfilling a dream. “I’ve been riding for about ten years and always wanted my own HarleyDavidson [motorcycle],” he said. “Now, I’ve got it and I’m thrilled!”

42% 33% 25%

Bugs?

No Thanks

Detachable Please

Run with the Wind

DIGITAL

TWO GREAT MOTORCYCLE APPS

Bringing your smartphone on a road trip provides great peace of mind, just in case you need to call the army, but these two useful apps can take your road trip to the next level. $ free

GREATEST ROAD This app lets you search, share, and rate the best motorcycle roads anywhere you ride with thousands of other riders.

With routes in more than 160 countries, you’ll never be at a loss for a great ride. $ free

WAZE Traffic jams, accidents, speed traps, and other roadside delays can ruin your road trip. Avoid the mayhem with Waze, a GPSbased traffic app that warns you about trouble ahead in real time, thanks to crowd-sourced data about actual road conditions.

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FRONTSHOP

NEWS H-D ® RENTALS

HARLEY-DAVIDSON MUSEUMTM TOP TEN BEST SHOWCASING A LEGEND EXCUSES FOR The Harley-Davidson Museum™ in Milwaukee has announced that its summer 2015 exhibition will be dedicated to the career of Willie G. Davidson.

While the Harley-Davidson Museum™ exhibit doesn’t open until June 13, there’s a way to experience it sooner.

From February 18 to April 30, H.O.G.® members have an opportunity to enter for a chance to win two spots on the exclusive Dream Experience of the Harley-Davidson Museum™.

Held June 10-12, this experience includes round-trip airfare to Milwaukee, three nights stay at the Iron Horse Hotel, exhibit opening party tickets, an exclusive tour of the exhibit before it’s open to the public, lunch with Bill Davidson, and more. The exhibit will showcase Willie G.’s incredible contribution to the Harley-Davidson® Brand over the last half-century, including original designs, art, and previously unseen artifacts from his personal collection. Although he officially retired in 2012, Willie G. still brings his passion and expertise to the Company as Chief Styling Officer Emeritus and Brand Ambassador.

Visit h-dmuseum.com/HOG to enter.

COLD STORAGE If you didn’t tend to it properly, you’ve shortened its life span.

But if your bike won’t start, don’t assume the battery is “bad”.

Tests show that 35 to 40 per cent of returned batteries are actually just run down. Once they’re charged back up, they’re fine.

Either way, you can prevent a springtime surprise with just a little extra winter attention. So before you put your bike away for winter – or any time it might sit unused for longer than six weeks – consider one of these preventive measures: » CONNECT the battery to a

Just because your bike starts in the spring doesn’t mean your battery made it through the winter okay.

quality trickle-charger or battery tender. Models such as the Harley-Davidson® Supersmart Battery Tender, P/N 66000038, come with a convenient quickdisconnect charging harness for easy connections. » REMOVE the main fuse to minimize battery discharge.

Check the Owner’s Manual for the location of the main fuse on your model. » DISCONNECT and remove the battery from the motorcycle, and store it in a dry place. Healthy batteries can retain a full charge for months on the shelf.

If you’re storing your bike yourself, be sure to get it ready properly. Consult your Owner’s Manual for a complete checklist or consult your authorized Canadian Harley-Davidson® Retailer. Their H-D® Authorized Service experts can give you even more pointers and steer you to products that are specifically formulated to protect your bike during hibernation.

Or ask about storing your bike at the Retailer. They’ll treat your bike like it’s their own and make sure it gets all the TLC it deserves.

RENTING AN H-D® MOTORCYCLE With more than 300 locations around the world, Harley-Davidson® Authorized Rentals is the world’s largest network of motorcycle rental locations.

There are a million good reasons why you might want to rent one, but here are ten fresh excuses if you need one:

1. Wife hates riding on your bike 2. They were all out of Priuses at Avis 3. On vacation and suck at golf 4. On a business trip and still suck at golf 5. Always wanted to ride a bright red Road King® model in a parade 6. Don’t feel comfortable borrowing from a friend … for the tenth time!

7. The honeymoon suite was already booked 8. Can’t let family spend all the vacation money at outlet malls 9. Didn’t want to risk the middle seat on a flight 10. Stripped the drain plug on your bike changing the oil Whatever your reason for renting a Harley-Davidson® motorcycle, you can learn more or book your own at h-d.com/rentals.

HARLEY® ON SCREEN H-D® Dyna® Low Rider® motorcycle, in Planet Terror, movie, 2007 H-D® Dyna® Wide Glide® motorcycle in Workaholics, TV series, 2011-2014 H-D® Fat Boy® motorcycle in Shameless, TV series, 2011-2014 H-D® Road King® police motorcycle, in Sabotage, movie, 2014

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FRONTSHOP

BACKSTORY

GIDDYUP

Members of the Forty & Eight Club, a veteran’s service organization formerly associated with the American Legion, piloted this zany Harley-Davidson® Servi-Car at a convention in Oregon in 1952.

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

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SPRING 2015

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GALLERY

MEMBER’S GALLERY

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SPRING 2015

1. Over 100 2015 Harley-Davidson速 Road Glide速 motorcycles roared into Sturgis with a massive parade from Deadwood to Sturgis, SD, on August 1, 2014.

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SPRING 2015

2. Steve Cameron of Tilbury, ON, riding the Cherohala Skyway, a 70-km national scenic byway that connects Tellico Plains, TN, to Robbinsville, NC, in the southeastern United States.

3. Patrick Monty of Varennes, QC, on Scenic Byway 12, an All-American Road state highway located in Garfield and Wayne Counties, UT.

3

4. Roman Sydor of Stouffville, ON, making his way through the Needles Highway (SD Highway 87) in SD during an 8,000-km, 13-day road trip in the summer of 2014.

5. Tracey Teichroeb, Adam Shepherd, and Adam’s dad, Mike Shepherd Sr., all of Prince George, BC, in the Las Vegas desert during a 6,228-km, 18-day road trip of a lifetime.

6. Guy Savard of La Prairie, QC, and his multiple-awardwinning 2013 Harley-Davidson® Road King® motorcycle in front of the Goodyear plant in Napanee, ON, during the 18th Canadian National H.O.G.® Rally in Kingston, ON, July 2014.

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SPRING 2015

7. Gilles Hétu of Crabtree, QC, during a trip to Tennessee in 2014.

8. Kate Cannata, Assistant Director for the Langley Chapter, with her 2014 H-D® Street Glide® motorcycle, enjoying a short break in the shade.

9. Stéphane Boucher of Gatineau, QC, enjoying a little rest on a road trip to Lake Placid, New York.

10. Noel Peters of Stouffville, ON, saluting from Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin, Germany.

11. Sue Darby, Mark Boone Jr. (who plays Bobby “Elvis” Munson on the TV series Sons of Anarchy), and Patrick Darby during a VIP meet and greet at Carrier Harley-Davidson® in Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, July 20, 2013.

12. Bob Middlekoop of Fort McMurray, AB, showcasing his 2006 H-D® Ultra Classic® Electra Glide® motorcycle on the Avenue of Giants in northern CA, July 2014.

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The latest Dark Custom™ model – the 2015 Harley-Davidson Street™ 750 – brings a new kind of Harley-Davidson® motorcycle to light.

Story by Dustin A. Woods Photos by Tom Riles, Brian J. Nelson, and Dustin A. Woods

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The all-new Harley-Davidson Street™ XG750 model is not what most people would expect from Harley-Davidson. In order to critique the Street™ 750 model objectively, you must leave all preconceptions and expectations at the door.

While it was visually inspired by the XLCR Café Racer – launched in 1977 and designed by Willie G. Davidson himself – this is a new motorcycle for a new audience.

H

arley-Davidson has been on a tear recently, bringing to market long overdue but completely unexpected new products and innovations. Coinciding with the H-D 110th Anniversary celebrations, Project RUSHMORE struck a razor-thin balance by updating the stale Touring lineup without alienating the faithful masses. Then, completely out of left field, came the Project Livewire™, an electric motorcycle that has everyone talking. The Street™ 750 model may not seem revolutionary by those standards, but as the first all-new Harley-Davidson® motorcycle since the revolutionary V-Rod® model was unveiled 14 years ago, the Street™ 750 model marks a bold paradigm shift for the Milwaukee motorcycle maker.

The Bar & Shield logo holds a great deal of Brand equity – not only in North America, but all around the world. Newly prosperous countries with large, quickly growing, and geographically concentrated populations with expendable income and existing Brand awareness are an enticing source of new riders. And while riders in emerging markets might hold the Americana mystique of a big, booming V-Twin in high regard, they may not find it exactly practical, or financially feasible.

Enter the Street™ 750 model, the first truly global Harley® model developed with input from more than 3,700 Customers in ten countries across three continents.

Designed for markets where space is at a premium, quality fuel may be hard to come by, and the climate may be extreme, the Street™ 750 model is relatively small. At 498 lbs, it’s nimble, narrow, and liquid-cooled. The new Revolution X™ V-Twin engine is a belt-driven 60-degree Single-OverHead Camshaft (“SOHC”) power plant available in 500 and 750 cc displacements. Both use the same six-speed transmission, block and stroke, but they differ in bore size.

As it was designed with a new rider in mind, the Street™ 750 model does away with familiar H-D® conventions like the legendary dual turn signal switches, which are replaced with a single switch on the left handlebar.

“We don’t foresee this being an issue,” said Jenn Gersch, Product Planning Manager, Harley-Davidson.

“The riders choosing the Street [750 model] will likely be moving up from a smaller displacement competitor with similar controls or new to motorcycling altogether.”

The Street™ 750 model could have been built for export only, but Harley-Davidson is also embracing the opportunity to attract new riders here in North America who may be intimidated by the stature of existing models.

This tiered product offering is a popular marketing strategy designed to get Customers into the Brand family, a tactic developed by General Motors to get people driving Chevrolets but dreaming about the day they would be

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“Enter the Street 750 model, the first truly global Harley model developed with input from more than 3,700 Customers in ten countries across three continents.”

successful enough to buy a Buick or Cadillac.

Since the release of the Sportster® model in 1957, many riders have cut their teeth on this perennial entry-level model, but its suspension isn’t exactly forgiving for novice riders, and not everyone enjoys having the fillings shaken out of their teeth when they hit a pothole. The Street™ 750 model, on the other hand, is incredibly accessible and far more forgiving, offering twice the suspension travel of the Sportster® model.

Firing up a fleet of V-Twin engines in unison on a busy city street would normally result in dirty looks from strangers, but the 749 cc power plant of the Street™ 750 model is smooth and inoffensive. The unfamiliar idle is more of a hum than a rumble, and even hitting the end of the throttle won’t scare the neighbours – a factor surely influenced by noise pollution regulations in key target markets. Acceleration is torquey but docile with adequate pop in every gear, even up to triple-digit highway speeds.

I once purchased a five-speed Honda Shadow VT750 Aero motorcycle and almost

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“The Street 750 model is smooth, predictable, and agile – particularly at low speeds ...”

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immediately sold it because it was so lethargic, but the engine mapping and gear ratios seem far better sorted on the XG750 model.

Shifting of the six-speed transmission is crisp, and it’s easy to find neutral. Clutch feel is intuitive and engagement is predictable. Four seat options are offered among the more than 100 accessories available, making it a veritable blank canvas for customization: Chopper, Café, Racer – it’s your choice.

Riding from the downtown core of Austin, Texas, to the outskirts, we ran the gamut of urban, rural, and highway riding on a tour that took most of the day, so we got a pretty solid impression of what the Street™ 750 model is made of. Based on my experience riding in Canada, I instinctively reel in the speed when I see the back of white Chevrolet Tahoe, because chances are high it’s owned by a police department. Down in Texas, however, where gas is cheaper than bottled water, every second vehicle on the road is a massive land yacht of an SUV like a Tahoe or a Suburban. It played havoc with me the entire day, but it did help to keep my speed in check – which was a surprising issue for the sprightly Harley-Davidson Street™ 750 model.

Canadian pricing was recently announced, as units are set to roll into showrooms. The Street™ 750 model comes in at $8,999 and the Street™ 500 model at $8,159. This accessible price tag is achieved by foregoing options like ABS. While concessions may have been made to achieve the price point, it is easy to see that priority was placed on engine development, as it feels properly sorted and well engineered.

I remember feeling pure, unadulterated disgust and visceral anger when Porsche first unveiled the Cayenne SUV in 2001. How could one of the world’s most renowned sports car companies betray their roots and build a vehicle for suburban mothers to pick up their kids from soccer practice? Well, Porsche has sold a ton of Cayennes, and in the meantime invested those funds to build even better sports cars that now set the standard for innovation and performance. If the Street™ 750 model allows Harley-Davidson to convince more riders to embrace motorcycling, and the Company puts the profits into the research and development of future products, who are we to argue? The Street™ 750 model is smooth, predictable, and agile – particularly at low speeds, which will come in handy in those crowded emerging markets.

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into into “DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH?” My mother clearly wasn’t crazy about her youngest son’s plan to ride a Harley-Davidson® motorcycle deep into the heart of Africa, riding 30,000 km from London to Cape Town.

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I didn’t know how to answer her question, and it hung awkwardly in the air.

In truth, I don’t have a death wish – but I do have an insatiable wanderlust. When I purchased my 2008 Road King® motorcycle five years ago, I couldn’t even ride a motorcycle. That summer I learned to ride by criss-crossing the United States. The following summer, my Road King® motorcycle carried me to Alaska, and two years later, down to Argentina. After each trip, the wanderlust only grew worse – all I could think about was the next ride. Still, I knew what my mother was thinking: Harley® motorcycles are machines capable of riding anywhere … but Africa?

B

ut there was nothing to say; the plan was already in motion. We had just dropped my Road King® motorcycle at the dock in Newark, New Jersey. A month later, I caught up with it in England.

I gave myself five days to leave London, race across Europe’s highways, and arrive in eastern Turkey to catch the ferry to Egypt.

Other than a handful of truck drivers, the ship’s manifest was mostly Syrian refugees fleeing civil war. My friend Rick and I were embarking on our ride on a lark, hoping to see new places and maybe run across a little danger, while around us small children played on cardboard boxes containing all their families’ possessions, unaware their lives were changing forever. Everything came into perspective: we were on a ship of families fleeing a war zone. For the next few months, human suffering would be exposed, raw and out of the shadows.

The riding in Egypt was beautiful and seemed safe. I ticked off loads of places

that I’ve wanted to see since childhood: the tomb high in the Great Pyramid, Luxor, and Abu Simbel. But the highlight was diving the wreck of the SS Thistlegorm 30 metres below the Red Sea and seeing a cargo hold of doomed World War II BSAs and Triumphs. Later, sitting on a hotel balcony in Cairo, I watched as people took to the streets at night, demanding a better life. The road to Sudan was closed, so I spent the night on the deck of a ferry. Once in Sudan, riding for hours a day through the vastness of the Sahara gave me plenty of time for self-refection. I was near meditation, lost in thought about who I was and who I wanted to be.

At first, it was a little unnerving to be an American riding a Harley® motorcycle through Sudan, but I only felt warmth and welcome. When I quietly told locals I was American, people would shake my hand and shout “Obama!,” nodding their heads with approval.

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I

had one run-in with the Sudanese military. Rick and I both got a funny feeling at a checkpoint, so we exchanged subtle head-nods and rode off.

Unfortunately, the third biker in our group, Rob Roy, didn’t understand the gestures and was stuck with guns drawn on him. After 20 minutes we rode back to collect him; the officials were rightly angry and searched our bags. Upon seeing my U.S. passport, the police searched the video on my helmet camera, suspecting I could be a spy. After an

hour, the captain let us go, but not before he looked me dead in the eye and started singing a song in Arabic that rocked my very soul.

When I started planning the ride from London to Cape Town, I couldn’t find most African countries on a map. Some I had never heard of, but Ethiopia … yeah, I had that one down. I watched We Are The World as a kid, and I prepared myself to see sickly children covered in flies outside mud huts.

Okay, so a bit of worldly ignorance is innate in most Americans, but every assumption I had about Ethiopia was totally wrong; it was gorgeous.

At times, riding in Ethiopia is perfect, with freshly tarred highmountain twisties overlooking a vast horizon of plentiful farmland.

Ethiopians are certainly poor, but in general the people of Ethiopia seemed joyous, healthy, and prosperous. Hearing my Harley® motorcycle approaching, children wearing Chelsea football shirts would run to the edge of the road, waving both hands with bright smiles. I’ve never been so happy to be so wrong.

Riding in Ethiopia does have its perils: I narrowly missed several children running into the street, fresh tarmac would suddenly wash out, and kids throwing stones at bikers seems to be a national pastime! But my biggest concern was the animals wandering free in the road. On my first day in Ethiopia, I hit a donkey at speed, tossing me from the bike. The wind was knocked out of me, and my right

elbow was screaming. I wiggled my fingers and toes – all good.

My gear did a fine job, and I got away with just some bumps and bruises. The bike, however, lay on its side, lights shattered and front fender crumpled into the tire – this was bad.

Word quickly spread throughout the village, and soon I was surrounded. One guy was shouting, but seeing that I was mildly banged up and that the donkey had walked off to find shade under a nearby tree, he helped me drag the bike off the road. Fortunately, the engine guards worked as advertised and the bike started up. A few well-placed kicks to the fender gave the front tire space to roll.

I asked the villagers about the condition of the donkey. No one spoke English, so I made a donkey noise while giving a thumbs-up gesture.

One woman laughed awkwardly; the man who helped me lift my bike looked at me like I had severely damaged my head. Rob Roy rode up and suggested it was time to go.

The day got progressively worse; on a 60 km section of poorly maintained gravel road, I hit a pothole and both hose lines to the rear shocks blew, spraying hydraulic fluid everywhere. Without suspension, the fender rattled loose; when I stopped to strip it off, a group of Ethiopian children lifted a few things from my bike.

After sunset, I dropped the bike and trapped my foot between the saddlebag and a rock, spraining my right ankle and knee. That night, I was grateful to put the day behind me and crawl into my sleeping bag.

I woke with a stiff leg, but I was looking forward to getting on the bike and seeing more of the country. The ride around central Ethiopia to Lalibela was overwhelming; I was moved to tears thinking about how fortunate I was to be alive and riding in a nearperfect moment, my head clear of everything except the road in front of me. I knew I was exactly where I was meant to be and somehow connected to … well, everything.

Ethiopia is a country of contrast; the roads are some of the most

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“A bit of worldly ignorance is innate in most Americans, but every assumption I had about Ethiopia was totally wrong; it was gorgeous.” gorgeous I’ve ever ridden, the mountains are breathtaking, and the kids embody joy. One hint: I found that quickly returning the kids’ frantic waves helps to reduce the barrage of stones.

It was time to see what Kenya had in store. The A2 road in northern Kenya is the last section of dirt road on the entire Cairo to Cape Town route. Sadly, it’s under construction and will be entirely tarmac in a few years – yup, it will then be possible to ride from London to Cape Town without your bike ever touching dirt.

When I rode through South America, my bike crossed thousands of miles of sand and washboards without a major problem. The A2 didn’t seem worse than these roads, but it sure did a number on my bike. The north part of the road was deep mud; my bike, gear and I weigh more than 500 kg. Fortunately, a few local villagers saw me axle-deep in mud and were kind enough to give me a push.

The mud eventually gave way to sand. Running counter to my intuition, and apparently physics, a 350 kg Road King® motorcycle with a low centre of gravity and five inches of ground clearance is a kick-ass machine on sand – I looked forward to deep bits, where the aluminum skid plate I hose-clamped to the frame became a sled and the rear road tire pushed me through. The low ground clearance became a lifesaver, but it was my inexperience riding sand that almost killed me. It took hundreds of miles riding in sand and gravel

to learn to stay on the throttle, even when the bike gets squirrelly, making for some hair-raising moments.

After the long section of Kenyan sand came the washboards – any screw that wasn’t Factory installed eventually rattled free.

I chalk a lot of this up to user error; I should have inspected the bike more frequently. Finally, the bolt that held my suspension sheared apart – the weight of all my baggage pushed the rear fender onto the tire, and the friction caused the seat strapped to the top of the fender to melt. I was relieved it was just the seat melting and nothing electrical. Later, without suspension, even the “maxi-fuse” that leads to the fuse box rattled apart on the heavy corrugation – it didn’t blow, but actually shook apart, killing the electrics. I think the bike was sending me an SOS. That’s when I discovered oil dripping from the small hole torn in the sump. I was probably a hundred miles from the nearest mechanic, and goodness knows how far from the nearest Harley® dealership, with oil leaking from the engine – again, this was bad.

I am not mechanically inclined, but on the road I’ve learned to diagnose problems on the bike. I carried a spare maxi-fuse, and a quick application of liquid steel that Rob Roy brought plugged the leaking sump. Later, an extremely helpful mechanic somehow found a matching bolt, solving my problem.

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We spent five incredible weeks riding through southern Africa.

We saw all the normal tourist stuff – big-five safaris in Botswana, Victoria Falls, great white sharks in South Africa, and all that – but it was the moments off the beaten track that I will remember most: trying to save a small kitten in Zimbabwe, meeting a guy selling a handful of gems at a gas station in Namibia, and staring in awe as the setting sun sank into the dunes off the Skeleton Coast.

After sharing a month riding thousands of miles together,

Back on the tarmac in western Kenya, I spent a few minutes visiting President Barack Obama’s step-grandmother – Mama Sarah. She asked questions through an interpreter about the trip and my Harley® motorcycle. Then I spent the afternoon walking through the small Kenyan village in which my President’s father grew up, thinking about how small this world truly is.

“Riding for hours a day through the vastness of the Sahara gave me plenty of time for self-reflection.”

Riding in Uganda was terrifying.

Occasionally I experienced oncoming traffic passing another vehicle on a small two-lane road. The disregard for motorcyclists was ubiquitous in Uganda – dozens of times a day trucks and 4x4s forced me onto the shoulder, and sometimes off the road entirely. In Tanzania it got so bad that I started throwing water bottles at the oncoming trucks. The feeling of satisfaction was quickly replaced by the realization that I was in rural Tanzania without any water – fail.

In Rwanda, the memorials to the 1994 genocide nearly brought me to tears. I met with several Peace Corps volunteers who discussed their concern that the ethnic tensions that resulted in the first genocide would likely flare up again. I wish I’d had more time to explore Tanzania, but I had to make tracks to meet my girlfriend, Bridget, in Lusaka, Zambia. After four months of being apart, I couldn’t wait to see her. She is amazing, and I am so grateful that she could join me on this journey.

I proposed to Bridget at the southern tip of Africa, Cape Agulhas. Of course, my bike is front and centre in the proposal photos!

I’ve loved riding my Road King® motorcycle around the planet; it has taken me everywhere I’ve wanted to go, without limitations. Sure, I’ve been banged up along the way, with loads of bruises, sprained ankles and knees, and a fractured scapula in Ecuador, but my Harley® motorcycle keeps going with rarely a complaint.

So back to my mother’s question – no, I don’t have a death wish. I’m simply searching for the rare moments I experience only on my bike, with a head clear of thoughts and worries, when I feel I’m exactly where I’m meant to be – connected to everything at once, riding towards somewhere new.

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n at c h e z t r a c e , m i s s i s s i p p i

SOUTHERN

COMFORT Rolling through the Magnolia State on a two-lane time machine.

Story & Photographs by GL EN

ABBOTT

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r i d i n g a lo n g

Mississippi’s Natchez Trace Parkway on this crisp fall morning feels like being enveloped in a big green blanket. From grassy fields to towering evergreens and oaks that haven’t changed colours yet, it’s a single-hued symphony.

I’m riding my 2006 Road King® motorcycle. With me are riders from across the country on mounts provided by the Harley-Davidson® Authorized Rentals department at New Orleans Harley-Davidson®.

W H E R E T H E G I A N T S LOT H S R O A M Natchez Trace Parkway spans 715 kilometres from Natchez to Nashville. Our journey covers only the Mississippi portion, about 485 kilometres. It’s a national park; commercial traffic and billboards are thankfully absent. Travelling the Trace on two wheels offers kilometre after kilometre of gently curving two-lane with a maximum speed limit of 80 km/h. Just the thing for putting your feet up on the highway pegs and letting the cool breeze wash your troubles away.

The word “trace” here is an archaic synonym for “trail”. It’s believed the original Natchez Trace was formed over tens of thousands of years by the regular migrations of large animals such as bison and giant sloths. Later, Native Americans – Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Natchez – populated the area. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, “Kaintuck” boatmen used the trail to return home to Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky after floating their cargo downriver to Natchez and New Orleans and selling their flatboats. Walking beat battling the upstream currents.

The Natchez Trace Parkway loosely follows the original footpath. Construction began in the late 1930s as a Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps project. The final segments were completed in 2005.

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OL' MAN RIVER Natchez is the Trace’s southern terminus. Our first night there begins with barbecue at The Pig Out Inn. We left New Orleans Harley-Davidson® late that afternoon, riding three hours to Natchez and arriving after dark. None of the other four riders had ever been to Mississippi, so I was named Road Captain.

After a night at the historic Eola Hotel, we took a morning tour of Natchez. Founded in 1716 and perched on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi, it was named for its original Native American inhabitants, but with a heritage that also includes French, British, and Spanish settlers, and enslaved African-Americans. Pre-Civil War Natchez had more millionaires per capita than anywhere else in the country – and the indentured servants to support them. With the largest collection of antebellum homes in the country, Natchez very much retains its “Old South” appearance.

Our first stop is Longwood, a 30,000 square foot “Oriental Villa” said to be the largest octagonal house in the country. Inside, only the ground floor was built out. The five upper stories remain a cavernous unfinished space, topped by a Byzantine onion dome.

Cotton baron Haller Nutt commissioned the home in 1859, just before the war. With its onset, the workmen – all Northerners – fled. Nutt died in 1864, after which his family couldn’t afford to finish construction. They lived out their lives in the opulent “basement” of what locals at the time called “Nutt’s Folly”. I prefer the Nutt House.

Surprisingly, Mississippi is known for its tamales. So for lunch we hit Fat Mama’s Tamales in Natchez, which sells them by the dozen or half-dozen. Let’s just say we didn’t leave hungry.

t r a c e s o f h i s t o r y Top: The Isle of Capri riverboat casino adds to Natchez’s antebellum air. Above: Longwood, a 30,000 square foot Southern mansion whose upper floors were never completed after the Civil War.

TWO-WHEELIN’ THE TRACE

“

i t 's b e l i e v e d

that the original Natchez Trace was formed over tens of thousands of years by the regular migrations of large animals such as bison and giant sloths.

After an obligatory photo op at Mile 0, we two-wheeled it onto the Trace. By Mile 3, I’d already spotted three deer. Wildlife is abundant throughout the Natchez Trace. When you ride it, stay on full alert, particularly around dawn and dusk.

At Mile 9, we stopped at the “Old Trace” marker, where a remnant of the original sunken wilderness trail veers off into the woods. A mile up the road we visited the Emerald Mound. At eight acres, it’s one of the largest mounds in North America, built by Native Americans around 1400 A.D. Late afternoon turned to early evening near Jackson. Wild turkeys ran for the trees at our approach. We overnighted in Jackson, then hit the road early. At Mile 103, we watched blacksmith Lyle Wynn hammer out a tool from red-hot metal at the Mississippi Craft Center.

Afterward we stopped for photos at the Ross Barnett Reservoir overlook, where the Trace runs along the water’s edge.

We got off the parkway near Mile Marker 114 and rode to Canton, the “Movie

“

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nashville Tennessee

t u p e lo

canton emerald mound

cypress swamp ross barnett rsvr jackson

Capital of Mississippi”. Fields of cotton, well-preserved older homes, and a picturesque courthouse square make it a popular movie setting. Among the films shot here: A Time to Kill; O Brother, Where Art Thou?; and My Dog Skip. “The first thing any producer or director will say is it’s like a back lot of Hollywood,” says Jana Padgett, manager of Canton’s welcome centre. “They don’t have to build it, they don’t have to re-create it. It’s here.” Across the street, we toured Canton’s movie museum, which features café and law office sets from A Time to Kill.

Next up along the Trace we stopped at the Cypress Swamp – Mile Marker 122 – one of my favourites. We strolled across the stagnant swamp on a wooden boardwalk, hazy light filtering through the branches of water tupelo and bald cypress trees jutting from the water. Birds chirped and insects buzzed in the still air. It felt like we were miles from civilization. Our group tread lightly, awed by the tranquil environment so close to the parkway.

Mississippi

n at c h e z

T U P E LO H O N E Y Tupelo, best known as the birthplace of Elvis Presley, marks the termination of our Trace travels. We dined at the Blue Canoe, enjoyed burgers, a generous draft beer selection, and a band from Birmingham called “Rollin’ in the Hay”. They belt out a rendition of “Folsom Prison Blues” that sounds like it’s from the Man in Black himself. In the morning, we visited Tupelo Hardware, where the young Elvis purchased his first guitar. It’s the real deal – a working, old-time hardware store with wood floors, tin ceilings, and wooden trays holding everything from cotter pins to pig rings.

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Long-time employee (and vice-president of the Tupelo Elvis Fan Club) Connie Tullos pointed out an “X” duct-taped to the wooden floor in front of the counter where Elvis and his mama stood back in 1945.

The story goes that Elvis wanted a hunting rifle for his birthday, but his mother didn’t approve. So Mr. Bobo, the store clerk, handed him a guitar instead. “Elvis stood there,” Connie says, “turned to his mother and said, ‘That’s all right, Mama, I’ll take the guitar.’

And the rest is history!”

Across the street, a bronze Elvis statue commemorates his 1956 Tupelo Homecoming concert. We posed for pictures by it.

We also visited the tiny two-room house where Elvis was born on January 8, 1935. It’s a far cry from Graceland. Afterward, we headed to the Tupelo Automobile Museum and ogled the collection, including a 1976 Lincoln Mark IV owned by the King himself.

For a fitting finale, we ate lunch at Johnnie’s Drive-

In, where the young Elvis dined on cheeseburgers and RC Cola. A couple from our group managed to snag the “Elvis booth”. “I’m feeling a magic moment right now – I’m all shook up!” said Diana Rowe. Her husband Flint Crawley added, “I think I’m better lookin’ for sitting here!”

Back at New Orleans Harley-Davidson®, our group of first-time Trace travellers reflected on the experience. “Mississippi’s Southern hospitality was really cool,” said Flint, rider of a Road Glide® Ultra model and a resident of Colorado. Diana, who rides a Softail® Deluxe model, agreed. “We really enjoyed the small towns along the way.” Evelyn Kanter hadn’t been on a bike for years. She rode along as a passenger. “I’m not too happy about helmet hair, but one thing I did learn is that you’re never too old to become a Harley [motorcycle] chick!”

Lesson learned: You come to Mississippi for a heaping helping of Southern hospitality and don’t worry about the helmet hair.

Where the legend was born: Elvis Presley’s birthplace in Tupelo, Mississippi.

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STAY WARMER.

RIDE LONGER.

NEW AND IMPROVED HARLEY-DAVIDSON®

HEATED RIDING GEAR.

ENGINEERED FOR MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY SO YOU CAN FOCUS ON THE ROAD, NOT THE WEATHER.

STOP IN TO TRY ON THE GEAR DESIGNED TO KEEP YOU RIDING

H-D.COM/MOTORCLOTHES

©2015 H-D OR ITS AFFILIATES. H-D, HARLEY, HARLEY-DAVIDSON, THE BAR & SHIELD LOGO AND THE MOTORCLOTHES LOGO ARE AMONG THE TRADEMARKS OF H-D U.S.A., LLC.

HD-P-0495_GM_Heated-Gear_Single_HOG_Mag_CA-en-fr.indd 1

09/02/2015 4:54:52 PM

and

the

the

GOOD BAD ARIZONA Story and photographs by Ed Sager

I gazed out at the August rain, dreading another soggy winter on Vancouver Island.

My wife and I had spent a year testing the waters, so to speak, of Canada’s westernmost province; B.C. isn’t called the “wet coast” for nothing. There were good parts: a mild climate and nearly year-round motorcycling.

We rode nearly every road on Vancouver Island. And there were bad parts: weeks

of rain, the restrictive and expensive ferry system, high taxes, and a slow pace of life.

Since the lease on our townhouse in Sidney, north of Victoria, was ending, my wife suggested putting everything in storage and taking off for five to six months, then reviewing our options in the spring.

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W

hen I mused that Arizona has some of the world’s best motorcycling roads, she asked how we’d get the Harley-Davidson® motorcycle to Arizona.

“Simple,” I said. “Ride it.”

We promptly rented a furnished house in Casa Grande, Arizona, and put our furniture in storage. My wife took our Chevy TrailBlazer, stuffed with our summer clothes and camping gear, and I loaded up the “Blue Cyclone,” my 2008 H-D® Electra Glide® Standard motorcycle.

We headed south on the ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles, Washington. Motorcycles are first off the ferry, so I stopped to wait for my wife. Our plan was to keep each other in sight, so I watched in disbelief as she went straight past me up U.S. Highway 101. I got to the next intersection as the light turned red, frantically waving as she disappeared down the highway. I was delayed nearly two hours by an accident. Somehow, my wife had passed the accident site only minutes before it happened. Fortunately, we had cell phones.

We finally met up at the Longview North/Mount St. Helens KOA Campground in southern Oregon that evening.

For four days, we camped and took in Mount St. Helens and Crater Lake, both spectacular national parks. Then we headed north on scenic 197 through splendid rolling ranch country, down a series of thrilling curves that cut through high bluffs along the Columbia River. We were gassing up in the City of The Dalles when a fellow rider announced that a massive storm was moving toward Oregon.

We headed for the coast, hoping to beat the rain. We threaded Portland’s maze of bridges and overpasses and exited west on U.S. Route 26. The rain was just beginning as we found a cozy motel, Webb’s Scenic Surf, overlooking the ocean at Cannon Beach. It even had a balcony to shelter the Harley® motorcycle. Two days later the weather cleared, and our granddaughter, son, and daughter-in-law joined us at a beach house in Manzanita on the Oregon coast for a long weekend.

When we resumed our trek, the lush coastal scenery quickly disappeared as we followed U.S. Route 395 across eastern Oregon’s high desert to Idaho. We dropped south along Interstate 84 (I-84) toward Ogden, Utah, merging onto I-15 at Tremonton. The massive 200-year storm that was deluging Colorado caught up with us on I-15, with torrents of rain and lightning. All along the highway, motorcyclists were pulling off and digging in their saddlebags for rain gear. The Harley® motorcycle handled well in the rain, but often it was just about impossible to see. By the time we reached the KOA Campground at Bryce Canyon, Utah, I was soaked.

We explored Bryce Canyon’s magnificent vistas and trails for four days while Colorado dried out. Some canyons, roads, and homes were scoured down to bedrock. When we figured it was safe on the canyon roads, we proceeded north on I-89 and then east on I-70. We met my sister-in-law at Grand Forks, North Dakota, and turned east to U.S. Highway 65, climbing steeply past lakes and campgrounds into the mountains of Grand Mesa National Forest. There was new snow among the trees at 3,000 metres, and it was a relief to drop down to U.S. Highway 92, east of Delta, Colorado. We went north on Highway 133, along curving roads and past old mining towns up to

Paonia, thinking we would tent there, but the campground turned out to be a muddy disappointment. We headed on over spectacular passes and down to the quaint former mining town of Redstone, where the picturesque Redstone Inn was the perfect place for a good rest after a long ride.

The next morning, we rode to Carbondale, Illinois, where the home-brewed salsa at the Village Smithy restaurant was so good I took a jar with us. We followed U.S. Route 82 along the aptly named Roaring Fork River and onto I-70. Riding from Glenwood Springs to Denver was like riding through a Rocky Mountain postcard: crystal clear air, mountains on all sides – pure Harley® country. I-70 winds down from the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel into Denver

via spectacular steep curves and multiple tunnels, an absolutely thrilling descent. It was reassuring to know my big Brembo brakes were available at a moment’s squeeze. In Denver, I turned in at Avalanche Harley-Davidson® for a 40,000 km service on the bike and new tires. We explored some of the Rocky Mountain hiking trails above Denver while the bike was serviced over the next few days.

We followed I-25 south from Denver to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the next day headed west on I-40 to Holbrook. We turned south and followed Highway 377, then Highway 260 through pine forests along the Mogollon Rim, a 2,500-metre plateau dividing northern Arizona from the Sonora Desert. We paused at Payson, Arizona,

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to refuel and rehydrate, as the temperature was climbing as we descended. The next stretch, down Highway 87 into Phoenix, was breathtaking. It drops down from evergreen forests through forests of Saguaro Cactus. It’s a good thing we had directions from the Harley® Road Planner for the maze of circle roads down to I-10, or we might have ended up in L.A. Casa Grande is roughly 35 minutes south of Phoenix and an hour north of Tucson, with convenient access to a wide range of rides.

We explored just about every road for 500 kilometres – west on U.S. Route 60 out to Lake Roosevelt, north on Arizona State Route 188 through Tonto National Forest past cliff dwellings, and back along Route 87 with magnificent winding curves to Phoenix. One

other favourite was up U.S. Route 60 west to Wickenburg, then State Route 89 over to Prescott, along switchbacks and tight curves through gorgeous ranch country; another was State Route 79 south of Florence to Saddlebrooke, then north on State Route 77 through awesome canyons over to Globe. That goes over El Capitan Pass, where Kit Carson guided Kearny’s Army of the West on its march to California in 1846. We rode down to Tucson and along State Route 82 through rolling high country over to Tombstone. Las Vegas is a day away across the desert, and when weather permits, the north rim of the Grand Canyon is fabulous, particularly State Route 89A past Vermilion Cliffs.

By late February, it was time to head home – and we decided that would be Calgary rather than B.C. We trailered the Harley® motorcycle, as my idea of fun does not include riding at -30 degrees. We arrived in a blizzard and dropped the Blue Cyclone off at Kane's Harley-Davidson® Calgary for storage until spring. Calgary may have a shorter riding season than Arizona, but some of the best rides in North America are right at our doorstep. And next winter, we can always head south again.

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DON’T WAIT FOR THE STORM TO PASS

HARLEY-DAVIDSON® RAIN GEAR

New and improved. Tested and proven by riders, for riders.

Now with a one-year warranty.

STOP IN TO TRY ON THE GEAR DESIGNED TO KEEP YOU RIDING

H-D.COM/MOTORCLOTHES

©2015 H-D OR ITS AFFILIATES. H-D, HARLEY, HARLEY-DAVIDSON, THE BAR & SHIELD LOGO AND THE MOTORCLOTHES LOGO ARE AMONG THE TRADEMARKS OF H-D U.S.A., LLC.

HD-P-0495_GM_Rain-Gear_Single_HOG_Mag_CA-en-fr.indd 1

09/02/2015 4:55:53 PM

BACKSHOP

SPRING 2015 PITSTOP Give the Cold the Cold Shoulder

RALLY RIDES 33 Tips, Truths & To-Dos – 2015 H.O.G.® Events

RIDING STORIES California Bound: Alberta rider hits the road to escape the bone-chilling cold School’s Out Forever: Recently retired Manitoban rides into her next chapter The 30-Day Dream: Quebec rider explores the great American parks in a month-long ride

ARCHIVES

Not All Bad: From 1969 to June 1981, AMF owned the Harley-Davidson® Brand.

Nothing good came of that time. Right?

Photographs courtesy of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company Archives. Copyright H-D. 45

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PIT STOP Your Body

GIVE THE COLD THE

COLD SHOULDER There’s more than one way to stay warm this season.

W

hen it comes to riding comfortably in cold weather, our snowmobilers have the art perfected. These outdoor riding enthusiasts have figured out how to ride in subfreezing temperatures for hours and hours – and some even claim to enjoy it. The methods that snowmobilers use to stay warm are useful to motorcyclists who want to keep riding after autumn makes its final stand.

By John Sandberg

It’s no secret that staying warm is the key to cold-weather riding. Your main goal is to insulate your extremities and core, as the former strongly affects your decisionmaking and motor skills, while the latter acts as the furnace for your entire body.

LAYER UP – Maintaining a warm core begins with layering, a system of dressing with specific layers of clothing that retain warmth while wicking moisture away from the body. It starts with a base layer made from performance thermal fabric or wool, followed by a fleece mid-layer and a windproof, waterproof, and breathable outer jacket.

WINTER JACKET – Many experienced cold-weather riders have a dedicated jacket that’s insulated, fitted with zippered vents, and sized to comfortably fit with base and mid-layers. Whether or not you need such a jacket depends on the conditions you ride in, as well as your budget. Whatever your choice in jackets, layering maximizes your ability to keep your core warm and dry.

HEAD START – Keeping your head warm starts with a full-face helmet that prevents the wind from hitting your face.

A windproof, fleece neck gaiter eliminates the bite of the air slamming into your face while preserving the warmth generated between your head and torso. A thin balaclava or facemask helps even more by acting like a base layer for your head.

To prevent fogging, take care to stay cool enough that your head doesn’t sweat and maintain enough ventilation to move your breath out and away from your helmet.

HAND AID – Cold hands aren’t just miserable, they’re dangerous. Insulated and waterproof gauntlet gloves are beyond valuable, and ones with a breathable membrane are even better.

DITCH DENIM – Jeans might be part of your summer uniform, but they’re best left at home when riding in the cold. Instead, opt for a base layer similar to what’s on your torso, followed by thermal fleece pants, and covered by windproof and waterproof textile or leather pants. This three-layer system keeps you warm, dry, and comfortable. You’ll forget your jeans ever existed.

HAPPY FEET – Like gloves, footwear makes a huge impact on your comfort and

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SPRING 2015 the control of your motorcycle. An insulated, waterproof, and breathable boot worn with a wool or performance fabric sock can be the difference between a wonderful, pleasurable day of riding, and an hour in a freezing Hell.

If you’re buying boots for the occasion, go a full size larger than normal to accommodate thicker socks and allow space for your toes to move.

HEATED GEAR – Many experienced riders didn’t begin their foray into cold weather riding with heated gear, but most eventually get there. Heated gloves, vests, and liners are powered by rechargeable and long-lasting batteries, or by plugging into a motorcycle’s electrical system. For many, the warmth, reliability, and ease of use quickly take a cold ride from tolerable to great.

BONUS TIP – Those air-activated, chemical heat packs that you see at sporting goods stores are a favourite of outdoorsmen, snowmobilers, and motorcyclists. Lasting a few hours, they bring near-instant heat to your hands and feet. Handy in a pinch!

Your Bike A few important equipment changes to your motorcycle will extend the temperature range in which you can comfortably ride. Again, taking a few cues from snowmobilers who learned long ago, the best way to beat Old Man Winter is to deflect him away from you.

BLAST OFF – A decent sized windshield is probably the single most important addition that can improve your cold weather riding comfort. No matter what Harley-Davidson® motorcycle you ride, there are many windshield options (including detachable ones). Likewise, there are several wind deflector options for lowers, fairings, and forks that help punch an even bigger hole in Old Man Winter’s frigid mug.

ELECTRIC BLISS – While a windshield is one of the most effective accessories in cold weather, heated grips are undoubtedly the most pleasing. The flow of adjustable heat into your hands is an absolute gamechanger for enjoying cold-weather riding.

Available in a wealth of styles and simple to install, heated grips are a no-brainer for anyone who rides in sub 15-degree temperatures. After all, nothing beats toasty mitts.

Your Safety While staying warm is the primary goal in cold-weather riding, general safety is critical. Heeding a few choice nuggets of wisdom can help keep you safe and out of harm’s way.

TIRE CHECK – Maintaining proper tire condition and pressure are crucial no matter what, but they are especially important in cold weather. Tire pressure drops more quickly in cold temperatures, which means it’s paramount to check your tires prior to every ride. Likewise, cold tires can deaden a rider’s “feel” of the road, as well as provide reduced grip, so adjust your speed and braking distances accordingly.

RIDING STRATEGY – Frigid weather brings a myriad of associated dangers to any motorcyclist. The obvious dangers are ice and snow, but other risks, perhaps less obvious, arrive when the mercury drops: wet leaves, sand on the road, increased deer activity, and potholes. The previous issue of HOG® Magazine Canada (Winter 2015) discussed strategies and techniques for some of these hazards and other bumps in the road. Remember to slow down and avoid braking in corners.

KNOW WHEN – It’s one thing to push on when it’s summertime, the destination still a few hours away and you’re battling the heat. But it’s completely different when it’s cold outside and your hands are starting to become numb. The deleterious effects of the cold on mental and motor skills aren’t to be taken lightly. Take a break when you begin losing dexterity and feeling in your hands and feet. And, yes, unfortunately, that means you might arrive late to your destination. It’s better than the alternative though.

NO SNOW – There’s a tendency for people to exalt motorcyclists who ride through the snow as if it’s a feat of bravery, or that doing so reflects a higher level of passion for the sport. But when there’s ice and snow on the ground, staying off your bike is the best bet.

If you must ride, we hear snowmobiles work pretty well.

A resident of Minnesota, where it’s winter six months of the year, HOG® Magazine contributor John Sandberg divides his riding time between motorcycles and snowmobiles.

I’m cold.

I’m tired.

Now what?

Staying warm is easy when you have the right gear. But what about when you screw up and get caught in the cold without it – and you’re 100 kilometres from home? That’s when it’s time to get creative.

The following low-brow tips will NOT earn you any style points, but they can help cut the chill when you need it most: 1. Create your own wind-stopping insulation by wrapping your chest, belly, arms, and legs with newspaper worn under your jacket and pants. Yes, it feels awkward, but it works wonders. I proved it once on a cold ride home from Sturgis.

2. You know those cheesy sweatshirts for sale at truck stops, the ones with wolves howling at the moon? That’s a Siberian husky fur coat that will keep hypothermia at bay and is worth whatever the price you pay for it.

3. While you’ve stopped to get that sweet sweatshirt, drink a cup or two of hot liquid. Then do the same at the next gas station. And the next. Breaking the ride into shorter segments, each punctuated by a cup of coffee/hot chocolate, is a prescription for warm-heartedness (and frequent bathroom stops).

4. As long as you’re touring pit stop restrooms, give your hands a few minutes of hot water. If the restroom has heated hand dryers, use one to heat up your gloves (and boots, if needed).

5. Eliminating little irritants – like having the wind blast up your pant legs – can help a lot. Use whatever you can find to choke the pant bottoms. Rubber bands and duct tape are two I have used effectively.

6. Finally, never underestimate the body heat that you can generate during a wellpaced jog (yes, on your feet), whether it’s in place or up a hill. Likewise, making the windmill motion with your arms or doing jumping jacks will increase circulation and create some body heat.

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THE H.O. HOTWIR HAS ARR BACKSHOP

VISIT WWW.HOGMAGAZINECANADA.CA 48 hog® magazine canada » spring 2015

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O.G. NEW LOOK, RE NEW NAME RRIVED! ®

SPRING 2015

The H.O.G.® eNewsletter has evolved ... come and check it out.

Exclusive content and access for Canadian H.O.G.® members!

» Canadian Harley-Davidson news » Exclusive features » Rally rides and motorcycle event information » GPS mapped out riding stories! ®

The Harley-Davidson Owners Group® of Canada Ltd., and HOG® Magazine Canada have taken the next step in the digital evolution.

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H.O.G.® yearly packages are sent upon renewal. If you have a July 2015 expiry date for instance, you can renew in March 2015 to receive your package at the beginning of the season. Your membership will still expire in July 20XX (depending on your renewal term), but you will receive your materials sooner — so you don’t lose any months of membership by renewing early!

H.O.G.® and H.O.G.® Roadside Assistance are two separate companies, working closely together but with separate enrolment / renewal systems. To upgrade your package, please call Customer Service at toll-free 1-866-209-8270. To call for service, please dial 1-888-443-5896.You must call this number to receive the necessary assistance as per your H.O.G.® membership benefits. Calling another towing service and submitting receipts after the fact is not the proper procedure and will not be reimbursed.

Motorcycles must be enrolled in the H.O.G.® Mileage Program first before kilometres can be claimed; this applies to all bikes that you

want to claim mileage (including rental bikes). Please enrol at your local Retailer, as they are required to sign the form to validate the number of kilometres.

Members receive the year-specific H.O.G.® pins and patches when renewing. In the first year of H.O.G.® Membership, the H.O.G.® (eagle) pin and patch are sent out, not the year specific ones. These are received for the first time on your first year of membership renewal.

Free H.O.G.® Membership from a new bike purchase is transferable to an existing full member or associate member.

Renewal updates online will be visible within the members only area approximately 10 days after their completion. Online profiles for access to hog.com can be created for new memberships within 10 days of your enrollment being processed.

For delivery of H.O.G.® materials, please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery as this can vary depending on the local postal service in different areas.

H.O.G. ® Canada Team

Gina McNeil Manager, Enthusiast Services

Duarte Pita Communications & Events Coordinator

Jaden Rioux Membership Services Coordinator

Len Bowman Regional Director Western

Brad Carvery Regional Director Prairies

Vern Wilson Regional Director Ontario

Michel-André Roy Regional Director Quebec

Dale Williams Regional Director Atlantic

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BACKSHOP

RALLY RIDES

TIPS, TRUTHS & TO-DOs In 2015, H.O.G.® celebrates its 32nd anniversary – which means we’re entering our 33rd year of running strong together. In honor of this numerical milestone, here are 33 thoughts to get your wheels turning for the 2015 rally season. Stay up to date at hog.com/events.

FIRST-CLASS TRAVEL

LIGHT THE FUSE

Check out the Best Western Ride Rewards® program for great deals and free upgrades on the road.

See Page 46

TAKE A COLDWEATHER RIDE.

Known as the “Garden City” and located on the TOP rated island in the Continental U.S. and Canada, Victoria, B.C., will host the 15th Western Regional H.O.G.® Rally with a unique blend of Old World charm and New World experiences.

BEAT THE RUSH

GET COLDWEATHER RIDING TIPS.

DO IT THE ISLAND WAY

The always-wild Daytona Bike Week, March 6-15, launches rally season into orbit – every freakin’ year for 74 years.

The Long Way Home

SIGN UP FOR A RALLY IN A FARAWAY STATE. PLAN TO VISIT ALL 58 U.S. NATIONAL PARKS ON THE RIDE BACK.

SEIZE THE DAYS Make vacation plans early – before your co-workers grab all the rally dates.

Ride from Sioux Falls to Rapid City, South Dakota, June 11-13 – and see what the Badlands and Black Hills are like before the Sturgis crowd arrives.

SPEND SOME QUALITY TIME TALKING TO AN OLDER, EXPERIENCED RIDER. MARVEL AT HOW MUCH YOU STILL HAVE TO LEARN. Learn from Experience

SPLISH SPLASH

Pack your swimsuit and flip flops.

At least ten 2015 H.O.G.® rallies take place on a beach, riverbank, or shoreline.

ADD A PASSENGER PILLION. GET A GIRLFRIEND. NOT NECESSARILY IN THAT ORDER. GUARANTEED FRESH Clean out saddlebags for 2015.

Apply “five-week rule” to any leftover food you find.

SUCK IT UP

Stuff newspapers into boots overnight to suck away the wet of a rainy day’s ride.

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BACKSHOP

RALLY RIDES

PRAIRIE REGIONAL H.O.G.® RALLY

CALGARY, ALBERTA

WESTERN REGIONAL H.O.G.® RALLY

JULY 16-18

VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA JULY 2-4

MISSOULA, MT JULY 23-25

PACIFIC NORTHWEST H.O.G.® RALLY (WA/ID/OR)

ALEXANDRIA, MN

PORTLAND, OR

STURGIS MOTORCYCLE H.O.G.® RALLY

AUG 27-29

TOMAHAWK OPEN HOUSE

TOMAHAWK, WI

JUNE 25-27

SEPT 18-19

STURGIS, SD AUG 1-8

SHERIDAN, WY

JANESVILLE, WI

JULY 9-11

JULY 9-11

SIOUX FALLS – RAPID CITY, SD

DES MOINES, IA

JUNE 11-13

JULY 23-25

KANSAS CITY OPEN HOUSE

TOPEKA, KS

KANSAS CITY, MO

MAY 28-30

SEPT 4-5

GUNNISON, CO JUNE 18-20

SPRINGFIELD, MO JUNE 18-20

LAS CRUCES – ALBUQUERQUE, NM SEPT 9-12

LAUGHLIN RIVER RUN

BIKES, BLUES & BBQ

POTEAU, OK

SEPT 10-12

FAYETTEVILLE, AR SEPT 23-26

LAUGHLIN, NV

APRIL 23-25

HOT SPRINGS, AR JUNE 18-20

YUMA, AZ

OCT 22-24

TYLER, TX

MAY 14-16

WEST MONROE, LA APRIL 9-11

FAIRBANKS, AK JUNE 11-13

HONOLULU, HI OCT 9-11

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OPEN HOUSE

Y, MO

BLUES & BBQ

SPRING 2015

QUÉBEC REGIONAL H.O.G.® RALLY

RIMOUSKI, QUÉBEC JULY 9-11

ATLANTIC REGIONAL H.O.G.® RALLY

HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA

JULY 9-11 WHARF RAT RALLY

BIKER’S REUNION

NEW LISKEARD, ONTARIO JUNE 26-28

SKOWHEGAN, ME JULY 23-25

AMERICADE

MARQUETTE, MI

LAKE GEORGE, NY

AUG 13-15

JUNE 2-6

LOUDON, NH

JUNE 13-20

IRON ADVENTURE RUN (NH/VT, MA/RI, CT)

STURBRIDGE, MA

OWEN SOUND, ONTARIO

AUG 27-30

JULY 23-25

CORNING, NY

JULY 30-AUG 1

MILWAUKEE, WI

SEPT 2-6

LACONIA MOTORCYCLE WEEK

ONTARIO REGIONAL H.O.G.® RALLY MILWAUKEE RALLY

DIGBY, NOVA SCOTIA

JULY 16-18

ERIE, PA

LAKES-N-LOBSTERS H.O.G.® TOUR

AUG 27-29

DEARBORN, MI BAR HARBOR, ME

SEASIDE HEIGHTS, NJ SEPT 17-19

DEEP CREEK LAKE, MD

JUNE 20-26

JUNE 18-21

ROLLING THUNDER® XXVIII

WASHINGTON, D.C.

KOKOMO, IN

MAY 24

JULY 23-25

HUNTINGTON, WV JULY 8-12

ALTON, IL

WILLIAMSBURG, VA JUNE 24-27

AUG 12-15

2015 H.O.G.

®

LONDON, KY JUNE 4-6

WILMINGTON, NC SEPT 10-12

COOKEVILLE, TN MAY 26-30

EVILLE, AR

ANDERSON, SC APRIL 23-25

23-26

MYRTLE BEACH BIKE WEEK

MYRTLE BEACH, SC MAY 9-16

MONTGOMERY, AL APRIL 16-18

JEKYLL ISLAND, GA NOV 5-7

HOG.COM/EVENTS

DAYTONA BEACH, FL DAYTONA BIKE WEEK MARCH 7-14

BIKETOBERFEST® OCT 15-17

KEY FORT MYERS, FL OCT 7-10

H.O.G.® RALLIES

For specific U.S. rally details, visit www.XXstatehogrally.com with “XX” as the two-letter state abbreviation.

Whether you’ve got a weekend to spend in a city nearby or are looking for a cross-country adventure, H.O.G.® rallies offer something for everyone.

PIN STOPS

Plan now to catch up with H.O.G.® at one of this year’s Pin Stops and collect a commemorative pin.

Meet H.O.G.® staff and get the VIP treatment just for stopping by.

Event details subject to change.

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BACKSHOP MENTAL HEALTH ADVISORY

RALLY RIDES

DON’T GET SICK. USE 2015 SICK DAYS AS “RIDING DAYS” INSTEAD.

FRENCH HOSPITALITY

MEMBERSHIP DRIVE Sign up spouse, significant other, family member, or friend as Associate Member.

SHINE ‘EM UP

Enjoy the rich history of this French Canadian city at the mouth of the Rimouski River at the 19th Quebec Regional H.O.G.® Rally in Rimouski, Que.

Enjoy whale watching and other activities off the coast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, home of the 23rd Atlantic Regional H.O.G.® Rally.

CREATE IMAGINARY MOTORCYCLE CLUB. DESIGN CUSTOM M/C LOGO. ELECT YOURSELF PRESIDENT.

COME FOR THE STAMPEDE, STAY FOR THE RALLY

Put a fresh coat of leather care on your favorite old riding boots. Admire yourself in the reflection.

Take in the world-famous Calgary Exhibition & Stampede prior to experiencing the local attractions and the Canadian Rockies at the 10th Prairie Regional H.O.G.® Rally in Calgary, Alberta.

ROCK THE BAY JOIN US AT THE 26TH ONTARIO REGIONAL H.O.G.® RALLY IN OWEN SOUND, ONTARIO, AND FIND OUT WHY THIS LITTLE GEM OF A LOCATION IS NICKNAMED “THE SCENIC CITY”.

THE PIPES ARE CALLING

GLACIER RUN

Head to the Montana Rally, July 23-25 – and plan a side trip to Glacier National Park and the incredible “Going to the Sun Road.”

PLOT YOUR COURSE

BUY NEW GPS FOR BIKE. LOAD WITH AWESOME RIDES FROM H-D® RIDE PLANNER.

01

HOARDERS ANONYMOUS

Put on rain gear.

02

Make “giveaway pile” of old H-D® Retailer T-shirts. Change your mind and keep them all.

Walk to store in downpour.

GET A NEW TATTOO. RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO MAKE IT YOUR NEW IMAGINARY M/C LOGO.

CAN’T WAIT? Fly someplace warm.

Rent a Harley® bike.

Take winter vacation of a lifetime.

HIBERNATION STATION

THE 2015 H.O.G.® RALLY SEASON OFFICIALLY BEGINS APRIL 9-11 IN WEST MONROE, LOUISIANA, HOME OF AMERICA’S FAVORITE REDNECK DYNASTY.

GLOVE LOVE

Build an H-D® themed “man cave” in your basement. Stay there until snow melts.

Make sure you have a nice assortment of lightweight, cold weather, waterproof, etc. riding gloves. Buy an extra pair anyway.

BUY A NEW BIKE – OR ANOTHER BIKE. TURN IT INTO YOUR DREAM RIDE AT H-D.COM/BIKEBUILDER.

03

Check for leaks.

CHECK OUT A LOCAL H.O.G.® CHAPTER TO EXPLORE NEW RIDING OPPORTUNITIES AND MEET FELLOW RIDERS.

BIG BANGS

The first official H.O.G.® rallies rocked Reno and Nashville in 1984. They’re still not sure what hit them.

#HOGRALLY SHARE YOUR RALLY EXPERIENCE ON SOCIAL MEDIA. GET “LIKED” BY FRIENDS YOU’VE NEVER MET.

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SPRING 2015 SOMETIMES YOU NEED A REALLY CROOKED ROAD TO GET YOUR HEAD STRAIGHT.

AUGUST STURGIS MOTORCYCLE RALLY

STURGIS, SD AUG 1-8

ALTON, IL

AUG 12-15

MARQUETTE, MI AUG 13-15

PACIFIC NORTHWEST H.O.G. RALLY (WA/ID/OR)

PORTLAND, OR

J U LY

AUG 27-29

WESTERN REGIONAL H.O.G. RALLY ®

VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA JULY 2-4

KEY

H.O.G.® RALLIES PIN STOPS

For specific U.S. rally details, visit www.XXstatehogrally.com – with “XX” as the two-letter state abbreviation.

HUNTINGTON, WV JULY 8-12

ERIE, PA

AUG 27-29

MILWAUKEE RALLY

MILWAUKEE, WI AUG 27-30

SHERIDAN, WY JULY 9-11

JANESVILLE, WI JULY 9-11

MARCH DAYTONA BIKE WEEK

DAYTONA BEACH, FL MARCH 7-14

APRIL WEST MONROE, LA APRIL 9-11

MONTGOMERY, AL APRIL 16-18

ATLANTIC REGIONAL H.O.G.® RALLY

NOT ALL THOSE WHO WANDER ARE LOST. J.R.R. Tolkien

JUNE AMERICADE

MAY 26-30

TOPEKA, KS MAY 28-30

SEPT 4-5

JULY 23-25

SEPT 10-12

SEASIDE HEIGHTS, NJ

LACONIA MOTORCYCLE WEEK

JULY 23-25

SEPT 17-19

ONTARIO REGIONAL H.O.G.® RALLY

TOMAHAWK OPEN HOUSE

JUNE 13-20

JULY 30-AUG 1

LOUDON, NH

OWEN SOUND, ONTARIO

JUNE 18-20

HOT SPRINGS, AR JUNE 18-20 JUNE 18-20 JUNE 18-21

DEARBORN, MI BAR HARBOR, ME JUNE 20-26

WILLIAMSBURG, VA

TOMAHAWK, WI SEPT 18-19

BIKES, BLUES & BBQ

GUNNISON, CO

LAKES-N-LOBSTERS H.O.G. TOUR

COOKEVILLE, TN

JULY 23-25

KANSAS CITY, MO

SKOWHEGAN, ME

MYRTLE BEACH BIKE WEEK

MAY 24

STURBRIDGE, MA

SEPT 10-12

DEEP CREEK LAKE, MD

WASHINGTON, D.C.

IRON ADVENTURE RUN (NH/VT, MA/RI, CT)

SEPT 2-6

KANSAS CITY OPEN HOUSE

WILMINGTON, NC

MAY

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WHARF RAT RALLY

DIGBY, NOVA SCOTIA

JULY 23-25

SPRINGFIELD, MO

TYLER, TX

CALGARY, ALBERTA

MISSOULA, MT

JUNE 11-13

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PRAIRIE REGIONAL H.O.G.® RALLY

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JUNE 4-6

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MYRTLE BEACH, SC

JULY 9-11

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OWNING A MOTORCYCLE IS NOT A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH. IT’S MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN THAT.

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LAUGHLIN RIVER RUN APRIL 23-25

QUÉBEC REGIONAL H.O.G.® RALLY

Four wheels move the body. Two wheels move the soul.

DES MOINES, IA

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ANDERSON, SC APRIL 23-25

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LOVE IS THE FEELING YOU GET WHEN YOU LIKE SOMETHING AS MUCH AS YOUR MOTORCYCLE.

JUNE 24-27

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JEKYLL ISLAND, GA NOV 5-7

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Offer valid on purchases made between March 30 and May 31, 2015 *Mail-In Rebate paid in the form of a Harley-Davidson速 Gift Card. Get a $50 rebate on a qualifying purchase when the purchase is made at a participating authorized Harley-Davidson速 Retailer. Gift Cards will not have cash access and can be used at any participating authorized Canadian Harley-Davidson速 Retailer. Additional terms and conditions apply.

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BACKSHOP

RIDING STORIES

CALIFORNIA BOUND

Alberta rider hits the road to escape the bone-chilling cold.

Story and photos by Jonah Elias Kondro

L

iving in Alberta means enduring a seemingly endless winter. When I managed to get a month off to escape the bone-chilling cold, I decided to truck my bike south to Las Vegas, and from there explore Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, and California.

My flat-black 2012 Harley-Davidson® Seventy-Two™ motorcycle (nicknamed The Black Boar) wasn’t well equipped for longdistance travel, so I fabricated a rebar sissy bar that could hold a single tent and made a small rack off the left rear fender to hold a five-litre fuel can. With my sleeping bag tucked between

the headlight and the fender, the bare clothing essentials and some tools, I was ready to roll.

I left home in the snow, trucking through it for two days through Montana, Idaho, and Utah.

When I finally made it out of the mountains and into the Nevada desert, I checked into the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and contacted Las Vegas Harley-Davidson®. The boys there helped me unload my bike, and I booked a service appointment with them for the tail end of my trip.

I got to know the Vegas strip and surrounding area on the bike over three days. I spent my final night in Vegas with a few Alberta friends, and then I was off to explore the hot, wild, and beautiful landscape of Death Valley National Park. During a stop to purchase a day pass from a roadside dispenser, I noticed a potential catastrophe with my bike. With my mechanical background, I was able to fix the issue, but it was a reminder to be diligent in inspecting my ride. After a stop at Beatty Junction, California, my first day on the bike was over, and rest was calling in Lone Pine.

This one-horse California town attracts Hollywood films with its unique rock and mountain formations. I had a drink in the Double L bar, where Kurt, the white-moustached barkeep, has served the cast and crew of Iron Man and Django Unchained and had many conversations with Quentin Tarantino.

The following morning, I headed north along the edge of the Sierra National Forest. Just off U.S. Route 395, I rode the short June Lake Loop, where it was warm and gorgeous. The snow was still piled up along the road, and the ice was just starting to break up on the small lakes. I wanted to ride to Yosemite National Park, but the snow was still bad at higher altitudes, and my desired road was still closed for the season, so I headed back into Nevada on Route 395.

The next morning, I rode around the circumference of Lake Tahoe. Some turns I took fast and low, scraping the foot pegs on the pavement. It was one of the most beautiful rides I have ever done. There was still snow on the hillsides, and at one point I slowed down to look over at the base of a ski hill just across a parking lot. People were walking through the snow with their skis and snowboards and there I was, riding my Harley® motorcycle while they got on the chairlift.

The morning I left for San Francisco, the weather was extra cool with overcast skies. Once I descended out of the Sierras on U.S. Route 50 towards Sacramento, the temperatures finally increased

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SPRING 2015

and it was an easy day’s ride.

My first couple of days in the Bay Area, I used public transportation and absorbed San Francisco from the sidewalks. But I ensured that I spent a couple of afternoons on the bike, riding up and down the 45-degree roadways of San Fran, getting lost and finding a beach to gaze out upon the Pacific Ocean. After four days, it was time to move along. I briefly backtracked north, then west over the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, and then rode U.S. Route 101 south over the Golden Gate Bridge back through San Francisco, hitting the San Francisco trifecta of bridges before finding myself on the Pacific Coast Highway.

Santa Cruz was my next stop. Not much was happening along its boardwalks – the locals said it was the calm before the spring break storm.

The next night, I stopped in San Simeon, where I watched the sunset from the beach,

*

letting my mind wander. In the morning, I toured Hearst Castle. It was probably weird for the others on the walking tour, watching a man in hardcore motorcycle gear taking pictures of the impressive

stonework and paintings.

In Pismo Beach, I found my motel less than decent, so I shelled out some extra cash for a decent hotel overlooking the ocean in Santa Barbara – an unexpected delight. I enjoyed

the beauty of the city’s unique buildings, and zigzagging across State Street on The Black Boar.

I spent the evening in a cigar lounge, listening to old boys talk oil and politics.

Next, I hit Los Angeles. L.A. was good to see, but with my trip entering its final week, I rode east after four nights.

I decided it would be only proper to ride a stretch of Route 66.

My adrenaline was pumping as I blazed along the historic route in “ride-hard” mode. I took U.S. Route 163 down into Laughlin, Nevada, where I spent two nights recovering from sun and windburn from riding through the desert.

Back in Vegas, I checked back into the Hard Rock and dropped my bike off at Las Vegas HarleyDavidson® for its post-trip service. My second day there I met up with a buddy and we tore up the strip together. He rode shotgun in my truck all the way back to Canada.

I decided it would be only proper to ride a stretch of Route 66. My adrenaline was pumping as I blazed along the historic route in “ride-hard” mode.

There was a certain degree of loneliness during some stretches of my trip, not to mention a whole month’s worth of interesting and bizarre social interactions with strangers. Travelling north with the bike in the back of the truck, I shared the stories with my old friend, and we started making plans for a future motorcycle road trip together.

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RIDING STORIES

SCHOOL’S OUT FOREVER

Recently retired Manitoban rides into her next chapter.

A

s the end of my 27-year career in education approached, the students told me I was too young to retire. I replied that I was older than they thought (I just acted like an overgrown kid) and was ready to golf and ride my Harley-Davidson® motorcycle.

In fact, on the very first day of my retirement, I began a threeweek bike vacation with my husband, Ian. We headed south from Thompson, MB, riding past South Dakota’s Black Hills and on through Wyoming toward the Colorado Mountains. Within one or two turns of heading west at Estes Park, I took a curve too fast and in too high a gear, ending up in the wrong lane. Fortunately, I didn't panic, and with some acceleration and counter steering, brought my 2012 H-D® Switchback™ motorcycle back into my own lane just before a car came around the curve. I feel like I had some help in this from a higher power, who always seems to be riding with me, but nonetheless, this “flatlander” took more care riding the twists and hairpin turns in the days to come.

In Rocky Mountain National Park, we rode Trail Ridge Road – one of the highest paved roads in America at 12,183 feet above sea level – where the views above the tree line were awesome. The ski resorts of Avon and Vail, CO, were how I envisioned Switzerland, with quaint ski chalets perched on

Story and photos by Elaine Thompson

the mountainsides surrounded by ski runs.

Heading west towards southern Utah and Arches National Park on Interstate 70W, we faced a new challenge: we couldn’t find gas. If there was a warning sign, we missed it, but exit after exit said “NO SERVICES”. After riding with a prayer on my lips for about 40 kilometres, I literally burst out laughing as we pulled off the Interstate and up to the pumps in Thompson Spring, UT. Once again, I felt the good Lord watching out for me. Refuelled,

we backtracked to Arches National Park and enjoyed a leisurely but extremely hot ride through the exquisite red rock country.

Continuing west to Interstate 15, we rode through some of the most dramatic countryside I have ever seen. Some of the constantly changing landscape reminded me of southern Alberta, but Utah is definitely the most beautiful state I have ever ridden through.

Riding south to Las Vegas, we bucked a hot south wind.

There is no way to describe

riding in the 40° desert, but it was probably the worst riding day I have experienced – the wind and the heat really got to me. Arriving in Vegas, we met bumper-to-bumper traffic, but we did get to ride the main strip. Thankfully, our GPS led us straight to the Flamingo, where, after a few more challenges, we met up with friends from England. We spent three very enjoyable days reconnecting and visiting some of the sights before beginning our slow journey north.

Leaving Las Vegas, we skirted

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SPRING 2015

Area 51 – and since my initials are E.T., we had to stop for a photo op. We had planned to ride across Death Valley, but with the experience of riding in the extreme heat fresh in our minds, we decided that would have to wait. We rode instead to Lake Tahoe, where we rented a car to drive to Virginia City so we could focus on the scenery instead of the winding roads. I was impressed by Lake Tahoe’s size, ever-changing colours of green, and clarity. Of course, the mountains surrounding the lake were also beautiful, and the trip to Virginia City took us back in time to the Wild West. Bonanza was filmed in this area, and I half-expected to see Pa Cartwright come out of a saloon, saddle up, and ride away!

From Lake Tahoe, we rode out of the mountains toward northern California and Redwood Forest National Park, where riding through the Chandelier Tree in Leggett, CA, and having my picture taken beside one of the giant redwoods brought back memories of a family trip through Sequoia National Park when I was 17. It felt like we were riding through an enchanted forest as the sunlight filtered through the canopy of tree branches overhead.

As we rode the Avenue of the Giants, we were really riding part of the famous Pacific Coast Highway 101. Continuing up

*

It felt like we were riding through an enchanted forest as the sunlight filtered through the canopy of tree branches overhead.

the Oregon coast, we enjoyed views of the ocean, beaches, and sand dunes – and cooler weather. Near Florence, OR, we visited the Sea Lion Caves, viewing the animals in their natural habitat, and we had a marvellous meal at the Firehouse Restaurant downtown. Since Ian is a retired fire chief, we enjoyed the firefighter theme, with crests, T-shirts, and other memorabilia on the walls. When we returned to Manitoba, I sent a T-shirt and crest from Thompson Fire and Emergency Services.

Turning inland when the blue skies turned to fog and rain, we rode east from Lincoln City to Portland through the scenic Columbia River Valley, glimpsing snow-covered Mount Hood above the plateau. As the pull of home and family grew stronger, we finally headed northeast through Washington to Spokane, up through the Idaho panhandle and back into Canada to Cranbrook, BC. From there, we rode east through Lethbridge and Medicine Hat, AB, and then up to Biggar, SK, to visit family before heading home.

In 22 days, we rode 8,923 kilometres through 11 states and four provinces in temperatures ranging from 40° to 15° and at elevations from sea level to 12,183 feet.

No matter what my retirement holds, I will always have the memories of this very adventurous retirement trip.

I love the sheer joy of riding, especially with Ian in my rear view mirror watching my back – and that third entity I always feel riding with me. I never ride anywhere without asking Him to give me the skills to ride my bike and other people the eyes to see me.

Get out there and ride. North America has some wonderful country to explore.

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RIDING STORIES

THE 30-DAY DREAM

Quebec rider explores the great American parks in a month-long ride.

Story and photos by Bruno Gagné

M

y journey began on a gorgeous day in June. I’d saved up a month’s vacation and knew exactly how I was going to spend it. With my H.O.G.® Touring Handbook in hand, I set out to explore the scenic roads of America, visiting as many national parks as possible along the way.

From my home of SainteVictoire-de-Sorel, QC, I headed westward on some local roads, eventually crossing Adirondack Park on New York State Routes 30 and 28. Following country roads, I arrived at the Pennsylvania border, where as the weather turned, I hopped onto U.S. Route 6 to visit Pine Creek Gorge. Sometimes called the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania because of its 76km gorge, this park has great views and roads that can be appreciated even in the rain.

The weather improved over the next few days as I made my way to Milwaukee, WI, and the Harley-Davidson Museum™.

Visiting the museum was such a thrilling, awe-inspiring experience that it encouraged me to go further, to see and experience more. Embracing that feeling, I pushed myself and my bike at a breakneck pace all the way to Nebraska, where I seized the chance to visit the Strategic Air & Space Museum near Ashland, along Interstate 80 southwest of Omaha.

Next, as recommended by my H.O.G.® Touring

Handbook, I took Nebraska Highway 2 West to Chimney Rock National Historic Site in western Nebraska’s Morrill County. From there it was on to Wyoming to visit Fort Laramie National Historic Site, where I got to learn a little about the myth and history of Butch Cassidy at the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site in Laramie.

I continued south on scenic U.S. Route 287 towards beautiful Colorado, on to Vail Pass through Rocky Mountain National Park, and then to Utah, taking the freeway because it’s rare to experience a main highway with such great scenery in my native Quebec.

The road back north took me through the remarkable landscape of the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area in Utah and Grand Teton National Park in northwestern Wyoming, as I rode toward Yellowstone National Park. I ran into some friends in Yellowstone, and it felt strange to find myself speaking French with them after ten days of solitary travel. Before leaving the area, I took the time to visit the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, WY. My departure from the Yellowstone region marked the start of the second leg of my solo tour, and I soon found it would be just as exciting as the first. I started out by crossing the Beartooth Highway and the Beartooth Pass, which led me to Montana and Pompeys Pillar

National Monument.

Well, all great motorcycles need attention from time to time, so I made my way to Missoula, MT, to get my H-D® V-Rod Muscle® motorcycle some

regular maintenance and a set of new tires. The good people at Grizzly Harley-Davidson® offered impeccable service and quick turnaround with no appointment, and soon

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SPRING 2015

The weather improved over the next few days as I made my way to Milwaukee, WI, and the Harley-Davidson Museum™.

Visiting the museum was such a thrilling, awe-inspiring experience that it encouraged me to go further, to see and experience more.

I was back on the road.

Since I was headed west, I figured I might as well carry on even further. I had soon made it through Idaho, taking the scenic route toward Seattle, WA, where I crossed Mount Rainier National Park.

Redirecting my focus south, I decided to visit the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, OR, to see the legendary Hughes HK-4 Hercules – also known as the Spruce Goose – which Howard Hughes’ Hughes Aircraft Company built entirely of wood in the 1940s.

The next day marked the start of the trek home, but that didn’t mean the rest of the trip would be any less exciting.

The diversity of scenery from west to east along Washington State Route 14 allowed me to discover wonderful points of interest. Unfortunately, I had to use main highways to reach my next destination, but I took the opportunity to detour onto U.S. Route 30 in Idaho and cross the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument and the unusual rock formation known as Balanced Rock. Continuing on U.S. Route 93, I reached the Utah border

and, of course, the Bonneville Speedway. The next few days were filled with discoveries, including the Harley-Davidson® Dealer in Lindon, UT, located in a restored abandoned factory.

I just had to stop and visit.

I rode on to southern Utah.

Again, with my primary goal being to visit as many parks as possible, I decided to ride U.S. Route 89, which leads to breath-taking spots such as Big Rock Candy Mountain, Brian Head Peak, and finally, the Cedar Breaks National Monument. Staying on U.S. Route 89, I came to the not-tobe-missed Zion National Park and a small state park called Coral Pink Sand Dunes.

Next it was on to U.S. Route 12 to visit Bryce Canyon National Park and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument – in particular, the Grosvenor Arch, a unique sandstone double arch. After this spectacular stop, I took U.S. Route 24 to Capitol Reef National Park and U.S. Route 95 to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area to see the Rainbow Bridge National Monument.

Having visited all these parks,

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*

RIDING STORIES

SPRING 2015

Following my curiosity, I soon learned what it meant – a 350-metre drop in elevation over 10 km of serpentine gravel road. It was worth the detour if only for the incredible view of the valley. After riding for several hours, I found myself at what, for me, was the culminating point of this trip.

I had to keep the momentum going and decided there would be no better way to do so than visiting Utah’s Monument Valley.

On the way there, along U.S. Route 261, a sign caught my attention with the mention of Moki Dugway. Following my curiosity, I soon learned what it meant – a 350-metre drop in elevation over 10 km of serpentine gravel road. It was worth the detour if only for the incredible view of the valley.

After riding for several hours, I found myself at what, for me, was the culminating point of this trip. After several pictures,

I stopped for some muchdeserved rest before continuing the journey home.

The return ride continued with a visit to the Mesa Verde National Park on U.S. Route 160 in Colorado. Forest fires forced me to detour to U.S. Route 145 by way of U.S. Route 50 to cross Monarch Pass in the Rocky Mountains – at 11,312 feet, the highest elevation mountain pass I would cross on this trip.

The days that followed were uneventful, making for a quick ride home with only a couple of small detours – in St. Louis, MO, to see the Gateway Arch, and in

Huntingdon, PA, to see The William E. Swigart, Jr., Antique Automobile Museum and the famous Tucker car.

After all this mileage, my bike needed some more maintenance – and thanks to the quick service of Vreeland’s Harley-Davidson® in central Pennsylvania, where I showed up early in the morning, I was able to get home that same night – a relief after riding more than 800 km in the rain.

After a month of riding and adding 16,260 km to the odometer, I must say that this journey was one hell of a ride!

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ARCHIVES

SPRING 2015

NOT ALL BAD

F

or some, the AMF period was strictly a dark age from which the Harley-Davidson® Brand was fortunate to emerge. But there are layers to what proved to be a complex time in history.

In 1965, the Harley-Davidson Motor Company went public. Honda and others were coming on strong with affordable and reliable rides, and the Motor Company needed capital to compete. By 1968, H-D executives were justifiably concerned about a hostile takeover by Bangor Punta, an international conglomerate known for acquiring and liquidating businesses. The other suitor was American Machine and Foundry (AMF) of White Plains, New York.

With an offer of $22 million and a promise from CEO Rodney Gott to keep H-D® motorcycles on the road, President William H. Davidson urged stockholders to accept the deal, which was inked on January 8, 1969.

AMF placed the Harley-Davidson® Brand in its Recreational Products Group, along with its lucrative bowling pinsetting machines, Voit sports equipment, and other brands. Gott wanted to balance AMF manufacturing toward leisure products and away from industrial equipment. But AMF found a slew of problems with HarleyDavidson, including bloated inventory, quality issues, and a sometimes-deaf ear to dealers. This led to a static Customer base that had grown used to H-D® motorcycles that never seemed to change.

AMF’s own strategies, however, would prove equally unfortunate. At the centre of the new plan was a high-volume manufacturing pace that Harley-Davidson was unprepared to handle. Worse yet, Customers did not show a demand for the increase. The dealer relationship was made worse by AMF’s new policy of requiring dealers to purchase less desirable lightweight models for each Sportster®, Super Glide®, or Electra Glide® motorcycle ordered. AMF said Milwaukee didn’t understand business; Milwaukee said AMF

didn’t get motorcycles. Finger pointing was rampant.

But AMF also poured lots of cash into development of new products, including an overhead cam 1,100 cc engine and Project Nova, an entirely new V-4 water-cooled bike. Though neither product made it to market, components developed for Nova lived on in the popular FXRT Sport Glide® model of the early 1980s. Most importantly, Project Nova introduced CNC machining and other manufacturing capabilities that A Harley-Davidson® dealer celebrates the “buyback” brought improved H-D® quality. by spray-painting over the AMF logo on his Store’s Part of the overall product plan sign, which now resides in the collection at the born in the 1970s was a new Harley-Davidson Museum™.

V-Twin engine introduced for the 1984 model year. To this day, the Evolution™ engine is sometimes deal, Harley-Davidson took ownership of described as “the engine that saved Harleythe Factory in York, Pennsylvania. Without Davidson.”

York, H-D could never have realized the Budgets to expand the traditional H-D® product line were tighter but led to new production gains of the 1980s and 90s. But thinking in wheels, paint schemes, and not all was well in the wake of the “buyback”. other trim. Examples were the 1977 Low The motorcycle market was sputtering, the Rider™ and the now-famous 1971 FX Super overseas competition was making better Glide® models, which married a Big Twin inroads than ever into the United States, and engine to a lighter Sportster® model-style a recession was now in full bloom. front fork. The era also brought the 1980 FLT Beals and others rolled up their Tour Glide® model. With its frame-mounted sleeves and got to work. The factories fairing and the first rubber isolation engine became leaner, and a new motorcycle was mounts, it’s the ancestor of today’s Road introduced for 1984: the Softail®. A new Factory-sponsored motorcycle club, Harley Glide® models.

In 1980, word spread that AMF was Owners Group®, strengthened the bonds with dealers and Customers. Beals and looking for an exit. Vaughn Beals, who came his team doubled down on a philosophy of in with AMF and was vice-president by this listening to motorcyclists, the very reason time, was lobbying AMF to sell the Harleythat H-D® had stayed in business since 1903.

Davidson® Brand back to him and a team of investors. Beals and 12 other members of During the early and middle 1980s, H-D management completed a deal to buy word travelled among dealers and the H-D® Brand on June 16, 1981, for $75 their Customers: Harley-Davidson was million (USD). Employee morale improved back, better than ever. Without the AMF immediately. A new ad slogan trumpeted, ownership, it might have become another “The Eagle Soars Alone.” As part of the footnote in history.

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

From 1969 to June 1981, AMF owned the Harley-Davidson® Brand. Nothing good came of that time. Right?

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The all-new Ultra Limited® Low. Pure H-D® rumble rolling just 25.6 inches off the ground.

H-D.com/RUSHMORE

IT’S LIKE RIDING LOW

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Visit your authorized Canadian Harley-Davidson® Retailer today or online at harley-davidson.com

UNITED BY INDEPENDENTS

* Vehicle shown may vary visually by market and may differ from vehicles manufactured and delivered. See your Retailer for details.

With the purchase of any new Harley-Davidson® model from an authorized Canadian Harley-Davidson® Retailer, you will receive a free, full one-year membership in H.O.G.® Always ride with a helmet. Ride defensively. Distributed exclusively in Canada by Deeley Harley-Davidson® Canada, Richmond and Concord. Deeley Harley-Davidson® Canada is a proud sponsor of Muscular Dystrophy Canada. ©2014 H-D or its affiliates. HARLEY-DAVIDSON, HARLEY, and the Bar & Shield Logo are among the trademarks of H-D U.S.A., LLC.

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AS LOW AS 0.99% ® APR AND NO MONEY DOWN ® ® ® *

ON ANY NEW 2014 HARLEY-DAVIDSON SPORTSTER , DYNA , SOFTAIL OR VRSC MOTORCYCLES TM

* Financing Offer available only on new 2014, 2013, and 2012 Softail®, Dyna®, Sportster®, and VRSCTM Harley-Davidson® motorcycle models financed through Harley-Davidson Financial Services Canada (HDFSC), and is subject to credit approval. Not all applicants will qualify. .99% APR offer is available only to high credit tier customers at HDFSC and only for up to a 60 month term. The APR may vary based on the applicant’s past credit performance and the term of the loan. For example, a 2014 Sportster® Forty-Eight® model with an MSRP of $13,239, no down payment and amount financed of $13,239, 60 month repayment term, and .99% APR results in monthly payments of $226.25. The total obligation is $13,575.

In this example, customer is responsible for applicable taxes, title, freight, PDI, licensing fees and any other fees or charges at the time of sale. APR is calculated according to the simple interest method. Not valid in conjunction with other offers. Customer must take delivery by March 31, 2015. Other terms, conditions, and limitations may apply. Retailer participation may vary. Financing offer is subject to change or cancellation at any time. See an authorized Canadian Harley-Davidson® Retailer for details. ** With the purchase of any new Harley-Davidson® model from an authorized Canadian Harley-Davidson® Retailer, you will receive a free, full one-year membership in H.O.G.® Always ride with a helmet. Ride defensively. Distributed exclusively in Canada by Deeley Harley-Davidson® Canada, Richmond and Concord. Deeley Harley-Davidson® Canada is a proud sponsor of Muscular Dystrophy Canada. ©2015 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. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: H.O.G.® Canada 830 Edgeley Blvd. Concord, Ontario L4K 4X1 Tel: 1-800-668-4836 Fax: 905-660-3372 members.hog.com

Publication mail agreement No. 40037386

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HD-P-0475_HOG_OBC_Marketing_Sales_Promo January_CA_en-fr.indd 1

09/02/2015 5:06:43 PM