Harley Davidson

I have to admit it - I love Harley Davidson motorcycles.

Now I am sure my traditional motorcycle riding buddies will wonder if I got sick, or turned to the dark side, or got whopped up the side of my head in a recent crash.

Now don't get me wrong. I love light, fast, quick motorcycles. And it is hard to call any Harley, even the Buell's, light, fast and quick. To make matters worse, I have never even ridden a Harley, much less owned one. Not that I wouldn't love to, but they just never had one that fit my needs at the time.

But there is something to the mystique of Harley Davidson that tugs at riding heartstrings. Travel to the Barber Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham, AL and you will see old Harley board track racers that look like toothpicks with engines and no brakes. The mean growl of an XR-750 flat track bike always makes my blood boil. Pictures of leather-helmeted racers of old makes me think of pioneers, always looking for adventure and more speed.

As a marketing company, Harley has no equal. They have built a loyal diehard following and the Motor Company has one of the strongest brands on the planet, right up there with Coca Cola. How many people have "Yamaha" tattoed on the back of their head?

My big wish is that Harley would get more involved in motorcycle racing. They have a long racing heritage and have had great success with their recent foray into drag racing. I would love to see them expand into road racing, dirt racing, and many other forms of two wheeled competition. I am sure they have the engineering and financial capabilities. Their effort with Buell have been well received, but it is still not the same has having the full weight of The Motor Company behind their racing efforts.

Some day I hope to own and ride a Harley Davidson. Most likely it will be some type of performance-oriented model, like their recent XR 1200 Prototype. Man, that thing gets my blood boiling and makes me want to go riding!

Motorcycle Swap Meets

Wonder where you can find a pushrod for a 1948 panhead? Or how about an original rear fender for a 1938 panhead? eBay is a good choice, some sometimes you might just want to wander through the aisles, touch the merchandise, maybe trade stories with the leather-faced Harley afficionado behind the crates of clutch baskets and drive gears?

Parts were stacked in hundreds of crates along the show floor.

One place to do that is the semi-annual Jeff Williams Motorcycle Swap Meet. This long running event, held in both the OKC and Tulsa areas, has been bringing together Oklahoma motorcyclists who are looking for just the right part to finish out their long-planned project bike. December 3 saw me at this event for the first time in several years. As I walked in the door at the OKC Fairgrounds building, I was treated to the site of rows used bikes quietly waiting for an eager buyer, gleaming chrome glinting in the sunlight, ready to be mounted on a sleek bike and polished to perfection, and a multitude of buyers walking the aisles, picking up parts for a closer examination, and discussing the merits of a particular bike with a welcoming vendor.

Jericho Sanchez from Austin, Texas works to help people find just the right part. He travels all over the country selling parts, including Sturgis and Daytona.

Ronnie and Janet Hudson from Noble browse a table for parts.

Nearly new bikes sat alongside much older bikes, waiting for a ready buyer.

I did see a wayward KLR 650 for sale on the floor, which looked quite out of place with all the American V-twin equipment around. Oh well, dual sport riders need parts too!