On the road with the “Mild Hogs”
05 Nov 2018
Harley-Davidson’s bad-boy image is legendary, but today’s “Hog” lover is a lot less wild, and Harley tours are a popular pastime.
The vision of scores of thundering Harley-Davidson motorcycles, line astern and dominating the highway, is a vision all of us would recognise.
This intimidating image, straight out of countless movies, has served to place the venerable US motorcycle brand at the forefront of all things wicked and dastardly. As such, the don’t-mess-with-me persona of the “Hog” owner has ensured Harley-Davidson is the first thing you think of when “bad boy” bikers come to mind.
In recent times, however, popular culture has softened the image somewhat. Take comedy movies like Wild Hogs, for example, where middle-aged characters played by John Travolta and Tim Allen set out on a midlife-crisis-driven, adventure-packed road trip.
Then there’s the famous Ulysses Club, whose legendary motto is “Grow Old Disgracefully” and whose minimum age of entry is 40. Members come from all walks of life, and it’s just as likely you’ll see them with tea and scones as neat double bourbons.
The Ulysses Club is immensely popular with around 137 branches and 30,000 members throughout the country, as well as clubs in New Zealand, South Africa, Germany, Great Britain, Vietnam, Norway, Namibia, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Cambodia, Zimbabwe and Botswana.
While the Ulysses Club has a high proportion of Harley-Davidson owners, it’s not exclusive to the brand. The Harley Owners Group (HOG) is the official club, supported by the factory dealer network through local chapters, and has around 8,000 members in Australia. HOG also organises ride days and family-friendly social events for its members. It’s the largest such official motoring club in the world, with more than a million members across the globe.
Take a Harley tour
Tapping into the undisputed popularity of Harley-Davidson and big touring motorcycles in general, businesses like EagleRider were formed to offer Walter Mitty types and dreamers like me the chance to live out their fantasies.
Starting out in the USA in 1992, EagleRider launched the Harley-Davidson motorcycle rental and group touring concept, and now boasts offices throughout the world, including in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Cairns – with more to follow.
Even though I’ve ridden motorbikes since the age of 10, I’ve never sat on a Harley, let alone ridden one an appreciable distance. I’d always stood back from these iron, steel and chrome monsters with a sense of trepidation. So when I walked into the EagleRider showroom in Sydney’s Inner West suburb of Burwood, I must have looked like an awestruck kid in a very expensive toy shop.
“Sure, Harleys are big, heavy bikes,” says co-owner Will Keith with his Louisiana drawl, “but they are superbly balanced and surprisingly easy to ride.”
To prove this point, Will once accepted a bet to ride a Harley 1,000 miles down the freeway from Denver to Milwaukee while sitting only in the pillion seat. A film crew followed him, but soon gave up and headed for the burger joint. Point taken.
I sign off on a 1200cc Sportster and ride nervously out of the Burwood yard and into the Parramatta Road traffic. The next day it’s a proper ride, starting out around the block, and ending up at the Mooney Mooney Bridge. Some 200 kilometres later, I’m back at the Burwood shop, exhilarated and in surprisingly good shape for an older bloke with a dodgy back.
The popularity of motorcycle touring is unquestionable. The vast Best Western group has even developed a 50-property, Australia-wide network of rider-friendly hotels and motels to cater to the demand. Harley owners are entitled to a range of benefits, including 10 per cent discount, upgrades, late checkout and even a wipe-down towel for your Hog.
EagleRider Australia has also developed a series of fully guided rides out of their eastern-seaboard bases. Ranging from six to 12 nights and priced from around $2,500, motorcycle hire, accommodation and most meals are included.
Where to ride a hog
For more details on EagleRider motorcycle rentals and tours, see eaglerider.com
For Best Western’s rider-friendly hotels, see bestwestern.com.au
For information on motorcycle tours, see Ride the World at ridetheworld.com.au
®