I’ll start out by noting that in many respects, Harley has learned a lot since the 100th Celebration. and not only in terms of hiring an actual American rock star to headline their party. Some things I noticed:

1) Juneau Avenue. Last time thousands of bikers showed up at Harley’s headquarters, which is located in a decidedly downmarket part of the city, and found nothing to do. No chance of getting a peak inside. This time they actually are conducting tours of an annexe building (“Harley-Davidson University”) where they train technicians. Supposedly quite interesting. Still no getting inside the actual headquarters building, but thats not much of a loss, since its really just six floors of cube farm.

2) Signage: Ride around town, and there are actually signs on the freeway pointing you to various Harley-orientated facilities and events.

3) Length: For the 100th, the celebration lasted a whole week. Too much for most vendors, too much for most residents, and too much for most visitors. Four or five days is plenty.

4) Web Info.: Much, much better information available on the web than before.

An example of a company that has it partly right is Scion, the brand of toaster-shaped cars that many young people use as a canvas for self-expression. Basic models can be customized in hundreds of ways, from artful to goofy. It’s an example of end-user engagement that Scion celebrates and profits from.

Obviously this is a game that Harley-Davidson has had down for quite some time. Undoubtedly many Harley owners find great appeal in the ability to customize their bikes to a greater or lesser extent.

But I see a troubling trend mixed up in all the customizing goodness. And a lot of it comes down to another fact identified in the NY Times article:

our machines are coddling us into idiocy

Back in the day when Harleys were bought by machinists and welders, one could count on a reasonable amount of mechanical aptitude among the people that bought them. Now they are the favored ride of accountants and orthodontists – I’m not too sure. What is even more frightening is that many of these people seem to believe that they somehow know more about their bikes than the professionals who designed, built, and service them. I could literally write a book filled with anecdotes about the mechanical harm done to Harley-Davidson bikes by owners trying to fix or “improve” them without the necessary mechanical skills or knowledge.

The cult of the amateur is all very well, but it requires a certain measure of Yankee ingenuity and know-how. Without it, the result is disaster.

Also, promising was that 64% reported that business was up from a year ago

The survey sample size was pretty small (28 dealerships) – but the results are encouraing, to say the least, all the more since all of the dealers queried were in the US.

I first encountered Brock Yates’ writing in the pages of Car & Driver – and found him entertaining, informative, and sometimes provocative. Yates book about Harley-Davidson, the company, and the place it’s machines have in American history and culture is (in my experience) without equal. As but one example, his vignette on the notorious 1947 Hollister “bike riot” and the accuracy of photographs in depicting “reality” is certainly thought provoking. Published in 1999 the book provides a great thumbnail history of Harley-Davidson.

On a somewhat darker note, former Hell’s Angel Motorcycle Club President Ralph “Sonny” Barger compiled a volume of biker stories – Ridin’ High, Livin’ Free. I’d not really recommend this book on its literary merits. The prose is turgid, at best, and most of the characters come across (in my eyes at least) as unpleasant. With that said, the book does have merit in helping understand the biker point of view.

One book that often gets mentioned in online discussions of “biker literature” is Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance – a citation that always makes me smile, since it is usually pretty obvious that the person making the recommendation has never read the book. While the book does have some descriptions of a motorcycle trip, it really has little to do with either Zen or motorcycle maintenance. Now almost thirty five years old, I’d say that while the concepts of quality and metaphysics explored in the book are timeless, the prose and style have not held up particularly well.

From the photos it looks like Marc-Hans is riding a 2009 model VRSCF “Muscle”, equipped with saddlebags (and copious amounts of Mexican dust.)

I’ll be honest – reaction among many existing V-Rod owners to the introduction of the plastic-bodied Muscle has been less than positive. And, if looking for culprits to blame for the egregious (if not to say laughable) name for the bike, Mr. Richer ranks pretty high on the list of suspects. But if so, then at least he’s putting his butt, literally, on the line by riding the thing the 2000 or so miles from Mexico City to Milwaukee.

The blog will make interesting reading over the next few days. One might glean clues of Harley’s future marketing plans from such gems as

without even scratching the surface of the passions for Harley-Davidson in India and China. I hope to ride there one day too, and hang out with people as cool as the Mexicans I met

although I’m not sure his description of

two hombres who were leaving Friday to ride to Milwaukee – on Sportsters!

is what I call a ringing endorsement of either the comfort or reliability of the oldest model in the Harley lineup.

Stay tuned for more…..

According to a story in today’s Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel the company has printed up signs welcoming riders, but also “Thanks for the Rumble, Not the Roar” and “Throttle Down in Town.” These have been distributed in neighborhoods including Story Hill, near Miller Park. A billboard at Wisconsin Avenue and 45th Street says “Please Don’t Rattle the Cages.”

Actually, Harley has been concerned for some years about the level of noise created by some bikers.

In 2004, Harley-Davidson started urging dealers to stop selling modifications to mufflers to make their bikes noisier, using so-called straight pipes. In Wisconsin, they’re against the law. And in 2006, the company changed the bikes’ design to make popping on a loud muffler more difficult

it is not about exhibited objects so much as the social bonds inspired by Harley’s culture and history. Despite declining sales numbers and rising customer age, the brand commands a cult-like loyalty.

which seems pretty much on the mark. He also provides an interesting link to a blog on project architect Pentagram’s web site that further elaborates on the firm’s design goals. Deep stuff indeed. Also interesting was the concept of visitors parked motorcycles becoming part of the display in a “people’s museum” out front. I also like the comparison of the cruciform layout of the classical Cathedral with the restoration of the city’s lost street grid.

More proof the New York Times is still the best newspaper in the world.

The stars of the TV shows “Laverne & Shirley” and “Happy Days” were back in town for the unveiling of the Fonzie statue in downtown Milwaukee. I’m not much of an art critic, but there is something just slightly creepy about the expression on the bronze Fonzie’s face…