by Maria Schoeberl, Harley-Davidson Archivist {phocagallery view=categories|categoryid=944|imagecategories=0|} When viewing early images of Harley-Davidson riders, their clothing always stands out. Instead of the black leather, jeans, bandanas and safety helmets of today, riders in the first decades of the 20th century wore very different clothing: Three-piece suits, shirts with...

That’s about the sort of reaction you can expect to elicit from onlookers while cruising aboard a Derringer. Unless you’re me. In which case you promptly get spotted by the cops pulling off of the sidewalk and followed for three blocks while they try to figure out whether there’s anything they could ticket you for. But more on that later. First let’s check in with the intrepid...

Photos by Thierry Larret {phocagallery view=categories|categoryid=905|imagecategories=0|} In the heart of the Auvergne volcanoes , the 16th Annual Free Wheel just ended in France. It is the largest gathering of Harley-Davidson enthusiasts on the other side of the Atlantic.

By J. JOSHUA PLACA {phocagallery view=categories|categoryid=882|imagecategories=0|} There were by unofficial count, some one thousand or more proud participants of the Harley-Davidson lifestyle rumbled into Williams, Arizona, to suckle at the tar teat of the Mother Road. The town sits smack on a holdout piece of Route 66. Williams was the last town in America to submit to the...

There’s a hidden joke in the name of Kent Weeks’ stubby Shovelhead Shorty. As Kent tells it, the owner is far from being a midget. “Frank has been a customer for a long time. He’s pretty tall and most of his bikes are pretty stretched out, so he wanted something different and asked me to build a hot rod for him. This was actually the first short bike that I’ve built, even though...

This weekend the clouds hang low in the Swiss sky above Dietikon/Switzerland, as if challenging the photoshoot. But the sun is just lurking from behind the clouds – and above Bäechli Harley-Heaven, the sun seems to shine all year round. Rainer Bäechli is one of the most active Harley-Davidson dealers in Switzerland, all ways beating the drum for his brand with excellent and...

Story and Photos by Rodent    {phocagallery view=categories|categoryid=759|imagecategories=0|} What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, how true in this monument to losers from the entire planet, paid to build this zoo. Winners didn’t contribute a dime, they took the money and ran. Like Kenny Rogers sang; You got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em,...

{phocagallery view=categories|categoryid=943|imagecategories=0|} Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle®/Vance & Hines rider Ed Krawiec retained his lead in the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship, winning one round of eliminations at the rain-delayed Auto-Plus® NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway. The Pro Stock Motorcycle class ran one round on Sunday, and...

Story and Photos by Thierry Larret {phocagallery view=categories|categoryid=904|imagecategories=0|} The 16th Annual Free Wheel just ended in France in the heart of the Auvergne volcanoes. It is the largest gathering of Harley-Davidson enthusiasts on the other side of the Atlantic. Over the course of three days, thousands of bikers from France and all over Europe gather for the...

Story and Photos by J. JOSHUA PLACA {phocagallery view=categories|categoryid=881|imagecategories=0|} The annual Arizona HOG Rally recently returned to the historic mountain town of Williams. The rally has moved around the state from year to year, but Williams is a HOG favorite, having been held in the northern Arizona town nine times. Founded in 1881 as a trapping and logging...