Harley-Davidson

St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture, Jan 29, 2002 by Geri Speace

In 1947, the image of the outlaw biker gained full momentum when an article in Life magazine detailed the horrors of a rebel motorcycle gang who terrorized a town in California. No longer seen as simply sporting enthusiasts, most riders were now lumped with those known as Hell's Angels, a group of criminal-element bikers who took their name from a 1930s Howard Hughes film about flying men. This was bad publicity for Harley-Davidson, but grist to the media mill, which continued to beef up the stereotype, with films like Marlon Brando's The Wild One (1954) portraying the biker subculture. Unfortunately, the stories surrounding biker gangs--rape, robbery, beatings, looting--were often more truth than fiction. In the 1960s, journalist Hunter S. Thompson infiltrated the ranks of the Hell's Angels, posing as a member, and wrote a full-length book on his experiences called Hell's Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gang. After his exposé was published, he was mercilessly beaten up by a group of members.

During the 1960s and 1970s, the preferred vehicle for a mainstream motorcycle enthusiast was usually a lower-priced Japanese model, derogatorily nicknamed a "rice burner" and denounced by Harley riders as watered-down imitations of "true" motorcycles. However, foreign bikes were more accepted in polite society because they were free of the stigma of the Harley, which had come to symbolize low-class, dirty deviants. Magazines like Easy Rider, featuring half-naked cover models, contributed to the bike's sleazy connotations. However, during the 1980s the image of the Harley rider began to change again. Though the leather-clad anti-social bike gang members still existed, more and more "yuppie" bikers began to take to the open road. In addition to the appeal of Harleys as well-made American vehicles, a new class of men was undoubtedly also intrigued by the outlaw image.

Harley-Davidsons soon became a recreational vehicle for successful businessmen, much like a boat or Jet-Ski. The bikes could be seen lined up outside hip nightspots in major cities on weekends, and streaming down highways headed out of town. Harley accessory boutiques mushroomed in upscale shopping districts around the country. The company set up a slick web site, and appropriated events like Daytona Bike Week in Florida and the annual motorcycle rally and races in Sturgis, South Dakota, for generating corporate publicity. In 1994 Turner Original Productions produced a television special titled Harley-Davidson: The American Motorcycle, narrated by actor James Caan and featuring celebrities such as David Crosby, Peter Fonda, Wynonna Judd, and a leather-clad Larry Hagman touting their love of the bike and its accompanying aura. The Tonight Show host Jay Leno became another well-known aficionado. As the Harley-Davidson approached its hundredth anniversary, it seemed to be regaining its originally intended use as a vehicle for genteel sportsmen and women, while its continuing popularity remains a tribute to American entrepreneurship and hard work.