One-hundred and ten years is a long time in anyone’s book, especially when it comes to building motorcycles. It’s hard enough to feel passionate about anything for so long let alone beyond generations. That’s why you haveĀ enthusiasts building motorcycles for enthusiastsĀ because nobody else can.Ā Some dreams die with the dreamers, but in the case of the Harley-DavidsonĀ Motor Company itĀ has kept the dream alive in all of us. In a time when wool suits were the proper riding apparel to ride your motorcycle,Ā Harley-Davidson has been there to see the transformation of the culture and lifestyleĀ of bikersĀ to where it is today. Roads were being built, highways were being connected and destinations became real. What started out as a different kind of transportation 110 years ago, became a form of recreation and a lifestyle for so many. A combination of steel and style moves a nation both physically and emotionally and Harley-Davidson Motorcycles have been there through it all.
Just as any company knows, as time ticks byĀ there are ups and downs, twists and turns, but it turns out that is the exact same thing we enthusiastsĀ seek out when it comes to the roads we travel. It is “the ride” that gets you through it and whether it’s business or pleasure, we take the road less traveled because it is who we are and always will be. Nobody said “the ride” would be easy,Ā but if nothing else, it has always been fun. Moving bodies and souls at the same time was probably not something the Harley and Davidson boys thought much about, but that’s how things ended up. It is Harley-Davidson that represents this country in a way that only it can and it changes you. Freedom, Pride, Emotion and American are a few things that come to mind, and we haven’t even looked at what it’s done to so many from a life-changing experience – and Harley-Davidson MotorcyclesĀ change lives.Ā It’s brought people together and created a community around the world to the point of being a universal language –Ā and it knocks down walls that are invisible and man-made.
Nobody said it would be easy,Ā because easy wasn’t a concern 110 years ago. You rolled up your sleeves and you worked hard. You got your hands dirty and you brought your lunch in a pale. You wereĀ happy to be working with your handsĀ and you didn’t think about life 100 years from then; we still don’t. But we dreamed, and we still do. And it is dreams that makes this country great, so we keep dreaming. For every road we travel down on our Harley-Davidson, someone before us has traveled that same road onĀ their Harley-Davidson. Whether your ride in Rome Italy or Rome Wisconsin, there’s a good chance you’re not the first one there with your motorcycle. But knowing that also gives you a sense of belonging to something greater than the road traveled. ItĀ was created by men with a dream and a willingness to chase that dream on the creation before them. Just like we do today.
It hasĀ become a passion for which we have no control over.Ā That passionĀ is transformed into an expression of who we are, and where we are going – both in the sense of motion and emotion. To say Harley-Davidson has changed the way we put our lives into perspective would be an understatement.Ā Some things have no explanation, and we accept that.Ā This motorcycle has helped people through their ups and downs and the twists and turns that life has thrown at them, and it has been a member ofĀ the familyĀ that has been passed on throughĀ generations. It is a symbolĀ and extension of our inner selves that only we know,Ā and that only a few can understand.
So we ride. We ride like those did 110 years ago, and those thatĀ will ride when we no longer can. I’ve seen where Harley-DavidsonĀ has been, but I can’t see where this road will take us, but I guarantee it will be a great ride. Here’s to 100 more yearsĀ Harley-Davidson!
Jeff Maddox 