Harley-Davidson’s President Is My Homeboy

On my way home from running errands today, I dropped by my good friend Greg's house to return the drill/driver he lent me to put up new blinds in what will become a nursery in just a matter of weeks. After briefly discussing motorcycle-themed names for my expected progeny (Dzus, if it's a boy—after the fairing fasteners common to '90s Ducati superbikes; Scout, if it's a girl—after the Indian motorcycle and the protagonist in To Kill a Mockingbird), we began talking about Greg's 90-something-year-old neighbor, Mrs. Levatich.

If Levatich is a familiar sounding name to you, it's because Matt Levatich is the president and CEO of Harley-Davidson. Mrs. Levatich is none other than the H-D pres's mom, and she still lives in the home where she and her late husband, a local architect, raised their family. Not only does Greg practically live in the same neighborhood that Matt Levatich grew up in, he also happens to be friends with Matt's brother, Tim. Ithaca is a small south central New York town, so these types of coincidences are pretty common, especially for motorcyclists. Heck, in high school I dated a girl who lived on the same street as the Levatich family. Turns out, she's now the president of Indian Motorcycle. Kidding.

So it’s completely unwarranted, but I feel some sort of kinship with Mr. Levatich. Oddly, I have more of an affinity with him even though he’s a complete stranger, than I do with The Motor Company. For me, Harley-Davidson is uncharted territory.

My incomprehension is not unlike Conrad's sailors in Heart of Darkness. "In the immutability of their surroundings the foreign shores, the foreign faces, the changing immensity of life, glide past, veiled not by a sense of mystery but by a slightly disdainful ignorance."

Growing up in a sportbike-loving home, Harleys existed outside my purview, and were looked upon with “disdainful ignorance,” which was returned in kind whenever a Harley guy rode past withholding his wave to sportbike-mounted me. I was not in the club. I’m still not. Prejudice is a two-way street.

The image of a Harley rider as a paunchy, hairy-knuckled guy wearing a Day-Glo “Myrtle Beach H-D” shirt beneath a too-tight leather vest is a difficult stereotype for me to look past. But beyond my prejudice, there’s a uniquely American vision of motorcycling that I’m completely missing out on.

It seems like some Harley riders identify exclusively as Harley people, not as motorcyclists. That doesn’t sit well with me. Peter Egan, with characteristic egalitarianism, is seemingly in the minority of riders who can straddle both worlds.

In a couple of weeks, I’m going to California to ride—among other things—a Harley with Ari and company. It will be only the second Harley I’ve ever ridden. The first was a Night Rod, if memory serves, that I took for a test ride more than 15 years ago. What I do vividly remember is that the throttle cable felt like a rubber band, and reminiscent of my grandfather’s Buick LeSabre, the chassis completely disguised what the tires were doing, which I found discomfiting. It didn’t help that I looked even doofier than usual riding a chromed-out Harley while wearing a John Kocinski-replica Arai and a red/white/blue Fox race suit from the ’80s that I scored off eBay.

I definitely need more Harley seat time.

Maybe more than that, I need an H-D mentor who I can relate to: someone whose worldview was formed by the same woods and hills, the same lakes and trails that have left on me an indelible imprint as though a potter’s die; someone who, looking through the same lens, sees a different Harley-Davidson; someone deeply entrenched in the culture.

If Peter Egan isn’t available, perhaps Mr. Levatich can fill in the next time he’s in town. If Harley’s foreign shores can feel as familiar as the streets of my hometown, maybe then I’ll get it.

Even then, it’s unlikely I’ll be naming my child Harley. I guess Dzus it is. Please send first-time parenting advice/recommendations for masculine diaper bags/onesies that look like tiny cotton race suits c/o Seth Richards, Bonnier Motorcycle Group, 15255 Alton Parkway, Suite 300, Irvine, CA 92268.