Legends
begin somewhere and little did a USA Photographer and
Reporter know in 1947, they would create a legend of their
own....
"Lock
up your daughters ! The Huns are on a roll ! Your town maybe
next".... was the word in 1947 as presented by Life
Magazine article about a Californian town terrorized by
gangs of motorcycle thugs.
The photograph
was a nice stage setting for a heavyset, large beer gut, patch
holder with the Harley neatly placed on a pile of broken bottles,
and the smug grin on the biker wore on his face. No doubt,
trashed after a good night and no idea that such a photograph would become the turning
point of a new era for Harley-Davidson. The damage was done:
from that point on, motorcycles would forever be associated
with danger, rebellion, and violence. And as the loudest and
heaviest bikes on the market, the Harley-Davidsons were
considered the worst of them all.
I'm sure the Motor
Company had not envisioned such a tainted reputation to go
with their motorcycles and this reputable magazine like any
media, sensationalized the actual event at Hollister, July 4th
1947. The pair were veteran San Francisco Chronicle
Photographer named Barney Peterson and reporter C. J. Doughty
that had flown into Hollister to photograph the brawl. By the time they
actually got there, the action was well over so they
adopted a nice theatrical scene to get the picture they needed
out the front of 'Johnny's Bar and Grille on San Benito
Street. That was a hot piece of photography at the
time but they certainly didn't put much thought into obtaining
the exclusive and it's implication for the future from two
well meaning freelancers making history of a different
kind.....but it wasn't the first time Life ran with presented
half truths, namely the 'Marine flag-raising on Iwo Jima's
Mount Suribachi event to name another.
Up to that
point the Harley was a tour, track racing and hill
climbing bike.
"Only a very
small percentage had assumed a darker image. Embittered and
disillusioned by the American dream during the Depression,
gangs formed up, mainly in the grungy industrial districts of
Southern California, to ride and drink together, subsisting on
menial jobs and dealing in stolen motorcycle parts. Because
Harley-Davidson was the most abundant and popular motorcycle,
it was obvious that it would be the brand of choice, both as a
possession and a source of stolen income." Commonly known as
the 'Chopped up Harley'.
"The war had
been cruel and many Veterans returning from the war, were
to embrace the motorcycle not only as a recreational diversion
but as a weapon against the established order, a raucous,
fire-breathing barbarian of a contraption, the exhaust rattle
of which was not unlike that of a .50-caliber machine gun.
Motorcycles with no baffles became the trend of restless young men
flung into the ennui for the postwar world".
I suppose it
can't go without mentioning the motorcycle club that would
rise into the realms of international legend. Many just
cringe at the mere mention of this MC and with the enigma of
being the worst, hardest riding, most rigidly disciplined,
and ruthless of them all, at least in the minds of the general
public that is. Once an Angel, always a Hells Angel. The
main preference of motorcycle for this MC was deemed an
exclusive motorcycle, the Harley-Davidson. These days even the
Chief is partial to a Honda...so I've heard and custom
choppers have made a come back.
The name was believed to have
been derived from a B-17 squadron - the
358th - of the 303rd USAF Bomber Group based in the English
Midlands during World War 2. I would have to check with
the Chief to clarify that piece of information as to the
origins of the name for the HAMC but that's what I found
in the History books. I almost got it right and was gifted a
signed copy of the Chiefs book that did have all the facts so
that was pretty cool until I hit New Zealand Customs with it.
That's another story which could appear at Twain's Pen.
There's no
doubt as to their colors being centered around the profile of
a helmeted skull trailing a large feathered wing, displayed
with fanatic reverence on an embroidered patch surrounded by the
words 'Hells Angels M.C. (Motorcycle Club), along with the
name of their chapter. The exact origins of biker club colors
is unclear, although they probably date to pre-World War 2 and
their use by more benign motorcycle organizations. By the
late 1950's, colors were in universal use by the clubs. Other M.C's were formed whom became rivals to the Hells Angels
but all the clubs, regardless of their location or size,
formed their tightly knit organizations around a single
talisman: a lusty, rackety brute of a motorcycle more often
than not bearing the Harley-Davidson label.
It was the
American Motorcycle Association that denounced the Angels and
their ilk as 'one percenters', an outlandish minority
of thugs and outsiders who bore no resemblance to the real
world of motorcycling. This put down actually delighted the
known outlaws, who saw it as affirmation of their presence and
began wearing patches denoting themselves as, "One Percenters",
the ultimate imprimatur of the hard-core badass biker was born
into legend as well.
People are so
quick to judge and a name, or the essence of that name does
not mean that an individual is who that person actually is.
We join clubs and organizations because they may have a
philosophy that we believe in, or simply it is of our own
choosing despite what the general public think. For many
it is a Brotherhood and a sense of belonging to a family of
like minds. You don't
hear people complaining of the organization they belong too, or for
what they stand for.
The Hells
Angels certainly NEVER spun off gruesomely homicidal mutations
like the Weathermen, Manson family etc... No Angel burned down
an ROTC building or blew up a university laboratory or
machine-gunned a bank guard in the name of hazy people's
revolution, did they!. The Motorcycle clubs were essentially
isolated, tightly knit cults whose battles were mainly turf wars and
who only ventured into the public domain when the media chose
to spotlight them. One thing Society in general
forgets the most is that the majority of these Bikers are
parents just like them and many hold down good jobs.
It was during
this period that the name 'HOG' was adopted to label and
personalize the Harley-Davidson. Like any nickname, it stuck
much to the disgust of avid Harley riders. They got over it
and in time they would heartily embrace such a nickname for
their Harleys also and thus another legend was born.
"Wild One"
& "Rebel without a Cause",
were fumbling attempts by
Hollywood to describe a restlessness and isolation among the
nation's youth that was being played out with infinitely more
passion and intensity amongst the fledgling motorcycle clubs
in grubby saloons and flophouses across the land.
So how did all
this effect the Motor Company, Harley-Davidson?
It was business
as usual and it didn't matter whether the Harley-Davidson's
bosses liked it or not that their motorcycles were being
marginalized as the favored machine of lowlifes and outlaws? They were of course now enjoying what seemed to be an open
field in the heavyweight motorcycle business. Business was
bloody good and still is so you don't hear them complaining
who's buying their motorcycles.
It doesn't
matter if you wear black, a patch or just ride and own a
Harley for the sheer enjoyment of such a fine machine because
Society is never going to forget the association of the Harley
as belonging to those that ride them just like the legend
paved the way in 1947........tell someone that cares!
Build a bridge and get over it.
A Harley is a
Harley .....if I had to explain, you wouldn't understand.
The Harley is a legend.
