Harley Davidson Sportster XL883
Cruising the Negev on a Harley
I grabbed a black leather suit that I had not worn in 10 years and tied my hair in a knot
I was 16 years-old the last time I rode a motorcycle, and let's just say that was quite a while ago. So when my boyfriend decided he wanted to purchase a shiny new bike, I vehemently opposed the idea and told him he could buy whatever his heart desires when I am six feet under.
However, after my encounter with a group of Harley Davidson aficionados, my entire outlook changed, as my heart was captured by the motorcycle's odd design, the myth that surrounds it, and the unusual people who ride it. I decided to join the bikers on a trip to the northern Negev area.
I grabbed a black leather suit that I had not worn in 10 years and tied my hair in a knot. I wasn't certain whether I was preparing for a motorcycle trip or a Purim costume party.
Some 80 bikers arrived at the meeting point, and for a moment I felt as if I had been transported onto the set of a Marlon Brando movie.
Nirit Ben-Ari, the only female biker I had spotted, gallantly suggested I ride with her boyfriend, Eytan, who happened to own the biggest bike of the lot.
Vrooooom!
The engines are roaring, the countdown begins, Eytan steps on it, and I almost lose consciousness. I am holding on to a strange man, and his girlfriend is riding alongside us; this can't end well.
My dilemma is solved a few seconds later, as the next thrust of gas forces me to stick my fingernails into Eytan's sexy Harley Davidson leather jacket. At this point, I am fighting for my life, and fidelity is the last thing on my mind.
The cold wind reminds me I should have brought gloves, but that problem is solved as well, because 15 minutes later I cannot feel my hands at all.
Surprisingly, soon enough I begin to enjoy myself, as I absorb the open spaces and brisk air. I even discover the back rest, which enables me to relax and loosen my grip on Eytan's jacket.
Riding a motorcycle has a number of advantages: No one bothers you while you ride (as soon as you open your mouth you feel like a balloon being filled up with helium), and you can smell the scent of pine mixed with the driver's aftershave - quite a tantalizing combination. I also find that riding on a motorcycle has a certain youthful charm to it, and the years seem to dissipate with the wind.
The Harley Davidson men
The men who are riding alongside us seem to have been specifically molded according to the Harley Davidson stereotype. They are all wearing leather jackets, pointed cowboy boots, and tattoos. They are all very masculine-looking, but when I observe the way they are sitting on their bikes, I can't help recall my visits to the gynecologist. When I ask for an explanation regarding the odd riding form, I am told that a true Harley man must suffer, and the uncomfortable position is part of the initiation process.
Shlomi, 50, has been riding since he was 16, and Arnon, who is not a spring chicken either, got the bug from his father, who had ridden motorcycles until the age of 70. I also run into a marketing executive and an engineer who normally walk around in three-piece suits but shed their skins on the weekends.
In the club
The Harley Davidson bikers' loyalty to their motorcycles and to the biker way of life has spurred the establishment of closed Harley Davidson clubs that have their own secret rules of conduct.
Harley clubs began popping up in the U.S. some two decades after the first Harley motorcycle was manufactured 100 years ago. The members of each club wrote their own rulebook and chose a distinctive emblem, even though all the emblems are similar in their design, which is referred to as the "triple-patch." All Harley bikers are obligated to wear the club emblem when they ride.
The rules of the Israeli Harley Davidson biker club, called "Moto Psychos," compel the members to maintain loyalty to one another; they talk on the phone during the day, go out for a drink or a bike ride at night, and assist each other in solving motorcycle-related technical problems.
The club is composed of people you are likely to run into on the way to work: Ziv and Raz work for high-tech companies, Guy is an air-conditioner distributor, Tony works as a disc jockey, and there is even one U.N. employee. Their main distinction is their general appearance, which includes beard bristles, a head bandana, leather clothes, unzipped boots, and tough facial expressions.
There is also a fixed set of club rules regarding the riding formation during the joint biker trips: The club president rides in front, the club captain rides alongside him, and the rest of the bikers ride behind them in pairs.
The "Moto Psychos" club members hold regular meetings to plan future activities and events, and currently they are working toward building their own American-style Harley Davidson clubhouse.
