Well, This Won’t Look Good On My Resume’

As I get closer to finishing the current chapter in this book that is my life, I have begun the process of looking into what lies ahead for the ole’ MotoWriter. 

Now, if you’re a regular MotoReader, you know that it’s been a while since I posted anything. If you’re new to the site, you might discover that along with motorcycle-centric content, I also pepper in some life advice and do my best to send good vibes out to the world in hopes of encouraging my readers to live their best lives while being good, decent humans. 

Whichever is the case, don’t worry… I don’t have any plans of shutting down my site or putting down my metaphorical pen. After all these years of sending my words into the world via the internet, I’ve realized that, at least a few, folks like you around the world actually seem somewhat interested in what I have to say. With my little site recently reaching over 100,000 views world wide, I realize that even in my temporary absence, my loyal MotoReaders are still checking in. I appreciate you, and it’s an honor for me to be able to have a few moments of your very valuable time… so thank you, and worry not- the MotoWriter will remain in this story, and may actually get a larger part.

With all that said, let’s get down to the aforementioned resume’ comment. While I love writing this blog, it only pays in satisfaction, and I can’t pay my bills with that, so I’ve been seeking out my next payin’ gig. 

In my current career path, I’ve learned so very much, have achieved several goals and I have, hopefully, succeeded in helping some folks. I’ve dedicated nearly half of my life to making this world a little better place. I doubt that I’ll ever have the same level of job satisfaction in any other career, but every chapter must end, before a new one can begin and the sun must set, before it can rise again. Nighttime brings rest to the world, and the new day brings forth new opportunities to begin fresh. 

I’ve been intrigued by motorcycles for as long as I can remember. I’m fascinated by the diversity in the types of machines, the types of people and the bond that we all share. Being a “motorcycle person” trumps all other characteristics. Details like race, ethnicity, sex and any and all the other identifiers that our current world assigns to every one of us, become secondary to the distinct characteristic of “motorcyclist” or “biker.” Please excuse my language  for a moment… but I fu**in’ love that! 

It’s with this passion that I started writing for Harley-Davidson Forums and why I eventually started writing this blog. I have been a lifelong fan of Harley-Davidson Motorcycles and, have been a loyal rider of these iconic machines for over 15 years, after I finally reached a point in my life, when I could actually afford to buy one. I’ve been to Milwaukee and I’ve stood where Bill Harley and Arthur Davidson stood. I’ve walked the same halls on Juneau Avenue, that generations of blue collar American workers designed and built these beautiful, soul inspiring, freedom machines. I’ve learned to work on them in the same classrooms where better mechanics learned to do the same and I’ve experienced the camaraderie of being a part of a worldwide collective of enthusiasts.

To hear that this company, this brand, this iconic representation of the great American culture is in such dire straits… is tragic. Harley-Davidson has endured through financial troubles, tariffs, embargoes, ruthless competition, poor leadership, misguided CEOs and more than a few bad designs, for over 120 years. Each time, however, the MoCo has been able to pull itself up and out of the tough times, by leaning hard on it’s most important assets- it’s loyal owners and followers.

Over the past several years, however, the leaders of our beloved Motorcycle company have made some grave mistakes… and they are just now starting to feel the affects of those poor decisions. So, at risk of losing any hopes of putting “Harley-Davidson Motor Company” as an employer on my resume’… I’m putting this out there for the world, and more specifically- the executives at Harley-Davidson to hopefully read:

YOU’VE LOST TOUCH WITH US

You allowed DEI and the “woke” culture to rust the iron of Harley-Davidson’s foundation. The “woke” culture and DEI practices are like salt on the roads of Wisconsin in winter. It helps to clear the path and expose what’s underneath, but the long term affects are rust and corrosion on the frames of your motorcycles that will eventually destroy the most crucial part that holds it all together. 

Like salt on the roads- “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” practices aren’t bad… but it must be done in moderation. I can tell you, that very few people actually care about how someone else is living their personal lives. The world we live in today is quite possibly the most inclusive that it’s ever been… that is, except for those among us who thrive on division- the people that dress and act bizarre, then get offended by others who react to their bizarreness; the people that get triggered by the lyrics from an old Christmas song from 50+ years ago, but then blast the most vulgar, misogynistic, lyrics from their car stereo, while driving past public parks and playgrounds.

When celebrities speak up and give their opinions on things… I just shake my head and ask WHO CARES WHAT THEY THINK? No offense to any of them, but why does the opinion of an actor, singer, dancer, etc… matter more than that of the guy that takes your order at your favorite restaurant, or the girl that makes your coffee in the morning? Because they can act? Or sing? Or dance? Or because they are wealthy? The simple answer is, their opinion doesn’t matter any more than yours… it’s just that you, or we as a collective society, seem to need some “publicly backed” validation for our own opinions. We have become a society of sheep… afraid of our own judgement. We feel like if Jim Carrey or Keanu Reeves shares our view on something, then it somehow carries more clout. It’s a ridiculous concept. Especially considering we don’t know who these people truly are, or even share similar lifestyles. I like a lot of both of these guys movies and have followed them for several years, but they don’t live the same life as me, and I’m guessing, most of you. I’m not saying they haven’t struggled financially, but I am saying that when they were starting their careers, living in their cars, waiting tables or playing hockey, nobody gave a damn about their opinion. It wasn’t until they became famous that everybody wants to know what they think about politics, religion, fashion or whatever. Keanu Reeves is a motorcycle guy… that’s about the only thing that he and I probably have in common… and our opinion on those are probably drastically different, by looking at the designs (and prices) of his Arch Motorcycles. 

Every company, every person for that matter, should try to practice diversity, equity and inclusion habits- recognizing the differences in people and appreciating the fact that our differences are what make us unique; treating each other fairly and not allowing personal prejudices and biases from affecting how we treat one another; and including people that are different from us to take part in the creation of advancement of a common goal, is something that good people, and good companies, do. But, like any good concept- someone put a title on it, claimed it as their own, new concept, and then started forcing extremist ideas down the throats of everyone, calling it “DEI.” The world got shamed into not being “woke.” Companies rushed to become “culturally sensitive” and the more they worked to change their “company cultures” and buy into this fabricated concept that someone else was selling to them, the more they lost. 

The fact is, that prior to the “DEI” initiatives, mandates and “woke” culture… the MoCo employed people of different races, sexual orientations, religious backgrounds, cultural backgrounds and, I’ll be willing to bet, that the vast majority of them worked well together, got along, got paid the same and felt that their diversity made them a strong workforce, felt that they were treated the same and felt included at their jobs. It wasn’t until someone from HR heard about this “new program” called “DEI”, that they started paying for the pamphlets, buying the programs and paying the DEI speakers to come in and tell people that they didn’t get along, because the DEI peddlers hadn’t “fixed them yet.” Yes, yes… DEI was being sold and the corporate hogs were buying. They forgot about the most important component of their companies… their people.

Harley-Davidson jumped into the DEI pool without floaties, and in doing so, allowed the company executives to drown the company in guilt-driven, detrimental behaviors, practices and policies. Policies, practices and behaviors that are contradictory to their core demographic of hard working, diverse, God and County loving Americans, and a whole world full of people who love, admire and respect the American culture. In trying to satisfy the DEI push into their brand, it backfired in the worst of ways- thousands of the brands most loyal enthusiasts felt insulted. Not because they were bigots, but because Jochen and his cronies insinuated that they were and shamed them for not falling for the “woke” political agenda that they were trying to force on them. 

To make matters worse- Jochen’s goal of making Harley-Davidson a “premium” brand… was inherently stupid and has cost the MoCo millions of dollars in sales. Harley-Davidson was already a premium brand… it had a diverse lineup of motorcycles that appealed to a large group of riders, and even though they were priced high, they were still (somewhat) attainable. Jochen’s goal, which has started to come to fruition, was to make them so expensive that only the elite (like him) could buy them. The MoCo execs chopped the lineup, focused on a few top-tier bikes and slowly raised the prices until they started becoming unattainable for the working class folks that have been buying and riding them for over 120 years. Honestly folks… I paid $35k for my wife’s SUV five years ago… and nearly $25k for my Road King Special, almost 10 years ago. Those numbers were, and are still, ridiculous, and they’ve only gotten worse as of the past few years. How can a motorcycle cost as much as a car? That is simply poor business practices. 

Then, to make matters worse, the boneheads decided to cut the entry and mid level models out of the lineup. The Evo powered Sportsters could be had for way less than $10k, and there were several models to choose from, that fit almost any rider’s style. The next up, and first to be killed off, was the mid-range, next step, Dyna family of big twins. Powerful, tight, fun motorcycles that were a bit bigger and added a few more options for the rider looking to step up a bit. Great motorcycles, but someone at H-D corporate decided that to would be a good financial decision to take a popular, good selling, item off the menu altogether. So, the decision was then made to take away a few popular options from the Softail lineup, but then rename a few Softails with Dyna names… and hope that no one noticed that they were paying more money… just to have a cool name like “Lowrider” or “Fat Bob” on their Softail. So, since the Dyna family (that consisted of several models to satisfy the desires of the diverse styles and personalities of Harley-Davidson big twin enthusiasts) had been cut, the obvious choice would be to add to the Softail lineup to make up the difference, right? Nope. The decision was made to cut popular models from the lineup, instead. The lineup of Softails consisted of a couple of models that carried Dyna names (Lowrider, Lowrider S, Fat Bob and Street Bob), and a Softail Standard (which was, and is, basically the same bike as the Softail Street Bob) the Heritage Softail, the Breakout and the Fat Boy. 

You may be saying, “OK MotoWriter, but what about the touring lineup?” Well… they cut it too. Incredibly popular models like the standard Road King, the Electraglide standard, Road Glide and the Electraglide were eventually severed from the lineup, and replaced with their more expensive counterparts- the Road King Special, The Ultra Classic Electraglide and the Road Glide Ultra… all of which will, after paying for tax, title, dealer set-up, freight, the sales manager’s lunch, the store manager’s bonus and the dealership’s power bill for that day, will set you back nearly $35k… yes… as much as you could get a nice, mid-range SUV for. 

Jochen’s plan to price Harley-Davidson out of business is really starting to take shape now. 

Oh, but what about the Sportster and the Pan America? Well I didn’t forget about them. The new Rev Max Sportster S and Nightster models seem to be pretty nice bikes. The Nightster is fun to ride, but it’s small… and starting at $10k for the base model and $12k for the “Special” which only offers slightly different styling, it isn’t a bad choice for a new rider that wants a Harley-Davidson… however, it’s Indian competitors give it a helluva run for it’s money, with a few models, and engine sizes, to choose from… all starting at the same price. As for the Sportster S… I’m sorry to those who like this bike, but at $15,999, it is terribly overpriced. In all fairness, I haven’t actually ridden one, I’ve only sat on one at the dealership, but after throwing a leg over it, I didn’t want to ride it… and for me, that is saying a lot, because I always want to ride a motorcycle… especially a new one that I haven’t ridden before. I do like the Pan America and while I think that they are priced a little high compared to their competitors, we will often pay a little extra for a brand we love and a well-established dealer network… call it the “Harley tax.”

Although the Pan America does create a new market of buyers and enthusiasts from the ADV crowd, that’s a niche group- not an entry, or mid, level market. The guys buying ADVs are older, middle to upper class riders who, while they can go off-road, will most likely buy these bikes for their upright riding positions, softer suspensions and more forgiving riding traits. The MoCo needs to focus on the younger guys and gals… the mid twenties to upper thirties folks that want fun, fast bikes that have some suspension, but are cool and still a little hardcore. Something that can be bought, built and customized for less than $15k. They need something to build off of, too… something like a comfortable entry level bike that they can get for $6-8k, then after a few years, trade in for the next size up for a few extra thousand. 

And as for the DEI bull crap- newsflash folks- motorcycle riders are the most diverse, equitable and inclusive group of people out there. Have you ever been to a bike night, seen groups of riders pass each other on the roads or been to a major bike event? People of every race, ethnicity, sex, social and economic background and sexual orientation are out there, waving at each other as they pass, talking to each other about their bikes, sharing stories from the road and donating their hard-earned money on good causes. Bikers and motorcyclists don’t need to be lectured about diversity, equity and inclusion… they need to be supported by the brands they love and spend their hard-earned money on. 

I know that Harley-Davidson is searching for it’s next CEO… and if the MoCo wants to hire a smart, down to earth, blue collar, guy that, with some good old fashioned common sense and American pride, will get the company back on track… I’ll be available for a very reasonable salary… but I won’t hold my breath, waiting for their call.

BIKE OF THE MONTH!

January 2021

For the very first (and hopefully not last) Bike of the Month feature here on The MotoWriter.com, I present to you, the MotoWriter's January 2021, Bike of the Month... 

Lee's 2014 Indian Chief Vintage!

My good friend, Lee picked up his beautiful, Springfield Blue Indian Chief Vintage as soon as Polaris released the revived brand into dealerships in 2014, which just happened to be the same year that Lee retired from the United Stated Navy with over 20 years of service to our country. Lee and his family moved back to Mainland, USA from his last duty station in Rota, Spain in 2014 and dropped their gear in the great state of Texas. When Lee got back to the Lone Star State, he was bike-less, because he had to leave his beloved 2006 Harley-Davidson Dyna Street Bob, aptly nicknamed "El Fuego", behind in Spain when the Navy shipped him back home. While Lee loved his Dyna, he had been anticipating the release of the new Indians since he first heard that Polaris had bought the rights to the Indian name and was planning on resurrecting America's First Motorcycle Company. It's only fitting that Lee would buy an Indian Chief Vintage, after all, the name "Chief" was very special to him, you see- Lee honorably retired from the U.S. Navy, at the rank of Chief. 

When Lee picked up his new Indian, he immediately started racking up the miles. He was riding his Chief Vintage all over Texas and even made a trip to South Mississippi to visit his ole buddy- yours truly. As a matter of fact, the day that he rode over, we took our bikes up the highway to Hattiesburg, so that he could get his first service done. As it turned out, we would only ride together one more time before he got offered a job back in Spain. Shortly after getting back to Rota, Lee quickly unpacked the Chief and set out to racking up the miles, or rather- the kilometers. In the past 6 years, Lee's Indian Chief Vintage has taken him through 11 countries, 5 of which he knocked out in a single trip, earning him the Iron Butt Association's "Saddlesore 1000" certificate, for riding at least 1,000 miles in 24 hours.

During another summer abroad, Lee took advantage of his ability to ride through multiple countries, by riding into France, then taking the Chunnel into the United Kingdom, riding through England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland. Most recently, before the country locked down again due to the resurgence of COVID-19, Lee was able to take his Chief on an 8 day trip, circumnavigating Spain. In all, Lee has racked up a whopping 100,000 kilometers (that's a little over 62k miles for the rest of us). That's an awful lot of riding, considering the fact that he works a full time job and lives in a country that is smaller than the state of Texas. 

Upgrades and Goodies

Lee's Chief Vintage remains mostly stock, with the most significant upgrades being a set of 16" ape hangers, a Stage 1 kit complete with hi-flow intake, those classic fishtail pipes and a Dynojet fuel controller, rear air shock, color-matched tank console, aftermarket windshield, a heated seat to keep him toasty on those cool Spanish nights, and a Kuryakyn Road Thunder soundbar to provide some toe-tapping tunes to help the miles pass by a little easier. Up next on Lee's list of upgrades is going to be a set of Cuztomkraft amber afterburner tail light lenses. Being in Spain, the availability and accessibility of aftermarket parts can be a little tricky as compared to living in the States, so a lot of the goodies he's added to the Chief have been ordered from all over the world, with the latest order coming in from Australia.

It's not what you ride

Lee and I share the common belief that, it's not what you ride, but rather, that you ride. You see, Lee and I both grew up in working class homes and we learned at a very young age that it doesn't matter what you have- as long as you're happy. Lee and I both started out riding old, ratty street bikes- I had an old Kawasaki EX500 and he had an old Honda Interceptor 500 and, at the time, we felt like the coolest kids on our respective blocks. Of course, as the years went by and we started enjoying some success in our individual careers, our bikes got much better. Lee has owned a variety of bikes to include a Suzuki, an Aprilia, a Harley-Davidson and now an Indian. He routinely organizes and leads group rides around the Navy base in Rota which often consist of every make and model of motorcycle available in the area. Following one of the most basic rules of motorcycle group riding, he and the rest of the group simply ride to the skill level and ability of the weakest rider on the smallest bike. Being an MSF instructor for the base in Rota, Lee understands the importance of teaching new riders the skills they need, so that one day they will be able to carve the corners of some random, mountain road and stay safe when doing it, just like Lee does, on his 2014 Indian Chief Vintage. 

Check out more pics of Lee's 2014 Indian Chief Vintage, here:

An Open Letter To Harley-Davidson Executives

An Open Letter To Harley-Davidson CEO Jochen Zeitz And The Rest Of The Milwaukee, USA Executives

As a blue collar, working class customer that has spent well over $100,000 on your motorcycles and products... I humbly request your attention for a moment.

Dearest CEO Zeitz and all of your fellow purveyors of Milwaukee's finest Steel Horses,

I hope this letter finds you well- happy, healthy, stress and COVID free. I am writing this "open letter" to you on my blog because, well... simply put, I'm sure that you get more mail and letters than you can possibly keep up with and I have no doubt that you likely don't have enough time in your busy days to read any of them. I also have a few readers of this blog and I'd like to think that I can speak for them, when I say that we need to talk. I'm writing this letter "openly" so that I can share it with my readers, as well. 

Now, I don't honestly expect my simple little blog, being written down here in South Mississippi, to be read by any of the powerful executives in the ivory towers of the Motor Company of Milwaukee, but as I've said before- nothing will happen if nothing is done, or in this case- if nothing is said, so I have to at least try.

First of all, let me begin by saying that this is NOT a letter of dispute or animosity, but rather, an honest, working class evaluation of your products, marketing and business practices. 

Motorcycles are a major part of our lives. We ride them, some of us race them, many of us wrench on them and some of us even customize and build them. Some of us can afford to buy new ones, others can only afford to buy used ones, but we all find our own ways to get out on two wheels. For many of us, our ultimate goal in motorcycle ownership is becoming the proud owner of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. 

A little over ten years ago, I bought my first Harley-Davidson motorcycle- a brand new 2009 Road King Classic. I traded in my 2006 Yamaha Stratoliner "Midnight" in January of '09 and rode home on what seemed like one of the coldest nights of the year. The Stratoliner was the first brand-new motorcycle that I had ever bought- the Road King was the second. As the years went by, I began to have some minor electrical gremlins in my Road King- the speedometer and cruise control would sometimes stop working and the "check engine" light would randomly come on. I brought it to the dealer a couple of times, but they could never seem to find the issue. It didn't matter, not really. I racked up around 35k miles on it in over the next few years until I happened to walk into the dealership one day in 2013 and found myself ogling the new bikes. You can probably imagine where the story goes from there. I ended up trading in one bike for another over the next 4 years, starting with a brand new, 2013 Road Glide Custom. I moved on to a 2012 Wide Glide, then finally settled in on a 2011 Road King Classic. I truly believed that I would keep the '11 Road King until the wheels fell off. Unfortunately, I got on my trusty Road King one morning and noticed that the rear brake pedal was locked in place. As it turns out, the ABS system was failing, apparently due to moisture in the system. The year was 2017 and the month was July. I had already seen the new Milwaukee 8 and test ridden a new Road King Special, so when I got the brake diagnosis... it was a pretty easy decision to make- trade in the '11 and ride home on the '17. 

Needless to say, I've spent quite a lot of money on Harley-Davidson motorcycles, as well as parts, accessories, clothing and other products, in the past 11-ish years. Even though I've dealt with some mechanical issues, I've stayed loyal to the brand. Not because I have some unhealthy or unreasonable obsession, but because I like your motorcycles and I want to support an American company that has been able to stay afloat since the early 1900's. That being said, I think it's extremely important for you all to remember that, much like many of your customers, I am a blue collar, working class American. I don't make a lot of money, so I prioritize my spending on the things that I enjoy the most- one of those being riding my motorcycles.  

An honest review

When I bought my 2017 Road King Special, I had come to terms with my motorcycle addiction and settled in on the, very real, possibility that I could end up trading it in on another bike within a year or three. I came close a couple of times, but the sheer beauty of the bike (and power from the 107 M-8) has kept it safely parked in my garage for the past three years. If any of you are actually reading this, then I would encourage you to click here and check out the video review that I did on my beloved 2017 FLHRXS. I wont get into all the details in this post, but I will just tell you that I have some complaints about some of the quality and craftsmanship issues with this bike.

Make no mistake about it, I'm not about to run down to the Indian Dealership to trade it in (although those Dark Horse Springfields do look pretty badass and that new Challenger is quite intriguing), but I paid a premium price for, what I thought was supposed to be, a premium product and that's where you guys failed me. Harley-Davidson motorcycles have long been known for their quality fits and finishes (at least since the buyback) and every one that I've had before this one hasn't let me down. In my relatively short time riding this gorgeous scooter, I've seen trim parts fall off, painted parts rust through the finish and other parts oxidizing or rusting. I know what you're thinking- I keep it outside, right? Wrong. This bike (along with all of my other ones) rests safely in an enclosed garage every night. While I'm not a fair weather rider, I do try my best to avoid riding in the rain and I do a better than average job of keeping it clean. The bottom line is, somewhere along the way, someone in the MoCo started authorizing corners being cut and the people that suffer the consequences are blue-collar working folks like me. 

Seize the opportunity to improve

You have a unique opportunity at your feet right now. With the global pandemic threatening the very way Americans (as well as bikers from across the world) ride our motorcycles, you have a chance to set things right. Want to know what riders want? Just ask us, I promise we'll tell you and we won't hold back. Fly me to Wisconsin for a week and I'll give you some ideas that will increase sales, reach more customers and improve customer satisfaction... and I'll even let you take all the credit for them... more or less. 

One thing we'd like to see- better quality and more attainable bikes. I know what you're thinking- "we can offer 84 month financing to make the $25k motorcycle more attainable", but I'll stop you right there. You're not going to be able to sell too many people on the idea of financing a toy for the same amount of time it takes for their kid to go from kindergarten to junior high- it's just not reasonable. Why does a Road Glide Special cost nearly $30,000? Why does an 883 Sportster need to cost almost 10 grand? I know why... because somewhere along the line, somebody heard the term "diversify" and went nuts, making tons of T-shirts, jackets, pants, belts, wallets, watches, hats, etc, etc, etc... and that's just the apparel side of the house. The diversification of the company's products extended into motorcycles and motorcycle parts, too. I mean seriously... how much sense does it make to kill off the entire Dyna line, a line of bikes that had (and still has) a cult following, to save money... just to replace it with a whole new line of bikes that were an absolute failure (I'm looking squarely at the Street line of bikes). I would love to see a Milwaukee 8 powered Wide Glide or Super Glide, but no... someone in a corner office in Milwaukee made the failed assumption that H-D fans are too stupid to realize that the new Softail Standard and the Softail Street Bob are the same bike.

Let's look at this reasonably- Harley-Davidson motorcycles has the largest aftermarket of any brand... do you really need to have your hands in the pockets of the aftermarket companies? You sell the bikes, those companies make them better. If I want to replace the shitty stock grips on my Road King (and I do), I can spend around $60 for a nice set of premium Avon grips, or I can spend $150 for a set of similar grips that say "Harley-Davidson" on them. You guys spend more money trying to flood the market with your own parts, just trying to steal a few extra bucks away from companies like Kuryakyn, Avon, K&N, Vance & Hines, etc, when you could have spent that money maintaining the quality of your bikes, or even lowering the price a bit, instead. 

Instead of screen printing a half a million T-shirts every year that you are just going to stuff in your dealerships with $30 price tags, or re-branding $180 HJC helmets with the H-D logo and trying to sell them for $350 (yeah, we know you guys don't make your own helmets), why not save that dough, reinvest it back into the company and drop the prices on these bikes by a few thousand bucks, instead? I may be a simple nobody from South Mississippi here, but I can tell you that it makes a helluva lot more sense to sell 100 motorcycles for $20k each, than it does to sell 50 at $25k each. Not only would you make more money, but you'd also get your product out there to more people, thereby increasing (and improving) your brand recognition which would increase customer demand for your bikes. More bikes on the road means an increase in maintenance services and more sales of maintenance parts. Hell, you'd probably even sell significantly more motorcycles when folks realize that they can more easily justify the cost of them. If you think that keeping prices extra high to promote the "premium brand idea" is the wisest choice to make- let me remind you of how that worked out for the Stellican Ltd. Indians. They were beautiful, expensive failures because only the uber rich could afford to buy them. 

Look, I could go on and on, but then we might not have much to talk about in the Harley-Davidson Headquarters' board room after we negotiate the terms of my consulting fee (I'm more affordable than you might think). The bottom line is that I, along with millions of other avid motorcyclists, love the Milwaukee Motor Company and we love our bikes. We just want to see future generations be able to buy and ride them, too. 

It would be a damned shame to see the legacy of William Harley and Arthur, Walter and William Davidson, wither and die because of a few too many bad decisions made by those men and women who were entrusted to keep the company alive. 

I'll be waiting to hear back from you on when to expect my flight and hotel reservations to come through, but in the meantime- be safe, make good choices and enjoy the holidays.

Sincerely, 

J.D. aka, the MotoWriter