Harley-Davidson 100 Years anniversary ride

One hundred years. It's easy to say, but you have to pause to truly appreciate just how much has happened, how much has changed, in the last century. Indeed, when Arthur Davidson made the arduous journey from Milwaukee to Australia in 1917 to meet with Rob Morgan and Henry Wacker, they could never have foreseen the depth nor the longevity of the proud motorcycling tradition they were about to establish.

However, as history has proven, Morgan & Wacker's decision to import Harley-Davidsons was a sound one, to the extent that today the Motor Co is Australia's top-selling road-bike brand, the company selling 10,282 bikes here last year.

So when Harley-Davidson Australia turned its thoughts to how it could best celebrate its 100th year of operations in this country, the answer was clear – it was time to ride, and so the Harley-Davidson 100 Years ride was born.

Back where it began
Setting out from Morgan & Wacker in Brisbane on May 6, the cavalcade was led by Harley royalty in the form of Bill Davidson, great grandson of original company co-founder, William A. Davidson. Bill had flown out from the US with his wife Angie to take part in the 100 Years ride, and to see a whole lot more of our country from behind the 'bars of his favourite motorcycle.

Son of Willie G. Davidson, these days Bill is the Vice President of the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, but he's worked in the company for decades and knows it and its history inside out. He's also living proof of the passion that underpins the US giant, and that flows through each and every Harley-Davidson owner.

That passion was evident in the speeches Bill delivered at each dealership visited along the way, followed by the countless autographs he signed. Among the Harley faithful he's revered like a rock star, yet he's also a humble, down-to-earth man who gives freely of his time.

The dealership parties were great counterpoints to the riding that attracted Harley fans all the way down the east coast. After the initial departure from Morgan & Wacker, there were events at Gasoline Alley in Brisbane's south, followed by Northern Beaches H-D in Sydney, Canberra H-D, Phil's Garage and Traralgon H-D, before the entire ride wrapped up at Melbourne's Northside H-D (formerly Harley City) followed by a huge event at the reborn Harley Heaven dealership in Melbourne (also the store's grand opening).

Joining the pack
Bikesales joined in the milestone ride from Sydney, collecting a Street Glide from Harley-Davidson Australia's headquarters in Lane Cove before heading to the party at Northern Beaches H-D, in Brookvale.

It was a format to which we'd become well accustomed, with speeches from Harley-Davidson Australia & New Zealand CEO, Nigel Keough, plus the Dealer Principal of the shop concerned, a recorded video address from H-D President and CEO, Matt Levatich, and then a speech from Bill Davidson.

Together with the glittering display of hardware on show, including vintage examples at most of the dealerships (particularly Phil's Garage and Traralgon Harley-Davidson), these nights were festivals of all things Harley, the dealerships transformed into veritable 'churches' for their Harley disciples.

Australian H-D boss Nigel Keough also came along for the run south to Melbourne, as did a couple of special attendees in the form of Josh Chalmers and Paul McClean, and some of their immediate family. Harley-Davidson Australia has teamed up with the organisation Cure Brain Cancer, and the 100 Years ride was an ideal vehicle, pardon the pun, to raise money and the profile of this worthy cause.

Did you know brain cancer kills more Australian children than any other disease, and that it kills more Australian adults under 40 than any other cancer? We didn't either – which is why Cure Brain Cancer is doing the vital work it does.

Both Josh and Paul have different forms of cancer but they're united in their love of bikes. Each was thrilled to be asked along on the ride by Harley-Davidson, and other riders were inspired when they spoke with them and heard of their respective journeys and struggles. Click here to learn more about this worthy cause.

Ready to ride
Returning to Northern Beaches Harley-Davidson the next morning, we loaded our panniers and assembled for the first of several rider briefings outlining the day ahead. Each day our pack of between 40 and 60 Harleys had an appointed road captain, and a tail-end Charlie to pick up any stragglers.

The Harley Owners Group guys also turned out in force, helping the procession into and out of cities and major towns as well as riding along through their own patch and beyond.

A pack of 50-odd bikes thundering over the Sydney Harbour Bridge was a sight to behold as we made our way south to a stop at Bald Hill, Stanwell Tops, before hugging the coast to Nowra.

From there we turned inland for lunch at the great old pub at Nerriga, before enjoying a scenic country meander to the nation's capital. Canberra Harley-Davidson put on the fun that night, with a great four-piece band and a heap of people turning up to mark the occasion.

The next morning we were greeted by a chilly zero-degree start as we struck out for Albury, this time along the scenic Burleigh Griffen way to Harden, then down the Olympic Way to Wagga Wagga for lunch, before continuing on to our destination.

Time warp
Phil's Garage might have been one of the smaller dealerships on the itinerary, but what it lacks in floor space it made up for with a superb display of period Harleys and Harley memorabilia.

Maybe it had been that day's ride, maybe it was the fine old hardware on show at every turn, but Bill gave a particularly impassioned speech that night, going into great detail about what it was like to be a part of the fourth generation of this motorcycling dynasty.

The following day was one to truly savour – our route to Traralgon would take us to Bright and then up and over Mount Hotham, before hugging the Tambo River to Bairnsdale and the Princes Highway. Another chilly, this time foggy start saw riders digging out the thermals and winter gloves, but the sun soon rose and warmed things up for another stunning day.

The ride over Mount Hotham was sublime and we were treated to a real-life Man from Snowy River moment when the pack got caught up in seemingly hundreds of head of cattle being moved down the road. Complete with jackaroos (and jilleroos), it highlighted another tradition that has stood the test of time.

The chicken parmas were as good as ever at the Golden Age Hotel in Omeo, and the run south to Bairnsdale never fails to impress. The straight cruising of the Princes Highway to Traralgon was almost a welcome respite. Almost.

Traralgon Harley-Davidson, like Northern Beaches and Canberra Harley-Davidson, is quite a new dealership, and it's another impressive outlet. A number of vintage machines also turned out for the night, and two even made the short run into Melbourne the next day, flanking Bill Davidson at the head of the pack in a poignant run to the finish line.

The home run
The 160 kilometres into Melbourne was accomplished with ease on Friday, May 12. A long line of Harleys stretching off into the distance, engines rumbling, all in perfect formation and led by a couple of pristine Knuckleheads – it was stirring stuff. The surrounding motorists were intrigued, excited or concerned, or possibly all three.

In Melbourne two more dealership engagements awaited: an inspection of Northside Harley-Davidson and its superb museum, and the grand opening of Harley Heaven.

Northside was previously Harley City, before owner Dave Reidie recently sold the business to the Fraser Motorcycles group. Fortunately the spectacular assembly of rare vintage bikes will remain on show at the Brunswick establishment, and Bill especially was keen to show his appreciation of the fine old models on display.

As outlined in the separate news story, the culmination of the 100 Years ride – the official opening of the new Harley Heaven dealership in West Melbourne – was an eminently fitting conclusion to the ride and the celebrations.

What an incredible store, and one very much in the mould of a large US dealership. Amid the general revelry, Cure Brain Cancer received a major boost for its fundraising in the form of a cheque for $100,000 from the Vincent Chiodo Foundation. Vince, who died several years ago of brain cancer, was a part of the family behind Harley Heaven, Peter Stevens Motorcycles, PS Importers and Monza Imports.

On top of that, a new Street 750 was donated by Harley-Davidson Australia and an autographed pair of helmets, as worn by Bill and Angie Davidson on the 100 Years ride, were auctioned off for a cool $5000. Oh, and there's still a sweet Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special, signed by Willie G. Davidson, up for grabs – click here to purchase a 100 Year commemorative pin and be in with a chance to win it!

Timeless story
The evening capped off the ride in fine style. We can't help but wonder, what Rob Morgan and Henry Wacker would have made of the spectacle, had they been there. Once they'd recovered from seeing just how far Harley-Davidson motorcycles have come, we suspect they would have just taken in the scene with a supreme sense of satisfaction.

As for the legions of Harley fans today, well – we can only speculate as to what form Harley-Davidsons might take in another 100 years, but all indications now are that the future for the 'bar and shield' is exceedingly bright!