Harley-Davidson Open Road Tour Ride
By SCOTT ROUSSEAU
PHOTOS BY HENNY RAY ABRAMS
f7 t's a party so big that it will take an
\I entire year to reach its conclusion.
I'm talking about Harley-Davidso'n's 1DOth anniversary celebration,
of course, the conclusion of wttich
will take place with The Ride Home,
which will see just about every fan of
the fabled Milwaukee marvel invade
the streets of Wisconsin's largest city
to revel in a century of great motorcycles.
But what's that? You say you can't
make it to Milwaukee? New job?
Couldn't get a hotel room? Wife or
girlfriend already commandeered
your mount and started off on the
journey without you?
Well, friends, take heart. Kinda like
a Rolling Stones tour, Harley-Davidson will be playing a 1DOth-anniversary gig in a region near you sometime this year. It's called the 1DOth
Anniversary Open Road Tour, and it's
one hell of a good time.
Recently, Harley-Davidson invited
us to check out the first Open Road
Tour stop by giving us the opportunity to take a spin from its corporate
headquarters in Milwaukee to the
stop in Atlanta, Georgia. To say it
was a good time would be an understatement, and we'll be giving you an
inside look at the Los Angeles Open
Road Tour a few issues from now. In
the meantime, the best part of any
tour is still the ride. Here are a few
snapshots from the road.
CN
(RIght) Hlttin' The Road: Led
by our guide, the soon-lo-berechrlstned Paul "Diesel Boy"
James (left), our group of
100th Annlversary-modelmounted journalists heads
south toward AUanta for the first
Open Road Tour stop. James
eamed his dubious nickname
when he filled his ride full of
diesel fuel at a gas stop In
Bloomington, illinois. Even better
than that, the attendant told him
he was the second rider of the day
to do so, and then directed him to
dump the tank on the gas station
lawn.
(Right) Lunch was served at Kegel's
Harley-Davidson In Rockford, Illinois.
Kegel's Is the oldest surviving HarleyDavidson dealership in the world,
having first opened Its doors In 1909.
Part of the dealership Is this classy
litUe diner, which Is open every day.
Check out that XLCR Cafe Racer; a
pretty nifty centerpiece, don't ya think?
50
SEPTEMBER 1 1, 2002'
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