August 13, 2003
High on the Hog
Hundreds attend Harley-Davidson HogFest at GT's
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Snorting, rumbling and growling, the Hogs gathered Saturday at GT's.
Chopped and chapped, more than 400 Harley-Davidson enthusiasts wallowed in all things Harley during the daylong party called HogFest 2003. Hosted by GT's, who provided music, food and space, the party drew riders from around the region and state to ride, show off, compare notes and have fun.
Tom Handley, vice president and co-owner of GT's, came up with the idea for the festival while missing his fianc‚, Sheila, who died of cancer last winter. A motorcycle rider since he was 16, Handley now rides her sea green, customized, 700-pound Harley, still sporting her MS HAR license plates.
"This is a tribute to her," he said. "She loved the clothes, the lifestyle, the whole social world of Harleys."
Handley also threw the party, hiring four bands and waiving the cover charge, to celebrate the joys of riding - especially Harley-Davidsons, which he considers the crŠme de la crŠme of motorcycles. He even set up a concrete pit where riders could rev up their engines and send out great billowing clouds of smoke and deafening roars.
"Harleys are heavy, they are smooth," he said. "The motto on a Harley is: it can't be too loud or have too much chrome."
Bikers are a tight group, friendly to the core with each other, Handley noted. The dropped left-hand salute is a universal greeting among the two-wheeled on the road.
He also said today's motorcycles have outgrown their bad rep of bygone eras. Instead of looking for a fight or terrorizing others, today's motorcyclists are more inclined to charitable works, country touring and friendship.
"Riders are educated, articulate, generally middle to upper class people," Handley said, saying the rush of the open air and freedom of riding attracts riders in droves. "It's exciting and you hear things and smell things on a motorcycle."
"Everywhere you go, if a guy's on a bike, he's your friend," Handley added.
Barb Hanks was one of the 400 friends who came to the party. Staffing the Classic Motor Sports tent, which offered everything from Harley baby clothes to leather accessories for riders, she said more women are jumping on the craze.
"There's only so long you can sit there staring at the back of someone's helmet," noted Hanks, who was a passenger with her husband, Jim, for years before getting her motorcycle endorsement license two summers ago.
Randy Wolf was up in the area from Detroit this weekend, touring on his Harley with his girlfriend. Winding up at the HogFest was icing on the cake after their day of winding through Leelanau country on his Harley. A motorcycle rider since he was 16, he long dreamed of owning a Harley, finally buying one a few years ago.
"It's the freedom, you smell things and feel the wind," he said. "And people wave at you, not just other bikers; everywhere we went today, everybody seemed to wave at us."
Wolf said a nickname for Harley Davison is a wry HD - for hundred dollars. Having custom paint jobs, variations on every imaginable accessory and plus the coolest helmets and clothing is all part of the culture. But each item runs at least a $100, he noted.
"Every time you go in the store you walk out spending at least that," Wolf said.
"When you walk around here, no two bikes are the same," he noted. "That's how I've found some of the things I have by walking around and seeing what the other guy has that I don't."
Matt VandeKerkhof of Williamsburg was on hand with his extended family to help riders both keep up with the Jones and make a personal statement at the same time. Co-owner of Vande's Speed Shop (Tagline: where you go to go FASTER), they specialize in customizing Harleys, inside and out. They'll do everything but the paint.
"It's all individual taste, however they feel when they're on it is how they present the bike," said VandeKerkhof, who has been riding motorcycles - only Harleys - for ten years. "There's really not much that can't be done with enough time and money."