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BIG X / EXCELSIOR HENDERSON
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When you think of the great American motorcycle, what name and picture comes into your mind? Most people will say "Harley Davidson" without a second breath. Some will picture Steve McQueen in the movie Easy Rider as an outlaw biker / rebel. Or they will think of the consummate 1950's rebel, James Dean and Rebel Without a Cause. Definitely a more romantic and historical view of the Harley Davidson. But, for the most part, people seem to associate it with the outlaw bikers of the 1970's.
Yes, people envision the "HOG". A loud, obnoxious outlaw bike with a pot-bellied, greasy, leather-clad, Hell's Angel riding it. The bikes are stereotyped as loud in sound and lots of chrome with "ape-hanger" handlebars way above the drivers head and a chopped front end with long front forks protruding out. This bike is affectionately known as a "chopper."
What people are starting to realize is this is not what Harley Davidon's are. Today, there are white collar executives and baby boomers throwing a leg over this once nasty, dirty stereotyped motorcycle. These people riding them now hang up the Brooks Brothers suit and put away the wing-tips Friday night and transform themselves into weekend road warriors, complete with jack-boots and a black leather jacket. They are not out causing mayhem on the streets of their affluent suburbs, but cruising the road working off the stress from their executive positions they work at Monday through Friday.
The Harley Davidson of today are chique and statement of success. They are freedom from the office and a great way to work off stress and express yourself. These bikes are a part of the family, just as much as the
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family dog or cat. Often when family pictures are taken, the bike will be included. They are very popular on the family Christmas card! Yes, the mystique of a rebel, but the undeniable life of a baby boomer!
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