Submitted by Dave Masko

FLORENCE, Ore. -- “It’s a raw burr and then sort of a sustained whine like an ambulance siren, if you’re asking me what my Harley sounds like on an open stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway. I’d like to say it’s the sound of freedom, America really,” says Betty “Coaster” Thielman who’s been riding her late husband Everett’s XR-1000 Harley-Davidson since he passed in 2005; in turn, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) reports more than eight million motorcycles are registered in the U.S.
Thielman, 68, thinks “riding the coast” is the best medicine. “You look at those twin high exhausts on the left and you understand how that blast rips from them. Add the beauty of the coast, and it takes all ones pains away.” This senior rider joined more than 4,000 other bikers over this past weekend in the central Oregon coast town of Florence -- that celebrated its “104th Rhododendron Festival” May 20-22 -- in what’s become a “gathering” of bikers from up and down the West coast. This “Hog Heaven” event where motorcycle riders like to hang-out, drink a lot of beer and then take rides up and down Highway 101 -- with the roar of the “Hogs” as its engines rise and rise, passing through a cry and into a scream -- as a groups of Harley riders have a lot of fun while not burning too much gas.
Motorcycles save a lot of fuel in a time of record breaking gas prices across America
The AMA states that motorcycles get between 45 and 85 miles per gallon of gas. Thus, with a gallon of the precious fuel nearing $5, “it’s better to ride a motorcycle than my old truck,” adds Thielman who thinks people are better off these days “getting a bike to ride.”
Also, motorcycle riding in U.S. is at an all time high, that’s now taken the “biker” into mainstream America with more families riding together than bike gangs. As the AMA states: "it's become big business in America."
For instance, the AMA reports that motorcycles of all types are “selling fast” in this economy, and it’s not just because a cycle does better on fuel. AMA points to a “lifestyle” that includes biker clothing, events, family activities and vacation packages offered at theme parks and resorts. In short, AMA states that motorcycling is a huge recreational industry bringing in billions and billions of dollars.
Also, the U.S. Department of Transportation helps market these two-wheel vehicles by noting that “motorcycles consume 60 percent less fuel per mile traveled, and a motorcycle can sometimes pay for itself with the amount of gas savings.”
Motorcycles come in all makes and models
The roaring din of the motorcycle engines aside, the “Hogs” for Harley-Davidson motorcycles, or “bikes” for other types of motorcycles, are a unique form of transportation that’s been around for more than 100 years.
Arthur Davidson delivered his first of his motorcycles in Cambridge, England, in 1906. Three years later, in 1909, the motorcycled arrived in the U.S.
“Close your eyes and think of a motorcycle,” said James “Megs” Zachi, “and chances are it’s a Harley-Davidson. But, I’d guess there are dozens if not hundreds of different makes and models.”
Zachi, a member of the “Rose City Motorcycle Club” in Portland, likes his 883 Harley Sportster because “it’s sort of a mythic bike. I get a charge out of hanging with other bikers here on the coast because they understand why I’m doing this. I guess I like showing it off.”
Other bikers seem to agree.
Bikers are a band of brothers and sisters who don’t want to be viewed as “Hells Angels”
Local Eugene legend Ken Kesey once asked the leader of the Hell’s Angels -- when down in Oakland, California, back in 1966 -- “how do you choose members?”
In turn, the head Angel told Kesey: “We don’t choose them, we recognize them.”
However, those days of the “Wild Bunch” and other Sixtes biker lore is more or less over, say bikers who attended the recent gathering of motorcycle riders of all sorts here in Florence for the annual Rhododendron Festival, that’s dubbed “Rhody Days,” by locals and bikers who prefer a biker sounding name for this event over one that just celebrates the blooming of rhododendron flowers.
“It’s all about friendships, and the thrill of the wind in your face. It’s about a certain type of continuity. That continuity anchors bikers and provides some stability in this crazy world of ours,” explains James “Road King” Cushing who participates in the Florence “Rhody Days” each May, as well as a variety of Oregon coast biker gatherings hosted by the Oregon Motorcycle Riders Association.
OMRA’s web site goes on to state how motorcycling has lost the “weirdness” of the past via those bad biker movies, Hell’s Angels and skull and crossbones on black leather outfits. “Today’s bikers are husbands and wives, professional people, everyday folks and mostly it’s become a family sport.”
Motorcycle riding promoted along the Pacific Coast Highway
At the same time, Travel Oregon and other marketing arms of the Oregon Tourism Commission have long promoted the glory of motorcycle riding with posters and ad promotions that celebrate the freedom of motorcycle riding.
One state advertisement from the 30 years ago, in 1979, points to the “variety of great motorcycle roads in Oregon and spotlights the Oregon coast as “hard to beat in its beauty and adventure” for bikers.
Cushing, who’s a certified public account by trade in the Portland area, also notes there are “dozens of dramatic viewpoints for riders to enjoy” on the drive down the Oregon coast. He also explains that bikers like to ride in groups of two to four over large groups of bikers because “it slows you down at gas or rest stops.”
“I’d give credit to the state of Oregon for keeping Highway 101 in good shape and just perfect for riders with the wide two-lane roads that are from border to border. That’s why so many bikers are riding in Oregon,” he said.
It’s also no secret that biker “nick-names” add to the fun. “I get to play on weekends and that’s a real escape for me and many others. The nicknames are just part of all that,” said Alice “Hardtail” Thomason from Salem.
Perhaps therein lies the reason that motorcycles continue to dominate the roadways in and around Highway 101 along the Oregon coast. “You take that big classic 1960s XLCH “Hog” Sportster that our friend has,” adds Thomason, “and it’s okay to drive around Salem, but the beauty of such a ride is taking it where you can really enjoy it and that’s the coast for sure.”
For more information about motorcycling on the Oregon coast, contact the Oregon Motorcycle Riders Association at omraoffroad.com or Oregon Motorcycle Adventures at oma-ktm.com. In addition, the AMA is America’s oldest motorcyclist association. It was founded in 1924, and its web site states “it’s protected the future of motorcycling and promoted the motorcycle lifestyle. AMA members come from all walks of life, and they navigate many different routes on their journey to the same destination: freedom on two wheels.”