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July 13, 2007
Harley riders take Israeli roads
Motorcycle club members share delight in a bike that's relatively
new to their homeland.
GAIL LICHTMAN ISRAEL PRESS SERVICE
During the week, they are doctors, lawyers, dentists, accountants,
businessmen and teachers. But on weekends and holidays, they don
their leather jackets, boots, gloves and bandanas, rev up their
Harleys and roar down Israel's highways like a Hell's Angels invasion
of the Holy Land. They are the members of Riders of Israel (ROI),
the country's Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Club.
For more than 100 years, Harley-Davidson Inc., the Milwaukee-based
manufacturer, has been turning out heavy motorcycles known as Harleys
(nicknamed "hogs"). Long associated with the ultimate
experience in male bonding, as well as the subculture of motorcycle
clubs and gangs, these bikes have a distinctive design and sound
that attracts a loyal following no matter where they are sold. Since
the first Harley dealership opened in Israel in 1989, Israelis have
been just as susceptible to their allure. Today, there are some
580 Harleys on the country's roads.
ROI was started some four years ago to provide Harley owners in
Israel with the opportunity to meet and ride together.
"Harley owners like to be seen," explained Arnon Aharonson,
54, of Ma'aleh Adumim. "We like to ride in packs and have people
gawk at our bikes and clothes. We like to stand out and the ROI
trips give us the chance to do all this. When 100 Harley riders
zoom down the road, people notice."
The group has some 150 members. Given the high cost of Harleys –
between $20,000 and $51,000 US – and the fact that in Israel,
a special licence is required to ride motorcycles with engines over
500 cubic centimetres, this is not a bike for kids. ROI members
tend to be older and more established, ranging in age from 30 to
70. Not surprisingly, given Harley's macho image, only about a dozen
are women.
ROI organizes two major trips a year – during the interim days
of Passover and Sukkot – either to the Negev or the Galilee.
It also does shorter trips around the centre of the country on weekends
and on the last Tuesday of the month. There have been trips abroad
– to Cyprus, Jordan and Italy. And the group has sponsored
trips to Jerusalem – to the Western Wall. Wives often ride
on the back of the bikes or accompany the pack in cars, with kids
in tow.
"The Harley is more than just another motorcycle, it's a lifestyle,"
said Harley owner and ROI member Ron Edelheit, a 48-year-old tour
guide from Maccabim. "That is why we wear the jackets, patches,
boots, T-shirts, etc., when we ride. There is nothing like riding
down the open road with other Harley riders. You have to do it to
understand."
An illustrator and artist, 48-year-old Udi Lichtschein of Herzliya
is the man behind the creation of the famous "Bamba baby"
– the symbol of Israeli snack food company Osem's bestselling
product. A former head of ROI, he, like most Harley owners in Israel,
had dreamed of riding the bike since he was in his teens.
"I rode Japanese and Italian bikes. They were good, but they
weren't Harleys," he noted. "Then 15 years ago, I got
my first Harley.
According to Lichtschein, "Riding a Harley is a total experience
– and that is why we like to customize and accessorize so much.
Each one of us personalizes his bike to such an extent that you
will not find two Harleys exactly alike in all of Israel. Something
is always different – the color, saddlebags, seats, lights,
etc. There is no end to what can be done. The minute the bike leaves
the dealership, we Harley owners start changing it to meet our individual
tastes."
"Owning a Harley is a religion that transcends everything,"
said Stewie Gopstein, who, since 2001, has been operating the Harley
dealership in Tel-Aviv, together with Eitan Ben-Ari. "It spans
and bridges every difference – secular, religious, young, old,
left and right. All that is important is the shared love of the
Harley. This is our common language."
Gopstein and Ben-Ari, who are also ROI members, are a perfect example.
Gopstein is a religious Jew who made aliyah from Brooklyn to Jerusalem.
Ben-Ari is a native-born Israeli from secular north Tel-Aviv. They
met when both came to the previous dealership to buy Harleys and
became friends. When the owners of this dealership ran into financial
difficulties, the pair decided to take over.
The dealership offers 25 of the 35 Harley models available in the
United States, with engine sizes ranging from 883 cc to 1,586 cc.
Since the duo started, they have sold more than a third of the bikes
now on the road in Israel. And this does not take into account the
20 Harleys sold annually to the Israel Defence Forces military police.
"Over the last few years, the Harley business has been growing
steadily," Gopstein noted. "The bikes have a high resale
value and can last for years, so there is a sense of security in
investing in a Harley."
Nevertheless, people don't buy Harleys purely as an investment.
"There is something about a Harley which makes me happy,"
said Ben-Ari. "Maybe it's the freedom, being on the open road,
the sound of the engine – I really can't say what. But riding
a Harley puts adrenaline into my life."
"I work long days," said Edelheit. "When I finally
get home from one of my tours, I am dead tired. I take out my Harley
and, after just 15 minutes of riding around, I have a smile on my
face. It changes my whole day and that's what is so fantastic about
it; what makes it so worthwhile."
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