The 6th Middle East Harley-Davidson Rally takes place in Muscat from Dec. 7-10 and, much to our surprise, we were among the first to sign up for it — without even owning a Harley-Davidson! When I returned to Jeddah after a long summer break in London, it was to find that my husband had become immersed in a new passion. One of his colleagues, Capt. Diamond Robyn, is a veteran and highly regarded Harley motorcyclist and, among his bike collection, two happened to be here in Jeddah: An Electra Glide Ultra Classic and a Road King. He generously offered to teach my husband to ride on his Road King and thereafter encouraged him to join in with the Friday morning outings with a few other Harley riders. Having owned a motorbike myself in London when I was a student nurse in the 1970s, I really thought that my biking days were over.
However, I hadn’t bargained for the Harley Owners Group (otherwise known as “HOGs”). This was set up by the Harley-Davidson Motor Company to change the image of Harley riders as they were associated with the negative image of biker gangs, in particular the notorious Hell’s Angels. HOG is a non-profit organization and is active in fund-raising for charities, has spread worldwide and now has over a million members. Their priority when motorcycling is safety, not speed, and while they love to show off their extraordinarily ornate machines, they don’t go in for showing off at riding their bikes. This could be explained by the average age of the HOG: A respectable 45 years. On my second outing (the first was riding pillion with confidence-inspiring Diamond), much against my earlier reservations, riding pillion with my husband went well. To my surprise, I found myself enjoying this second motorcycling phase in my life. The patented rumbling growl of the Harley was also rather more impressive than the high-pitched whine of my little two-stroke Yamaha.
And then Diamond mentioned the Middle East Harley-Davidson Rally in Muscat. He said that most of the people going were shipping their bikes to Dubai and riding from there but that he felt this wasn’t the true spirit of attending a rally. The only way to do that was to ride the whole way, from Jeddah to Muscat. After two days of privately mulling over this idea, I fell in love with it: Memories of my own biking trip around the South West of England came back and there is nothing I love more than a new adventure. And I liked the idea of possibly being the first woman to cross Arabia on a motorbike! We told Diamond that we would like to join him on this ride and when his wife, Houria, heard that I wanted to go, my enthusiasm was contagious and she also decided to join in. (Houria doesn’t always ride pillion: In Jakarta, she owns and rides her own Harley-Davidson!)
However, enjoying Diamond’s generosity with the loan of his Road King on local outings was one thing. To ride his Road King to Muscat was quite another. My husband had finally realized his dream. If we were to do the trip, he HAD to become a fully fledged HOG member. Diamond was delighted to sell his bike to him. He became the proud owner of a 1450cc Road King, weighing in at around 730 lbs, complete with ornamental paintwork and a variety of customized extras.
We then heard that Jeddah HOG, Amr Khashoggi, was also planning to ride all the way to Muscat, in convoy with a driver with his van. He is a veteran of this marathon journey, having done the round trip last year on his Road King Classic. After admiring our newly acquired Road King, he suggested getting new wheels with tubeless tires: Ours have tubes and if we have a puncture, there will be nowhere to get it fixed. We duly followed his advice.
The journey from Jeddah to Muscat is around 2,500 kms. Friends in the Jeddah Chapter are concerned for my welfare as I have a spinal injury, quite a lot of pain, and mobility difficulties; my right leg has to be tied to the bike in case my foot slips off the footrest. How will I cope with such a journey, a tough one under the best of circumstances?
With these considerations in mind, we have ordered a high-tech “Road Sofa” seat from California, as well as a comfortable backrest. My husband and I then suggested leaving a day earlier on Dec. 3, stopping for the night at the Intercontinental Hotel in Taif to break up the long stretch across the desert to Riyadh. Diamond also suggested a two-night stopover in Riyadh at the Sheraton Hotel.
In Riyadh, we will meet up with the bikers from the Riyadh “Chapter” (about 35 of them) for the ride to the border at Bagha. There is a choice of routes: Either via Al-Kharj and Harad, or the longer route via Al-Hofuf. The Harad road traverses the sand dunes of the Rub Al-Khali, running in a straight line for miles and miles; it is covered with loose layers of sand and subject to unexpected sandstorms, making it very hazardous. Amr confirmed this information, recounting to us the dramatic story of how he and riders from Riyadh had been caught in a severe sandstorm last year; visibility had been reduced to a few feet and the expensive paintwork and chrome on their bikes was completely ruined. The Riyadh Chapter has therefore decided to take the safer route via Al-Hofuf. As even a mild sandstorm can cause damage, HOG member Essam Istanboli suggested that, as a precaution, we cover the paintwork and chrome in a thin layer of fairy liquid or grease to prevent sand blast damage.
From Bagha, we will continue to Jebel Dana, just over the border in the UAE, for another night stop. On Dec. 7, we will start the final leg of the journey from Jebel Dana, via Abu Dhabi and Al-Ain to Muscat.
We also have to think of fuel stops: Motorbikes have small fuel tanks and the maximum distance they can go is around 250 kms. Fortunately, although Saudi Arabia has vast expanses of emptiness, there are regular fuel stops along the major highways. Nonetheless, the addition of the van joining us means that we have the contingency of being able to carry a spare jerry can of fuel. Having to take regular and frequent fuel stops also means a welcome break for riders and we plan to stop every 150 kms, or 2 hours. Diamond informed me this complies with Harley-Davidson international rules. The disadvantage of riding a motorbike is that you are forced to be in one position for the duration, although the rider himself can add a second set of foot rests so that he can stretch his legs out. Pillion riders are glued in place. Another disadvantage is that in all that emptiness there are no chic cafes or restaurants on the way. I need my daily cappuccino, so I have already planned to take a packet variety and a thermos of hot water!
Meanwhile, Ali Ali Reza, currently the Jeddah Chapter HOG director, has organized the transportation of the other thirteen bikes to Dubai. As this process of shipping motorbikes between countries for Harley-Davidson rallies is a regular worldwide phenomenon, and the Jeddah Chapter has done this before, it is a fairly well rehearsed exercise. We watched as the precious machines were expertly loaded onto DHL trucks at the Jeddah Harley-Davidson dealership on Nov. 26.
We have discovered that riding motorbikes with HOGs is very different to being a “rice rocket” owner (the tongue-in-cheek nick-name given to the Japanese competition). The HOGs tend to ride for social reasons rather than as a means of transport. They also like their bikes to look immaculate at all times and almost as much time is spent cleaning the bikes as riding them. Then there is the dress code, the well marketed back up of Harley-Davidson designer clothing, the leather jackets and vests, the insignia, the badges and pins to be collected around the world; and the paraphernalia selection with which to decorate your particular machine. I likened it to the way the Jeepneys in Manila are adorned, for they are the only other vehicles I know of that represent the elaborate and whimsical taste of the owner to this extent. They are adorned with many inessential trinkets: Multiple lights, especially at the back; randomly placed shiny reflectors; skulls on top of brake lights and as fuel tank caps; writhing snakes as bike “jiffy” stands; tassels flapping at the end of handle bars and from the leather saddle bags. Buying a Harley is the tip of the iceberg; the moment it leaves the shop it is steadily dismantled and reconstructed, repainted, chromed and decorated. It is fun, it is entertaining, it is harmless, it is addictive — and it is very expensive. These annual rallies provide these affluent HOGs with a grand scale “Show & Tell” session and we are looking forward to our first experience.
Next: Join us on Harley ride from Jeddah to Muscat.