JEDDAH, 26 October 2007 — Ten years of Harley Davidson’s presence in Saudi Arabia is being marked by the first official Harley Owners Group (HOG) rally to be held in the Kingdom. Over 200 HOG members participated in three days of motorcycle mania starting in Jeddah and continuing up to Durrat Al-Aroos beach resort 60 km to the city’s north.
The event kicked off with a press conference and barbecue on Wednesday to introduce the show to the press and bring many of the bikers together for a briefing.
Monther Al-Mutlaq, a hugely experienced biker himself and managing director of Al-Mutlaq and Sons, the Harley Davidson agents, said at their Andalus Road Harley shop that the event was a real milestone for motorcycling in the Kingdom.
“We are extremely grateful for the support of Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Jeddah Gov. Prince Mishaal ibn Majed, the General Presidency of Youth Welfare’s Saudi Motor Sport Committee and the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Without their support this historical event could not have happened,” said Al-Mutlaq.
He added that the HOG rally had a wider goal than just fun for the motorcycle’s owners. It is to highlight and demonstrate support for tourism in the Kingdom. “There is going to be a lot of fun, though,” he said. “The police and city authorities, General Security Department, Road Security Department and the Red Crescent have given us tremendous support,” said Al-Mutlaq. “Once they understood the show, they were very keen to help and make sure that the whole thing passed off safely with police escorts and road closures.”
Marwan Al-Mutlaq, general manager for Harley Davidson Riyadh, emphasized the safety aspect of the dealership. “One of our aims is to ensure professional instruction for new riders and training for all owners. Having the wind in your hair and enjoying the fun of riding and exploring the Kingdom on a motorcycle is really enjoyable, but safety comes first.”
Recently, the dealership secured the services of a professional police motorcycle instructor who is training novice riders. “This is good news indeed,” he said.
Thursday saw the start of the main event. In groups of about 15 riders each, the bikers roared out of the Sheraton car park for a “thunder ride” along the North Corniche on the way to Durrat Al-Aroos. Bikers from all over the Kingdom had traveled to join this historic moment for motorcycling in Saudi Arabia. Many of them, devoted HOG Rally attendees in Europe and the US, were festooned in memorabilia consisting of patches and badges sewn, stuck or pinned onto venerable leather jerkins and traditional biker wear.
Roland Bischofberger, a veteran biker, had ridden all the way from his home in Switzerland to join in the event. “This really is a unique occasion. I could not possibly have missed it,” he said. “At times there were difficulties on the route — paperwork and in Syria some very poor roads, but the HOG here was very encouraging and supportive I finally made it through and on time.”
A veteran of many European rallies, Bischofberger said that he saw the first Saudi Arabian event as very significant. “It will introduce the sport to whole new public.”
Activities Officer Amr Amawi, a collector of vintage Harley motorcycles, led the procession out of the Sheraton assembly point and on to Durrat Al-Aroos. “There is a tremendous feeling of brotherhood here today,” he noted. “There is something unique about the feeling of hundreds of bikers together, with a common interest and a passion for bikes.”
Director of the Jeddah Chapter, Ahmed Halawani, said in the late afternoon during the Tug of War games (which incidentally Jeddah Chapter won) that the day had proved an enormous success. “To get this number of riders and families together on a ride was a great start to the rally,” he said. “The fact that this was all done safely and with no accidents or damage shows that when organized well, it is safe and fun for everyone. I can see this becoming a permanent fixture in Jeddah which is good for everybody.”
The rally was certainly the time for letting the hair down and indulge in the fantasies that surround Harley Davidson. There is, for example, something quite touching about large muscular men with serious stubble dressed in intimidating leathers and spiked helmets greeting each other with bear hugs and kisses on the cheeks. But that is part of the local culture and oddly, it sits perfectly naturally in the macho-culture of screaming eagles, skulls and bones painted — and sometimes molded — as decoration on these machines. The steel-studded leathers that many riders sport resonate with heavily-strapped leather bags and decorations on many of the motorcycles above more chrome accessories than you could sensibly shake a stick at.
The Harley Davidson company has, over the last three decades, reversed the association of motorcycles with Hells Angels, notorious gangs many of them criminally inclined. What used to be the association “Bikers Equal Trouble” has radically changed. The entry level age for large and expensive motorcycles has risen in the case of Harley Davidson to 43 years, the same decade as Triumph (42 years) Morgan sports cars (46) and Aston Martin cars (45).
Several bikers observed drolly that the machines were just the down payment on a lifetime of customizing and buying accessories to individualize and personalize their machines. “It’s about much more than just bikes,” said Walt Heller from Riyadh and another veteran Harley rider. “It’s a culture, brotherhood and darn good fun rolled into one.”
Over the 10 years of the brand in the Kingdom, the demographics of ownership have changed. In the early years, 80 percent or more were expatriates. “Now it is nearer 60/40 with Saudis being the majority,” said Monther Al-Mutlaq. “The number of expatriate owners has not gone down, but the number of Saudi owners has increased dramatically.” He estimated that there were more than 1,800 owners in the Kingdom over a thousand of them Saudi.
Judging by the party atmosphere, families and children in droves thoroughly enjoying themselves in the fun and games, to associate bikers in Saudi Arabia with anything other than serious fun would be a grave error.
The rally concludes today with a cruise from Durrat Al-Aroos arriving in Jeddah at around 11 a.m. at the Harley dealership in Al-Andalus Street.