A Moment Of Harley Davidson History
June 12th, 2009 | 
Author: A Moment Of Harley Davidson History
Harley Davidson bikes have long since made an indelible impression on popular culture. There is a unique sense of freedom that these bikes provide and that is why so many of us have a love and fondness for “biker culture”. Sadly many of us have a negative opinion about bikers and this negative opinion can be traced back to one single event in 1947. Or more accurately the negative opinion can be traced back to the ott wrong reporting of the top inaccurate reporting of the event.
So let’s turn back the clock and examine what happened in 1947 that altered the public’s perception forever towards folks who love Harley Davidson bikes…
The Hollister Riot
The event has become called the Hollister Riot and it took place on July 4th 1947 in Hollister CA. The event was a bike rally that featured four thousand members of the Yankee Motorbike organisation. Bike rallies had become preferred in the post World War 2 time as more men were taking up the hobby of group bike riding. In this instance the gang arranged to celebrate the American holiday. But why did motorcycle clubs become so popular?
The recognition of Harley Davidson
There were a number of reasons why motorcycle riding became wellliked. Glaringly they are fun to ride and offer a different experience than riding in an auto. Most importantly Harley Davidson produced excellent bikes that handled well on the road. This assisted in promoting their appeal in the market. Also Harley Davidson motorcycles had developed a unique brave image over the prior decades. During World War I many Harley Davidson bikes were shipped overseas to be used in combat situations. This forgotten piece of history aided in adding to the adventurous image these cycles achieved. All of these factors made a contribution to the booming popularity of the cycles and more and more people began to purchase them.
The Harley Davidson myth
This led to a weird myth that circulated in the late 1940′s about Harley Davidson bikes and the lads who enjoyed riding the cycles. This myth was the notion that the bulk of the folks forming bike clubs were lonely dissatisfied men who rode the roads searching for their niche in the globe. While it is possible a certain proportion of riders embodied such a delinquent image the overwhelming majority were simply having a good time. However stereotypes endured and the Hollister Riots established the very negative albeit inaccurate opinion of such riders.
Really there were no riots that happened in the event. The main problem was absence of planning. The 4000 people who turned out for the rally were much more than what was at first anticipated. This led to disorganisation and overcrowding which in turn led to a little rowdiness pissed behavior and plenty of reckless motorcycle racing. Sadly the news media reported tales of biker’s trashing the town causing riots and committing acts of violence. Such exaggerations were incredibly incorrect but the damage from the reporting was done. It led to a stereotype of Harley Davidson motorcycle owners which permeates to a certain degree to this very day. So for better or bad the Hollister Riots were a major outlining moment in Harley Davidson history.
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About the writer: Jack might be an escaped lunatic with an infatuation for anything Harley Davidson. Check out the Harley Davidson forums for more Harley Davidson fans.
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