A Victory In Milwaukee
Checking Out the Harley 100th Bash

by Mark Junkerfeld
Issue #62--October 2003

Key in the bass riff of the Mission Impossible theme - Dunk,dunk.. da, da, dunk, dunk, da,da -

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to attend the 100th Anniversary Harley-Davidson Bash in Milwaukee. You will be riding the New American Motorcycle, a Polaris Victory. Observe the Harley party and return with yourself and the Victory intact. This message will self-destruct; make sure you don't.

Hmmmm, that doesn't sound so impossible. I've attended the major rallies and the H-D attitude is all but gone. Sure, you see the faded Jap Crap T-shirts, but if anything, there is a casual interest in other brands, especially those made in the good old US of A. But this is THE Harley get-together, the once in a century, mother of all made-in-Milwaukee worship tests. "Well," I thought, "I'll just sneak in, check it out and sneak back under the cover of darkness."

Victory didn't get the message on the stealth mode I was planning. The bike they provided was a 04 Touring Cruiser. What better way to blend in than on a

V-twin bagger? Yeah, but this one was in the factory and was purple with silver flames and wide whites. Quite the eye-catcher. "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth", I say. So I headed east behind the Cheddar curtain on a lovely 75-degree Friday.

I've ridden the Victory products for the last three years as a freelance demo rider. The company hauls several dozen bikes to six major rallies in two beautiful transporters. The demo fleet is a mix of the latest models. Once at the rally, the bikes must be unloaded, cleaned and prepared for rally goers who line up to try out the latest models on a 12-15 mile ride. Victory hires Motorcycle Safety Foundation Instructors to lead and follow. I follow. These rides go out on the half-hour 14 times per day. Great gig if you can get it, and I got it.

The only downside to being a demo rider is that you are responsible for the group. Anyone 18 and over with a motorcycle endorsement and not visibly drunk can ride. This is the general motorcycling public, so proficiency varies from serious wobblers to burnout kings. After three years I've seen it all, but that's another story.

Having ridden the Victory bikes thousands of miles, fifteen miles at a time, I was a little concerned about a 360-mile jaunt. I suffered serious butt bum on the earlier bikes. The new TC was treating me real well after the first 100 miles. It has the broad touring seat, 'sit up and beg' riding position and a tall windshield. The purple flamer also had the Stage 1 performance kit with K&N, remapped fuel injection and less restrictive pipes. This is the best bargain in motorcycling and is a dealer-installed option, good for about 10 percent more power.

With the tach reading 3.000 - 3,500, the Victory cruises at 75-85 mph. Depending on the left lane traffic, that's the pace I kept to Milwaukee. The fuel range of the five-gallon tank and a strong bladder, this meant I only made two stops. The trick digital display in the headlight nacelle kept me entertained by scrolling between miles traveled, time of day, number of gallons remaining and output of the alternator.

I was one of 20 guys being hosted by a gentleman who has been planning this for two years. Little did I know that our host has serious connections in Milwaukee and had serious dough. When I pulled into the driveway of the suburban home via Map Quest, the circular drive was the first giveaway. Can you say "Riding Vacuum Cleaner?" The place was 7,000 sq. ft., with a pool, a hot tub, and plenty of room. With twenty cots scattered throughout the mansion, everyone could escape the snore-athon that accompanies a bunch of old guys that are treated to upscale catered food and an open bar. I bunked in the billiard room ready to jam a cue up someone's nostril if the noise got out of hand.

The first evening's treat was comp tickets to the flat track races where the 500 singles and the Sportster class ran into the night. The highlight was a heat race with Chris Carr and Jay Springsteen on the front row. Carr took a comfortable lead to the finish but the aging Springer had everyone else a distant third. My Harley riding buddies kidded throughout the race that the Victory would be stripped to the hubs in the parking lot or simply smashed to smithereens. Funny.

Saturday was another gorgeous day and the 10,000 strong Harley parade was a big hit. You had to have a pass to ride it and none of us did, so we went on our own ride. With our host, his three sons and the 20 of us, we had our own mini- parade. And everyone in Milwaukee turned out. From the gritty neighborhoods along North Avenue to the magnificence of Lake Drive, people waved and people honked and kids held up signs and you've never felt so welcome in your life. The city infected the entire population with good vibes for the bikers.

The best stop along our tour was the old Harley factory on Juneau Avenue. When they talk about a brick and mortar economy, this is what they use for the model. Old industrial is the motif with a patina of history slathered on in big doses. I stared at this beautiful building and got seriously nostalgic. It's like being at Mt. Rushmore on a nice day. You can't help but feel patriotic. Thankfully there was no one selling a Harley at that moment at that place. I probably would have bought one.

I've never been brand specific. Whoever builds what suits me at a reasonable price gets my money. I love them all but choose the sport touring thing for now. I will admit the tour of Milwaukee was meant for a V-twin with relaxed seating, bags to stash your stuff at every stop and a little bark from the pipes. The Victory was perfect.

Our host continued to impress when he told us "The bus will be here at 8:30 to take us downtown for the Saturday night party on Water Street." So off we went to downtown Milwaukee with 150,000 people having the world's biggest street party. I never saw anyone being belligerent or violent. This was a younger crowd, so the locals must have turned out. Remember, the average age of a Harley buyer is mid 40s.

After the bands, the beer and another stop at the Brady Street party, we dragged home, thanks to a very understanding bus driver. Stories were swapped about what was seen and heard. I wouldn't doubt that any of it was exaggerated. The ladies on this warm night seemed determined to bare all at the slightest provocation, and there were plenty of provokers. It was pretty wild.

And that was it. I didn't have a pass for the Sunday night finale. Rumors held that the Stones would be the special musical guests, but it turned out to be Elton John. There were a couple of deaths on the road, but no serious incidents at the big parties that I heard about. In all, Harley put on one hell of a party and the Milwaukee area was behind it 100 percent.

The Victory carried me home in the same comfort it delivered on the way out. There was a lot of interest in the bike, even though it was a 99.9 percent Harley get together. The Motor Company has a serious lock on the big cruiser market, but I found there was room for a Victory in Milwaukee.

Thanks to Kris, Leeann, Scott and everyone at Polaris for a once in a lifetime opportunity - to ride a V-twin Victory to the 100th birthday party of the company that made the V-twin famous.

M.M.M.