Two New Retro Rides

Harley-Davidson and BMW are similar in that they don’t just sell motorcycles, they sell a lifestyle. To immerse himself in both cultures, our resident bike nut took the new Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special and the BMW R nineT Scrambler for a spin.

- Cyril Klopper

You can’t really appreciate a Harley­ Davidson or a BMW unless you ride with other like­minded people. Both companies are at the vanguard of selling a lifestyle with their bikes, something that followers of both brands enthusiastically buy into.

In 2014 I went to the Harley­ Davidson Camdeboo Rally in Graff-Reinet­. Everyone was dressed in black leather and ban dannas with skull motifs. I was a little intimidated by these tough­looking bikers until I realised that most were merely middle­aged accountants and gastroenterologists playing dress­up.

At the recent BMW Pure & Crafted festival near Muldersdrift in Gauteng, there were no hardcore bikers with jingling chains and stern expressions. Instead I found a far less intimidating crowd, consisting of youngish professionals sitting on hay bales listening to indie folk music while sipping craft beer. Judging by the cheerful acknowledgements they gave each other, it seemed these get­togethers were a common occurrence.

With the lifestyle events checked off the list, it was time to ride the bikes. Would they resemble their humans: the Harley all tough on the outside and soft on the inside; the BMW so compliant and civil that it might actually give bikers a good name?

Let’s see…

Pick a route. The satin­black 2017 Harley­Davidson Street Glide Special is fitted with Harley’s latest “Big Twin” engine: the 107 Milwaukeeeight. I rode it from Cape Town to Hermanus and on to Barrydale, before heading back to the city. But first I had to wrestle the Harley out of a parking lot, giving me a proper workout.