Harleys begin ‘ride home’

HERMON – The rumble of Harley-Davidson engines could be heard Tuesday afternoon as motorcycle after motorcycle rolled into Central Maine Harley-Davidson on U.S. Route 2 for a party to celebrate the 105th anniversary of Harley-Davidson Motor Co.

Jim McCaslin, president and chief operating officer of Harley-Davidson, was all smiles as he talked about the kickoff event and the countrywide “ride home to Milwaukee.” Central Maine Harley-Davidson is a starting point for one of the 25 national routes.

“It will take us eight days and we’ll have a party at each dealership along the way,” he said. “We’ll meet more and more riders at each stop.

“It’s party, party, party – Milwaukee,” McCaslin said. “That’s kind of how it works.”

Since there is no sign-up sheet for the national ride, his individual riding posse “could be two to 200” strong, he said, but added, “My guess is there will be a couple hundred thousand” at the four-day national event in Milwaukee from Aug. 28 to 31.

McCaslin, driving a 2008 Harley Heritage Classic, will head out today for the 1,845-mile trek to Milwaukee. His group, which includes his family, will travel 200 to 300 miles per day taking the scenic route.

The first stop is Green Mountain Harley-Davidson in Essex Junction, Vt., scheduled for Thursday, then Performance Harley-Davidson the next day in Syracuse, N.Y. Other stops are planned at Harley-Davidson of Erie in Erie, Pa.; Toledo Harley-Davidson in Toledo, Ohio; Zips Mackinaw City in Mackinaw City, Mich.; and Harley-Davidson of Wausau, Wis., before the group rolls into Harley’s hometown on Aug. 27.

“At the [company’s] 100th anniversary I did Portland, Oregon,” McCaslin said. “This time I wanted to start on the other end of the country.”

The Bangor chapter of the Harley Owners Group is scheduled to leave next Tuesday because most riders can’t afford to take a week off, said Kelly Anderson of Hermon, the group’s treasurer and membership officer.

“This time I’m riding with my husband [Jerry], but I do ride,” she said. “I can’t let my husband have all the fun. If you see a white Harley going around with a big black Newfoundlander [dog] in the side car, that’s me.”

Wendell Sproul, who since 1988 has owned Central Maine Harley-Davidson, the local HOG’s sponsoring dealership, said he’ll probably head out with the Bangor group.

The big draw for Sproul, who got his first motorcycle in high school, is the newly opened Harley-Davidson Museum.

“People don’t realize what Harley-Davidson has done over the years,” he said. “Up until 1992, they used to build bombs. They’ve been in every war. They have a lot of history in America.”

Sproul said he’s very proud of his Harley dealership, especially since his three children all play a role in the company.

“This kind of puts us on the map with Harley-Davidson,” he said.

nricker@bangordailynews.net

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