My Passion With Eddie Clarke

I BOUGHT my first motorcycle back in 2001 and it had to be a Harley.

Like so many people, I had watched iconic films including Easy Rider, Marlboro Man and didn’t Arnie look cool riding the Harley-Davidson Fat Boy in Terminator? I passed my motorcycle test first time and went straight to the Leeds Harley-Davidson store and bought my very first bike, a Night Train.

When I was buying my Harley, the sales person said to me: “Eddie, this bike will introduce you to so many people and open many doors you never knew were even there to open”. He was right.

I immediately joined Aire Valley, the local chapter of the Leeds Harley-Davidson store and I also became a member of the Harley Owners Group (HOG).

The Aire Valley chapter is one of the largest chapters in the UK with more than 350 enthusiasts including celebrities such as the artist Ashley Jackson and World Superbike Champion James Toseland. Some of the very first people I met when I joined the club have remained very good friends of mine and my family’s.

The Aire Valley chapter meets for ride-outs a few times a month – we go to beauty spots to enjoy scenic routes. We regularly attend bike rallies and shows including our own rally at Wetherby Racecourse. As well as socialising, the Harley-Davidson clubs around the world do a lot of charity fundraising.

Our own chapter organises an annual event called ‘HOG on the Humber’ which attracts over 1,000 bikers from across the UK and raises money for local children’s charities just by riding our bikes over the bridge.

Wherever you go, people crowd around to admire the bikes and talk about their own experiences. We find we are often asked to get involved with weddings, birthday parties and even funerals. I made a Sheffield bride’s dream come true when I gave her a lift to the church on the back of my Harley, complete with her white dress although she did have to re-do her hair when she took her helmet off! The bike was on show at the reception.

It’s a family affair owning a Harley-Davidson, when I got married we had a ten-strong Harley escort which followed us in our Harley-Davidson pick-up truck to the church. I used to regularly collect my older daughter from school on the bike, much to the envy of all her friends. My other daughter is only four, but we already have her leathers ready and as soon as her feet reach the foot pegs, she’ll be on the back of the bike too.

I have owned three Harley-Davidsons and ridden over 70,000 miles. For me, it’s not just the ownership of the bike, nor is it the many people that I have met all around the world, but it’s the rich history from 1903 to the present which gives the brand its mystique, and makes owning a Harley-Davidson a way of life.