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My Love of the Harley-Davidson Motorcycle
In 1934 at the age of 10, I was first introduced to a Harley-Davidson
motorcycle by one of my dad’s garage customer who owned a 1930 Harley.
Every time he drove up to my dad’s garage, I pestered my dad to get me a
ride on that Harley. Finally one day when the customer came in with his
motorcycle, he took me out for a ride and that was the beginning of my
love affair with Harley-Davidson.
This was a tall person and I’m sitting behind him and all I can see is his
back. I had to peer around each side of him to see where we were going.
But I really loved the ride, and I said to my dad after, “Dad when I get
old enough, I’m going to buy me a Harley-Davidson.” Well the years went by
and finally when I was 16 years old and had a drivers’ license, I
purchased my first Harley-Davidson. It was a 1937 – 80 cubic inch,
nicknamed “the stump puller” because of its power compared to other
models. What a beautiful white machine, but it sure looked like a giant to
me, as I was a lightweight at 5’9” - 125 pounds (soaking wet).
I purchased the 1937 Harley from a gentleman named Jim Henry. The Second
World War had started and Jim Henry was already stationed in England with
the Canadian army. His father ran a leather tannery shop business called
Henry’s Tannery. I heard through a friend of mine that Jim had gone
overseas and maybe his dad would sell the motorcycle. So I approached Mr.
Henry (a really nice man) and said that I was interested in buying his
son’s Harley. Would he sell it? Well he said to me that he would have to
send a letter to his son in England and find out if he did want to sell
it. I just about died on the spot as I knew how long that would take and I
wanted it now. He stated he would contact me in 3 weeks and I should have
an answer by then. I continued to call him every week. Finally the last
time I called after about 3 weeks, he said, “Yes I got a letter from my
son and he will sell the Harley.” That was a thrill for me on hearing
that. I went over to have a visit with him and he said his son wanted $300
for the motorcycle. It wouldn’t have made much difference to me what the
price was because I knew I wanted that particular Harley. So I said, “Ok
I’d love to buy it and here’s the way I’m going to pay for it (as I was
still in high school working part-time for my dad) I’ll give you $50
dollars down and I will pay you $50 a month until it’s paid for.” The
father agreed that would be fine, no contracts, and no bill of sale –
nothing more than a handshake. At that time business was done with a
handshake and a handshake was good as any registered contract you could
ever have. That’s the way my father taught me – you give somebody your
word and shake hands – that is a deal you have to live by.
So we shook hands – I gave him the $50 dollars and took possession of the
motorcycle. As I was leaving he said to me that when I finish paying for
the motorcycle, I’m going to make you a set of leather bags as a gift. I
said that would be wonderful and I’d love that. Thinking about that, he
was pretty smart; he was going to make sure I was going to pay for the
motorcycle by offering me a set of bags.
I paid it off before the due date and Mr. Henry presented me with a
beautiful set of custom made saddlebags, which you can see in the picture,
as the bike originally didn’t come with bags.
When I picked up the bike, I had a little bit of difficulty starting it. I
really didn’t have the fine art of cranking the motorcycle without
standing on the crank to get it started. But finally I got it started and
later on I learned the way to start it which was switch off – choke on
full – crank it over 3 times – turn the switch on – choke half ways – one
good brisk kick and it started instantly. The low rumble was music to my
ears and senses. After sitting there for a while getting used to the
controls, I drove it over to my father’s garage. I can tell you he wasn’t
happy. He didn’t like the idea. He used to ride a Henderson Four as a
young man years ago. He had an accident on it and he said to me, “one way
or another that Harley will hurt you.” His predication wasn’t right
because 70 years later I can attest that this has never happened to me. I
cleaned and polished it up and had it looking like a shiny new nickel. It
had low miles, probably 7 to 8,000 miles on it. After having some great
riding fun all summer, I had to store it for the winter. The next year
when spring came around in 1941, I participated in flat track racing. In
our city of Regina, Saskatchewan in Canada where I was born & raised, they
had a prairie racing circuit. At the exhibition grounds, there existed a
dirt track for horse racing. On that track I started practicing for an
upcoming race. It was really something. I took the front fender off on the
advice of another rider friend of mine. That motorcycle would do about 100
miles an hour flat out and broad siding around the corners with an
aluminum slipper on your foot – it was an absolute thrill for me. The
prairie circuit racing which was in Regina, Winnipeg, Saskatoon & Calgary,
I participated in most of them. In one of the races I got 1st place and
won a 10-pound bag of flour. Which I proudly took home and presented to my
mother; I was expecting some pretty good baking out of that. I also
purchased an Indian motorcycle (still kept the Harley). I purchased the
Indian from a person that had some problems with it. I traded him an old
car I had bought with the motor out of it. Fixed up the motor at my dad’s
garage and traded it even for the Indian. It required a little work; it
had problems with the oil pump return to the tank. Now I was proud owner
of 2 motorcycles. I drove the Indian around for a while, I knew for sure
that I was in love and preferred my Harley. So I sold the Indian for a
profit.
In 1942 I joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, and was shipped overseas. I
spent 3 years in Europe and while I was there, I had a chance to ride
Triumphs, BSA’s & military Harley’s with sidecars. On returning home in
1945, my Harley was sitting there waiting for me…oh man just to see that
bike…I was so in love with it I just wanted to hug it.
When I returned back home in 1945 from Europe my father made me a general
partner in his dealership & garage. We had the Packard agency and it
became known as Con DePape and Son Packard Dealers. I also bought & sold
used motorcycles, which I would fix up as a hobby.
I wanted to experience the handling of other motorcycles so I bought a
Norton Atlas, Triumph Bonneville’s, BSA, Ducati & BMW’s. But I always went
back to my Harley.
I have had many wonderful trips in the USA & Canada. I estimate that I
have made about 500,000 miles in my 70 years of riding including 15 trips
to Sturgis. My first trip to Sturgis was in 1952. About 8,000 riders
attended it and I thought that was the largest gathering of motorcycles
that I would ever see in my lifetime. In the year 2000, which was the 60th
Anniversary of Sturgis, roughly one million people attended the weeklong
rally & event. In 1990 I had the pleasure of having breakfast with Malcolm
Forbes in Sturgis. He told me he had presented Elizabeth Taylor with a
purple Harley-Davidson and she’d be with him the following year in
Sturgis. He invited me to visit him & meet Elizabeth unfortunately Malcolm
Forbes died before it took place. I also had the pleasure of attending
Willie G. Davidson’s induction into the National Motorcycle Museum and
Hall of Fame in Sturgis on August 11, 1993. There I met Peter Fonda who
also a guest at Willie G’s induction and had a great conversation and
visit with him lasting about 2 hours. Sturgis is fun and exciting and
every rider should experience the August rally event at sometime.
Part of your soul remains unawakened if you have not experienced a trip
through the countryside on a motorcycle. It reinvigorates your lust for
life. My Harley for me is a source of perpetual youth. I continually meet
people who say to me “I am too old now to ride” and they are 20 – 30 years
younger than I am. So I say to you, men & women – you are never too old to
ride and enjoy a motorcycle.
This year 2010 represents a love affair of 70 years of owning and riding
Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Whenever I walk out to my garage and see my
Harley, I still to this day get the same twinge of excitement I
experienced when I bought my 1st Harley at 16.
At 86 years old, it makes me sad to think I have only about 14 more years
of riding left.
~ Chazz |
