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Tourists take to the Hogs
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July 26, 1996: 8:32 p.m. ET
Renting a Harley proves to be the best way to see the West
From Correspondent Don Knapp
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SAN FRANCISCO (CNNfn) - There's something about touring the Western United States that is lost when seen from a minivan. You feel the need for speed, for wind whipping into your face, the deep-throated growl (45K WAV) or (45K AIFF) of a Harley-Davidson beneath you.
That desire is best understood by Chris McIntyre. McIntyre operates EagleRider Motorcycle Rental, giving tourists that missing piece of their vacation experience.
"They walk in with their ties and business suits and go in a changing room and come out in their leather and they're Arnold Schwarzenegger. They're Elvis Presley. They're James Dean. They're living a dream. They're living an illusion. They're living an image." (851K QuickTime movie)
 Fat Boys and California dreams
Vacationers pay top dollar to rent Harley "hogs" and rumble around the West on their dream machines.
It's kind of a "fly and cruise" vacation for a couple of Austrian tourists.
"I said I'd have to do it on a Fat Boy and I rented a Fat Boy and ordered a Fat Boy." said Johannes Wellacher.
Added fellow tourist Bernard Sackl, "After this trip you would not rent a Fat Boy anymore. Maybe a Road King or Electra Glide. It's more comfortable."
The two Austrian engineers spent about $10,000 each for their 6,000 mile cruise over America's back roads on rented Harley's.
"You feel the heat of Death Valley or the cold at the coast." said Wellacher.
Ferdinand Willhalm said he's been California dreamin' since childhood. His daughter and a friend also came along for the ride. "He said, 'When you have finished the exam we will go to America together and rent a Harley Davidson and go to the national parks." said his daughter, Nadine Willhalm.
The Harley's noise and the feel of the road also excited German industrialist Hauke Jeurgens. (91K WAV) or (91K AIFF)
Not Europe's leather bad boys
Harley's rent for about $150 a day, about five times the price of an automobile. But McIntyre's international customers can well afford it. (803K QuickTime movie)
"They're not the leather bad boys of Europe. They are bankers. They are the corporate citizens of Europe, corporate citizens of America, who want a stress-free escape."
It may not be everybody's American dream, but cruising California on a Harley makes some tourists' version about as real as it's going to get.
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