HOG-WILD IN BREWTOWN
By Andrew E. Serwer

(FORTUNE Magazine) – No, they didn't pull up the drawbridge or hide in their root cellars. In fact, the good citizens of Milwaukee welcomed the horde of 75,000 invading bikers. And why not? These motorcyclists -- including a group of Swiss -- were in town to celebrate the 90th birthday of hometown hogmaker Harley-Davidson. As the ad line used to say, beer made Milwaukee famous -- but now Harleys may be supplanting suds as the city's best-known product. After nearly running off the road in the mid-1980s, Harley got back on track and has been going full throttle ever since. Sales are up 60% since 1987, while the stock has climbed from $3 to $38, reflecting the bikes' incredible surge in popularity. You say you want to buy one? Get in line, buddy. Says CEO Richard Teerlink, who rode in from San Francisco on his hog, a top-of-the-line $15,000 Electra Glide Ultra Classic: ''Demand for our bikes is strong and getting stronger.'' A three-month wait is common. Harley has a weak-sister recreational vehicle division, but Teerlink pledges to whip that into shape. So what's on tap for celebrating the company's centennial in 2003? Hints Teerlink: ''We just love it here in Milwaukee.''