THROWBACK Harley-Davidson Advertising

This week’s Throwback Thursday looks at a Harley-Davidson ad that asks “When did it start for you?” It’s a very deep question for some and others it is as simple as breathing.

For me there are several formative moments that made me a motorcyclist. My friends growing up rode  dirt bikes. They were old 250cc 2 stroke dirt bikes from Yamaha and Suzuki. I was about 6 or 7 and they were great big scary bikes at that time. Right around the same time I got a robin egg blue mini bike that had a thumb throttle and a lawn mower engine setup like a go kart with the centrifugal clutch. I rode that as often as my dad would start it. We got nothing that wasn’t second hand used and always needed something to keep running. Which is probably why today I buy new. Those particular memories are great but one story my dad told me always sticks with me.

My dad had an ex police HD when he was younger and living in Pittsburgh PA. Big and heavy he rode it all over the city. One day he had an off and the bike was damaged and he couldn’t get it back upright. I don’t remember all of the details anymore but I remember being mad that he just left it there. In that naive child mind I thought he should have kept it so I could have it. Silly and selfish I know, but that stuck with me and I really wanted a motorcycle after that.

What got you started? Was there one magical moment or was it many over time?