Where are all the cool people? Riding Harley-Davidsons, reports Yasmine Fathi Terry Spinks rode a motorbike for the first time at age 18. It was tragically short-lived: he had a serious accident and, hospitalised, talked himself out of the pursuit. Three weeks ago, at age 60, Spikes bought his first motorbike since. "I didn't ride for 42 years, then I saw a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and couldn't resist. I love what it stands for," he says. "Freedom." Spinks has been living in Egypt for three years; and fortunately for his bike riding, he just happened to be here at a time when his craving for a Harley could be satisfied. A few years earlier, he would've had no such luck. When Harley-Davidson decided to make an entry into Egypt five years ago, some six companies competed for the position of authorised dealers; according to Engy Ghattas, the Engineering Automotive Company's showroom manager, it was the company's reputation that granted it the honour: "Thank God we've had a spotless 35-year record in the automotive industry." But Ghattas, whose father and uncle own the company, realised that her task was only just beginning; she had yet to crack the local market and, though "all of our work is in the automotive business", she explains, "Harley Davidson is more than just a bike -- it's a culture, a lifestyle". Ghattas seems to enjoy expanding on the activities incumbent on dealing in Harleys -- the passion, the bonding, the group rides. "My job," she insists, "doesn't end with selling a bike." Motaman Daader, a Harley enthusiast, corroborates this viewpoint: "You buy a Harley, you buy a way of life." The Harley culture is group-centred, Ghattas explains: "Usually it's a minimum of 10 riders moving in a staggered arrangement with a leader in the front and another at the back, the latter to make sure no vehicles can cut into the group. They tend to occupy a stretch of 5km, and they maintain the same speed for a distance of 80-100km, with a break to refuel." In its century- long history, indeed, the Harley-Davidson has accumulated a number of trademark features, unique to it, of which Ghattas is all too aware: the brand name on the tank, the roaring engine, the way in which the bike vibrates as it moves along. "A Harley-Davidson rider is just as easy to spot," she adds. "The beautiful outfit -- leather jacket, boots and all -- is instantly recognisable." Brand loyalty is integral to the image. "It's the only brand name riders will actually tattoo onto their arms," Ghattas goes on to indicate. But if it is speed you're after, Harley-Davidson is not for you. "Young people want to jump on a motorcycle and fly," Ghattas elaborates. "You don't do that with a Harley. Rather, you do what we call cruising, moving at about 60km per hour, just chilling." That's why the Harley crowd tends to belong in a more mature age group: "Most of our drivers are in their 40s and 50s; the youngest is 30. It's an age at which you want to do something different." To spread the Harley message, the company started an Egyptian branch of the Harley Owners Group (HOG) -- a kind of club that organises rides and rallies, with 800,000 members all over the world -- "different people", according to Ghattas, "who share the same automotive passion". The HGO organises short weekly rides on Fridays as well as six annual rallies. On Fridays the group undertakes brief expeditions to Moqattam, Fayoum, "wherever the bike takes us", as Harley enthusiast Sherif Begremi, an Egyptian- American, puts it: "Personally I love Ain Al-Sukhna, a to-die- for 150km ride." Long rallies take the group to Alexandria or, much further, Sharm El-Sheikh, Hurghada and, for the first time this year, Luxor. Harley camaraderie has spanned national borders, with Saudi HOG members this month riding to Hurghada, Ghattas reports, where they will meet their Egyptian counterparts before progressing to Sharm El-Sheikh. Though Americans are often wide-eyed with disbelief when she tells them what she does -- "perceptions of the Middle East are still muddled" -- Ghattas believes it is only normal that there should be such a local passion for Harleys: "In the West they can't ride in winter because of rain and snow. But here we have the most beautiful weather in the world -- so much so our last rally in Sharm El- Sheikh took place in January." Yet for businessmen in age range 30-65 to adopt the Harley lifestyle took some convincing: "Many of them resisted on the premise that they were too old -- now they wouldn't miss a ride for the world." A more general obstacle, Ghattas goes on to say, was the inherent Egyptian fear of the motorcycle, with many potential riders' wives expressing serious anxieties: "I couldn't say the bike is 100 per cent safe. That's what I always tell the riders: don't be afraid enough to lose control, but never have more confidence in yourself than in the motorcycle you're riding, because that way you really can fall over." As the riders improve their skills, the wives (many of whom accompany their husbands on the shorter rides) are increasingly reassured. Some, like Begremi's, have even gone so far as to adopt the lifestyle themselves: "My wife is currently taking riding courses in the US. Even my mom who is a traditional Egyptian gets a kick out of it..." Many women buy Harley accessories for their husbands -- among the best-appreciated special gifts. Many riders point to the adrenaline rush as the principal reason behind their fascination with the Harley; it's a feeling they describe as inexplicable. "Your hands are stretched in front of you, the wind blowing in your face," Motamen Daader, the HOG's newest member, divulges, "and the roar of the engine in your ears. You feel like you own the world. And you can only feel that way on a Harley." Begremi agrees: "Do you know why a dog puts his head out of the window when he's in a car? Ride a Harley and you'll know." The mania will occasionally beset onlookers the riders glide past the streets of Cairo, with "people coming over to ask what this awesome bike could be", according to Daader. "Even the police look at me like I've landed from heaven," businessman Mohamed Rashidi testifies. For many Harley riders, indeed, HOG events are a stress-release mechanism necessary for coping with a hectic lifestyle. "All week I'm in a suit, showered and clean-shaven, a gentleman. Then I go on a bike and I scare people," Begremi laughs. More importantly, it's an opportunity for bonding: growing friendships aside, the camaraderie proves deeply satisfying. "We take care of each others' safety," says Daader. "We have the same mentality..." So much so that friendships develop among the men's wives and children, who will gather on the occasion of the Friday ride. "You don't see men taking their families along to the car wash, do you?" Ghattas asks rhetorically. Despite her happiness with her newfound Harley- Davidson family, Ghattas is too savvy to rest content. In a country of 70 million people, she announces, she plans to reach out to at least six million. "I want people to taste the euphoria of riding a bike -- and not just any bike."
