Harley-Davidson riders say the love of the bike brings them together into one 'worldwide family'
PRAGUE, Czech Republic – They came here from China, the Netherlands and the U.S., bumping into each other at a Harley-Davidson dealership.
Now they’re steadfast friends.
Gary and Wendy Radmer, from Slinger, are part of that new group of international Harley enthusiasts cruising around the Czech Republic capital together.
Tens of thousands of bikers from 77 countries are coming here this weekend for the European version of the Labor Day rally Harley has planned for Milwaukee.
FULL COVERAGE:Harley's 115th anniversary
Saturday, waves of 4,000 bikers at a time will ride through the streets, some of them cobblestone, in this city of 1.3 million people.
For the Radmers, the trip has already been a life-changing experience as they’ve made new friends through an unexpected encounter at the Harley dealership while waiting for their rental bike, a 2018 Heritage Classic.
“We didn’t know each other before Monday, and now we’re family,” Gary Radmer said.
That new family includes Theo and Peggy Kindts from Amsterdam.
They each have a Harley, and they drink coffee from Harley-Davidson mugs.
“Even though we are in Europe, the Harley feeling is just as strong here as it is with you guys in America,” Peggy Kindts said. “We live the lifestyle. If you came into our house, it would be almost like you were in Milwaukee.”
With the Kindtses and the Radmers at a coffee shop in Prague is their friend Robert Van Ollefen of Amsterdam.
He has a Harley, of course, and at home a BMW motorcycle, which he calls his “bad weather” bike.
Van Ollefen keeps his Harley in his living room, where he can polish it while watching television.
He also feels strongly about the family-like kinship between Harley-Davidson enthusiasts, no matter where they’re from.
One evening he was riding through Switzerland. It was getting late, so he knocked on a farmer’s door to ask about sleeping in the haystack.
The farmer saw Van Ollefen’s bike, then opened a shed door and showed him his old Harley, equipped with a sidecar.
“That would never happen with a BMW,” Van Ollefen said.
And, without him even asking, Van Ollefen was offered a place to stay for the night.
Van Ollefen’s 20-year-old son, Duncan, was born into the Harley family and couldn’t imagine anything else.
“I’ve seen baby pictures of myself in a motorcycle sidecar, and I can’t even remember it happened,” he said.
Duncan came to Prague with his dad as a father-and-son bonding experience.
Duncan is about to get his first bike, probably a Harley Sportster, which he and his dad will customize together.
“I don’t like cars. But when I see a motorcycle, there’s just this feeling I get inside. And with a Harley, there’s that feeling of family. It’s so much more than just the engine and the bike. It’s amazing,” he said.
Joining the Radmers, the Ollefens and the Kindtses in Prague is Wong Si Wei, from Shanghai, China.
He's been on the road for months traveling around the world on his Harley.
He’s been through Russia, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Germany, to name a few of the countries. He’s shipping his bike to New York to ride to Harley’s 115th anniversary celebration in Milwaukee.
He has a video of reindeer following his Harley in Finland. And on the back of his shiny black Electra Glide, the police department version but with the siren disabled, he has flags from the U.S., China, his motorcycle club in Shanghai, and Harley-Davidson.
He has stuffed animals on his bike, too, from his wife and 5-year-old daughter.
He’s more quiet than the others, but has a dry sense of humor, saying over and over that he wants to ride up to the front lawn of the White House.
This is a motorcycle family that, while they may never all get together again, they’re certain to keep in touch through social media and share their riding experiences vicariously.
“When you leave, you just give people a big hug and say, ‘Hope to see you again,’” Peggy Kindts said.
“It’s the community which makes it worth driving a Harley, to have so many friends from around the world,” Theo Kindts added.
The Kindtses say they've made sacrifices to be able to afford the motorcycling lifestyle.
“We really have to save up for our bikes in Europe because they’re so expensive. We don’t do skiing trips or things like that,” Peggy said.
“And our kids are old enough now to be left alone at home with just a little concern about the house burning down,” she quipped.
The Radmers spent a year planning their trip to Prague.
They’ve got a hotel room only a few minutes from the Prague Exhibition Grounds, built in 1891, where the Harley rally is taking place with thousands of bikes and a slew of live entertainment, including martial arts, bungee jumping and a skate park.
“This is stepping out of the box and experiencing life. That’s what this trip means to me,” Gary Radmer said. “The motorcycle brings people together. It’s one world, one motorcycle. And the experiences are about the people.”
Peggy Kindts chimed in: “I don’t think those Harley-Davidson guys in Milwaukee could have ever imagined anything like this when they started this all those years ago. They created a worldwide family.”
