Bad Boys On Bad Bikes

Since Harley-Davidson is the leading producer of the best motorcycles in the United States and all over the world, the company has gathered a very huge number of devotees to the biker lifestyle. Today, the Harley-Davidson Company employees and customer’s keep on collaborating for fund raisers and special events to help underserved communities across America.

However, the common notion about bikers seems to overshadow the fact that the Harley-Davidson Company is very much focused on riding for a cause. Bad boys are often pictured in television, movies, and music videos as riding big and mean bikes, clad in leather attire, and covered with tattoos and body piercing. It is true, the Harley-Davidson motorcycle does add up to the bad body effect. No wonder many famous personalities are embracing the biker lifestyle.

Perhaps the classic bad boy of all time was James Dean. This American heartthrob won the hearts of women all over the country, through his blockbuster movies and his depicted characters. According to sources, this “Rebel without a Cause” star rode on a Harley-Davidson with an early Panhead engine. He made riding the bike look so good, that one of his admirers, the soon-to-be King of Rock and Roll Elvis Presley bought the exact same Harley-Davidson bike as his idol. Elvis also brought his own touch of class to motorcycling during his decade. He even posed for the cover of the Enthusiast, one of the longest-running motorcycling magazines in history.

Another famous bad boy, former NBA superstar Dennis Rodman, loved his Harley-Davidson bikes so much that he even tattooed the company logo on his arm. His autobiography entitled “Bad as I Wanna Be” shows the naked basketball player sitting astride his bad bike. Dennis is named as the greatest in basketball rebounds of all time, and is perhaps the most outrageous and radical NBA star alive. Previous news accounts have reported Dennis as riding his Harley along with several other bikers in charity events and fundraisers. Maybe he’s not such a bad boy after all.

When we talk about heavy metal and rock music, we can’t forget the band Guns N’ Roses. This group rocked the nineties and made their own lifestyle, which millions of fans and followers adored. This band, headed by front man Axle Rose, has been reported to have signed deals with Harley-Davidson to write and perform music for television commercials, music videos, and others. Guns N’ Roses music is one of the most popular soundtracks that Harley-Davidson bikers ride to.

Ludacris, one of the hottest rap artists to date, is a bad boy on the record label, but lives by the charity that Harley-Davidson stands for. Ludacris teamed up with Harley-Davidson for a charity event in support of the artist’s Ludacris Foundation. In May 2007 Harley-Davidson donated a 2007 Fat Boy Softail for autograph signing and auctioning on e-Bay. Some of the famous personalities who lent their signatures to the cause were P. Diddy, Shaquille O’Neal, Bow Wow, Kanye West, John Legend, and many more.

The bad boys on bad bikes may be just an image or an illusion. Not all Harley-Davidson riders live by that notion of brashness and violence. Next time you see a tattooed man on a Harley, think twice. He may be one of the kindest men you’ll ever meet.