Big bikes fashionable among urbanities

Big bikes fashionable among urbanities

JAKARTA (JP): Ten years ago Yusuf Chandra bought an old
motorcycle from a scrap dealer for Rp 50,000 (US$22.80) and
turned it into a precious vintage machine which is now worth more
than Rp 50 million ($22,800).

Yusuf is not a magician. Aged 64, he is a skillful Harley-
Davidson mechanic. As a matter of fact, he is one of the pioneers
of the Harley-Davidson Club of Indonesia. When the club was
established on June 6, 1963, it had seven executives and two
members. Yusuf is the only one who is still active, while the
others have either passed away or are too weak to ride the big
motorcycle.

Today, the club has branches in 14 cities in Java, Bali and
Sumatra, with more than 1,500 members.

Yusuf has four Harley-Davidsons, made in 1942 (750 cc), 1951
(750 cc), 1961 (900 cc) and 1963 (275 cc). His favorite is the
1951 Harley, an elegant metallic green motorcycle with a side
car. A Harley-Davidson enthusiast recently offered him Rp 50
million ($21,880) for the motorcycle, but Yusuf declined to part
with it. Pre-1975 Harley-Davidsons in good condition sell for
between Rp 20 million and Rp 30 million. Post-1990 models sell
for as much as three times the manufacturer's price.

In the U.S. a new Harley costs between $5,000 and $18,000,
Reuters reported early this month.

Yusuf calls his favorite motorcycle Prabu (King) Baladewa,
after a character in the Javanese version of the Hindu legend,
the Mahabharata.

It is tradition in the Indonesian Harley Davidson Club to name
one's favorite bikes. Members of the Jakarta Club name their
machines after characters from the Mahabharata; Bandung Club
members give their motorcycles the names of flowers; in Bali the
bikes are named after temples; while in Cirebon Harleys are named
after fish.

Harley-Davidson riders are often depicted as tough guys with a
lot of muscles, but Yusuf is not like that. Nor does he look
eccentric or flamboyant.

In recent years, riding and collecting Harleys has become
fashionable among wealthy Indonesians. Prices are rising as
demand increases while supply remains limited. The new Harley
fans do not hesitate to spend hundreds of millions rupiah on
their hobby.

Yusuf is far from affluent. He lives in a modest house on Jl.
Bendungan Hilir Raya, Central Jakarta. On his small verandah
there is a shelf with a lot of tools. Seven Harley miniatures are
found in the living room. A huge poster of a Harley motorcycle
adorns one wall, above the picture of Jesus at the Last Supper.
There is also a glass case containing a Harley-Davidson engine
and a number of Harley cups in the room.

Yusuf does not have a permanent job but that doesn't seem to
worry him. He has a lot of friends who come to him, now and then,
when they want to buy or sell a bike. His son-in-law, Iwan
Darmawan, helps him with the work.

"Riding a Harley-Davidson is heavy, but it is comfortable and
safe," says Yusuf.

Harley-Davidson has the strongest of all motorcycle bodies. It
has to be strong to support the weight of its passengers. Yusuf
and other club members like to pile up to 10 people onto a bike
from time to time. In their so-called Hell Drivers' shows, they
entertain audiences with their acrobatic skills. These shows are
usually held on special occasions, such as the rally in
celebration of Independence Day.

Indro Joyo, a Harley enthusiast, fell in love with the bike
when he was very young. In fact, he inherited the hobby of riding
motorcycles from his father, a high-ranking military officer.

"Father rode a Harley Davidson and so did his adjutant. I
remember my father putting me in the side cart of his motorcycle
and taking me to school," said Indro, who is also a famous
comedian and movie star.

Quoting a Harley motto, he said: "Once you know Harley, it
stays in your blood."

In 1968, when Indro was 10 years old, his father died and the
motorcycle was returned to the government.

Indro bought his first Harley in 1976 and now has seven bikes,
made between 1951 and 1991.

He calls them a "stabilizer of life" and the best remedy for
stress.

Indro says that, whenever he is suffering from stress, he goes
to his motorcycles. "It's not necessary to ride the motorcycle.
Caressing, cleaning or polishing it is enough," he said.

Asked whether his wife was jealous, Indro laughs and answers
that she, as well as their three children, are all crazy about
Harley-Davidsons. The eldest child, who is 13, has taken part in
the Hell Drivers' shows since she was five years old.

Yusuf has two daughters and four sons, but only two of them --
a daughter and a son -- have joined the club. His adult daughter,
Evelyn, always takes part in club activities, riding on the back
seat of her husband's motorcycle. She does not ride herself
because this was forbidden her by her mother, now deceased,
although neither her husband nor her father have any objections
to her riding.

"My wife also loved Harleys, even though she could not ride
them," says Yusuf.

While Harley-Davidsons can bring members of a family closer
together, the hobby can also be a source of friction.

"If you love Harleys but your spouse doesn't have the same
hobby, the marriage will be like hell," Yusuf remarks. (sim)