HOG Mallorca

Location:
Spain

Harley Davidson Rides

By Dawn DelVecchio

My friend Gary is a HOG – a member of the Harley Owner’s Group, that is. This international organization boasts some one million members, with chapters in locations as unexpected as Bangkok, Zagreb and Cairo. Gary is part of the Palma de Mallorca Chapter. A second-home retreat for Europe’s elite, Mallorca is a sunny, Spanish isle in the Mediterranean skirted by powdery beaches and super yacht marinas, and sprinkled with golf-courses, haut shopping, high dining and the well-heeled that come to escape the gloom or grime of their first homes in London, Hamburg, New York or Berlin.

A HOG group might seem incongruent with such a place, but given the astronomical price tags of these American icon machines, plus the stunning drives possible through an island absolutely rich in natural beauty, a HOG chapter here begins to make sense. Comprised mostly of local Mallorqians, the group also has a fair representation of Brits and Germans – those Europeans who have made the island an expat enclave.

Each and every Sunday, come rain or shine, a collection of the 200-strong group take to the streets for a cruise. Choppers, Sportsters, bulky ‘Fat Boys’ and the sleek, modern designs gather below Palma’s 14th century cathedral at the edge of the city’s broad bay. Chapter members and on-lookers wander the small forest admiring shiny chrome, shapely lines, original airbrushed artwork and customized features.

At 11am, more than 150 men and women in leathers, chaps, HOG-patched denim jackets and sturdy boots climbed aboard their steeds and line up in two long rows. The sound of multiple Harley Davidson’s revving their (sometimes) unmuffled engines may seem like nothing to the old-timers who have attended rallies like Sturgis or Daytona, but for the rest of us, the volume and power of that deep-noted ‘blutta-blatta, blutta-blatta’ engine multiplied 100-fold is an awesome thing.

On one particularly Sunday in May, we headed out along the ring road outside of the island capitol, cruised along the quiet highway, and eventually off and into Mallorca’s flat interior. The group motored slowly past expanses of olive and almond groves, crumbling, medieval stone walls, picturesque farm houses, and the narrow, tree-lined cobbled lanes of small villages dotting this bucolic scene. Needless to say, wherever we went, people knew we were coming. Those engines, like bass-note clarions, announced our pending pass. Children and elders awaited us in order to wave or simply gawk as we cruised slowly by.

After about an hour, we made our way up a series of switchback turns to a view point overlooking the hamlet of Magdalena, where two restaurants thrive thanks to the tourist-appealing views. Arriving like a herd of raucous elephants (or something big and noisy), we took a quick view, group photo and bathroom break before making our hairpin return to the valley below.

From here the cacophony meandered until we reached the walled town of Costix, a village of less than 1,000 inhabitants and site – that day – of a local festival which included booths of traditional Mallorquian meals, funky hippy-attire vendors, a petting zoo for the kids, a horse show, farmer’s market and a small collection of classic cars from the grand years of American and European auto history.

Our herd packed the otherwise cozy parking lot that stood beneath a walled village of stone, mortar and tremendous character. Contemporary ‘gear-heads’ of the auto and moto persuasions mingled among all that steel, admiring each others’ wares, before strolling to the village square for the highlight of the day: food and country-western line-dancing. Yes, “Achy, Breaky Heart” is appreciated in island Spain almost as much as in the heartlands of America.

Other popular rides I have done with HOG Mallorca include cruises through the lux-living towns of the Southwest coast, and along the coastal mountain range. This remote and private area is arguably one of Europe’s most beautiful drives, with craggy rock outcroppings, old pine forests, stone terraced valleys, and sheer cliff drops into the cobalt sea below.

With their sometimes gnarly looks and rough demeanors, Harley riders have earned a bad rap as unrefined or even criminally-inclined. Anyone who knows a few HOGs knows better. Not only do these men and women vary in character as much as any academic or high society group, they all share one thing in common: a refined taste for nature’s beauty enjoyed atop a steed with the horsepower cowboys only imagine.

Further Information

Other helpful information: All of Mallorca is beautiful by car or motorcycle.

Must see/do at this place: Drive/ride through the Tromantano Range. Stroll through the old townof Palma.