H.O.G.® LOVE STORIES

H.O.G.® Benelux

JARNO DEKKER

Jarno Dekker is 33, and a member of the Rock City Chapter (Amersfoort).

When did you get your driver's license?

"I got my driver's license when I was 19."

What model H-D do you ride?

"A Street Glide Special."

How did you discover Harley-Davidson?

"Through my parents. I was fourteen when my father bought his first Harley, a Fat Boy. Since then I rode pillion a lot. But of course, my mother wanted to come along too! Once my mother had her own motorcycle, I could get on the back more often. When I turned eighteen, I immediately went for my own motorcycle license.”

I love my Harley because?

"Riding a Harley is just super fun to do. On a Harley, you just get a whole lot more out of the experience. The company, the great group, the events."

Why did you choose the Street Glide?

"When I started riding, there were two bikes I never wanted: the Ultra Limited and the Sportster. When I was about to buy a Harley, the Iron had just come out. I liked it so much, although it was a Sportster, that I went for it right away. Through the years, the Touring models changed. The Street Glide is simply a very cool bike. Lately, I've been going out more, taking my girlfriend, and luggage, hanging out together, and that's when it became really appealing."

Why did you never want to ride a Sportster?

"It didn't attract me that much, but with that Iron over there Harley just took a really good look at what other people and customizers were building. I saw this bike for sale when I was nineteen. I had some money, but never enough to buy it. Dad wanted me to go check it out anyway. We talked to Marco, the owner of Motor Saloon in Amersfoort. He gave me a very good deal and I signed right away! From that moment on, it was just me and the bike. I had a lot of fun with it. The only reason I sold it, was because I became a Road Captain at the Chapter and then my girlfriend wanted to join our rides. I have to say that I still think the Sportster is a great bike, I've had a lot of fun with it, and it's a great bike to ride! At the Chapter, people said they would ride slowly so I could keep up with them. Many people thought they had to hold back for me, because I was so young, and because I rode a Sportster. But I was way faster than they were!"

How long have you had the Street Glide?

"Since January, I bought it new. It's got about 7.500 km on the odometer now. Recently I did a nice ride in the north, with my dad and another member of the club. We took the ferry from Groningen to Norway, and we drove around for eleven days."

I'm a fan of my Harley because...

"You get to experience things that you wouldn't normally be experiencing. Like the events. I've been to Daytona Bike Week and that whole experience, it’s just really cool, really valuable."

H.O.G. is for me?

"I’ve been in Scouting my whole childhood. H.O.G. is comparable, but with motorcycles. It is a group of guys with whom you do fun things. We do the coolest things, sometimes stupid things. It is a nice environment; I had just gotten into a relationship, and she was immediately included in the group. It's just a very friendly place to be."

How do you like the H.O.G. for you as a younger person?

"It's nice, also getting in connect with other chapters at other events, talking. I must be honest though and say that I am not too impressed by the financial benefits, especially for younger people. In the past, you got discounts at motels and several other perks, but all that’s a bit shabby now. They used to give more in return, like training and stuff. I wouldn’t mind that coming back.”

What is your role in the Chapter?

"I'm on the board, I'm the Communications Officer. I handle the website, and the newsletter, and edit the magazine that we put out twice a year. I've been doing that for almost two years now. In addition, I've been Road Captain for almost six years now."

What do you enjoy most about riding in your area?

"I ride quite a lot, but I don't really have something I specifically like. The Netherlands is not that big, but the curves and the dikes are good fun. On Friday evening I always try to go to the coast, to be there before sunset, that's nice.”

Why Harley-Davidson?

"It's a feeling I grew up with. And Harleys are great to ride. Especially the Street Glide, it's the best bike I've ever ridden, even though it's so low. The feeling, the sound, the handling, it’s everything."

Have you taken any additional (riding skills) courses?

"Yes, I did the Safe Riders Training. Everyone recommends it, and so do I. It gives you so much confidence, and because of that, I can now ride much better on wet roads and with luggage. Slalom, short corners, maneuvering, all the exercises make you more confident in difficult circumstances. They certainly also help you respond to unexpected situations. "

What is your best experience with your Harley?

"I don't have that many yet, but definitely the first kilometers on my new bike! But also going to Norway, was very cool. You get to know your bike very well when you ride in the mountains. When I had the bike for about two weeks, with some friends and family we went to Pieterburen in Groningen for a long weekend. That was a great experience too."

What was your best trip?

"In Norway, every tunnel or turn you go through delivers you in a completely different landscape. Also, the people are super friendly. The US was very cool, without a helmet and everything. Florida itself is not very interesting in terms of motorcycling."

Do you have any trips or routes you'd like to ride someday?

"I would love to ride Route 66, it's just something you have to do. My dad has been trying to recreate the entire route from Easy Rider for a while now, as far as possible. There's so much more I want to ride, also nearby, Germany, Italy, Switzerland."

Do you ever wrench yourself?

"With this bike, I have the dealer do the servicing, with the previous one I mainly did it myself. I was a poor student in those days."

What model is on your wish list?

"I would’ve liked a CVO, but they are sold so much now that they’re not special anymore. "

Do you study the history of Harley?

"I know a lot about the brand. I haven’t read many books about it, but I often talk about H-D, with my father, for example. Over the years I've gathered quite some knowledge. "

Which model from the past do you like?

"The XR750 is what I would most like, but unfortunately that’s not feasible. Too expensive..."

Do you portray to the outside world that you ride a Harley?

"I almost never wear anything without Harley-Davidson on it."

Do you ever watch movies or series starring H-D?

"I wouldn't easily watch a movie specifically for that. Although The World’s Fastest Indian is a very special movie."

How do you see yourself with Harley and H.O.G. in the future?

"I’d like to experience more events. Like the 120th in Budapest for example."

(Interview by Onno Wieringa – madnessphotography.nl)

I love riding my Harley because…

"When you get on the bike, all you focus on is the riding. You don't think about anything else. It simply clears your head."

How long have you been with H.O.G.?

"Since I was fourteen, through my father. At nineteen, when I bought a motorcycle, I became a member and never left. "

Becoming a member of the H.O.G. enabled you to?

"I got to know people I wouldn't have come into contact with otherwise. At Motor Saloon we have a huge group, with a lot of people in the Chapter. I wouldn't miss that for the world."

What's your best H.O.G. experience?

"At Daytona Bike Week I was at one of those swap meets, and I happened to be wearing my vest with my H.O.G. emblem on it. A very old woman in her seventies arrived and told me she had never seen such a young person in the H.O.G. She handed me a framed H.O.G. annual badge, one that turned out to be very old, from the early years of H.O.G., I believe one or two years after H.O.G. was founded. This happened during that trip in 2016."