Harley on track to be named state motorcycle
Move over Antigo silt loam, galena and trilobite. Wisconsin soon might have a new state symbol.
Lawmakers are in the process of declaring Harley-Davidson the state's official motorcycle, joining the likes of the aforementioned soil, mineral and fossil as state symbols.
The State Assembly Committee on State Affairs and Homeland Security held a public hearing Thursday on a bill that would create an official motorcycle designation. A vote is likely to take place in January, said committee vice chairman Rep. Leon Young, D-Milwaukee, the bill's author.
"When people think of Wisconsin, they think of Harley," Young said.
Rothschild Village Board president Neal Torney certainly does. He puts up to 10,000 miles a year on his 2003, 100th Anniversary Edition Harley-Davidson. He laughed at the idea of designating a state motorcycle but wasn't surprised by the idea, considering Wisconsin has an official symbol of peace (mourning dove), domesticated animal (dairy cow) and dance (polka).
"If there is a desire in the Legislature to have a state motorcycle, Harley-Davidson should be the one," Torney said.
William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson built the first Harley-Davidson motorcycle in 1903 in Milwaukee, where the company's headquarters remain today.
The idea for the state symbol came from a family member of Sgt. Jeremy Vrooman, who was killed last year while serving in Iraq and rode Harleys, Young said.
Doug Locke, owner of Harley-Davidson of Wausau in Rothschild, said the designation is cool, but he doesn't think it will spur a rivalry with bikers who ride other manufacturers' motorcycles.
"Wisconsin already is pretty Harley-Davidson brand loyal, so it really doesn't change anything," Locke said.
Harley-Davidson has a plant in Tomahawk that manufactures plastic and fiberglass parts, including sidecars, saddlebags and windshields, and employs more than 400 people, according to the company's Web site.
A company spokeswoman declined to comment about the proposal. Young said a representative from Harley-Davidson spoke in favor of the bill at the hearing.
The only opposition to the bill at the hearing came from a representative of Noise Free America, who expressed concern about the noise caused by motorcycles, said Young, who pledged to work with the group before the committee votes on the bill.
Source: Harley on track to be named state motorcycle
Lawmakers are in the process of declaring Harley-Davidson the state's official motorcycle, joining the likes of the aforementioned soil, mineral and fossil as state symbols.
The State Assembly Committee on State Affairs and Homeland Security held a public hearing Thursday on a bill that would create an official motorcycle designation. A vote is likely to take place in January, said committee vice chairman Rep. Leon Young, D-Milwaukee, the bill's author.
"When people think of Wisconsin, they think of Harley," Young said.
Rothschild Village Board president Neal Torney certainly does. He puts up to 10,000 miles a year on his 2003, 100th Anniversary Edition Harley-Davidson. He laughed at the idea of designating a state motorcycle but wasn't surprised by the idea, considering Wisconsin has an official symbol of peace (mourning dove), domesticated animal (dairy cow) and dance (polka).
"If there is a desire in the Legislature to have a state motorcycle, Harley-Davidson should be the one," Torney said.
William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson built the first Harley-Davidson motorcycle in 1903 in Milwaukee, where the company's headquarters remain today.
The idea for the state symbol came from a family member of Sgt. Jeremy Vrooman, who was killed last year while serving in Iraq and rode Harleys, Young said.
Doug Locke, owner of Harley-Davidson of Wausau in Rothschild, said the designation is cool, but he doesn't think it will spur a rivalry with bikers who ride other manufacturers' motorcycles.
"Wisconsin already is pretty Harley-Davidson brand loyal, so it really doesn't change anything," Locke said.
Harley-Davidson has a plant in Tomahawk that manufactures plastic and fiberglass parts, including sidecars, saddlebags and windshields, and employs more than 400 people, according to the company's Web site.
A company spokeswoman declined to comment about the proposal. Young said a representative from Harley-Davidson spoke in favor of the bill at the hearing.
The only opposition to the bill at the hearing came from a representative of Noise Free America, who expressed concern about the noise caused by motorcycles, said Young, who pledged to work with the group before the committee votes on the bill.
Source: Harley on track to be named state motorcycle
