Passport Tour Stamp Quest in the Milwaukee Area

Wisconsin weather is famously unpredictable and we are experiencing an unusual heat wave. This week the temperatures have been in the high 80' and low 90's with high humidity. This all factored into my quest to get Harley Davidson Dealers Association Passport Tour stamps from the participating dealers in the Milwaukee area. Most of my ride would be near the Lake Michigan shoreline and it would be a bit cooler there.

I left Green Bay at 0830 and made my first stop at Suburban Motors in Thiensville. Thiensville is about five miles west of I 43 and, unlike most other Harley dealerships, is located in a downtown area. A village of a little more than 3000 people, Thiensville has a quaint old downtown and was rather busy on a mid week morning. There are restaurants, coffee shops and bakeries, all busy with shoppers and diners.

Suburban Motors has been in this location for 40 years and prides itself on the fact that they have sold bikes to several generations. This shop had more parts and accessories, along with clothing, than any of the shops I had been in. They also had a good selection of their inventory outside for interested buyers to examine. After a quick look around, getting my Passport stamped and hydrating, I rode back to the interstate and went south.

My next stop was Uke's Harley Davidson in Kenosha. The ride through Milwaukee went well as it was after the morning rush hour. Uke's is a dealership that I have ridden past many times on my way to Chicago and points beyond. There has not been a good reason to get off at the exit near Uke's, so I had never been there. It is not be missed by travelers, though, due to its tower showroom containing five floors of new motorcycles.

Uke's has a long history with Harley Davidson and Kenosha, going back to 1930. Their website details how this family owned business has been a major player in motorcycling in Kenosha for almost 100 years. The building they are in now was built in 2003. It is easy to pass up, but worth a stop. I took time to enjoy my lunch on their front patio, got my Passport stamped and rode off to my next dealership. 

To get to Wisconsin Harley Davidson in Oconomowoc I skirted the south and west sides of Milwaukee on Interstates 43, 41 and 94. Oconomowoc is about 30 minutes west of Milwaukee and the dealership is on the south side of the highway. The groundskeeper had finished cutting the expansive lawn and was in the process of blowing the cuttings off the parking lot. I took this into consideration as I parked my Low Rider S. 

Oconomowoc means "where waters meet" and the area is known for its lakes. The dealership originated in Watertown in 1917 and moved to Oconomowoc in 1995. The big beautiful building I entered was completed in 2005. Like the other new shops I had been in there was plenty of showroom space and a friendly staff. 

It had become much warmer as I rode away from the lakeshore and I knew that I would be into late afternoon traffic by the time I got back to Green Bay. So after a chat with one of the representatives and getting my Passport stamped I went back out into the heat. I finished up the water I had with me before crossing the interstate and riding north on Highway 67, leaving the city of lakes behind me.

I wanted to avoid riding in the heat as much as possible and also avoid going back through Milwaukee. My route took me through part of the Southern Unit of the Kettle Moraine Forest and it was a nice break from the interstates. I did encounter some unexpected detours as I made my way north and east, but it made the ride more interesting. I arrived back on the lakeshore at Grafton and rode back north on I 43. After one more water stop in Sheboygan I arrived home at 1700.

These three shops are in the busiest and most traveled areas of Wisconsin and I am glad to have their stamps. The last seven are pretty well scattered around, but they are in more remote areas. Plans to visit them are already in the works.