Lakeshore Harley Davidson Shops

A few days after learning about the Wisconsin Harley Davidson Dealers Association Passport Tour I rode off on my first dedicated ride to secure stamps at participating dealers. I packed up a nice lunch and aimed my 2016 Harley Davidson Low Rider S south on Interstate 43.

My goal was to get two stamps on the ride. It was a perfect June day for riding and the traffic was light. Wisconsin is an open state as far as the corona virus goes, but many people are still staying home and staying safe. 

Harbor Town Harley Davidson is located on the I 43 west frontage road in Manitowoc. Most of the stores have been quiet during my midweek visits and this one was no different. There was not the usual picnic table outside Harbor Town, but I found a shady spot to eat before going inside.

After browsing around the new and used bikes and the discounted clothing rack I got my Passport stamped and prepared to continue south. 

Lunch at Harbor Town HD

Route 43 Harley Davidson is the dealer in Sheboygan and is about 20 miles south of Manitowoc. It has been in this location since Harley's heyday in the 1990's. I bought my first real motorcycle jacket here in about 1999. It is the Marlon Brando style and although I don't wear it much now I got a lot of use out of it. 

I parked near the picnic tables outside the store and hydrated a bit before going in. One thing I have noticed is that the Harley dealers are all doing their own thing as far as protecting themselves and their customers from the virus. There are very few masks on the employees, if any, and I have only seen one with the plexiglass shields at the service counters. 

Made in the USA

After checking out the shop and looking for another deal on a jacket I asked the representative about getting my Passport stamped. He said that the dealership "had not made the cut" this year and were not participating. He said they had sent in all of the paperwork, but were not included in the tour. He asked which ones I still needed and was very helpful in providing a good route down to Suburban Harley Davidson in Thiensville. That would be for another day.

As I prepared to leave I resolved to spend some time studying the Passport and make sure that my trips would not end up without a stamp. It was a great day to ride though, and any ride that ends in perusing shiny new bikes is a good ride. 

Discovering the Wisconsin Harley Davidson Dealers Association Passport Tour

A couple of days after my trip to Wausau I loaded up my backpack and rode south. My destination was Open Road Harley Davidson in Fond du Lac with a stop at Appleton Harley Davidson. The sun was out and temperatures were in the high 70's. This is prime riding weather in Wisconsin.

I purposely did not leave Green Bay until mid morning. My route was down I 41 and the traffic during morning rush hour is legendary. By the time I was on the road it was tolerable. Appleton Harley is about two miles off the interstate and I arrived ready for a water and stretch break.

This dealership holds some wonderful events during the year and there is ample room for them. They have a brat shed on the grounds for some events and a large parking area. Across the street is another parking lot that they use for the Harley Davidson Riding Academy classes. On this day there was one to one instruction happening. My wife and I stopped in early this year, prior to the pandemic shutdown, for their Wing Ding event. Local wings places set up shop in the maintenance area and for a small fee attendees can sample local wing delicacies. It was very well attended and a fond memory of when we could talk and mingle freely with fellow motorcycle and chicken wing enthusiasts. 

Appleton Harley Davidson

The shop had a good selection of new touring bikes and a few nice Sportsters. I always like the looks of the Sportys, but I don't see one in my future. I had one twenty years ago, but now that I am used to the Dynas and big twins I do not think I would be happy on a 1200. This dealership has very friendly associates and after a few brief conversations I packed up on got back on I 41 south. 

The Open Road dealership is on the frontage road on the west side of the interstate. It is in a huge building with a covered picnic area next to the parking lot. All of the newer Motor Company dealerships seem to be built next to the main highways and are on big pieces of property. It makes it easy to get in and out and provides plenty of room for dealer events. The pandemic has shut down the events, but the amenities are still there for riders like me. 

Open Road Harley in Fond du Lac

I parked next to the covered picnic table and enjoyed a leisurely lunch. Like the other shops, this one had very few customers. A couple of people drove up in cages and came out with parts and clothing. A couple on a trike rode in for a mid week visit. After eating I went in to find a lot of pandemic related safety features. I sanitized as requested and began to check out the merchandise.

Lunch break at Open Road

One of the associates came over and I told her I was visiting as many Wisconsin dealers as I could this summer as all of the usual events and rallies had been canceled. She told me about the 2020 Wisconsin H-D Dealers Association Passport Tour. The Passport Tour began on April 1 and ends October 31. There are fifteen dealers in the state participating. She gave me a Passport and explained how it worked. As you visit each dealer you get them to stamp your Passport. Depending on the number of stamps you get, you are eligible for prize drawings in the fall. I accepted the Passport she offered and realized that I had just found a riding goal for 2020. 

My ride home took me up the east side of Lake Winnebago. It is a much nicer ride than the interstate and quite scenic. During the ride I was planning my trips back to Bull Falls Harley in Rothschild and Mischler's in Beaver Dam to get the Passport stamps and visualizing rides to the far corners of Wisconsin. It is nice to have reason to ride in the middle of the madness.

Riding During the Pandemic

The spring of 2020 will be remembered for many reasons and one of them is the cancellation or postponement of just about everything. Tickets for sporting events, concerts and vacations sit unused in desk drawers or on digital devices. As springs rolls into summer and the pandemic continues to hover the postponements turn to cancellations or become 2021 events. 

For motorcyclists one effect has been the cancellation or postponement of many rallies and events around the country. Riders schedule vacations around them and for many of us the rides to and from the events are highlights of the riding season. The BMW National Rally was scheduled to be held in Great Falls, Montana this coming week. My brother and I had hotel reservations and talked all winter about the route to take out there from Wisconsin. By late March we began to realize the rally was in jeopardy and by May it had been canceled for 2020. 

Over the winter I mapped out a plan to ride some of Wisconsin's Rustic Roads. They are all in the west and northwest part of the state. The plan was to ride to Madison to watch my niece receive her diploma from the University of Wisconsin in early May and then head up to the Rustic Road hunting grounds. But there was no graduation ceremony and I had no interest in trying to find a hotel to stay in at that time. In addition, the state was on lockdown and there would have been no restaurants available.

Last weekend I decided to take my Harley for a ride out to the Harley Davidson dealership in the Wausau area. I had never been there and it was a beautiful day to ride. So I packed a lunch and rode west on US Highway 29. Doc's Harley Davidson is near Shawano, WI, and right on 29, so I made a stop there. If you have never been to Doc's, it is a "must see" dealership. He has everything from a zoo to an antique store on the property and his motorcycle related creations are inspired.

Doc's Harley Davidson

After a brief walk around the shop I continued west toward Wausau. The traffic was light and the miles clicked past. The dealership in the Wausau area moved from downtown Wausau to Rothschild several years ago. Like many of the Motor Company's shops, this one moved close to the four lane highway. In this case it is near the intersection of US Highways 29 and 51. As I pulled up I immediately began looking for a picnic table or some area suitable for a relaxing lunch. Most of the dealerships provide a spot like this and Bull Falls Harley Davidson did not disappoint.

A perfect spot for lunch

The sun was warm and I took my time eating. A few riders came and went, but there was not much activity for a sunny Saturday in June. I had thought that this shop was called Rib Mountain Harley or something like that, so I was interested in the new name. After disposing of my lunch packaging I ambled into the shop.

Harley Davidson in Rothschild Wisconsin

It all looks brand new although the building went up in 2006. As I was looking over the new bikes I heard someone call my name. I looked up and it was a representative who I knew from my local shop, Vandervest Harley Davidson in Green Bay. He had helped me trade in my 2004 Low Rider for my 2016 Low Rider S. He explained that the Vandervests had bought the Rothschild dealership in April 2019 and several employees split their time between the two shops. I was glad to see a familiar face and we spent some time catching up. 

Harley Davidson, like a lot of manufacturers, shut down for a period of time this spring. The showroom had a good selection of new touring bikes, but there is not the number I would expect. I have learned that there will be limited numbers of 2020 bikes built and the 2021 models will not be introduced until February 2021. Normally the new models are unveiled in August.

On the way home I turned south at US Highway 45 and meandered back to Green Bay on the back roads. During the ride I began to think about the possibility of spending a few days over the summer visiting the Wisconsin Harley shops. Over the next few days a plan took shape and the 2020 riding season had a new focus.