FAYETTEVILLE — Kathy and Jeffrey Bryant’s Harley-Davidson motorcycles turned some heads as they pulled into the parking lot east from Baum Stadium.
Kathy Bryant’s bright pink helmet adorned with images of Betty Boop matched her 2003 Electra Glide bike with the same color and even more images of the famous 1930s cartoon character.
“Betty Boop has been around a long time and she’s a big motorcycle babe,” she said. “I’ve had many Betty Boops.”
That’s because her husband, Jeffrey, custom paints motorcycles and adds accessories, he said. Jeffrey Bryant rode into Fayetteville on a tan colored 2004 Road King with images of Spartan warriors from the movie “300.” The front of his bike portrayed a screaming Spartan king yelling the words “Tonight We Dine In Hell.”
Correction
The original version of this story misidentified the movie characters painted on Bryant's motorcycle. The error has been corrected.
The couple said they rode in straight from Little Rock and walked right to the Harley-Davidson village, a cluster of booths filled with bikes, booze, merchandise, prizes, Visa and insurance applications and the coveted Harley Owners Group pins. The group threw a party for an expected 750 members Thursday night at Rogue Pizza Company.
Harley has a bigger footprint than ever at the Bikes, Blues & BBQ rally, this year adding tutorials and safety lessons for drivers, especially ladies, said Manon Durand, event execution manager for Harley-Davidson.
For the first time in the rally’s 12 years, Harley debuted its newest models at this rally for fans to try out.
“Usually, it’s at Sturgis,” Durand said. “Production changed the timing so this was the first major event to bring them in. Next year, it’ll be the same.”
Harley brought in about 55 bikes, mostly new models, for fans to ride and get a feel, Durand said.
Joe Giles, the rally’s executive director, said Harley-Davidson’s growing presence means the company realizes bikers coming to Fayetteville are ideal customers.
“I suspect it has a little something to do with our attendee demographics,” Giles said. “We tend to attract on the average a little bit more of an affluent attendee. If I were going to guess, based on what I see in the middle of Fayetteville, I would say 70 to 75 percent ride Harley.”
As the Bryants checked out some of the new models and magazines, Victoria and Reynaldo Gallardo of Rockford, Ill., sat on one of four, black leather couches under Harley’s main booth for owner group members. The couple listened to classic rock as they caught a break from the afternoon sun.
The couple — who are group members and first-time rally attendees — picked up their Harley Owners Group metal pin with the words, “Bikes, Blues & BBQ, HOG 2012.” The unique pins are given to group members at select locations.
The couple rode 15 hours from Illinois for the pin and the vendors, Reynaldo Gallardo said.
“We got our first pin this year at this event,” he said. “It’s just an accomplishment from experiencing the event. We’re going to visit as many vendors as possible and maybe spend a little money.”
Crews at Rogue were stalking the bars, icing the beers and prepping the stage for what they heard would be an evening with between 350 and 750 Harley owners, said Chris Gray, manager. He staffed the club with 15 people. On a Razorback game day, he staff the bar with 10.
Bikers keep it simple when they drink, such as light beers, he said.
“Mostly cheap bourbon or cheap vodka,” Gray said. “They don’t really get fancy, man. It’s pretty simple. It’s Jack Daniels or Bud Light. You don’t really make a lot of fruity drinks.”