One of the rites of passage of being a Harley-Davidson owner is taking a trip up to Sturgis, South Dakota to mingle with your free-spirited brethren in a week-long festival celebrating our love of the open road and loud exhaust. After finally getting some time off from my non-profit work, I decided it was time to make the pilgrimage and ride to the holy land of hogs. Unfortunately, when I got here I realized I never took the “Bernie Sanders For President” sticker off my bike. Uh-oh!
It was too late to do anything about it. Plus, trying to tear it off could damage the paint. I regretted not donating a few dollars more for the magnet. I was dreading the worst but the throngs of bikers ended up accepting me as one of their own. Almost every interaction started with someone yelling some variation of “Let’s Go Brandon,” which opened the door for me to say “No, it’s Bernie!” Then I’d point to my sticker, which then led to mutual laughs. Next thing you know we’re in the bar crushing some brewskies and exchanging emails.
For every threat of violence, there was a shared laugh. For every insult thrown at me, there was an acknowledgment of my sweet ride. It seemed that the political views signaled by the sticker on my motorcycle may have branded me as an outsider, though I was welcomed with open arms. Besides the slashed tire at the end of the week, Sturgis was a memory I will always treasure. It also helped that no one noticed my RBG-inspired leathers.