Easy riding with Jews
born to be wild.
udee Herman was
riding through up-
state New York with
her husband Sal
when her brakes
went out.
She pulled her Harley
Davidson to the side
of the highway while Sal called
a garage.
The repairman, a bearded,
tattooed biker, handed Ms:
Herman his business card. It
read: Art Levine.
"I said, What's a nice Jewish
boy like you doing riding mo-
torcyde.s?' He smiled and I said,
`Meet another member of the
tribe."'
When the West Bloomfield
couple returned to Michigan
"It's all part of the
adult Halloween."
—Judee Herman
they immediately placed an-
advertisement in The Jewish
News.
"Attention Harley Riders:
Looking For A Group To Ride
With? Call Judee." A phone
number followed.
"After meeting Art, an Or-
thodox Jew from Brooklyn, we
figured we couldn't be the only
ones," Mr. Herman said.
Responses began to filter in
to the Hermans' home phone.
Soon Jewish professionals look-
ing to play weekend warrior
were meeting Sunday morn-
ings for coffee, bagels and cruis-
ing.
Known loosely as Members
of the Tribe, the group consists
of about 30 members. Most of
them ride Harleys. A few kick
up the dirt on BMWs.
Ms. Heiman threw around
names like "The Chai and the
Mighty," but decided upon the
MOTs because "it's pretty non-
committal. Most Jews know
what an MOT is. Non-Jews will
ask and we say 'member of the
tribe.' If they ask what tribe, I'll
say the Harley tribe."'
The MOTs, Ms. Herrna.n
sists, defy typical biker stereo-
types.
"We're not drinkers. We're
not smokers. We're not rowdy.
We're professionals. We just
like to ride," she said.
However, the MOTs have
biker names for each other
Sal is Wrench, Judee is Jugs.
Some sport leather chaps and
bandannas. The occasional
temporary tattoo has been ap-
plied.
"It's all just part of the adult
Halloween you get into when
you ride a Harley," Ms. Her-
man said.
Bikes ("hogs"), especially
Harley Davidsons, the only
American-made motorcycles,
may evoke images of Dennis
Hopper in Easy Rider and Cher
in Mash — wild, raucous, free
spirits in leather.
However, the look of the "typ-
ical" bikeris changing.
These days, models for
Harley Davidson magazines
PHOTOS BY GL EN N TRIEST
LESLEY PEARL STAFF WRITER