MI AMOR

80 Pages·2016·21.78 MB·English

lahabana
magazine
CUBAN
HARLEYS,
MI AMOR
FEB

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Photo by Ana Lorena
editorial
Although these bikes were built in America, long they have a Cuban soul.
–Abel Pez
Welcome to the February 2016 Issue of La Habana magazine, which has taken over where What’s On
La Habana—the definitive cultural and travel guide to Havana—left off. This month we suggest you
get on your bike and ride, literally with the rest of the Harley crew for the 5th International Harley
Davidson Rally, which will take place from February 5 to 7 in Varadero.
Cuban Harleys, mi Amor, is the title of a fabulous new photography book of Cuba’s Harlistas by
Conner Gorry, Max Cucchi and Jens Fuge. Thanks to all three for generously letting us borrow for this
month’s issue, which features several extracts from the book as well as Conner’s first ride with her
“Big New Dysfunctional Harley Family” and photos from Max Cucchi, who has spent years capturing
some of the contradictions [of Cuba] through the Cubans who, despite ongoing scarcity of parts, have
managed to keep their bikes on the road.
Keeping to the Biking theme, we swap the Harley for a BMW F650s with Christopher Baker as he
covers considerably more distance on a high-end tour around the eastern part of the island from
Bayamo to Santiago de Cuba. Truth be told, Chris still has a soft spot for Harleys and if four of the
bikes on the first Yankee motorcycle groups since the Revolution tour around Cuba end up being
Harley’s—what can you do?
Just in case we forget to remind you, the Habanos Cigar Festival kicks off, somewhat inconveniently
[for our publishing deadlines], on February 29th this year, so by the time of our next issue the star-
studded event will be in full sway. If you have the cash, do what you can to get a ticket to the gala
dinner—it promises to be a lavish affair (as it should be for 700 dollars!). Let’s see who beats Paris and
Naomi in the glamour stakes this year.
Elsewhere, spare a thought for the poor Caribbean sun seekers and snowbirds who came to Cuba
during the wettest January on record. Cuba has managed the impossible and made Britain seem
hospitable this time of year (well, almost). Definitely, time for El Nino to pack his bags back over to
the other side of the Pacific.
And finally, we wish you a Very Happy Valentine’s Day, 2016. Share the love but don’t get caught!
Abrazos! The LaHabana.com Team
About our new look
In January we introduced our new logo, look and feel. If you look closely, you’ll see it’s not a huge departure from
the original Cuba Absolutely logo. Rather we’re staying close to our roots, whilst we position ourselves for an
expansion into the digital realm with LaHabana.com. We will continue to expand our monthly themes while
maintaining the popular “What’s On” section as an integral part of the Magazine. In the coming months we will
bring online weekly updates on what to see and do in…La Habana. Please send us your feedback and comments.
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Photo by Ana Lorena
february 2016
cuban Harley-Davidson in Cuba: Then, Now, Forever p8
Meeting some famous Harlistas p13
harleys,
My big, new dysfunctional Harley family p23
mi amor
A New Edition of the Cuban Harley Davidson Biker
“Convention” in Varadero p26
The Rise, Fall and Survival of Harley Davidsons p29
Harley-Davidson Mechanics p32
motorcycling On the road from Bayamo to Santiago de Cuba p34
through cuba Chasing Che: Motorcycling through Cuba p36
2016 habanos cigar With Sir Terence Conran at the Festival del Habano p40
festival preview Cuban cigar bands: another expression of fantasy p42
other Che: a face and its language p44
Valentine’s Day in Cuba p47
havana listings Visual Arts p49 — Photography p51 — Dance p52 —
Music p53 — Theatre p61 — For Kids p62
havana guide Features - Restaurants - Bars & Clubs - Live Music -
Hotels - Private Accommodation p70
This opulent photography book illustrates some of those contradictions through Harlistas, those
Cubans who ride American Harley Davidson motorcycles despite the economy of scarcity which
predominates on the island. For almost 60 years when it was impossible to buy spare parts, these
bikers kept their Harleys on the road – they are ingenious, totally on their own, and full of tricks.
“Although these bikes were built in America,
long they have a Cuban soul”
–Abel Pez
lahabana
Cuba's Digital Destination page 7
extract from the book cuban harleys, mi amor
by max cucchi, conner gorry & Jens fuge
http://cuba.backroad-diaries.de/english/
harley-davidson in cuba:

Then, Now, Forever
by Conner Gorry
photos courtsey Max Cucchi
lahabana
Cuba's Digital Destination page 8
New love, the birth of a child, a hard-fought goal of the companys founding, Harley-Davidsons
reached: There are experiences in life that awaken could be seen cruising the Cuban streets.
dormant memories and drive the desire to make
new ones. Such rarified moments are nothing Harley history in Cuba has been lived and written
short of harmonic convergence, when nostalgia, by many people the length and breadth of the
hope, and history meld into possibility. island, with the largest concentration of the so-
called Harlistas in Havana, Matanzas and Santa
Anyone who has walked Havana Vieja’s cobblestone Clara.
streets or snaked around La Farola, Cuba’s most
famous road, has born witness to this convergence. From 1917 on the first Harley-motorcycles and parts
The same can be said for anyone who has pulled went on sale at the historic Harris Brothers store
out of a hill-hugging curve and thundered down in Havana Vieja as well by Pujol Soler in Santiago de
the open road on a Harley-Davidson. The freedom Cuba. Unfortunately, the bike business wasn’t kind
and power are extrasensory – a liberation of mind to both of the dealers, who sold their franchise to
and spirit provided by precision mechanics and the Bretos’, a family of motorcycle dealers from
timeless design. Santiago de Cuba; legends were poised to be born,
history was in the making.
Where Cuba and Harleys come together is more
than harmonic convergence – it’s unparalleled The name Bretos, and in particular that of
alchemy. patriarch José Luis Bretos, himself a Harley-rider,
has become synonymous with Harley-Davidson in
Like many game-changing innovations, the first Cuba. The family dealership, located at San Lázaro
Harley-Davidson prototype was built at home – by #314, became the islands hub for Harley-culture
Arthur Davidson and brothers Walter and William and almost all the antique bikes rode in Cuba
S. Harley in 1903. Within four years, they founded today originated from this showroom. According
the Harley-Davidson Motor Company, a name to dealership records, Bretos, the sole distributor
which has come to symbolize American spirit on the island, sold some 500 Harleys in the 1940s
and ingenuity. Links between the United States and 50s alone. What’s more, a few veteran riders
and Cuba in the early 20th century were among still kicking around were friends and clients of the
the strongest and most fluid in the two countries Bretos’.
complex history. Not surprisingly, within a decade
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Cuba's Digital Destination page 9
This was considered the Harley-hey day, when
Cubans with the means upgraded to faster, more
comfortable bikes – like the ones featuring the
spring-action Buddy Seat – as soon as they became
available. Silvio Jesús del Fresno of Matanzas
remembers his father, Benigno González, who got
his first bike (a Baby Harley) at age 18, buying a new
Harley almost every year from José Luis Bretos.
Matanzas was a Harley-hot spot throughout the
1940s and 50s, when aficionados like González,
Victor Ashman, Cheíto Puig and other young
Matanceros would go on regular rallies and road
trips, sometimes even traveling to the United
States to convene with their northern brethren.
“My father rode his Harley the length and breadth
of Cuba”, says Silvio. “I’ll never forget the day a
friend brought a Harley to the house and put it in
front of him after he was too old to ride. I watched
the tears stream down his face. It was very moving.”
By the 1950s, Harleys were all the rage in Cuba,
largely thanks to Bretos, his team of talented
mechanics, and the feats of the Team Acrobática
– a daredevil group of police officers who criss-
crossed the island performing death-defying
tricks on their hogs. Historians estimate there
were over 150 Harleys in Havana alone at this time.
Fleets of Baby Harley-Super 10s and Hydra Glides
could be seen plying the streets delivering goods
and groceries to customers or dropping off the
latest Hollywood movie reels at local cinemas.
New riders meanwhile, favored the GE Servi-
Car for its smoother, quieter ride provided by
innovative two-cylinder Mellow Tone technology.
In 1951, Harley-Davidson manufactured 6 000
of its 74FL models. Harley-riders the world over
– including in Cuba – bought these moderately-
priced motorcycles in droves. Luis Bretos
capitalized on HD’s popularity, further honing his
successful marketing strategy and improving the
efficient delivery of his bikes to customers across
the island. He organized rallies from Pinar del Río
to Holguín and Harleys were popular features of
Havanas annual Carnival parades. But the party
was about to come to a crashing halt …
When the Revolution triumphed in 1959 and
the USA imposed an economic blockade, Cuba’s
Harley-dealership closed. Parts and resources for
maintaining the bikes dried up and Harlistas across
A savvy businessman with considerable resources, the island suffered. So began a new era for Cuban
Bretos struck a sweet deal with the police and Harley-riders, who harbored the same passion for
armed forces to supply them with motorcycles – their bikes, despite the new conditions.
a sales strategy also implemented in the United
States at the time. As a result, the Harley-star was The Cuban Government reacted in its very own way
ascending fast, on both sides of the Straits. Bretos and dispersed all Harleys from the streets which
combined popular promotional events including had been operated by the Police by then. It may
cross-country rallies and races, with aggressive be the most sad chapter in Cuban Harleyhistory
marketing of new models rolling out of the HD when a hole was dug right in middle of the baseball
factory in Wisconsin like the FL Hydra Glide with field of the Boniato prison near Santiago in which
Panhead motor, to lucrative effect. all the completely operable bikes were pushed
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