Bikers Find Desert Hogs Heaven -- Caravans Of Harley-Davidsons Travel In United Arab Emirates

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Their faces whipped by sand, a long caravan of travelers emerges from behind the shimmering dunes and glides past grazing goats and lush palm trees. Young boys in native robes rush excitedly to watch the procession.

It's not the timeless scene of Bedouins trekking on camels, though. This convoy travels on Harley-Davidsons.

Both natives of this Persian Gulf state and Western workers here for jobs in the oil-rich economy are being attracted by the romance of roaring down the road in black leather, silver helmets and bright bandannas.

"People are always astonished when we drive by," says Canadian David Boyko, manager of the Harley-Davidson dealership in Dubai. "Sometimes they park their cars and stand by the side of the road just to watch us."

Harley is known for loyalist owners everywhere, and those in the Emirates are no exception. Many wealthy Arabs and well-paid expatriates can easily afford the average price tag of 60,000 dirhams ($16,400).

The average Harley rider here is a family man in his 40s, a far cry from the stereotype of Hells Angels rowdies cruising intimidatingly on their big bikes.

Dubai's Harley Owners Group - known as HOGS - organizes a charity drive and rides in the city's biggest parade. It runs a Wednesday night ride each week, a monthly overnight trip and an annual bike competition.

"It's a bit of home away from home," says Jim Hart, 52, a Lufthansa cargo pilot from Phoenix who has ridden Harleys for 20 years. "It's nice to be able to keep riding with a group here."

For a recent overnight jaunt, more than 100 people met at the Harley showroom to drive together to Al Ain, 75 miles away.

Men and women in leather jackets emblazoned with the word HOG, many with cellular phones peeking from back pockets, transferred gear from fancy four-wheel-drive vehicles to their motorcycles. Wives and children waited in cars across the road, before the convoy formed up and roared off.

The popularity of the Harley rides is fostered both by the Emirates' social climate - there's not much to do - and the steady weather.

"We can ride almost the whole year round and plan rides six weeks in advance because the weather is so predictable," Dutchman John Vrettos says above the roar of his Softail Custom.

"Having the group here is like being part of a big family," says Vrettos, 26, who edits the monthly HOG newsletter.

Not all Dubai's Harley owners are wealthy. Mohammed Ali Sawaya, an Emirates citizen and air-force mechanic, borrowed money to buy his bike after seeing the movie "Easy Rider" three years ago. He has since persuaded 10 friends to buy Harleys, too.

"It's an incredible feeling of freedom when you ride the bike," says Sawaya, 32. "I feel cool driving a Harley. I feel that I own the world."

Boyko, manager of the Harley-Davidson dealership, says annual sales have grown from 40 in 1992 to 180 this year. That was all he can get from the surprised officials at Harley headquarters in Milwaukee.

Other motorcycles also are popular in the Emirates. Yamaha and Suzuki each sell about 700 smaller, less expensive bikes a year. BMW, which produces luxury cycles like Harley, would not release sales figures.

Harley is banking on its motorcycles spreading throughout the region. It opened a Saudi Arabia dealership in October and one in Oman in December.

Cruising in the Emirates is not all fun. The harsh weather - heat, dust, humidity and salty air - is very corrosive, prompting many Harley owners to keep their machines inside homes or air-conditioned garages.

In the back of Boyko's gleaming showroom, 20 motorcycles are parked in cool storage while their owners are away.

"It's one of the most important services we provide for our clients here," he says.