It’s like the Harley-Davidson® Pan America™ was made for him! Riding is more than just a hobby for Sidi and he is looking forward to seeing the tens of thousands of motorcyclists around the Puskás Arena. Gábor Sidlovics, guitarist of Tankcsapda is worried that he will get carried away by the atmosphere and will have to be dragged from the venue of the Harley-Davidson 120th Anniversary Festival (22-25 June).
What does Harley-Davidson mean to you?
It may sound like a cliché, but it is true: it means freedom for me. The movie, Harley-Davidson and the Marlboro Man was out in the early ’90s; the feeling hit me then, and the riding came later. Riding a motorcycle has been part of my life ever since and I go everywhere by motorcycle from February to November. It is more than simply a hobby, it is my life.
What type of motorcycle do you have?
A Harley-Davidson Pan America. I was chopping for many years, but later I switched to an adventure bike because it’s better suited to the Hungarian roads and my riding style. Interestingly, Harley released these motorcycles three years ago, and I felt from the first moment that they were made just for me. To make a long story short, I love it.
Does it mean you sometimes ride on forest roads?
It does not mean that, but that I love riding fast and, if I have time, go on rides with my friends all over Europe. During these tours we do a lot of serpentines, cover 3,000 km in four or five days and, of course, sometimes we go off the road and ride in the woods, in impossible places, just to cut take a short cut.
Are the Harley owners a big family?
There is a kind of special bond among us, it’s true. However, on the season opener rides I am very happy to see that the brand doesn’t necessarily matter, it’s just about have two wheels. As my friend Attila Dobai once said: “it is the same hospital, but a different ward”. As we say with my band, Tankcsapda, we want to bring people together and not divide them. Anyway, there is this Harley-style togetherness, but it is becoming more and more a motorcycle togetherness.
What was your first thought, when you heard that Budapest was hosting the Harley-Davidson 120th Anniversary Festival?
I could hardly believe it. It is a huge event for the whole motorcycle community – a once in a lifetime experience. I am really looking forward to it.
What are you looking forward to the most?
Staring at the motorcycles. I imagine I will rest my motorcycle and leave for a walk among thousands of motorcycles and I will be looking around all day long: how great it is, how well-built it is, how nice it is, which year it is, how the exhaust pipe is made etc. I guess I will have to be dragged away from there in the evenings.
Anita Tóth
