Glory Road: Ride with the Chester family of Harley-Davidson dealerships

Get lost for charity

Arizona Bike Week: A day for vices good and bad

Chester's Harley-Davidson gives Arizona Bike Week attendees a chance to check out the latest offerings from the Motor Company.

I had spent the better part of the week in airports, hotels and a sport coat. When I rode into Westworld of Scottsdale at high noon on Saturday, I was dusty, dry and, most of all, ready. The weather was a perfect 75 degrees, the sun intense. It was Arizona Bike Week 2008. Where else can you experience motorcycles, roller derby and a portable dancing pole all in one venue?
The team from Chester’s Harley-Davidson brought the Commemorative Air Force Ghost Squadron custom motorcycle, soon to be auctioned.  “Strafe,” as one Bike Week participant is known among his fellow F-16 pilots, pondered the thought of bidding against the likes of John Travolta who is reportedly interested in the bike. That's Strafe shown with the bike above.

“I am not sure a government salary is going to make me a competitive bidder. Maybe John will trade me a weekend with the bike for an F-16 ride?  What do ya think?”

I told Strafe I’d get back to him.

There were hundreds of vendors peddling leather, lace and chrome. Some items useful, others questionable. Among my favorites was a bike cleaning product.  Like the spokesmodel, Becky, at left, so eloquently stated, “Just pump, spray, wipe and buff.” She made it look so effortless.

Like any good rally, there was enough fried food to draw protest from the American Heart Association. I chose a burger and double-fried cheese fries because I am 38 and giving up on washboard abs. The photo was taken for purely scientific purposes. I want my surgeon to know exactly what he is scraping out of my arteries 10 years from now.

The afternoon featured the much anticipated Roller Derby exhibition. Suzie Homewrecker, left, was kind enough to explain the finer points of Roller Derby.

At the opposite end of the spectrum were the girls from Christie’s Cabaret with their portable dancing pole. I guess both activities could leave you bruised and battered.

Charlie, Cherry and Cameo were more than willing to demonstrate the use of their prop.   

By the end of the day, I felt like a biker again—with no recollection of that guy stuck in meetings and conference calls just a few days earlier. I realized one day of living the Harley-Davidson lifestyle just isn’t enough.

—Scott Himelhoch

Chester's Harley-Davidson expands to Gilbert

Phoenix area motorcycle enthusiasts will soon have an exciting new Harley-Davidson retail and service facility, thanks to Chester’s Harley-Davidson.

The Harley-Davidson Motor Company has authorized Chester’s, located in Mesa, Arizona, to construct a new facility in the Santan Motorplex at the intersection of Val Vista and Pecos Road in nearby Gilbert, just off of the Santan Freeway (202).

The new location will offer a full range of Harley-Davidson products and services. Chester's has concluded negotiations for the purchase of a four-acre property and begun work on plans and permits for a 2009 construction start date. A grand opening is expected to take place on or about January 1, 2010.

Chester’s Harley-Davidson will offer a complete shopping experience for its customers in its new facility including new and pre-owned motorcycle sales, service, parts, accessories and motorclothes. The new dealership, an extension of its main operation on Country Club Drive in Mesa, is expected to be about a 30,000-square-foot facility. It will incorporate the latest dealership design technology with a theme in keeping with its new location.

Word of the new facility has created a great deal of excitement among Chester's customers and supporters. Members of the Chester family and their associates look forward to continuing the expansion of its Harley-Davidson motorcycle business and further serving the needs of its many customers from the Gilbert location.

Chester's Harley-Davidson serves the East Valley and beyond from a 45,000-square-foot facility on Country Club Drive in Mesa. Chester's offering of new and nearly new motorcycle sales, service, parts and accessories, rental motorcycles and rider training from the Mesa facility will not be affected by the expansion to Gilbert.

The Chester family of Harley-Davidson dealerships includes Grand Teton Harley-Davidson & Buell in Idaho Falls and Pocatello, Idaho, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Snake Harley-Davidson in Twin Falls, Idaho.