Due to the unfortunate loss of a briefcase that went missing during the 1980’s that contained valuable Club information such as Club minutes, members names, facts, figures and events, not a great deal can be recalled of the establishment and progress of the Club during the early years.

It has however been confirmed that, on response to a newspaper advertisement, the inaugural meeting of the Club took place on Tuesday 12 December 1967 at the Riviera Hotel on the Durban Esplanade, Natal, South Africa.  The first meeting was chaired by Roy Holden, who founded the Club for like-minded Harley-Davidson motorcycle enthusiasts, and there were 5-6 males and one female present, whose name is unknown.  The first two Club meetings were Chaired by Roy, who elected the only female member as the Secretary of the Club. During subsequent meetings this short-lived arrangement changed, as the newly elected female resigned as Secretary.  Roy then took over the position of Secretary and appointed Colin Godwin as the new Chairman of the Club. 

During the early days of the 5/7 & 10/12 Harley Davidsons, the engine oil was a problem, as it relied on thick engine oil, which was not always available at Service Stations and garages in South Africa. A request was made to local “Mobile Refineries” to assist the Club to overcome this dilemma by supplying SAE 60 motor oil to the Club. The answer was in the form of a 44-gallon drum that was speedily delivered to Roy’s garage next to his shop at Sherwood, and over the next few years 2-3 more drums of oil were delivered free of charge.  The Club members were then able to fill their machines from 5 litre cans at R1.50, or 1-gallon cans for R1.00, and all the proceeds of the oil sales went into the Club funds.

During the early 70’s, a request was made by the Club to the “ENTHUSIAST” motorcycle magazine, which was and still is very popular in the United States of America and the rest of the world. The request had to indicate that “I now ride a Harley Davidson motorcycle” and was addressed and sent to the Harley-Davidson Motor Company Incorporated, Box 653, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53203, USA. A speedy reply was received with 40-50 Enthusiast magazines that were sent to the Club for a period of several years free of charge. This generous arrangement was obviously well received and much appreciated by all the early Club members at the time.

On Saturday 07 October 1972, it was the opening night of the new Speedway Season at the Alan Ford Stadium in Durban, and the HDCSA was invited to attend.  The Club members we requested to circle the arena several times, and asked to wear distinctive shirts and to give particulars of the machine they were riding, along with their name. They had been given approximately 8 minutes to circle the track, and in all there were about 5000-6000 people at the stadium on this special night.

The Club also organised a 5/7 & 10/12 Harley Workshop Manual for the price of R7.00 each, which was very popular throughout South Africa with all proceeds also going to the Club funds.

In those early days the Club began by building up old bikes with some of them from real scrap parts. These were typically 750cc and 1200cc Flathead bikes, from the 1940’s, aka 5/7’s and 10/12’s. These descriptions were classified by the local South African Vehicle Licensing Department, as 5 horsepower with 750cc and, 10 horsepower with 1200cc capacity engines. Soon there appeared a few very rare Harley-Davidson Knucklehead 1000cc and Panhead 1200cc engine bikes in the Club. Much later some members were fortunate enough to own Harley Davidson Sportsters, Shovelheads, Evo’s, Twin-cams and nowadays all the newer model bikes. All these names are derived from the V-Twin engine type style and shape.

In the early days of the club, members were required to wear white overalls on club rides. This was done to show that your bike did not leak or spray oil. During that time, it was totally forbidden to have any decoration on any part of the white overall. We are now in the fortunate position to have our club colours approved by the Harley-Davidson Motor Company. The approval was obtained by Andrew Gourlay who was the club chairman at the time and it was finally approved on 07 April 2007.  We are one of a handful of clubs world wide who have the honour of being granted permission to use the Harley-Davidson name and logo in our club branding.

In the early days meetings would be held at a members house for a “helmet spraying party” or part swap as Harley-Davidson parts were difficult to come by in the early days. Members could paint their skid lids any colour so long as it was white. Often a few riders would travel, as a small group, from house to house, to encourage other members who were busy “building up” their bikes. It was common to find members helping with each other’s builds and swopping skills and parts. Time has progressed where today we tend to ride more modern motorcycles that are bought new from a dealership or bikes loved and owned by previous owners. Some owners still enhance their pride and joy with some great paint jobs and additional accessories, to get a “one of a kind” master piece. Previous members of the older bikes have crossed over to join ranks with The Classic Bike Club to share their passion and knowledge for bike building and maintenance.

From the onset the Club started the tradition of annual “get togethers”. In the beginning, these were not allowed to be called “rallies” as this name was considered to have a negative connotation with other rough biker clubs at the time. These “get together” gatherings moved around many venues and some of the places were: Ladysmith, Harrismith, Pongola, the Mountain Park Hotel, the Cathkin Peak Hotel, and St. Lucia.  In 1996 The club hosted the first rally in St Lucia, a small town on the KwaZulu Natal North Coast. The first few St Lucia rallies were held for members only but in the early 2000’s it was opened to other bikers but has remained a Harley-Davidson focused rally. The St Lucia Rally has become well-known and very successful, it is currently South Africa’s longest running Harley-Davidson focussed rally in South Africa. Due to the lack of large venues available in St Lucia, the attendance has had to be limited.