Longtime Harley-Davidson enthusiast Brad Thompson has recently found himself in a bit of a personal conundrum. After years of riding with his local biker gang, Thompson is starting to question whether his love for the open road is more about the roar of his Harley—or the roar of well-built men in head-to-toe leather.
“I mean, don’t get me wrong, the bike is great,” said Thompson, polishing his custom chrome handlebars for the third time that afternoon. “But lately, I’ve been wondering if it’s the rumble of the engine or the rumble of Jake’s biceps in that tight jacket that really gets my motor running.”
Thompson, 42, began riding motorcycles in his mid-twenties, originally drawn to the freedom, rebellion, and the unmistakable aesthetic of men wearing chaps with just a hint of danger. “There’s just something about a guy who can pull off leather pants,” Thompson confessed while scrolling through pictures from last weekend’s rally, pausing noticeably longer on a few of his fellow riders than on the actual bikes.
“I mean, everyone looks good in leather, right? It’s just the vibe,” he added with a shrug, trying to dismiss the significance of the 46 leather jackets he has collected over the years, along with an impressive collection of framed photos featuring various stages of beard growth among his biker buddies.
Friends of Thompson have also noticed his increasing fascination with the sartorial choices of his comrades. “Yeah, Brad’s always been really into the ‘look,’” said fellow rider and close friend Dale “Big Bear” Patterson. “But he did spend like 20 minutes the other day just adjusting my vest before we went out for a ride. It felt… specific.”
Despite his growing self-awareness, Thompson insists that his passion for motorcycles remains genuine. “I just really like the culture, you know? The brotherhood, the loud engines, and, well, the way the leather hugs the body in all the right places.” He paused, seemingly lost in thought. “Is that weird? That’s not weird.”
At press time, Thompson was reportedly shopping for a new Harley-Davidson jacket—“for the bike, obviously”—while privately considering if maybe, just maybe, his interest in the world of motorcycles has always been a little more about the ride than he’d previously realized.
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