Setcom Says

The Florida Connection & how Immortal Harleys Reign in Havana

I remember the stories told by Phil Peterson, who I’ve always known him as “Mr. P,” since that is what his customers and friends still call him to this day. That Harleys will someday once again be prominent in Cuba, just as in the days before the Cuban Revolution. Phil told many a good story of a time when he was associated with Billy Temple, who was the Harley-Davidson dealer in Miami for many years. By my reckoning now, many of his stories were focused on the mid 1950s. As Phil told these stories, it all seemed like yesterday.

After his years in the Navy, Phil Peterson did what he loved best – farmed and tended his orchard. It was a different time – Wisconsin, Door County and the 1950s. Phil loved to race and was successful at it and found himself traveling and racing around the nation. Phil also fell in love with Florida and became a Harley-Davidson dealer, working for Billy Temple with his first store in Key West. Harley-Davidsons were popular in Cuba, with Billy Temple and Phil Peterson often working together to supply the needs of the police agencies as well as the civilian population. On their last trip out of Cuba, I recall Phil telling me they could hear the sounds of artillery in the hills. In the midst of the revolution, that would be too close for comfort. Phil went on to acquire the Miami dealership from Billy Temple in 1965, just as Billy Temple had promised him years before. Between Phil and his sons, Dirk and Drew, and also Ace Armstrong, they have made a wonderful success story focused on the history of Harley-Davidson in South Florida. Well, that’s not really the story but only the prologue. You see, there were all those Harley-Davidsons left behind in Cuba.

Fast forward 50 years after the revolution. It’s not 1959, it’s now 2009. Those many Harley-Davidson motorcycles left behind across Cuba, whether police or civilian models, still flourish to this day. I’m certain that there’s really only a small portion of the estimated 2,000 Harley-Davidsons which were in Cuba at the time of the revolution still on the road today – but many are. Long time Harley-Davidson mechanics and product aficionados like Sergio Morales keep the legend alive. Mr. Morales has been repairing Harleys for some thirty-six years. His love for Harley-Davidson runs deep, which can’t be a very popular position these days.

There’s also the story that at one point Havana Police Officers were offered their Harley-Davidson motorcycles for just $40 each. While that doesn’t sound like a lot of money today, it certainly was in its time.

Thanks to Mr. Morales and others like him across Cuba, the Harley-Davidson legend remains strong. Kudos to those individuals who can keep alive the dream, making due with experimental parts of their own making; love for a machine and a notion of freedom never ran deeper.

It’s well known that it’s possible to purchase parts through sources located in other countries, such as Mexico, but those parts are expensive. It’s better to make what you need. What a talented cadre of mechanics it takes to keep those motorcycles on the roads today.

I have to agree with Phil Peterson, someday once again new Harley-Davidsons will return to the streets of Havana. It’s my hope that the Havana Police will lead the way. When that day comes they’ll also need the best police motorcycle communications systems and we’ll be ready.