Sandy Hobbs | Letters to Ambrose Merton # 7, 1996

According to the Dutch newspaper, de Volkskrant, 23 October 1996, the following story had recently been circulating on the Internet. The newspaper refers to it as a “broodje aap“, the name by which contemporary legends are known in the Netherlands. Translation by Lois Hobbs.

A biker rides across the New Hampshire plain and sees, standing by a farm building, an old Harley Davidson. He rings at the adjoining house to ask if the owner of the motorbike wants to sell it. The owner will sell the bike for 800 dollars. Once home, the new owner cannot find the number necessary for a registration certificate. He rings a local Harley dealer and asks which places he should look. That leads to nothing.

As a last resort, he telephones the manufacturer and asks the person on the line to give him details about the performance of the motorcycle, especially about the saddle. He is surprised when the Davidson man asks “Can you look under the bike? See if there is anything written on the under side.” The biker confirms that he can see an engraving “To Elvis, Thanks. Harley Davidson”. Whereupon the Davidson company offer him 350 thousand dollars for it. The owner replies, “I just want to think it over”.

Afterwards, he phoned the Elvis Presley museum at Graceland in Memphis, and asked if the rock star ever had had a Harley. It is explained to him that the Harley Davidson firm had built him four special models by way of a present. Three already stand in the museum. “I have the fourth”, says the new owner. Graceland offers him three million dollars for it.

“I have to think it over.”