The first motorcycle was actually invented much earlier by an American, Sylvester Roper. He built a coal-powered steam engine motorcycle in 1867. But the credit for inventing the first gas-engine bike—in 1885—goes to a German, Gottlieb Daimler, who went on to form part of the Daimler-Benz automobile corporation.

The neck-and-neck inventions of automobiles and motorcycles created a thirst for speed on wheels, and Harley-Davidson motorcycles were right in the thick of it. The bikes began setting records in 1908 for mileage per gallon and won seven first-place finishes for motorcycle racing in 1910.

This need for speed created camaraderie among enthusiasts, and groups such as the San Jose Dons Motorcycle Club quickly sprang to life. Club members say they believe the club started sometime in the 1920s with flat-track and dirt-bike racing. One of the founding members was Sam Arena, who owned the Harley-Davidson dealerships in San Jose and Palo Alto and just recently passed away.

The Willow Glen club was officially incorporated in 1932 and is the third oldest in Northern California. It even claims that Dons members were present at the 1947 three-day brawl in Hollister when 4,000 motorcyclists descended on the small farming community. The event inspired the 1953 Marlon Brando film The Wild Ones.

The incident "was all staged" and people "blew it out of proportion," says Chuck Williams, the club's unofficial historian, but the negative biker stereotype that grew out of Hollywood's representation of motorcyclists became ingrained in the public's mind.

Nevertheless, the hard-core, tough image appealed to many young baby boomers who were looking for a way to rebel against the clean-cut, suburban status quo.

In the club's heyday, the 1960s, its membership swelled to more than 100 youthful motorcycle fanatics, but began dropping off in the 1970s. Today, the club has about 30 members, ranging in age from their 30s to 60s. And most do not even own Harleys.

Members such as Fred Carter, 55, appreciate the club's history and enjoy having people to ride with who are part of the "old culture." Carter says he likes being part of a motorcycle club in which members are fined for profanity or putting their feet on the sofas. And he adds that there is a good mix of skill levels, with veterans helping out novices when it comes to the rules of the road.

"You don't have to be an ace rider to be part of the group," he says.

"We're a mellow club," adds treasurer Diana Webb-Holston, 51, referring to a former member who threw rocks at their bikes and was kicked out.

It all boils down to having two wheels, a motor and an American Motorcycle Association membership says Orin Walker, who is the San Jose Dons president and district 36 president for the American Motorcycle Association.

The Dons' clubhouse is also a trip back through time, with its collection of more than 60 years of trophies and ribbons for participation in charity, dam, poker and fun runs. There are also historical photographs on the club walls that capture its heritage.

In high gear

In keeping with the joys of the open road and the aesthetic appeal of the scenery, weather and accompanying smells, the Dons invite clubs from the Bay Area to ride down and share in its annual Corn Feed—a steak-and-corn barbecue that's become a fall tradition. This year members rode up to the clubhouse on four Harleys, two BMWs and a couple of Honda Goldwings.

Jason Beren, a member of the San Francisco Motorcycle Club, who rode down the Peninsula to join the Dons' party, got a whiff of the steaks cooking blocks away.

"The first thing you notice are the smells," says James Cornell, about being on the open road.

Riding through Kansas, he could smell when the cornfields changed to soybean fields and says, "Your senses aren't shielded and you can feel the road."

An avid motorcyclist, 33-year-old Cornell and his friend 48-year-old David Schiller, also a member of the San Francisco club, rode out to Milwaukee for the Harley-Davidson 100th anniversary celebration in August, where more than 200,000 other nostalgic bikers, mostly from the baby-boomer generation, gathered.

Reflecting on the times, Cornell says the younger generation has entered the motorcycle world for speed and coolness rather than nostalgia and tradition.

And members such as Williams say the infusion of Japanese motorcycles such as Honda and Kawasaki have wooed away motorcycle lovers from the traditional "hog" to slicker, faster models.

Even motorcycle enthusiasts debate the merits of workmanship and image that Harley-Davidson now holds.

Walker, 57, owns three Honda motorcycles because he likes the technology and one 1957 Harley-Davidson Sportster for sentimental reasons. He began riding at 16 and says, "I'm a freak about it."

He likes the wind in his face, nothing in his way and being able to go wherever he wants, he says.

Cornell says he would be more impressed with the Harleys if the company spent money on the product's quality and development rather than its merchandising, noting that there are more clothes and promotional items than bikes.

Thirty-four-year-old Beren, who rides a Honda, says, "I've only ridden a Harley once and I hated it. The Sportster shook so hard I couldn't read the street signs."

But longtime club member Dons vice president Deacon Van Derostyne—a member since 1966— recalls the days when "if anyone rode anything different than a Harley-Davidson, that was the exception."

During the 1950s, Harleys were the brand of choice, with British bikes such as the Triumph becoming popular in the 1960s and 1970s, says Williams. When Japanese motorcycles proliferated in the marketplace from the 1970s through the 1990s, bikes became "more dependable and more touring," he adds.

"Electronic technology has invaded the motorcycle world," says Van Derostyne, who has a CD player and cruise control on his Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Classic.

Van Derostyne likes his Harley-Davidson because it's American-made and there is a nationwide community behind it.

"There's a great network of Harley people all over," he says. "If you break down anywhere, someone will come help you fix it."

While ambivalent about Harley-Davidson, Cornell says the "romantic freedom" of motorcycles keeps him hooked.

And hooked is exactly how Willow Glen resident Brook Shaw feels about the motorcycles and taking it to the next level.

He likes to let loose and "forget about work" by doing cross-country motorcycle races called "hare scrambles" or "enduros." The 34-year-old biker also races every Thursday in Fremont and sponsors a professional motocross racer—Mike Phillips—who also lives in Willow Glen.

Shaw owns four racing bikes and a 1999 Harley-Davidson because it's safe, slow, more aesthetically appealing and he enjoys how it sounds.

Weekend escape

Schiller says everyone's reasons for owning a motorcycle are different, but he likes being able to hit the road and "leave the garbage from Monday to Friday behind."

Cornell adds, "We're only one slice of the motorcycle world," emphasizing the diversity within the recreational group.

"It used to be a thing for people in their 20s, who were blue collar, with grease under their fingernails," says Schiller, about the popular Harley image. But today's riders no longer fit the stereotype.

San Jose Dons member Kent Holston, 60, agrees that "the hardcore image doesn't exist as a brand" anymore. Five years ago, motorcyclists were mainly "old guys," he says, but now the sport and hobby draws more "yuppies"—young, urban professionals.

"We call them ruppies," Beren says, about the influx of rich, urban professionals to the world of motorcycles.

While types and motives abound, the Dons come together for family and fun, Walker adds. John Lopez joined the club two years ago after members watched out for him on his first fun run down Highway 1.

"I thought, I don't want to join a gang, but they took care of me," he says, changing his mind after the ride and joining the Dons.

It's this winding through the curves, feeling the wind at their backs and seeing nothing but open road ahead that brings a rush to newcomers and veterans alike.

"I ride because I like to ride, I'm not into image," says Bruce Colbourn, 53, who is the Dons' club secretary and has been a member for six years.

He owns a Honda Valkyrie and began riding motorcycles in the 1960s during his Navy tour in Hawaii.

Colbourn says the biggest change over the decades is that the motorcycle community has become richer, with motorcycles like the 2004 Sportster 883 starting at $6,500 and moving upward, depending on make and model, into the $20,000-plus range, says one Harley dealership.

Riding for a cause

The club starts its riding season in March with the Spring Run, a kickoff barbecue and ride that is always held on the weekend after March 20 or 21, the first day of spring. Members' mettle and skills are challenged with numerous games that involve their bikes. The games include slow races that require good balance at minimal speed while tossing a watermelon, or placing tennis balls on orange cones, or doing a "weenie bite"—where riders stand and take a bite from a hotdog on a string while riding underneath.

In addition to these festive events, the club averages two runs a month from March through November, including fundraiser rides for charities such as InnVision and AchieveKids.

Walker is also working on a Toy Run fundraiser for December. One thousand motorcyclists participate in a similar event in Sacramento, Walker says, noting that the Bay Area has a larger number of riders. He thinks the fundraiser could be a local boon for needy children.

Riding for a cause is just one facet of the club. Members also go on rides with other motorcycle clubs; they have holiday theme rides; and they go on treks to campgrounds across California and Nevada.

Webb-Holston says her favorite rides are the "poker runs."

"There's a little competition there and you can be more independent or ride with the group," she says.

The poker runs involve stopping at five destinations and picking up one card at each stop. The members with the best and the worst hand win prizes. The cost for participating in the event goes toward charity. The lucky winner wins a trophy, money and the grand prize, a trip to Las Vegas, says Webb-Holston.

"It's luck of the draw if you win," says Webb-Holston about the random poker hand members receive after all the stops.

The Dons' season officially ends for the year in December with an awards banquet and an appearance in San Jose's holiday parade.

"We are actively pursuing members," says Walker, with application fees lowered to $11 and annual dues only $30. "We used to recruit by just riding around."

Yet riding around is no longer the hook to draw in new members. What the club hopes is that people will be attracted to a century-old tradition, a colorful history and the friendships that are generated through the experience. The Dons have had this for more than 70 years.

For more information call 408. 294.5494 or visit the website at http://www.sanjosedonsmc.com. The club meets every 1st and 3rd Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the basement of 523 Columbia Ave. in Willow Glen.