CARISTAS

      NOT EVERY Harley-Davidson rumbling around Cuba dates to the pre-revolution era. Several machines at the Harlistas rally were from more recent decades. How did they get to the island? Oh, probably by boat. Front disc brake is one clue that this Heritage Softail Classic is a modern model. Introduced in the mid-1980s, the Heritage Softail remains in production today.   Foreground: '65 or later Electra Glide; background: Harley Sportster. Like the Heritage Softail, the Road King that arrived in 1994 pays homage to the big-twin Harleys of the 1940s and '50s. This one could be a 2008 Road King Classic.

The venerable Latino Americanos Motociclistas Association is well represented in Cuba.    The Harlistas are as convivial a group of bikers as you will ever encounter.   They offer you a beer.   They're happy to answer questions about the age of their machines and the challenges of keeping them running.   They smile even as visitors hop on their bikes and pose for photos.   Doesn't get more mellow than that.       The Harlistas rally in Varadero, a resort area east of Havana, has become a spring tradition . All aboard: Spectators are welcome to touch the bikes and even climb on .

Raked flathead was the only full chopper at the rally. Want some road presence? Add a goat skull.  Components represent several decades.

I suspect it is as illegal in Cuba as it is elsewhere to have three people on a motorcycle (unless you have a sidecar), but you see it regularly. Fortunately, t his Harley-Davidson Duo-Glide is a family-sized bike. Older Flathead Harley-Davidson lacks the Duo-Glide's coil-over-shock rear suspension, but its rider-family appears comfortable.