A history of Mike Pence’s Harley-Davidson motorcycle rides

Former VP Mike Pence rode a Harley-Davidson for the “Roast and Ride” event in Iowa on Saturday.
He’s ridden Harleys at other events over the years. It’s unclear if the bikes were his or borrowed.
Pence is expected to officially announce his 2024 bid for the White House next week.

Former Vice President Mike Pence rode into the Iowa state fairgrounds on a Harley on Saturday, grinning broadly as he hopped off the hog.

Politics reporters noted that he was the only (almost official) 2024 presidential contender who actually rode with Sen. Joni Ernst in her annual “Roast and Ride” event. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (accompanied by his wife and children) arrived in an SUV.

Many online questioned Pence’s street cred, causing his name to trend on Twitter Saturday night.

Pence has ridden motorcycles at past events, including a veterans fundraiser when he was governor of Indiana in 2016.

US Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, right, and former Vice President Mike Pence ride motorcycles on the way to the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa., Saturday, June 3, 2023, during Ernst’s Roast and Ride.

Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen via AP

It’s unclear whether he owns the bike he rode on Saturday, which looked like a Harley Street Glide.

When the Pences got a puppy in 2017, they named it Harley: “I asked my wife for a motorcycle and I got a puppy, so I named it Harley,” The Indianapolis Star reported Pence joked at the time.

Former Vice President Mike Pence rides a motorcycle during US Sen. Joni Ernst’s Roast and Ride, Saturday, June 3, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa.

Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen via AP

In older photos of Pence riding motorcycles at events, he always seems to wear the same outfit: cowboy boots, blue jeans, a leather vest with patches, and — of course — a helmet.

He rode a different Harley past Indiana cornfields during the 2016 presidential campaign while sporting the same look.

Republican vice presidential candidate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence participates in the Annual Governor’s Motorcycle Ride to benefit the Indiana National Guard Relief Fund in Fountaintown, Ind., Friday, July 29, 2016.

AP Photo/Michael Conroy

In 2018, the Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based company announced it would move some jobs abroad because of former President Donald Trump’s trade war. Trump tweeted, “Harley must know that they won’t be able to sell back into U.S. without paying a big tax!”

After being asked about the tweet, then-VP Pence told reporters: “Our objective is to see Harley-Davidson, and every American company, grow jobs right here in America.”

Trump and Pence stand next to a Harley Davidson motorcycle on the South Lawn of the White House after meeting with company executives, February 2, 2017.

Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Images

A spokesperson for Pence didn’t immediately answer Insider’s questions on his Harley history.