Milwaukee Harley-Davidson dealership gearing up for huge week

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The 120th anniversary Harley-Davidson Homecoming is just hours away, and at the Milwaukee Harley-Davidson dealership, they're getting ready to welcome potentially hundreds of thousands of visitors.

The first thing you see when you walk into the Milwaukee Harley-Davidson dealership is the new 2024 Harley-Davidson CVO under a tarp ahead of its big reveal at their sneak peek party Wednesday. They'll be one of the only places in the country to see it.

The people working there say this is going to be a huge weekend for them.

"We're expecting probably 2-300,000 bikes just at this dealership alone, not to mention the area," said salesperson Matthew Wheeler.

Wheeler says a lot of prep has gone into welcoming the thousands of people coming to visit, including extensive motorcycle parking.

"Tomorrow is our sneak peek party. We are also the only dealership in the area that has the new 2024 Harley Davidson CVO Road Glides and Street Glides here on site. We will be unveiling them here, and we invite everybody down to come check out how awesome they actually are," said Wheeler.

They've even commissioned Dan Kite and his son to do custom pinstriping commemorating the event.

"We're doing 100 bikes for them, with 120 Milwaukee Harley-Davidson logo on them," said Kite. "And they're all hand-painted."

Kite came all the way from Jacksonville, Florida for this.

"I love coming to Milwaukee, the anniversary years are always big. We were at 100 and the 95th," said Kite.

Wheeler says that's what it's all really about, is the community of people who love to ride.

"Motorcycling is not just people on two wheels. It is a lifestyle," said Wheeler. "It is a brand, [but] it is a way of life."

He says since it's his first Homecoming while working in the industry, he's excited to meet everyone coming out to celebrate.

"I'm really excited to see how everything's gonna run through, and I'm really excited to see the lifestyle and the different variations of rider that actually will come through," said Wheeler.

Things will kick off Wednesday at the dealership at 3 p.m. with music and food.