Motorcycles are his life. This is easy to tell, and not just from the Harley-Davidson tattoo on his upper arm. His parents probably suspected this passion, at least his name fits perfectly: Jesse James Lehmann. The 26-year-old loves tinkering with his Harley-Davidson and cruising around the country on it. His Harley is an eye-catcher – not only on the street, but also on Instagram. Almost 100,000 people follow his account. There he shows his bike, how he rides it, maintains it and re-equips it. His videos and pictures regularly have several thousand likes.
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The success of the account was not planned. “I was never a fan of social media,” admits Lehmann. But a few years ago, friends told him that he should try an Instagram presence with his Harley. “I had no idea how to do it and I had to learn the ropes,” says Lehmann. He was surprised to find that his posts were very well received. The number of his followers rose rapidly. “Maybe it’s because I don’t pretend to be someone else,” suspects Lehmann. “People quickly notice whether someone is authentic or not. And I only do what I would do in the videos anyway.”
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The Übach-Palenberg native had no idea at first that the account would make him known in the scene far beyond the region. But at Harley meetings all over Germany and Switzerland, he is approached about it and even asked for autograph cards. “I find it rather uncomfortable. I don’t feel that important,” says Lehmann. “I’m just a guy from a small town who rides a motorcycle.”
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But for his followers, he is more than that. He is a role model and an expert. That is why he receives questions from interested people every day about his Harley, the accessories and his opinion. Soon, companies also became aware of him. He has now entered into several partnerships. This helps him to finance his hobby, which is not cheap. Lehmann is a welder by profession.
I’m just a guy from a small town who rides a motorcycle.
Jesse James Lehmann
Harley-Davidson-Influencer
Lehmann has been passionate about motorcycles for as long as he can remember. Until he was allowed to ride one, he was content with cycling, especially downhill. When he got his scooter license at the age of 16, he came a little closer to his passion. Since he didn’t have the money to have others do the tuning, he tinkered with his moped himself. Lehmann acquired the know-how himself. “Of course, a lot of things went wrong,” he says. “But I always learned from that.”
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He bought his first Harley when he was 20. The bike he is currently riding is his second. He bought it second-hand and then modified it so that it is almost unrecognizable. “The tinkering is almost more fun than the riding,” he says. He gets a lot of help from his friends. He actually only has friends from the Harley scene. They help each other out with the bikes. He has made acquaintances all over Germany through various meet-ups. “That’s what a Harley is for. To meet people and see places,” says Lehmann. His friends are mostly older. There are only a few people in their mid-twenties who are as committed to it as he is.
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But of course Jesse James Lehmann doesn’t just tinker with his Harley, he also rides it. Last season he rode 15,000 kilometers in eight months. Riding a Harley isn’t about speed, explains Lehmann. “The fastest is about 160 kilometers per hour. But you get everything in your face and your neck hurts afterwards.” Usually you ride up to 100 kilometers per hour. “But you still think about how you can get even more horsepower into it – even if you don’t actually need it. It’s about tinkering.”
Even a serious car accident two years ago did not affect his love of motorcycles. He was seriously injured as a passenger. “It could have been over,” he says. For some people, such an experience would have kept them away from motorized vehicles. For Jesse James Lehmann, it had the opposite effect: “I now have the attitude that everything could be over tomorrow. I only have one life, and I want to take everything with me,” he says.
Harley-Davidsons in Übach
The Harley is very important to Jesse James Lehmann, which is why it will be present at an important event in his life: his wedding. On Saturday, August 17, Jesse James Lehmann will be married in the Church of the Redeemer in Übach-Palenberg. Several Harley-Davidson riders from all over Germany are expected to attend. So around lunchtime there could be a lot of motorcycles on the road in the city.
