Varadero , Cuba ( CNN ) -- Decades navigating the roads in Cuba have left deep scars on Sergio Morales ' jet black 1947 Harley-Davidson motorcycle . The Harley 's frame is a battlefield of craters and gashes . The frozen odometer stopped counting at 45,000 kilometers . In Cuba , where little is in abundance save shortages , Morales uses a car wheel for his motorcycle 's back tire . But when Morales kick-starts the Harley , its engine roars to full-throated life . Morales is a `` harlista , '' what Cubans call the small band of men and women who have preserved the island 's motorcycle culture . That has n't been an easy task in a country where a five-decades-old U.S. economic embargo makes getting new parts -- much less bikes -- near impossible . `` It 's work . You have to have spirit , desire , '' Morales said . `` There 's nowhere to buy spare parts here so over the years we have had to find alternative fixes or invent our own . '' And being a Harley fanatic courted controversy in the early years of the Cuban revolution when everything American , from jazz music to rock ' n ' roll , was considered suspect . It also did n't help that Harleys were the motorcycle of choice for police during the Batista dictatorship . But now the iconic American bikes are enjoying something of a comeback . Over the weekend , Morales was one of about 50 harlistas to participate in Cuba 's first ever nationwide Harley-Davidson rally in the beach resort town of Varadero . `` It 's an opportunity for us to celebrate not just the Harley but the Cuban Harley , '' Morales said . `` And in one of the prettiest places with the best beaches in the country . '' The sight of the motley crew of black leather-sporting motorcyclists pulling into a seaside town seemed like a scene straight out of the classic Marlon Brando film `` The Wild One , '' where a band of bikers terrorize a small community . But in Varadero it was the bikers who were beset upon by admiring locals and tourists . One family of American tourists said they had changed their travel plans to come from Mexico to Cuba for a few days after learning about the event . `` We are here to give these guys a hand ; it 's lot of work to keep their bikes running , '' said event organizer Kristen MacQueen . Cuban Harley aficionados are unique , MacQueen said , because their vintage bikes are not just for show . `` A lot of the people use them in their everyday life to get around , '' MacQueen said . `` For some people here , it 's their only form of transportation . '' The bikes lined up at the Varadero rally were a mix of Harleys from the decades leading up to Cuba 's 1959 revolution . Some Harleys were adorned with the face of revolutionary icon Che Guevara , others with American eagles . In between demonstrating their agility in biking competitions , the harlistas checked out one another 's rides and explained to tourists how they keep them running . Even with foreigners bringing in replacement parts from the outside , keeping the Harleys running is no small feat . Many of the bikes used parts cannibalized from Asian and old Soviet bikes and cars . Some Harlistas are legendary in the community for hand-making the parts they need . But however challenging , none of the Cuban Harley fanatics says they plan to abandon their passion any time soon . `` You get to a point where the Harley becomes part of your family , '' Cuban Harley owner Yuri Garcia said . `` You become inseparable . If you sold it , you 'd never find another bike like it . ''
Those who have preserved Cuba 's motorcycle culture are called `` harlistas '' Harley-Davidson motorcycles are enjoying a comeback in Cuba . " The Harleys were built by the American company Harley Davidson and they started to appear on Cuban roads after Fidel Castro came into power in 1959.