Bikers gather at a parking lot in downtown Beirut as they prepare for the first Lebanon Harley-Davidson tour on Oct. 3, 2008. Clerics and politicians in the Arab world may denounce U.S. foreign policy and the encroachment of Western culture, but these gleaming emblems of American freedom are growing in popularity. (Ramzi Haidar / AFP/Getty Images)
A woman waits in Beirut for the three-day Harley tour to begin. (Ramzi Haidar / AFP/Getty Images)
A Lebanese biker cleans his motorcycle in downtown Beirut after the event. About 130 Harley riders from all over the Arab world took part. (Ramzi Haidar / AFP/Getty Images)
Bikers ride through Beirut at the start of the first Lebanon Harley-Davidson tour. One organizer of the event said that five years ago, he knew of 25 serious Harley riders in the nation. Now there are about 180, he said. (Ramzi Haidar / AFP/Getty Images)