Harley family alphabet adventures

We catch up with the Tassie family of four H.O.G. members that are collectively tackling the ABCs of Touring and loving every kilometre

There’s more than one way to tackle the Harley-Davidson^® ABCs of Touring challenge, but on a pair of Ultra Limiteds, two-up, with two kids in tow takes commitment. From their home base in Cressy, northern Tasmania, Michael and Katelyn McCarthy have spent the past several months ticking off letters with their daughters Hannah and Kasey, aged 12 and 9, riding pillion.

The family of four are all Harley Owners Group^™ members – Michael and Katelyn are full members of the Tasmanian Chapter, the girls signed up as associates – and have thrown themselves into the annual photo-based scavenger hunt with gusto. Riders earn points for snapping photos at towns, Harley^® dealerships, national parks and big things, each with its own value. A town or big thing might be worth one point, while ticking off a state adds three. It’s competitive, sure, especially in the smallest state of Australia, but for the McCarthys, it’s never really been about the win.

“The girls just really wanted to get involved,” says Michael. “Obviously being kids, they like pins and patches and stickers.”

What started with couple of badges on the wall when the couple tackled the challenge a few years earlier has now turned into a full-blown family project. Most weekends, and especially during school holidays, the McCarthys can be found somewhere between A and Z, literally.

Participants are given a full year to collect as many points as possible by uploading photos from their travels. Riders upload snaps along the way, and while some entries – like letters Q or Z – are harder to come by, you don’t need to complete them in alphabetical order.

“You can just grab the photos and upload them as you go,” Michael explains.

The challenge looks a little different when you’re riding in Tasmania, where there’s just one dealership and only one state to claim.

“A state gives you three points. So obviously being stuck in Tasmania, it’s quite difficult,” he says. “If you lived in Victoria, you’re not far away from other states to grab those three points. So a lot of people can get a lot more out of it that way.”

With a maximum of around 50 points realistically on offer from the island, the family isn’t chasing the top-tier prizes – though they’re well aware of them. “If you get so many points, you get a pin. If you get so many extra points, you get a patch. If you get so many points extra, I think it’s a stubby holder,” Michael says. “First might be a AU$1,000 H-D^® gift card and second might be AU$750… we don’t look at that too much because this year it’s out of reach for us.”

Instead, the real reward has been time together and the small discoveries that come with it.

“We’ve really loved chasing around the big things,” Michael says. “You don’t probably necessarily have a good look at these things otherwise, you know?”

Every photo submitted to the ABCs program has to include the Harley-Davidson which got you there, the destination sign and the official H.O.G.^™ ABCs of Touring poster or handbook cover. With two bikes and four people, getting the shot isn’t always straightforward, especially with two cumbersome bikes and when roadside stops aren’t the safest.

“Quite often Kasey stays on my bike and Hannah jumps off with Katelyn,” Michael says. “She jumps off and takes a photo of me and we all take turns. Sometimes they have better photos than us. You know how it is.”

They’ve kept up momentum through Tasmania’s famously unpredictable weather, including one rally ride in February that took them through unexpected snow. “That’s just unheard of. But of course, it’s Tasmania… and it snowed!”

Riding two-up has meant adjusting their routes and expectations. Some national parks or forest entries have been skipped to avoid gravel roads, and ferry costs have so far kept them from riding interstate, though that’s set to change in 2026 with plans to attend the H.O.G. Rally in Shepparton, Victoria.

Despite the limitations, they’ve managed to collect almost everything they can within Tasmania, including all the big things and all but three letters of the alphabet.

“I think X, Y, Z we’re missing. That’s it,” he says. “So we’re organising a trip over to Zeehan.”

The girls, both still in primary school, have embraced the challenge. They take turns behind the camera, help spot signs from the back seat and rarely complain – even when the relentless Tassie rain sets in.

“They’ve been pretty good about it,” Michael says. “We just throw their weather gear on.”

Fitting it all in around work, school and weekend sport hasn’t always been easy, but the family does what they can. “We have times where we can’t get on the bikes for months at a time with work and kids’ activities,” he says. “And then other times we’re on them every weekend or whenever we can.” Asked what he’d say to other families thinking about giving the ABCs a go, Michael doesn’t mince words. “A lot of people say that it’s expensive and whatnot. But I guess it’s one of those things, if you want to do it, you just do it.”