A respectable audience of local movers and shakers listens politely to the speaker at the Coronado Rotary Club weekly meeting. It's a typical Wednesday at the Hotel Del, with Rotarians gathered in the Carousel Room, the round meeting room downstairs. They've done it a million times. It's time for "fines," - a fun way the local service club raises money for its charity work at each meeting.

"Does anyone have any confessions?" asks then-president Dan Orr.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a loud rumble shakes the chandelier. Eyes dart across the room staring blankly at each other as if to say "What is it? Could it be an earthquake?" But the ground does not shake - just eardrums. Like a distant thunder, it rolls in deep and heavy as two doors swing open wide and a low growl peals through the air. Then a large, shiny piece of machinery rolls in and begins a loop around the room. Straddling the beast is Rotarian Carl Caccamise, announcing the acquisition of his new "baby," a Harley Davidson motorcycle. He's fined. Bigtime.

And nobody got a picture.

Caccamise and his wife Marie have owned C&M Caccamise Insurance Services since 1991 and it's safe to say they have a reputation for being reasonable sorts. They are serious business people who have found success in Coronado.

But it's time to let the truth be known that behind that big teddy bear of a guy lies a Harley man to the core. "Carluch," as he's known around town, says he loves the rumble. He loves the feeling he gets when he races through the backcountry roads of San Diego and turns into the corners. While onboard his bike, Carluch has been known to wear a longhaired- pony-tail extension when he wants to turn some heads. You'll rarely catch him without some Harley memorabilia.

Don't be surprised if you see Caccamise running his daily errands on his Soft Tail Heritage Classic. He might even show you a picture of his Milwaukee-born bike if you ask him nicely. He keeps a temperature control unit in his garage to protect the bike from rust. In the spot formerly occupied by a long-gone Corvette, that is.

"Riding around the Rotary meeting was something I just did on a whim; it seemed like the right thing to do at the time, so I did it," Caccamise said while showing off his bike at his home in the Cays. "And I'm glad I did, even though I have no plans to do it again. People still talk about it."

Caccamise's not a fanatic. He's a typical Harley man: self-assured. But before you think that the Harley swagger is gender-specific, think again. Women are gravitating to Harleys, too. The kind of women you'd be happy to bring home to meet your mom. Many are moms.

Ruthie Morgner, owner of Taylor Designs, a Coronado-based landscape design company, is an upstanding citizen with a son at Princeton and a business to run. One might say she doesn't have time for games. Still, this past summer she crossed over to the other side. Morgner is no stranger to motorbikes. In her early 20s she raced dirt bikes.

To hear her tell it, it was a beautiful summer day in Coronado, the air was sticky and Morgner was feeling sexy. She sauntered on down to the South Coast Harley shop in Chula Vista. It didn't take long before she decided to call in reinforcements. She called her son. Gant, home from college, had been pestering her to buy a Harley.

Gant seemed pretty set on one particular bike.

"This one?" she asked as she turned the sales tag over. It read, Sold to Ruth Morgner.

Well, it's safe to say Gant gets his hands on those keys as often as possible. He has just one request.

"Louder pipes."

Harley owners near and far agree that loud pipes are just plain cool. No one I spoke with could pinpoint why; they just agree that the louder they are, the better they are.

Anastasia Polles, general manager and co-owner of South Coast Harley Davidson in Chula Vista, knows the story.

"I like 'em loud, too" says Polles, a tall brunette clad in heeled-leather boots, jeans and a Harley jacket. She leads me through the showroom as if it were her home. She's comfortable and at ease, doing what she loves - she rides Harleys and sells them to people who love the ride as much as she does.

Had I not been in the store, chances are I wouldn't have been able to pick these Harley riders out of a crowd: A young couple picks out a pink Harley jumper for their newborn; a businessman browses aimlessly, promising himself he's just looking, only to walk away with yet another cool accessory; an older gentleman and his grandson peruse the kid's section. When the weekend arrives, they all have something in common - each craves the wind in his face and the roar of the engine.

Polles says there is a bike to fit every personality. And from the looks of the South Coast showroom, there are a lot of personalities riding Harley Davidson motorbikes.

From sporty Buell Blast bikes to Road King Classics, Harley has a little something for nearly everyone. But the bikes are just the beginning when it comes to the Harley identity. You get a sense of lifestyle when you browse through the collectibles at South Coast.

The smell of leather chaps and fringed-leather gloves permeates the showroom where rock-and-roll is pumped in from a local radio station. Shiny chrome tailpipes and other accessories line the walls - options are endless for the new Harley owner looking to personalize his or her bike. An assortment of leather accouterments and risquŽ ladies' halter-tops mingle nicely with the collectable Harley Davidson Ken doll and Harley teddy bear. It's an all-encompassing motif.

The name Harley Davidson says different things to different people. For some, Harleys are loud and obnoxious, an eyesore and, even worse, an earsore. Harley riders are often viewed as ruffians and misfits, those Hell's Angels guys with long scruffy hair and tattoos.

Clearly, this stereotype is taking a backseat to the modern Harley rider - the insurance agent, the lawyer, the doctor and grandma too. Is this possible? How did a bike associated with misfits become so appealing to affluent America?

Sex appeal. Although I have no conclusive evidence, the facts seem to lead to that sexy feeling riders get when they cinch up those leather chaps and strap on those helmets. If you listen for the rumble and look for the chrome, you might be surprised by who you find.

"It's not the destination that matters," said Pattie Albelo, owner of Island Barber in Coronado. "It's the ride, the open air, the feel of the motor underneath you."

Albelo has been riding for eight months - her husband Mike, a longtime Harley owner, bought her one for their second wedding anniversary. She says she liked riding on the back of his bike, but having one of her own is the way to go.

She is ready for a bigger engine but can't part with her bike. Harley owners personalize their bikes and develop a love that makes it hard to give them up, even for an ostensibly better one. Albelo plans to upgrade her 883 Sportster to a 1200cc engine.

"It's beautiful," says Albelo. "Candy-apple red with extras that fit my personality. But I'm ready for something bigger."

Across the board professional men and women are buying into the Harley appeal. According to the company, the median buyer is 46 years old and has an income of about $80,000 - one might say that the age of a Harley rider is relative to income. But there is definitely something appealing to the 45-and-older generation.

Perhaps the appeal stems from generational icons and figures like Marlon Brando in The Wild One, Peter Fonda in Easy Rider or the exploits of legendary daredevil Evel Knievel. These characters and their adventurous, carefree lifestyles ring true for the work-obsessed Baby Boom generation.

So, next time you're standing at a stoplight and you hear the low rumble drawing near, don't be afraid to turn and give the rider a big thumbs up; it could be your real estate agent, your barber, insurance agent, or maybe even your mom. And don't hesitate to admit it if you find yourself daydreaming of what it would feel like to have the wind in your face, too - just maybe. It's a subtle, complex appeal.

Or maybe it's just the loud pipes.