The Arizonan is greeted by thousands of motorcyclists Monday night at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota, something of an annual bikers' Woodstock.
McCain tells the crowd: "As you may know, not long ago a couple hundred thousand Berliners made a lot of noise for my opponent. I'll take the roar of 50,000 Harleys any day."
The rally features nine nights of entertainment, with bands including Def Leppard, Lynyrd Skynyrd and REO Speedwagon.
