Putin rides at Russian biker festival

Russian Prime Minister makes an appearance riding a Harley trike

IN a display of machismo Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin made an appearance at a biker festival riding a Harley-Davidson trike.

Staging the latest of his alpha-male publicity stunts, Putin kicked off his national election campaign leading a gang of bikers on the three-wheeled cruiser as the hard-rock anthem of the Night Wolves Motorcycle Club blared from the speakers.

Addressing the crowd from a Soviet-era warship in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, he said: "I want to talk to you, brothers. It is cool that you do not forget the heroes of the past.

"Boys, girls you are great. Not only are you having fun while riding your bikes but you are also combining it with patriotic deeds." Putin said at the festival held to mark the city's liberation during World War II.

The testosterone-fuelled appearances have earned Putin the nickname ‘Alpha Dog’. However, we believe that a true badass would have rocked up to the festival in a Russian-built Ural with sidecar mounted machine gun.