Getting More Folks Out There
It’s no secret that Harley-Davidson needs more riders, so the company is focusing on getting new folks on motorcycles, specifically Harley bikes. The company has two new programs: “Experience the Ride” and “Learn to Ride.”
The Experience the Ride program is for people who think they might be interested in riding but have never ventured to try it. It’s a short 90-minute program where participants will get some instruction from a professional coach and then ride a Harley-Davidson Street 500 motorcycle on a practice course in a low-pressure environment. The idea is to let people figure out if they want to take the next steps and really learn how to ride.
The Learn to Ride program is the next step and will help you get your motorcycle endorsement by learning vital skills and techniques. The program provides the same time-tested rider training curriculum as the Riding Academy New Rider Course that came before the Learn to Ride program. What sets this one apart is that riders have the ability to schedule private sessions with personal coaches if they want.
This is a great option for someone who can’t fit the multiple days in succession programs that currently exist. This allows you to break up the program into several days across a couple of weeks if needed. Private sessions can be one on one, or you can do it with up to four participants, which will let you bring along some buddies if you want.
I think these two initiatives are a good thing. I especially like the idea of the private sessions and being able to spread the sessions out a bit. Often the schedules for new rider courses, at least in my area, are at kind of odd times and dates, and you may have to take off work to take one, something that many people simply can’t afford to do. Offering more flexibility for rider education will help get more folks out on two wheels. Good job Harley. You can check out these programs at Harley’s website.