How did you start riding? What made you do it? What made you try?

I’d like to be bold and say most people think motorcycles are cool. They like seeing them in movies, they like looking at them more than some other machines with wheels. If they visualize themselves riding, it looks pretty cool. Many people even like the sound they make.

Why don’t more people ride then? Why doesn’t everyone ride?

The most common hot button words I hear at the dealership are: Safety, other drivers, cost, size, bad memories, intimidating…

These are not ridiculous reasons not to ride. They’re real, grounded fears & obstacles. As a dealership, as a HOG group and as a motorcycle community we are obligated to respond to these issues that people have with riding motorcycles.

Why?

• Because it increases driver’s awareness of motorcycles, making roads safer
• It lessens the chances of future “bad” motorcycle incidents in their lives
• It removes bad stigmas about riders and bikes
• It increases ridership, which means more fun and a happier world 😀

So how can we start breaking down these barriers to riding? Obviously not everyone wants to ride but for those who have even a tiny bit of interest, we have some great resources here in Alaska:

The Riding Community: I would encourage the public to visit dealerships, attend public motorcycle shows and events, and talk to riders. Most Bikers are friendlier than people expect!

Harley-Davidson Courses & Events

Motorcycle Boot Camp: This is a no-commitment/no-experience-necessary introduction to riding. An after-Hours event devoted to answering questions, helping people find bikes that fit them, and explaining things like how to get a motorcycle endorsement, the differences between types of helmets, and how to pick up a dropped bike. Participants will ride a stationary motorcycle on our Jumpstart to get a true feel for riding!

Upcoming Motorcycle Boot Camp: http://www.harleyalaska.com/event_list_detail.asp?ecode=602585&smonth=2&syear=2013&emonth=3&eyear=2013&location=0&Submit=Search&inputpage=1

Beauty & the Bike: Similar to motorcycle boot camp, this women only event gives ladies a foot in the door to the world of riding. Workshop style seminars address barriers and challenges unique to women riders. Women riders give their testimonies of how they got started. Participants will ride a stationary motorcycle on our Jumpstart to get a true feel for riding!

The House of Harley will be hosting a Beauty & the Bike on April 28th, 2013

Rider’s Edge: Rider’s Edge is a Motorcycle Safety Foundation Curriculum course designed to get you comfortable on a bike and give you the skills you need to ride with confidence. Offered at Denali Harley-Davidson dealers, the New Rider Course provides you with 25 hours of expert guidance from Motorcycle Safety Foundation® (MSF) and H-D® Certified Instructors. Class includes license waiver if road test is passed.

Rider’s Edge Main Site: http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US/Content/Pages/learn-to-ride/new-rider-course.html 

ABATE Courses

KICKSTART -For people with no experience, or unsure if riding a motorcycle is really for them. It consists of 3 hours of basic “on bike” riding instruction. Student to instructor ratio is very low. It will give you clutch and throttle practice if continuing on to the basic class.

ABATE Basic Rider Course -Motorcycle Safety classes gives you the fundamentals of operating a motorcycle. It is basic, however it moves at a much faster pace than kickstart. The course is spread over three days, which includes five hours of classroom instruction and ten hours of riding.

The Website for both the ABATE Kickstart and Basic Rider Course is here: www.learntoridealaska.com

If you ride: Help us spread the word! Increase the number of educated, safe riders in this state!

If you don’t ride: Spring is right around the corner and you don’t need to get left behind! There are many resources to help you hit the road as soon as the snow melts.