Learn to ride on a Harley

Harley-Davidson teaching people to ride at its Riding Academy

MILWAUKEE — Harley-Davidson is placing a renewed emphasis on teaching people to ride as part of its efforts to attract more customers.

The Milwaukee-based company’s decision to expand the number of dealerships with a Harley Riding Academy comes as the industry grapples with years of declining sales and an aging customer base.

The program launched in 2000 with about 50 locations and now 245 dealerships in the U.S. offer the three- or four-day course.

Harley sold 124,777 new motorcycles through nine months in 2017, down from 135,581 during the same period the previous year, according to the company’s most recent earnings report.

The Motorcycle Industry Council says the median age of motorcycle owners increased from 32 to 47 since 1990. About 46 per cent of riders are over 50; only about 10 per cent are 30-34.

Samantha Kay rode on the back of her father’s motorcycle growing up, but when the 25-year-old took a class to ride for the first time she was anxious.

“I think motorcycles inherently do scare a lot of people,” said Kay, one of 50,000 people nationwide who took the riding course this year.

The training is one of the ways Harley is trying to attract a new generation of riders.

“Some of the aging Baby Boomers, which have been the guts of HarleyDavidson’s purchasers, they’re getting older and some of them are just getting out of the sport because they can’t handle the motorcycle anymore,” said Clyde Fessler, who retired from Harley-Davidson in 2002 after holding several executive positions over 25 years. He created the Riding Academy.

He said the idea “is getting people comfortable on a motorcycle and getting them to feel safe and confident.”

In addition to riders getting older, a slow economic recovery has made it harder for millennials to buy new motorcycles, said Jim Williams, vice-president of the American Motorcyclist Association.

Among the newest models, a 2018 Softail Slim starts at $15,899 and a 2018 Sportster Forty-Eight at $11,299.

“The younger generations are buying plenty of motorcycles, they’re just not new,” Williams said.

But it’s not all the millennials’ fault, said Robert Pandya, public relations manager for Indian and Victory Motorcycles. Pandya recently launched “Give A Shift,” a volunteer group discussing ideas to promote motorcycling. One of their conclusions, he said, is the idea that “if mom rides, the kids will ride.”

Currently, women are about 14 per cent of the riding population, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council.

“The biggest possible opportunity in motorcycling is to invite more women to ride,” he said.

That’s not lost on HarleyDavidson. Jessica Haggett, founder of the The Litas all-women motorcycle club, is a voice for the company on social media. And the company is focusing advertising on sports like the X Games and UFC

, which are popular with younger viewers.

The price of the riding class varies by dealership, but it’s generally about US$300. Students spend time learning about motorcycle safety