The Perfect Getaway Experience

A Harley Ride is like a Lick of the Ice-cream. Once you have done it, only then will you understand why you needed to come out for a Harley Ride with us . Listen to what Charli, the host on Getaway chatted with John about on the ride they took for the episode which went to air recently.

The Perfect Getaway Experience

A Harley Ride is like a Lick of the Ice-cream. Once you have done it, only then will you understand why you needed to come out for a Harley Ride with us . Listen to what Charli, the host on Getaway chatted with John about on the ride they took for the episode which went to air recently.

An Experience for Everyone - Time to Just Do It

Ask yourself a question - Would I ever ride a motorcycle? Or - Have I ever been interested in motorcycle? Or Are motorcycles safe? For the average person the answer to the first two questions is No, and to the third is Yes.

These are the people who are the mainstay of our Harley Rides clientele. 99% of all the people we take out for a Harley Ride as a passenger on the back of our Harley Davidson motorcycles fits the above description. The majority of the people we take out for a ride, are people who have had their ride booked by a friend or family member as a surprise for their birthday, anniversary or some other similar occasion.

Many people will quite happily organise a ride for someone else and not take the experience themselves. Why? Because they have quite a few pre-concieced ideas, which during a Harley Ride are quickly dispelled. You see, the truth is the is experience is far different from the expected and its very safe. Don't believe me? Then you are the person who should Just Do IT.

Post by Harley Rides in Melbourne.

Post by Harley Rides in Melbourne.

Post by Harley Rides in Melbourne.

Our latest YouTube Harley Ride Videos

We are the only Harley Ride company who regularly produces videos of our customers. It makes us feel proud to be able to showcase ourselves this way and share the happy smiles and looks of excitement that appear on all the faces of the many people we take out for rides.

Here are our latest ones:

We now Produce a Video for most of our customers.

Recording the joyful looks on the faces of our customers has become much easier over the last few years, with the advent of modern technology. And, we can proudly say that we are the only Harley Ride company in Melbourne who provide this service.

Only, this past weekend we filmed three girls we took out for a sidecar ride.

The previous Friday it was a group from Singapore - here for the Longest Lunch - sponsored by Tourism Australia.

And the previous weekend it was another person we took for a ride down the Great Ocean Road to the 12 Apostles.

And one more when we took two out for a ride around the City.

Yes, we now have a large collection of videos, and will be adding another to the collection this coming Saturday when we take a 75 year old girl down the Great Ocean Road to Apollo Bay. She is ticking off things on her Bucket List.

The Best Way to See Melbourne

Just ask anyone how has come out for a ride with us. Its only after the ride that the lights come on. As you can see here by the reaction we got from Mike.

What is on Your Bucket List?

Here are a couple of ideas that we here at HD Chauffeur Ride Pty Ltd can help you achieve, if a ride on a Harley Davidson motorcycle is on your Bucket List.

Our Customers Speak about their Harley Ride Experience

It never ceases to amaze us to see the reaction we get from people as we take them out for a Harley Davidson Ride experience. All that most people know about motorcycles are the horror stories portrayed to them by the media, and Road Safety agencies like the TAC. But, the reality is far from the myths espoused by these sources. And we frequently change people's perceptions about the Motorcycle Experience and Motorcycle safety.

Take this customer, when we took her and her partner on a 5 hour winery tour to the Yarra Valley:

Or these two girls, who had no idea that Lane Splitting isn't actually dangerous and that motorcycles are designed to fit into the gaps between stationary traffic:

We have nothing but the highest reviews from all our customers who have posted Trip Advisor Reviews.

Perception vs Reality

Its the constant challenge we face. Its the one thing which stops many people choosing to take the Harley Davidson Ride Experience.

The Harley Ride Experience is an Orientation Activity - that  enables anyone to see more in a very short period of time. During this orientation passengers seated on a Harley Davidson will be shown places to which they would not have otherwise ventured - like Williamstown, St Kilda, the F1 GP track, or if they chose one of the longer options - the Dandenong Ranges, and places like Rickett's Point and the beach front along Beach Road....all places you can't easily get to in anything other than a hire car, expensive taxi trip or on time wasing public transport.....other than by on a Harley Ride - as the method of transport!

The greatest challenge we face in attracting Harley Ride Bookings is to make people understand what the experience is really all about and why it is something that everyone visiting Melbourne should do. It is NOT just for Harley Davidson enthusiasts. Weather is NOT a factor - we provide all the warm and protective clothing. Safety - something which stops many people because of the "motorcycle reputation" is also NOT a factor because we have a perfect safety record and are very qualified etc.

All we hope is that others will share this article with anyone planning a trip to Melbourne, anyone who has never had a motorcycle experience. We know that even when our customers tell their friends what a great experience they had, that their friends still don't believe them......

Where have all the tourists gone?

Things are very quiet in Melbourne right now. Maybe its the economic climate, or that people aren't travelling from the USA or Europe in as greater numbers as in the past. I wish I knew why more people aren't coming out for a Harley Ride with us.

The most common question I get asked when someone is sitting on the back of my Harley Davidson (a 2012 Heritage Softail BTW) is, "How many time a week do you take people for a ride John?" My answer is, "Not that often actually. If I was in this business for the money, then  I would have quit years ago." Interestingly, one of my peers in the Harley Rides industry just quit and stopped doing rides because he wasn't making any money doing it......

My situation differs a little from most. I have no debts and as a retired Army Officer I have a military pension that gives me more flexibility than most. For me riding a motorcycle is my passion. There is just nothing else that I would rather do - so taking people out for motorcycle joyrides is it : )

Maybe, its the cost of the ride. I'm the first to admit that its not cheap to come out for a ride with us. But, interestingly its been almost 3 years since we last raised our prices. If anything we have stayed a little behind inflation prices or the cost of living increases. Maintaining a Harley Davidson motorcycle is not cheap - and I am a stickler for keeping my bike in great condition (so it doesn't let me down at the most embarrassing time, like in the middle of a ride). Some of my peers in the Harley Rides industry service their own bikes to save money. Several own very old bikes to save money. So competing on price is not easy.

Or is it the Public Perception of the Motorcycle? According to certain Government Agencies, like the Transport Accident Commission (TAC), riding on a motorcycle is a very risky business. According to them if you get on a motorcycle you are guaranteed to have a accident. I haven't had an accident for over 30 years on my motorcycle. In fact I am highly aware of what to avoid and how to stay out of trouble whenever I am on my bike. In fact I am paranoid about making a mistake that will result in getting my bike scratched. If anything, sitting on the back of my motorcycle as a passenger is far safer that being in a bus or taxi or hire car in my biased opinion.

Is a fear of motorcycles stopping people from coming out for a ride with us? Many rides are a surprise for the person we are taking out. These rides are often booked as a surprise gift for their birthday, anniversary, fathers day or mothers day, even on their wedding day. The responses we get are diverse, and the frequent response is immediate apprehension - usually goaded by their friends with silly remarks like, "Now, don't fall off", said with a big smile and accompanying laughter.

After a person has been been sitting on the bike and have moved off, their apprehension quickly evaporates. I make a point of explaining why the bike stays upright when we are in motion, and demonstrate the physics that make it difficult to fall off the bike - unless we are stationary - or something hits us (which is very unlikely as long as I am in control).

By the end of the ride, our passengers have a new perspective as to why I ride a motorcycle - which as someone I know declares, "Is the most fun thing you can ever do." It is an addiction. I know the risks and I know how to manage them - I just wish people understood that fact.

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Most people have a negative attitude to motorcycles. Many think that as soon as you get on one that they will fall off, and that they need to cling on tight. Many are surprised to discover that their perceptions are 100% wrong after going for a Harley Ride as a pillion passenger. Yes, if you want to convert that someone you love to your way of thinking about motorcycles then give them an hour with us and we guarantee that we will change their minds, and that they will want you to get one - very soon!

The best way to do it is to organise a surprise Harley Ride, that way they won't have to think about it. If they have to think about it, then they will come up with 1000 excuses to get out of going. If its a surprise, then we don't give them time to think about it, and before they know it we rid them of their negative perceptions as we demonstrate why they can't fall off a moving motorbike, why there is nothing dangerous about an "inanimate piece of metal" and that staying out of the way of cars is easier on a motorcycle, that compared to driving a car (where the driver is actually almost blind to what is around them - i.e. they have many blind spots, on a motorcycle you have none).