Harley Ride Conversations

Talking to our passengers, seated on the back of our Harley Davidson motorcycle, as we cruise around is one of the joys of a Harley Ride . Do we use an intercom? No we don't. Why? because we don't need one. Its very easy to talk to you if you are a pillion on a bike with us. Here is a Youtube clips that show you what I mean.

Take a Youtube Virtual Tour on a Harley Davidson

Here is a Youtube video clip that explains the Harley Ride Experience:

A Harley Ride is an experience, which once taken is never forgotten. In this You tube video we explain what its all about and why this experience is suitable for anyone who has never been near a motorcycle in their life. Its for people who have never thought of a motorcycle as being something that's for them.

This is the perfect activity for any tourist visiting Melbourne. In fact we strongly reccomend that it be the first thing they do as soon as they arrive. Why? Because its the perfect way to see a lot in a very short period of time. It is an intimate experience, where we can show you where to go next and advise on things to do. Sure, its different - but it won't be anything like you expect it to be like.....

Harley Davidsons in Advertising

We recently were called on to supply 1o of our bikes to be part of the production of a television commercial for Hyundai. Utilizing Harley Davidson bikes to compliment a marketing strategy is something that we get called upon to assist with quite often. On this occasion the ad was part of Hyundia's in involvement in the FIFA World Cup. The ad was call Hyundai Booming.

You Tube Video - The Great Ocean Road

Sit back and watch, get a taste for what its like to sit on the back of a Harley davidson and ride the Great Ocean Road between Lorne and Apollo Bay. This is an experience which you will only appreciate fully - after you have done it!

BTW - this video has been sped up (we don't actually ride at this speed), but it does give you the nearest I can give you to the way it feels - less the wind in your face.

For most people this is something they will never do. You can explain it to them - but they just won't get it. So, here is my best attempt to persuade you - who may never have thought about taking a Harley Ride to take that big step and actually decide to "just do it".

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Photography Book Collection

Click on one of these images to view some of these books, that contain photos taken by me:

You Tube - Ride The Yarra Boulevard with us

One of the great things about Melbourne is its parklands. The Yarra Boulevard is just one such location and its very close to the city. And what a Harley Ride it makes!

We quite often integrate this route into our Harley Rides when we takes someone out for one of our motorcycle joyrides. Its the only place I know where you are actually in the middle of a city like Melbourne, but you feel like you are right out in the Australian countryside. Just another experience we offer.

Harley Ride Virtual Tour - Melbourne

You Tube Across My handlebars

What's it like? What can you see - seated on the back of a Harley Davidson motorbike on one of our Harley Rides?

This is the first in what I hope will become a series of You Tube clips where I attach a camera to my bike as I take people for joyrides around Melbourne.

So enjoy this and let me know what you think.

Ride for the Hills - Bushfire Fundraising Ride

 

Areas north of Melbourne and across Victoria were devastated by fire on Black Saturday in early February 2009. Several thousand homes were destroyed and over 300 people lost their lives. The Victorian Motorcycle Community are organizing one of the biggest Charity Rides ever seen in Melbourne on Sunday 5th April. There will be up to 15,000 bikes involved.

For more information visit www.rideforthehills.org.au.

If you would like to donate, do so above.

New Free Online Harley Rides Book Edition 2

What can you do with a Harley Davidson motorcycle? You would be surprised by some of the Harley Rides requests that we get. They range from taking someone for a joyride on their birthday, displaying our machines at Conferences right through to appearing in TV Shows and in Television Travel Documentaries.

While taking out tourists may appear to be all we do - there are many other things which we get called on to perform.

A phone call from a customer recently sounded like this - "This may seem like something from out of left field, but....." The answer is quite often, "Yes, we have done that many times."

Out with Caroline Wozniacki at the Australian Open

From time to time we get requests to take various sporting professionals out for a Harley Ride. Today the request came from the promotions staff at the Australian Open Tennis. Evidently one of the players, in the case 12th Seed Caroline Wozniacki, had shown an interest in going for a Harley Ride.

It was interesting to talk to Caroline. She expressed a desire to get her own motorcycle one day, and consequently I was able to give her some advice.

The purpose of the activity was to allow several film crews to photograph and video the entire event. The last time I did the same thing it involved Rafael Nadal. I did remind Caroline that every professional tennis player that I have ever taken out for a Harley Ride has end up being ranked Number One in the world!

Needless to say I will be keeping a close eye on Caroline's progress over the next few years. When I took Rafael Nadal out for a ride - he couldn't speak a word of english.

And you can view the video clip of the Harley Ride Here

Staff Bonding Christmas Party

What do you do when you get to the end of the year for the annual Staff Christmas Party? Why, take them on a Harley Ride of course. And, that is exactly what we did with Visual Thing last Friday, we took 11 of them in 4 sidecars for a 1 hr tour from their vase in Richmond and dropped them off at Waterfront City in the Docklands.

In the hour we managed to get all the way down to St Kilda, across the Westgate Bridge, out to Williamstown and then back to the Docklands where we stopped for photos before they all jumped on a boat to spend the rest of the day cruising the Yarra River.

New Zealand Visitors

Of all the tourists we take out for a Harley Ride , Kiwis make up the largest group. We made such an impact on nine women, in Melbourne from NZ recently, that several of their friends subsequently came over for a 2 hr ride with us.

While admitting to be a little scared before Neryda got on one of the Harleys, she soon realized that it was quite safe and quickly became relaxed sitting behind her "highly qulaified" Harley Rider.

Tourism Victoria Video Vault - Discover Melbourne by Harley Davidson

Click Here to view the Video Vault

 

Tourism Victoria recently launched their Video Vault and we are featured as part of one of their video promotions for tourists visiting Melbourne.

This video includes an interview with John giving an explanation of what a Harley Ride is all about and explains why - if you are visiting Melbourne - then this is a must do!

View Our New Online Brochure

Here is our new Online Brochre.

Vietnam - My Portfolio - for purchase

Vietnam Photographs by John Karmouche

As an avid photographer, I have amassed a collection of ever more expensive cameras over the last 30 years or so. I am now the proud owner of a Nikon D2Xs. This camera lets me capture some magnificent images and coupled with the collection of lens I use which include an AF-S Nikkor 17-55mm 1:2.8G ED, AF Nikkor 70-300mm 1:$-5.6 D and AF Fisheye Nikkor 10.5mm G ED has yielded some brilliant images.

Using an Apple iMac and iPhoto software I have produced a 100 page 11 x 8.5 inch softcover book which is now available for sale and is deliverable anywhere in the world.

This book can be purchased from Here.

When Lowest Guaranteed Price Equals Lowest Quality

The Internet has led to some huge shifts in the Travel Industry and in particular many Internet Agents have begun adopting a "lowest price guarantee" to attract customers.

For single product businesses like mine this makes it difficult to join forces with companies who want to on-sell my product. The fact is - they take 25% commission, and for some small businesses like my Harley Rides where my local competition don't offer the same quality product as my company then you the end consumer lose out.

In their rush to lock in the cheapest product, Red Balloon Days, with whom I have supplied Harley Rides since they first started up, decided that my product was too expensive and elected to contract one of my local competitors. Why? Because they were smitten with supplying at the lowest price - not at the best quality.If you look at my company HD Chauffeur Ride Pty Ltd you will note some characteristics which I proudly and passionatley uphold:

1. Harley Rides are the only thing I do. I run a Harley Rides business because I love riding and I love sharing the experince with people.
2. I maintain a "current model Harley Davidson" and I update my own personal bike with a brand new H-D heritage Softail once every three years.
3. My H-D is serviced rigorously, every 8000 kms by my local H-D Dealership. I don't service my own machine because I'm not qualified and my dealer can identify safety issues that would be overlooked if I were to do the work myself.
4. Recently I was elected President of the Motorcycle Riders Association (Victoria). My passion for riding extends to Safe Riding and passing on that message to not only other riders but to the community as well. I am presently heavily involved in reducing the Motorcycle Road Toll here in Victoria Australia, and I take that passion with me into my business.
5. All the riders who work for me are hand picked. I know their abilities and they know my standards. There are some who will never be called to work for me because I have assessed that they are not safe enough!

As someone who is in the Harley Rides business because they love to ride and love to meet new people, I am not prepared to drop my standards just because others want to undercut me. My regular customers are the mainstay of my business. If I were in this "just for the money" then I wouldn't be doing it - because it just doesn't work that way!

Coxy's Big Break and Harley Rides

From time to time we get called on by various Melbourne TV networks to do a spot on one of their shows. This time it was Cox's Big Break, a travel show which goes to air each Saturday on Network 7 at 5.30pm.

Here is the episode that included Harley Rides :

Tourism Australia Winners - Harley Ride

Tourism Australia ran a competition in the USA last year and the winners came to Melbourne and we took them out for a Harley Ride.

They were each given a video camera and told to film their trip. Here are the results:

What Women Want

Being a Harley Rides operator has helped me to understand human nature, and in particular it has given me an insight into the "female mind".

The reality struck me during a telephone conversation with a female customer, who wanted to organise a Harley Ride as a Valentine's Day gift for her boyfriend. She was interested in  what she described as a "chopper style" Harley Davidson. She wanted something with a "look". It was at this point that I began to realise the difference between men and women.

Women want to be seen. They are fashion oriented. As one girl said to me a few years ago, "I really am not interested in being the rider, but I do enjoy sitting on the back of a Harley at a 'fashion accessory'."

From the conversation which I have had with the thousands of women (of all ages) over the last ten years I have learned the following:

• They love the feel of being on the back of the bike doing something that that their parents would never approve of.
• They love to talk - and I have had some amazing discussions (all in confidence and which I would never repeat - and always on the understanding that I had no interest in taking anything beyond the end of the ride...).
• Being seen is paramount. The attention and looks people give them is important in their enjoyment of the Harley Ride.
• Strangely, they don't go for the best looking bike - they go for the one that looks like it will be the most comfortable for them.
• Whenever I take a couple of girls out in a sidecar on a Hens Night ride, they want to wave at everyone. Its the attention thing.

One the other side of the coin, men differ. They are more interested in the size of the bike - its engine and the technical aspects, performance etc.

In the end, men and women are very different.