1000s of Female Riders Help Harley-Davidson Kick Start Women
Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 2:59 am
From our news forum:
1000s of Female Riders Help Harley-Davidson Kick Start Women Riders Month
Women Hit the Open Road to Celebrate and Learn to Ride
MILWAUKEE, May 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The first weekend in May saw women riders around the world banding together to share the open road, as well as flocking to new rider training courses around the country to help establish a world record--all to kick start Women Riders Month.
Harley-Davidson's Women Riders Month kicked-off with two special events in New York City and Milwaukee respectively in honor of International Female Ride Day on May 1, to celebrate the millions of women who have already grabbed life by the handlebars. Nearly 100 female motorcycle enthusiasts, including Karen Davidson, the great-granddaughter of one of the Motor Company's founders, as well as trainer and life coach Jillian Michaels, attended an International Female Ride Day party near New York City. Country music singer Krista Marie led nearly 300 women on a special ride from Miller Park to the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee.
In addition to current riders hitting the road to celebrate, 1,225 women participated in new rider training the first weekend in May, either through Harley-Davidson's Rider's Edge(R) New Rider Course hosted at select dealerships across the country or through the Motorcycle Safety Foundation(R) (MSF) Basic RiderCourse(SM), to help establish a world record for the number of women trained in one weekend. Harley-Davidson's Rider's Edge New Rider Course saw a 59 percent increase in women participation this year, compared to the same weekend last year. This activity supports a larger goal of encouraging 100,000 women to learn to ride a motorcycle. The progress of this effort can be tracked on http://www.harley-davidson.com/womenriders.
"The successful rides, as well as the record-setting weekend for rider training, show that thousands of women are taking the controls and learning to ride their very own motorcycles," said Leslie Prevish, women's outreach manager, Harley-Davidson. "And these initiatives are just the start of Women Riders Month--Harley-Davidson dealerships around the world are planning a number of exciting events to celebrate women riders, as well as encouraging other women to join our amazing sport."
Additional programs Harley-Davidson promotes to encourage women to ride:
-- Harley-Davidson dealerships across the country host women-only Garage
Party(TM) events, which provide a non-intimidating environment for
women to learn more about motorcycling.
-- The Motor Company recently updated the women's section of its Web
site, http://www.h-d.com/womenriders, with new, inspirational stories
submitted from women with topics of Why I Learned to Ride, How I
Learned to Ride and Why I Ride my Harley. The new site is the ultimate
information resource for women riders as well as those who want to get
into the sport.
-- Harley-Davidson continues to distribute We Ride, a comprehensive and
inspirational brochure on what a new rider or a woman interested in
riding needs to know about getting into the sport. Women can pick one
up at a local dealership, download it from the Web site or call
1-800-LUV2RIDE for a free copy.
-- Share Your Spark(TM): A Guide to Mentoring, a tool kit Harley-Davidson
developed for current and aspiring riders featuring information on how
to be a resource and support system to others during their
motorcycling journey. This tool kit can be downloaded or ordered from
the redesigned women riders section of the Harley-Davidson Web site
(http://www.harley-davidson.com/mentoring)
Taking Control with Rider's Edge
The Harley-Davidson Rider's Edge New Rider Course is available at select Harley-Davidson dealerships in more than 40 states. The program, which features classroom instruction and on-bike training in a controlled environment, provides potential riders with the knowledge and skills needed to ride with confidence. More than 60,000 women have taken the Harley-Davidson Rider's Edge New Rider Course at dealerships across the country since the program's inception in 2000.
For more information about Women Riders Month, or other Harley-Davidson programs, including Rider's Edge, visit http://www.harley-davidson.com/womenriders.
Harley-Davidson Motor Company, the only major U.S.-based motorcycle manufacturer, produces heavyweight motorcycles and a complete line of motorcycle parts, accessories and general merchandise. For more information, visit Harley-Davidson's Web site at http://www.harley-davidson.com.
1000s of Female Riders Help Harley-Davidson Kick Start Women Riders Month
Women Hit the Open Road to Celebrate and Learn to Ride
MILWAUKEE, May 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The first weekend in May saw women riders around the world banding together to share the open road, as well as flocking to new rider training courses around the country to help establish a world record--all to kick start Women Riders Month.
Harley-Davidson's Women Riders Month kicked-off with two special events in New York City and Milwaukee respectively in honor of International Female Ride Day on May 1, to celebrate the millions of women who have already grabbed life by the handlebars. Nearly 100 female motorcycle enthusiasts, including Karen Davidson, the great-granddaughter of one of the Motor Company's founders, as well as trainer and life coach Jillian Michaels, attended an International Female Ride Day party near New York City. Country music singer Krista Marie led nearly 300 women on a special ride from Miller Park to the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee.
In addition to current riders hitting the road to celebrate, 1,225 women participated in new rider training the first weekend in May, either through Harley-Davidson's Rider's Edge(R) New Rider Course hosted at select dealerships across the country or through the Motorcycle Safety Foundation(R) (MSF) Basic RiderCourse(SM), to help establish a world record for the number of women trained in one weekend. Harley-Davidson's Rider's Edge New Rider Course saw a 59 percent increase in women participation this year, compared to the same weekend last year. This activity supports a larger goal of encouraging 100,000 women to learn to ride a motorcycle. The progress of this effort can be tracked on http://www.harley-davidson.com/womenriders.
"The successful rides, as well as the record-setting weekend for rider training, show that thousands of women are taking the controls and learning to ride their very own motorcycles," said Leslie Prevish, women's outreach manager, Harley-Davidson. "And these initiatives are just the start of Women Riders Month--Harley-Davidson dealerships around the world are planning a number of exciting events to celebrate women riders, as well as encouraging other women to join our amazing sport."
Additional programs Harley-Davidson promotes to encourage women to ride:
-- Harley-Davidson dealerships across the country host women-only Garage
Party(TM) events, which provide a non-intimidating environment for
women to learn more about motorcycling.
-- The Motor Company recently updated the women's section of its Web
site, http://www.h-d.com/womenriders, with new, inspirational stories
submitted from women with topics of Why I Learned to Ride, How I
Learned to Ride and Why I Ride my Harley. The new site is the ultimate
information resource for women riders as well as those who want to get
into the sport.
-- Harley-Davidson continues to distribute We Ride, a comprehensive and
inspirational brochure on what a new rider or a woman interested in
riding needs to know about getting into the sport. Women can pick one
up at a local dealership, download it from the Web site or call
1-800-LUV2RIDE for a free copy.
-- Share Your Spark(TM): A Guide to Mentoring, a tool kit Harley-Davidson
developed for current and aspiring riders featuring information on how
to be a resource and support system to others during their
motorcycling journey. This tool kit can be downloaded or ordered from
the redesigned women riders section of the Harley-Davidson Web site
(http://www.harley-davidson.com/mentoring)
Taking Control with Rider's Edge
The Harley-Davidson Rider's Edge New Rider Course is available at select Harley-Davidson dealerships in more than 40 states. The program, which features classroom instruction and on-bike training in a controlled environment, provides potential riders with the knowledge and skills needed to ride with confidence. More than 60,000 women have taken the Harley-Davidson Rider's Edge New Rider Course at dealerships across the country since the program's inception in 2000.
For more information about Women Riders Month, or other Harley-Davidson programs, including Rider's Edge, visit http://www.harley-davidson.com/womenriders.
Harley-Davidson Motor Company, the only major U.S.-based motorcycle manufacturer, produces heavyweight motorcycles and a complete line of motorcycle parts, accessories and general merchandise. For more information, visit Harley-Davidson's Web site at http://www.harley-davidson.com.
