EagleRider Franchise Convention - or, Business looks Better from a Harley

Part Two - Do we REALLY have to go to work today??

So, the convention doesn't start until 2:00pm, and here we are, in the middle of a beautiful desert, with a few hours to kill and a Harley.

Well, what would YOU do?

Damn straight.

The view from the hotel room last night let loose to this incredible view the next morning.  Can't stay in.  Hills and rocks and weird-looking Joshua Trees are calling us.

So we head off to Joshua Tree State Park - after a quick breakfast at a local eatery.   The Country Kitchen, right on Twentynine Palms and next to a gas station - chili-cheese omelette with homemade homefries.  And a very special homemade salsa - mild, hot, or ridiculous!  And - she's quick to point out this picture of her - on a Harley!

Off to the park.   Daylight's burning, and we're a solid hour's ride from the ACTUAL business trip, once we set off for La Quinta.

Well, words won't really work here.  Best you just check out the pictures:

OK, fine.  I guess it's time to head to actual work.  Hard to sit in a convention center - as beautiful as it was in La Quinta - when all this desert and riding is waiting outside for you...but it is a business trip after all, right?

And, of course, EagleRider sure does put on a nice spread for dinner:

See all the pictures from Day 2

Check back tomorrow for The Grand Finale - when all the EagleRider folks get together and ride the Joshua Tree Park together!

The EagleRider Franchise Convention – or, the View Looks Good from Here!

Part One – Getting where we’re going

Over the last few days, we headed off to the EagleRider Motorcycle Rentals Franchise Convention, hosted this year in beautiful La Quinta, California.  As you probably know, Liberty is also an EagleRider Rentals location during the riding season, from April to October.  So once a year, just like the Harley-Davidson convention, all the EagleRider folk get together for a meeting.

Were there meetings?  Oh yes.  Keynote Speaker?  Definitely.  Showcase of products available?  Absolutely.

But what I’ll always remember was that this trip reaffirmed why we’re in the Harley-Davidson business:  Because “business trips” look different when you’re in the motorcycle business, and especially the Harley-Davidson business.

This particular trip, the location was about 3 hours from LAX.  Where people in other businesses may have rented a car, or taken a puddle-jumper to Palm Springs, we hopped over to EagleRider’s LA location, and rented a Harley.  A REALLY nice ElectraGlide, low mileage and ready to go.  It was awesome to actually play the part of a customer, and the experience was efficient, courteous, and all-around fantastic.  Before we knew it, we were changed from “business travelers” to “Harley riders” and off we went to the event.  A 3-hour trip, but instead of staying at the official resort, we headed up to Joshua Tree National Park, about an hour from the convention.  After a bunch of local traffic, the road opened up to Yucca Valley and became gently winding roads through beautiful desert vistas. Too bad it was already too dark (and cold!) that first night to really check out the scenery.  Quick dinner at a local bar, and that was about it for day one after that long flight.

But what we woke up to the next morning was not like any regular business trip.

Check back tomorrow for Part 2 – The Trip before the Business

Or click here for a picture-preview!

Harley-Davidson rocks Beach Street, Speedway in Daytona

(2/21/2012) - MILWAUKEE - Harley-Davidson will fire up the riding season at Daytona Bike Week 2012 with a collection of the latest and greatest motorcycles and more at Riverfront Park on Beach Street and at Daytona International Speedway.

“We know that Daytona Bike Week signals the start of motorcycle season, and Harley-Davidson has been part of that tradition since the beginning,” said Steve Piehl, Harley-Davidson Director of Customer Experience. “Not only will we give riders a chance to enjoy our new motorcycles at the Speedway, but we are also a big part of the scene at Riverfront Park on Beach Street. We love being there with thousands of riders enjoying the Harley experience.”

Harley-Davidson will display motorcycles, MotorClothes, H-D1 customization, Women’s Area, Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) raffle, H-D Insurance, H-D Visa, Willie G. merchandise, beverages, free parking and more at Riverfront Park on Beach Street from Saturday, March 10 to Saturday, March 17, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

Read more at www.libertyharley.com/news

Made in America. Exporting Freedom Worldwide

In a country where more and more jobs are outsourced, and more and more products are built in other countries, we're proud to sell an American motorcycle, assembled in America, by American workers.

The York Facility, in York, Pennsylvania, assembles the Touring, Softail®, CVO™ and Trike models; the factory also performs several manufacturing operations, including making parts like frames, fuel tanks, and fenders. 


York is a nice ride from Liberty, taking about 3 hours on the interstates - but you could take all the time in the world and enjoy a quiet, back-road experience through scenic PA.  Once there, they give free daily tours from 9am to 2pm Monday through Friday.  It's really amazing to see the bikes coming together, and the organization and planning that goes into ensuring the process runs smoothly.

For those a little more hardcore, they have a "Steel Toe Tour" for small groups - including some employee-only areas - but they're not kidding, safety equipment is required.  These special, more personalized tours are $35.  They frequently sell out, so advance ticket purchase is recommended.

Check out one of the facilities that BUILDS motorcycles, right here in America.  And right here in the northeast!

Harley-Davidson joins forces with Marvel

(2/16/2012) - MILWAUKEE - Harley-Davidson and Marvel Entertainment have come together again for the Assemble Your Freedom contest where customers can assemble their dream bike and become a character in an Avengers comic.

From now through July 1, anyone can enter the Assemble Your Freedom contest online at www.harley-davidson.com/wcm/avengers. Just create a profile with a hero name and description along with selecting a Super Hero bike model and features on the Harley-Davidson H-D1 Bike Builder.

“We’re excited to collaborate with Marvel again and to do it with such a great and historic property like the Avengers,” said Dino Bernacchi, Harley-Davidson Marketing Communication Director. “The Assemble Your Freedom contest gives anyone who believes in things like freedom and independence the chance to express their passion and spirit for Harley-Davidson and Avengers in a truly unique way. They’ll be able to ride into an Avengers mission and be immortalized in this special edition digital comic.”
Read more at www.libertyharley.com...

Harley-Davidson Museum® opens special exhibit this summer – Worn to be Wild: The Black Leather Jacket

(2/9/2012) - MILWAUKEE - This summer, the Harley-Davidson Museum, in partnership with the EMP Museum (formerly known as the Experience Music Project Museum), will celebrate and pay tribute to the fascinating history of one of the most enduring and iconic articles of clothing in our popular culture – the black leather jacket.

Worn to be Wild: The Black Leather Jacket runs June 16 through Sept. 3. The exhibit will walk visitors through the evolution of the leather jacket, beginning with its role as a solely functional piece of clothing meant to protect pilots and motorcyclists from the elements, through its adoption by Hollywood celebrities, rock stars and counter-culture youth as a symbol of rebellion and cool, to its modern-day designs from fashion houses such as Jean Paul Gaultier and Gianni Versace.

Worn to be Wild is the first exhibit to chronicle the jacket’s many uses, and also the first exhibit created by the Harley-Davidson Museum curatorial staff that will travel to other venues following its run at the Museum. The exhibit will be showcased at the EMP Museum in Seattle October 2012 through February 2013 as well as other additional venues through the end of 2014.

“The leather jacket symbolizes different things for each person who wears it, whether they are a motorcyclist, celebrity or a top designer,” said Bill Davidson, Vice President of the Harley-Davidson Museum. “This summer, the Harley-Davidson Museum is excited to introduce all these unique stories in one place through the Worn to Be Wild: The Black Leather Jacket exhibit, and for the first time, showcase how this one garment has become an icon in pop culture and fashion.”

Click for full article-->

Buy a Shamrock and help MDA!

As you probably know, Harley-Davidson has raised millions of dollars for MDA over the years.

Well, it's that time again.  :)  Stop in to Liberty Harley-Davidson and buy a Shamrock - there are $1, $5, and $10 Shamrocks, and help us make our goal of $1,300!

But, what, you ask, does a Shamrock buy?

$30 - One flue shot
$74 - One minute of research
$100 - One support group session
$150 - One occupational, physical, respiratory or speech therapy session
$300 - Professional fees related to initial diagnostic work-up at an MDA clinic
$500 - Annual repairs of durable medical equipment
$800- Week at MDA summer camp for one child

Some other statistics of interest:

77% of every dollar MDA spends goes directly to research, services and education; 15% to fundraising, and 8% for administration.

MDA maintains more than 200 clinics, including more than 35 MDA/ALS centers.

MDA sponsored some 90 weeklong summer camp sessions, serving almost 4,000 children across the country and in Puerto Rico.  More than 5,200 volunteers give a week of their time to serve as MDA camp counselors.

So next time you're in, please buy a Shamrock and fill it out - let the world know AGAIN how awesome Harley people are!

Two New Mid-Year Offerings from Harley-Davidson - The FLS Slim and the Sportster 72

 
Harley-Davidson Seventy-Two™ revives a lean look

(2/2/2012) - MILWAUKEE - The Harley-Davidson® Seventy-Two™ motorcycle is a metal flake dream machine, a Sportster® on a trip back to the days when the cool kids rode a Sting-Ray and the big boys parked choppers in a row on the curb. Those motorcycles were long and lean; candy-apple color and gleaming chrome shimmering in hazy summer sunlight. From its Hard Candy Big Red Flake paint and ape bars to its narrow whitewall tires, the Seventy-Two is a respectful nod to that era, and to the influence of the custom culture that still percolates today along Whittier Boulevard, the legendary cruising street in East Los Angeles also known as Route 72. A new generation of custom builder is tapping into that era and making a fresh statement, not just in California but in garages across the country, even around the world.

“In creating the Seventy-Two, we were also inspired by the vibe of the early chopper era,” says Frank Savage, Harley-Davidson Manager of Industrial Design. “Those bikes were colorful and chromed, but also narrow and stripped down to the essentials. You look at period examples and they are almost as simple as a bicycle. It’s a custom style that’s very particular to America and that California scene.”
Want more?  Visit www.libertyharley.com

 
New Harley-Davidson Softail® Slim™ is a clean, old-school custom

(2/2/2012) - MILWAUKEE - Pare down a Harley-Davidson® Softail® motorcycle to its essential elements and you have the Slim. From its trimmed front fender to its narrow rear end, Slim is a no-nonsense, back-to-basics motorcycle. Call it stripped. Call it old school. Call it lean and mean. What’s left is the elemental Softail profile and iconic Harley-Davidson® style that recalls classic custom bobbers of the 1950s.

“It’s time to make the engine the focal point of the motorcycle,” says Harley-Davidson Senior Designer Casey Ketterhagen, “so we put a Softail on a diet to get the proportions back in check. Scale down the rear with a narrow tire and chopped fender and the heart of the bike, the motor, once again becomes the focus. We left a gap between the nose of the seat and tank so the rider can see the top of the motor. I like to be able to look down and see what’s moving me.”
Want more?  Visit www.libertyharley.com

A Glimpse of the Winter Dealer Meeting 2012

Hello from Dallas/Ft. Worth!

Thought everyone might enjoy a little look at what the H-D Dealer Shows look like, from the dealers' perspective! This is where we all get together and see the New Product, and also what's available in clothing and collectibles for the next, oh, year or so.

Take a little walk around the Expo floor with us! 

The Expo floor is HUGE!  It's a mix of new product and already proven existing product.  Here you can see the new Headlamp Trim Rings.

 Hard Candy Flake is a new series of paint they came out with.  Anyone see our new Pink Lady and Nightstalker paint?  Big sparkley flake paint?  Well, seems we got that out about 3 weeks before Harley released the same idea.  The paint is real nice though!  (Great minds, right?)

 It's hard to take good pics of the flake paint - it just doesn't show how good it is this size.

 It's just really really nice.

 Here's some upcoming Motorclothes offerings from the company.  Not sure when they'll actually be hitting the Dealership floor, but at least you can get a sneak-peek.

 What?  Christmas already?  Yup - we order NOW for the next Holiday season.

 Thought this was kinda cute.

And here's Bubba!  Always great to stop by and talk with him - if you can get him to slow down for a minute!

LOL new stickers coming out.  I think this one pretty much says it all.

 Think these are gonna be nice

 Reman Engine program - you'll know when it's time to check that out.  :P

 New tool kits by Harley and Snap-On

 H-D Oil and Lube has gotten a makeover, and a reformulation.