Harley Academy Attracts Thousands of New Riders
Harley Academy New Rider Course graduates are also (thankfully) buying Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
H-D created the Harley Academy just a couple of years ago. And their flagship New Rider Course was specifically designed as part of a larger strategy. That is, to increase Harley’s appeal to the younger generations. And it appears that the strategy is truly paying off. Harley Chief Executive Matt Levatich has confirmed that over 19,000 riders attended the course in the third quarter.
That number brings Harley’s year-to-date total all the way up to a substantial 51,000 riders. It’s a huge victory for the iconic company, which has struggled through two tough consecutive sales quarters. And most importantly, a large number of Academy attendees are buying Harley-Davidson motorcycles after the class’s completion.
“One of our key goals with Riding Academy is to enhance its effectiveness at creating active riders, and we’re thrilled to see sales of motorcycles to Riding Academy graduates in the third quarter are up double-digits over prior-year,” Levatich said.
“The continued weakness in the U.S. motorcycle industry only heightens our resolve and the intensity we are bringing to the quest to build the next generation of Harley-Davidson riders”
The news couldn’t be any better for H-D. The company suffered a sales and profit decline in the third quarter, though the results beat expectations. Combined with efforts to offer new and exciting models, attracting a new generation to the well-established brand is key for its survival. And they sure seem to be on the right track. “The continued weakness in the U.S. motorcycle industry only heightens our resolve and the intensity we are bringing to the quest to build the next generation of Harley-Davidson riders,” Levatich added.
The proof, of course, is in the pudding. And nobody can deny that Harley has invested an incredible amount of effort into grooming a new generation of riders. With the success of the Harley Academy and a host of product changes, that strategy appears destined to pay off in the near future.
