Harley-Davidson Aims to Create World’s First Motorcycle Town

North Dakota city of Ryder changes name to ‘Riders’ as Harley moves in to inspire a motorcycle-loving community.

Let’s pretend for a minute that you’re some sort of corporate executive for Harley-Davidson. You spend your days conjuring up ways to attract new riders to your brand, with an eye toward the future. One day, you think about how cool it would be to just take over an entire town. Maybe even turn every single resident into a licensed motorcycle rider.

Now that might seem like some crazy, impossible dream. But it’s actually happening right now. Because Harley-Davidson has taken over the town of Ryder, North Dakota. Literally. And it’s offering every single one of the town’s 85 residents the opportunity to learn how to ride, for free. To commemorate the event, Ryder city officials even changed the name of the 111-year-old town to “Riders.”

“The town of Ryder welcomes the roar of Harley-Davidson motorcycles down Main Street,” said the town’s Mayor, Jody Reinisch. “We’re excited to see several generations of Ryder residents on motorcycles learning together, trying new life experiences and enjoying the beauty of our town and surrounding area like never before.”

‘We’re excited to see several generations of Ryder residents on motorcycles learning together, trying new life experiences and enjoying our town like never before.’

To commemorate the event, Harley-Davidson even pitched in to help refurbish the town’s water tower. And, of course, it now mirrors the design of the famous water tower perched atop H-D headquarters in Milwaukee. All-in-all, it’s a fun project that gives one tiny little American town something to brag about. And it helps one legendary American company spread the gospel of its wares and culture.

“In Ryder – and across the country – Harley-Davidson is passionate about creating opportunities for new riders to experience and enjoy the sport of motorcycling. With summer quickly approaching, there’s never been a better time to learn how to ride a motorcycle,” says Anoop Prakash, Director of U.S. Marketing for Harley. “By teaching the entire town of Ryder we believe we’ll show others how easy – and fun – it can be to make the switch from four wheels to two.”

Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.