Harley-Davidson continues its push to grow its market, with a new plan to bring motorcycle riding education to university classrooms.
This week, the Motor Company announced a deal with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s College of Health Sciences, which sees the Harley-Davidson Riding Academy now available as a class eligible for university credit. It’s provided through the Department of Kinesiology Sport & Recreation Office, so that makes sense, kind of?
The course is an elective, and not required for any degree completion. Students wishing to take the course must have a driver’s licence, or permit, and be able to ride a pedal bike.
Completion of the course is worth one general credit, and also earns an MSF completion card, which some states will accept as part of the motorcycle licencing test. It may help lower insurance as well.
Students will have required reading, along with classroom lessons that go over the parts and functions of a motorcycle. They’ll also take in lectures on riding technique, but most importantly, they’ll have riding practice.
It all comes as part of Harley-Davidson’s massive growth plan. In an age when “the kids just aren’t getting into motorcycles,” Harley-Davidson has announced a plan to build two million new riders by 2028. They aren’t going to get all those new riders by simply running cool ads on TV, because kids aren’t even watching TV with ads anyway—so, now, we see the plan to bring motorcycles to university kids. Along with teaching more students how to ride motorcycles, Harley-Davidson also plans to use this course to gather information to improve its training programs. Might we see a similar plan in Canada soon? Probably not, but it’d be a great thing if we did.
I must admit, I stopped reading after I read ” Harley Davidson…” in the headline.
… but that doesn’t seem to have stopped me from commenting.
Numbone, I think you’ve nicely captured the brains of the numb nutz below.
Thank you for that phrase “the feet forward gynecological position”. I have been looking for the exact words to describe the silly posture of RUBs on their barhoppers, and I think you’ve got it exactly right.
Definition – Kinesiology is the scientific study of human or non-human body movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, biomechanical, and psychological dynamic principles and mechanisms of movement. – Wikipedia
So how does a course sponsored by HD fit into a Department of Kinesiology? I would attend just to watch them try to explain how the feet forward gynecological position is most conducive to using your body to control and work with the dynamics of the movements of a motorcycle. #facepalm!
Or hands up in the air with the ape hangers.