The night House of Harley welcomed me to become a biker -

Growing up Harley Davidson seemed like a brand that was out of reach for what I created in my own mind. My perspective about Harley Davidson has done a complete 180-degree turn after spending time at House of Harley. Harley Davidson represents America, an American brand with a history that I soon found myself wanting to join.

When we arrived at The House of Harley, we were greeted with a warm welcome filled with bright smiles. The outing felt like being inducted into a community of people who share a passion for the culture and community of Harley Davidson. Our group was split into smaller teams and assigned starting points for our tour; my group started in the merchandise section. We were instructed to pick out a jacket we liked and participated in a human show and tell demonstration.

A sales associate explained the special features of the jackets and the purpose of each component. Their working knowledge of the apparel with was very impressive. My jacket was the Illumination 360 Functional Jacket. The weight of the jacket was heavy, but necessary in case you fall from your bike. The leather felt like it could absorb a few tumbles and the reflective element would be ideal for riding at night, especially on poorly lit roads.

The whistle blew and we rotated to the bike section where we were introduced to various models of the brand. Learning about the different models was eye opening! We were able to see how many different types of personalities they catered to. However, if you’re going to purchase your first Harley it will not be an easy decision. Harley Davidson has created a fleet of bikes to suite everyone’s personality and needs. Some of the bikes that caught my eye were the Softtail, SuperLow, Nightster, Street Bob, and Fat Bob.

All of those bikes were very impressive, but none of them put a jones in my bones like the Night Rod Special! I’m a contemporary man with an appreciation for the past and Harley Davidson got everything right with this bike. The features that peaked my interest were the low-rise handlebar, double-barrel exhaust, fat rear tire and the black out paint job. I could see myself going hog wild on the Night Rod Special!

Another cool thing is House of Harley offers Riders Edge. Riders Edge is a bike riding class given at House of Harley’s around the country. It’s a huge benefit for newbies like me interesting in jumping into the biking culture. Think about it, who else would be a better teach on how to ride then the staff who spends time with these bikes daily.

Another whistle and the next section is House of Customs, an innovative concept that provides the opportunity to customize the bike to the customer. The options include seating, lowering kits and handles bars. We also were introduced to an impressive social media campaign they created called, “The Bike Social Media Built”. The interactive campaign allowed fans to vote on what customized part of the bike to be included in the final design. Once the final results are in the House of Customs will customize the design, paint, seat design and various options. After completion the bike will be donated to Fisher’s House Wisconsin for Veteran Affairs families in Milwaukee. I found the campaign to be engaging and patriotic. It demonstrated how social media could be used to generate attention and give back to the men and woman who fight for our country.

The final station was the repair shop, filled with hundreds of bikes. The herds of bikes were on standby for repair or being stored of the winter. Being in Milwaukee riding season has its limits and House of Harley provides a storage service to fellow Harley Riders. The joy ride in the repair shop is the road-testing chamber. Outfitted with monitoring computers and exhaust system that allows technicians to open up a bike and make sure everything is firing properly. The grand finally of the evening was being able to hop on a hog and open it up in the road-testing chamber. It was like having training wheels on a motorcycle! Nevertheless, it was a great experience that made me a believer in the brand.