by Buzz Buzzelli, photos courtesy of Harley-Davidson
Harley's factory-sponsored demo ride program got a nice dose of new equipment and an injection of technology last year, when a new semi tractor-trailer replaced the program’s old 18-wheeler.
The old truck was originally an open, flatbed boat trailer. The factory modified it during the ‘˜70s by enclosing it with a "skin", and used it to transport golf carts. It had a hydraulic ramp in the bottom to load the cars in layers, and the whole thing was painted white with AMF graphics.
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The demo ride program began in 1980 with the introduction of Harley's first rubber-mounted 5-speed power-train, the original ELT Tour Glide. The trailer was again converted, this time to haul motorcycles, during the summer of 1983. With its all black paint job, factory people started calling it "Black Beauty". It was the first black Harley tractor-trailer - a prototype for future Harley trucks.
To load and unload Black Beauty's trailer, the motorcycles were ridden up and down large ramps. The whole procedure required muscling the machines sideways inside the trailer, to squeeze in as many as possible, and securing each bike with tie-down straps.
As you might imagine, while wrestling machines around inside, bikes were inadvertently damaged. On one occasion a rider lost control on the ramp, rode off the edge, fell some four feet and crashed upside down, demolishing the bike. Obviously, a new loading system would be nice.
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| The new truck's loading system is a slick piece of business. The demo bikes are pushed or ridden onto specially made aluminum pallets, and an electrically operated CargoMaster hoist lifts the pallets into the trailer, and propels the pallets the length of the trailer. A set of tracks running down each side allows the bikes to be stacked in two layers - bunk bed style.
There are two sizes of pallets: two foot wide pallets that hold the "sport bikes" (FX and XL), and three foot wide pallets that hold the "baggers" (FL). This allows for three sport bikes for every two baggers stored in a six foot section. The baggers ride on the top tracks, and the sport bikes go on the floor.
The original Black Beauty carried a maximum of 17 Harleys. The new Beauty is currently roaming the countryside with 29 machines and the potential of holding up to 31 bikes.
John Gaedke, Harley's Public Relations Coordinator, manages the demo ride program. He especially likes one of the new trailer's convenience features, a separate room at the front of the trailer, which serves as his central headquarters. This little office area looks a bit like a recording studio because of the huge stereo equipment that's used to entertain the demo riders while they're waiting to go for a test drive.
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The
room also contains individual bins for holding equipment and supplies
needed to run the whole show, like registration materials, bike washing
gear, spare parts and coffee. Each bin can be dispensed to an
appropriate crew member working the ride.
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The "crew" usually consists of Harley employees who volunteer, although dealership personnel also assist on occasion. They travel on their own to reach the demo site; only the truck driver travels in the rig itself.
To select the crew, Gaedke uses a philosophy of inter-facility networking, attempting to obtain personnel from each of Harley's different manufacturing facilities for each rally. "We form a little community. At the conclusion of an event, not only have we given hundreds of rides, but crew members have contacts at another plant, a friend who can help in getting things done in the future. This helps break down information barriers."
"Working" a demo ride is actually a reward for employees who have done an exceptional job.
"It gives them a road trip," said Gaedke, "it's an opportunity to see that a Harley-Davidson motorcycle is a membership card to a lifestyle, not just a piece of hardware. When they get out working the demos, they get a lot more appreciation for the depth of what the company's doing."
Gaedke said that people often ask why he uses a "cabover" tractor instead of a conventional long-nose truck. Harley's Transportation Company uses cabovers to deliver new Honeys to dealers because they're more maneuverable. When delivering new bikes, they squeeze into tight turns of inner cities more easily. Using a different type of truck means dedicating a special tractor to the demo trailer; using the company's universal cabover tractor offers more versatility and is more cost-effective.
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Gaedke built the truck with clearly defined objectives: to improve safety and convenience, and to balance the crew's work load. While loading the old unit, only three people could work inside the trailer, while others stood idle. It took 3 1/2 hours to load 17 bikes. Loading the entire new truck - including 29 bikes (12 additional motorcycles) - takes only 3 hours.
Gaedke is experimenting with his crew requirements for the new truck. Normally the whole crew gets involved in loading the truck, although it could be done by only two people. But loading the 29 machines is only part of the puzzle.
"Washing and detailing 29 bikes takes the better part of a day, even for a large group of people," he said. "Half the thrill of riding a Harley is being seen on a Harley, and the shinier the bike, the bigger the thrill. The bikes must be spotless before they go out."
To achieve his objectives, many people played key roles in assisting Gaedke in developing and building the custom truck system. Jim Krause, a Harley engineer, provided CAD (Computer Aided Design) assistance, based on truck measurements. When designing the track system, Krause positioned the skid height two inches over the mirrors of the bottom bikes, which put the windshields of the top bikes two inches under the lift on top. The partial compression of suspension when tied down was taken into account. Gaedke said that in 13.5 foot height of the trailer, Krause was accurate to within a quarter of an inch.
Larry Peternel, the owner of Peternel Racing in southeast Wisconsin, fabricated the pallets. Gaedke had hired three local vendors, each to build one pallet, then compared the bids. Although Peternel's bid was not the lowest, his quality was clearly superior. The welds were perfect.
"Everything a customer sees reflects on the company," John said. "The pallets had to reflect the quality of Harley-Davidson."
Tom Schwarz, general manager of the company’s Transportation Corporation, came up with the idea of using the CargoMaster, an overhead crane system that runs along a track at the top of the truck. It occupies very little inside space.
"The CargoMaster made the whole system work, that was the key," Gaedke said. "The truck is a marriage of the CargoMaster, new technology in load handling equipment, and a whole lot of experience we've had on the road with this program."
The new 18-wheel semi made its debut at the 50th Anniversary Daytona event last year, where 3700 rides were given in 5 days. The demo ride program is an important part of Harley’s marketing scheme, in more ways than one.
First, it gives Harley riders the opportunity to test drive models that they may be interested in buying. Since they can ride every model, it may even provide the extra incentive to help them decide which model and color they prefer.
Second, it gives owners of foreign-made bikes a chance to experience new Harleys. Many of them, as well as many Harley riders, have never ridden a "rubber mount" or Evolution engine, and don't realize how smooth a modern Harley is.
Demo rides also provide a means of obtaining feedback on what riders like and don't like about Harleys. Rider comments are recorded and shared with marketing and engineering people at the factory. This enables the company to realistically monitor the marketplace and understand what customers really want. That's something foreign motorcycle manufacturers can only dream of.
The demo ride truck is an excellent public relations vehicle for The Motor Company. Its highly visible, sharp-looking graphics are seen by thousands of people - Harley riders and non-Harley riders alike - all over the country.
The legacy of the original "Black Beauty" rolls on.
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