Harley-Davidson
Jumpstart Rider Experience
Basically it looks like riding a bike on a Dyno,
with no diagnostics attached. We called Rachel at Mike
Bruno’s Northshore Harley-Davidson, and she made
arrangements for us to come down and give it a run.
We had three novice riders along for the trip. Ashley,
last month’s calendar model, is an avid rider, but has
only been a passenger up to this point. Jonathan, a
young man in his early 20s, has ridden dirt bikes in the
past, but is interested in learning to ride on the street.
Finally, we had Malcolm, who was two days shy of his
16th birthday and had never been on a motorcycle
before. This was a surprise for him, he had no idea
where we were going.
Rachel welcomed us to the dealership, and
salesman James took us out to the Jumpstart cage,
hooked us up with a 2016 Softail Slim, and ran us
through the procedure.
Everyone had far more fun than you would
expect. Obviously this can’t give the full riding
experience, but it is a great way to get a first feel of
a bike before moving on to a rider’s training course.
I’ll let each of the three participants give their own
impression of the Jumpstart Experience.
Frosty
Over the course of the next few issues, we will
be following a new rider as she goes from passenger to
the front seat. We have been hearing people talk about
the Harley-Davidson Jumpstart Rider Experience at
dealerships around the state, and this seemed like a
good place to start. Harley’s Offical website says:
“You may have heard people say that there’s nothing
like being on a Harley-Davidson® motorcycle. Now,
you can find out for yourself – even if you have no
previous experience with motorcycles.
The Harley-Davidson® JUMPSTART™ Rider
Experience combines a Harley-Davidson motorcycle
and a specially-designed, stationary support stand.
• No knowledge or previous motorcycle
experience necessary
• Motorcycle will not tip over
You’ll mount the bike, set your boots on the foot
pegs and fire up the engine under the watchful eye of
trained personnel. Give the throttle a twist and hear
that unforgettable Harley sound. Sitting comfortably
on the bike, you’ll continue to shift through the gears
– all safely and securely attached to the JUMPSTART™
platform.”
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Jonathan Franks
“I enjoyed the Jumpstart Experience. It taught me the
basics about changing gears manually using a clutch
and throttle, although I believe I could have benefitted
from actually feeling the bike accelerate. As a whole,
the Jumpstart Experience was a good introduction
to motorcycling that caught my interest and has
motivated me to pursue the lifestyle.”
Ashley Roy
“Hey Y’all. My name is Ashley and I just did the
Jumpstart Experience at Harley-Davidson in Slidell.
I’ve always been a passenger on a bike, I’ve never been
my own rider on my own bike or anything. so it was
definitely an experience.
I want to... And it helped me to learn that there’s a lot
more going on than just pulling that throttle.
I’m excited to learn, though.”
Malcolm Stockstill
“I was a bit nervous at first, but I think I’d get used to
it. I want to learn to ride a bike, I want to learn more
about it. I want to someday have my own bike, maybe
help build my own and everything. It wouldn’t hurt
learning how to ride a bike.
That’s it, really.”
Mike Bruno’s Northshore Harley-Davidson
791 W I-10
Slidell, Louisiana
(985) 288-2443
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