First it was the GFC, before which Harley Rides were in high demand. Things were great before 2008, but they rapidly went downhill after that, but demand continued. Coronavirus appears to have struck the final blow and sent all my customers away. Inquiries have all but dried up and the phone has stopped ringing.
It all started last Friday. I had a booking on that weekend where I was going to be doing Sidecar rides at a outer eastern Melbourne College Open day. Its an event that I have been booked to do many times, and I was looking forward to it and seeing the smiles on all the faces of adults and children I take out. then came that phone call, "Hi John, its Jeremy here." I replied, "What are you about to tell me?" I knew the answer of course, "We've decided to cancel the event this year." Fortunately, they had paid me in advance, so we agreed that I would extend them a 100% credit and we would simply re-schedule things to a later date.
March is normally a popular time for Harley Rides in Melbourne. The weather is perfect for going out for a motorcycle ride. The last six months have seen lots of bookings and I was looking forward to a great end to Financial Year 2019/20. But, coronavirus appears to have put an end to all that.
Of all forms of transport, riding a motorcycle is the one which poses the lowest risk where Coronavirus is concerned, as explained in this article written by MotorbikeWriter.
Put simply, as a passenger on a motorcycle:
You are away from the crowds
The air is 100% fresh and free of coronavirus
The wind blows everything away from you and your rider
The risk of infection is almost zero
I operate from a Home Office. That means that on a daily basis I am somewhat self isolating and not making close contact with potential Coronavirus carriers. So, going out for a Harley Ride with me, or one of our other riders is risk free.
These two videos paint a picture of the type of things we have done in the past year. When they have gone out for a Harley Ride, people quickly realise why they should have done it much sooner. Only two weeks ago we took a group of agents from the USA out for a familiarisation ride booked by the Langham Hotel in Southbank. When the coronavirus pandemic is over and in the past bookings from that ride my eventuate. In the meantime, I just have to sit tight and ride the storm out.
Yes - we are Open for Business. John would love to hear from from you - even if you aren't planning to come out for a Harley Ride right now, but would like to put something in our diary for later. Any booking, no matter how far away will give us solace that there are people out there who still want us.
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