We still don't do fear.... Right?

Ten years ago, Harley-Davidson bought a full page ad in the USA Today to try to change attitudes during the financial crisis that had befallen the country.  It was of a young man on an '08 Crossbones plastered across a red and white striped background.  Above him, written in a way that made it appear as an American flag.  The blue field held the words, "We don't do fear".  The rest of the text, written in red (of course.  All gospel is written in red) declared, "Over the last 105 years in the saddle, we've seen wars, conflicts, depression, resistance, and revolutions.  We've watched a thousands hand-wrenching pundits disappear in our rear-view mirror. But every time, this country has come out stronger than before. Because chrome and asphalt put distance between you and whatever the world can throw at you. Freedom and wind outlast hard times. And the rumble of an engine drowns out all the spin on the evening news. If 105 years have proved one thing, it;s that fear sucks and it doesn't last long.".  The capstone of the ad were the words, "Screw it, Let's Ride.".

That ad worked wonders for the MoCo.  It reengaged a distracted customer base and reminded people that our country is strong because its people are strong.  It reminded people that their mindset dictated their actions, and reactions to what was going on around them.  Our country did persevere.  And Harley-Davidson Nation indeed did say, Screw it, Let's Ride.  And they rode.

We rode all the way up to 2018 and now here we are.  Here's what else is still here.  Wars.  Conflicts.  Depression.  Resistance.  Revolution.  Along with that we are up to our noses in political polarization, our children being mowed down, scandal, hate, division....  We live in the age of instant communication, yet we rarely communicate with our fellow man on a personal level.  We believe lies and ignore truths.  We don't react to news.  We dictate news to fit our agenda.  We yell at each other and hear no one.  We think we have the answers but don't give a damn whether we actually listen to the questions.  We give credence to every outlandish theory that some stranger spews but are doubtful of the things our heart tells us.

We listen to memes instead of neighbors.  We look at our phones more than our family.  The give and take of civil discourse is now, "I'm right and F&ck you".  We are divided by who we voted for, the color of our skin, where we go to church or whether we even choose to.  We are divided by who we love and what we believe.  Bitterly divided.

I'm often left wondering if we still are our brothers keeper.  Do we have time enough in our daily lives to love?  To listen?  To live?  Are we happy with the example we set for our children or is it just easier to call the younger generation useless...soft....lazy...stupid?

What is it going to take for us to get back engaged with our lives?  What will it take for us to be happy and content with the world around us?  We will always have conflict.  We will always deal with things that depress us.  Revolution and Resistance are as American as apple pie, but how much of either are you truly getting done sitting on your ass or buried in your phone?  We NEED a revolution!  One that brings us back to why our time on this Earth is important!

I do love how the 2008 Harley-Davidson ad brought the solutions of the world and dumped them on the open road and left us with the thought that all we had to do was go and find them.  I'm also not so naive that I think a marketing slogan is going to bring us out of this National funk in which we seem to wallow.

But what if it could?  What if we truly did start to put focus on things that brought us together? 

What if we started to realize the worth of our fellow humans and the value of real interaction with them?  What if we put more time into loving each other for the things we have in common, rather than hating for our differences? 

What if we truly started treating each other as our own brothers and sisters?  What would the world look like if we got back to seeing it in person rather than through a screen?  What if we were to relearn the art of communication?

What if we were to actually be able to change the world?

I like to think that those of us who live in that small percentage of the world who ride on 2 wheels understand this.  Our passion is centered around experiences.  Real, visceral experiences. 

We seek out the beauty and danger of the world.  We understand that our time here is limited and that if we truly want to experience what God has given us here on Earth, we'd better go and get it.  When we ride, we know who our brothers and sisters are.  They ride next to us.  Our brothers and sisters are not categorized by their income, their color, their politics.  We wave at each other as we pass as if we've known each other all our lives.  We know more about them than some of our own family know about us.  We have a bond. We find the good in each other before we seek the bad.

We look out for each other.  We care about each other.  We stop on the side of the road when one of us is in need.  We come together.  We ride together.  We laugh together, and we mourn together.  We love each other, though we may not even know each others name.

Sounds a little corny, doesn't it.  Sounds like a weird little utopia, doesn't it.  The, "Yeah, but whaddabout"'s can try with all their power to say that things like I'm describing don't matter, but I firmly believe that they do.

What if everyone tried relating to each other in the manner which riders do?  What if we tried to all find common ground and love first?  What if we got off the couch, and out of the house and saw America? 

Could we change the world?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  But it damn sure beats what we are doing now.

Thomas Paine wrote, "We have it in our power to change the world over".

We who ride can start by trying to look at every piece of the world through the same goggles we wear when we ride.

Maybe the rest of you can start acting more like motorcyclists.

Ride Safe, and with Purpose.

SMB

Because I Really Rode My Motorcycle Today

I am a Harley-Davidson Dealer.

It is my profession.  It is how I pay my bills, provide shelter, feed and cloth my children, etc.  The life of a Harley-Davidson Dealer is not extremely different than that of most any small business owner.  I still wake up, shower, dress professionally and come to work every day.  Like other businessmen, my day consists of projections, budget reporting, managing, dealing with vendors, human resource issues, bank negotiations, making sure we are compliant with the government and other legal requirements, etc.  We are salespeople and marketers.  We plan promotions that will help us to maximize sales opportunities.  We seek better and more efficient ways of positioning ourselves and out products in the marketplace.

We do all of these things because we are businessmen.

But there is so much more.

Today is March 20, 2014.  Today is the vernal equinox.  Today is the first day of spring, and it couldn't come too soon.  Our winter has been brutal, and seemingly unending. "First Day of Spring" rides are an essential tool in the toolbox of motorcycle dealer marketing.  Today was ours.  Like any dealer principal who understands the importance of "keeping the wheels spinning", I stepped up to the plate to lead today's ride.  My seat was my office today, and this morning, under a brilliant sun and crisp temperature, I went to work.

That said, work stopped as soon as I hit second gear.  Today, I rode my motorcycle.  Really rode it.

Because I really rode my motorcycle today, I didn't just get to lead a group of customers, I got to ride with my friends.

Because I really rode my motorcycle today, I got to remove the excel, peachtree, CONNECT, Talon, HDNet and other digital pieces of the Harley business from my hands and replace it with what really matters, handlebars.  Throttles and clutches instead of budgets and percentages.

Because I really rode my motorcycle today, I was able to reconnect with the reason I do what it is that I do.

Because I really rode my motorcycle today, my eyes are again opened wide to the beauty of being outside.

Because I really rode my motorcycle today, I got to spend some alone time with Him.

Because I really rode my motorcycle today, I took time to eat at a great greasy spoon restaurant that I'd never stopped at before.

Because I really rode my motorcycle today, I was able to recharge my batttery, and right my ship.

Because I really rode my motorcycle today, I was able to lose the worry and stress of responsibility and replace it with smiles, joy, and adventure.

Because I really rode my motorcycle today, I was able to let go, and just be a Harley rider, not a dealer.  (Thank you Jonathan Clemmons for taking the lead for a while and allowing me to just ride and follow).

Because I really rode my motorcycle today, I'm a better man.

Thank you to my friends, old and new, that were able to join me and as well, allow me to join you today.  

If you can't relate to what I'm talking about..... There is a remedy. 

Never forget, you only get one shot at life on this Earth.  Make it count.

Until next time...

Ride Safe and with Purpose.

SMB

In My Brain... Day 3

August 30, 2012

"Lord I'm goin' up town, to the Harlem River to Drown.  Dirty water gonna cover me over, and I'm not gonna make a sound..."-- Justin Townes Earle

I've been in the Harley-Davidson business for 26 years as part of the family, and 18 years as my full time job and way that I make my living.  I've been part of the Harley-Davidson 'thing' for much longer than that.  I often talk of the "love affair" that we have with these machines and the place that they have in our life.  A relationship with Harley-Davidson goes deep below the skin and into the soul and is about so much more than just the motorcycle.  The mere mention of the name "Harley" invokes a visceral reaction amongst the believers.  We look at roads and sunsets differently.  Our thoughts are monopolized by destinations and 'bucket list' items.  We truly are brethren.  Believers, fanatical followers...

As I grew up and learned more about this 'thing' that had already possessed the souls of my brothers, I formed my own relationship to what I call 'the brand'.  When I say brand, I don't mean trademarks in the same sense that I'd describe Coke as my favorite brand of soft drink, but more so I use the term 'brand' more like I'd use the word 'phyllum' or 'species'.  Brand, like marks burned into ones skin, ones psyche.  That tangible glue that not only emblazons the fuel tanks of these spectacular machines, but also that framework in which our lifestyle and love affair lives. 

The brand which I refer to belongs to the brethren.  Harley-Davidson holds the trademarks, but the 'brand' is all of ours.  The mystique, the religion.  I feel no small responsibility as a dealer, along with the motor company as 'caretakers' of that brand.  Oh how quickly we could screw it up if we are not careful.  We have a responsibility to always remember where we came from and what got us here.  The brand is precious, and fragile, and a necessity in our lives.

We made our way up to Saukville Wisconsin to tour the facilities of Calibre, Inc, a company that does paint for replacement service parts for Harley-Davidson.  I always love to tour this place, and I have to offer a huge 'thank you' to my friend Terry Bretl for being a gracious host to my family and group.  Watching the artists and craftsmen at Calibre is such a treat.  The things we take for granted, the commitment and attention to detail that goes into the work that those people do is humbling.  I have never looked at the pin striping on a Harley-Davidson paint job the same since I had the pleasure of watching those good folks apply them by hand. 

"In the back of my mind, eatin up all my time....Hangin weightless in the sky, like an angel with no place to fly..."-- Willie Nelson

We later made our way over to Menominee Falls to tour the Pilgrim Road Harley-Davidson Powertrain Plant, the birthplace of the Harley-Davidson Engine.  The senses become overwhelmed when you step out onto the plant floor.  The drone of the machinery.  The smell of the oil.  I've taken this tour before, so I didn't spend much time listening to our able engineer telling the group what the plant does, but instead I hung back and 'observed'.  I love the upper midwest, and it's people.  I love that this factory is still in Milwaukee Wisconsin.  It couldn't be anywhere else.  The looks on the faces of the operators on the floor.  Dedicated. Blue collar, real.  Steel, lubricants, wires, drills and presses, zip zip, whiz.  Real. Tangible. Authentic. Love.  Lunch pails and Green Bay Packer calendars.  Young.  Old.  Tattoos, and ponytails.  White beards, and bald heads.  Men and women all dedicated to the product that they are producing.  Make no mistake that they know the role they play in this 'brand'.  I've blogged before about the love that these that build the machine have for them.

http://abumpontheroad.blogspot.com/2011/12/love.html

They loved her first.

I can see out my window and across the industrial canal that the field in front of the Harley-Davidson Museum is starting to fill up with bikes.  Thursday is bike night at the museum and I'll dare say, Milwaukee and the HDM host the finest bike night I've ever been to.  That element of authenticity is in the air here.  The good people that attend are here for spiritual revival.  Their soul will be lifted as they commune and fellowship with their brothers and sisters in the sacred birthplace of their passion.  Tonight also kicks off the year long celebration of the 110th Anniversary of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company, adding another level of emotion to the whole event.  I'm leaving you now to go see what it has in store.

Ride Safe, and with Purpose.

SMB