Staff Bonding Christmas Party

What do you do when you get to the end of the year for the annual Staff Christmas Party? Why, take them on a Harley Ride of course. And, that is exactly what we did with Visual Thing last Friday, we took 11 of them in 4 sidecars for a 1 hr tour from their vase in Richmond and dropped them off at Waterfront City in the Docklands.

In the hour we managed to get all the way down to St Kilda, across the Westgate Bridge, out to Williamstown and then back to the Docklands where we stopped for photos before they all jumped on a boat to spend the rest of the day cruising the Yarra River.

New Zealand Visitors

Of all the tourists we take out for a Harley Ride , Kiwis make up the largest group. We made such an impact on nine women, in Melbourne from NZ recently, that several of their friends subsequently came over for a 2 hr ride with us.

While admitting to be a little scared before Neryda got on one of the Harleys, she soon realized that it was quite safe and quickly became relaxed sitting behind her "highly qulaified" Harley Rider.

Tourism Victoria Video Vault - Discover Melbourne by Harley Davidson

Click Here to view the Video Vault

 

Tourism Victoria recently launched their Video Vault and we are featured as part of one of their video promotions for tourists visiting Melbourne.

This video includes an interview with John giving an explanation of what a Harley Ride is all about and explains why - if you are visiting Melbourne - then this is a must do!

View Our New Online Brochure

Here is our new Online Brochre.

Vietnam - My Portfolio - for purchase

Vietnam Photographs by John Karmouche

As an avid photographer, I have amassed a collection of ever more expensive cameras over the last 30 years or so. I am now the proud owner of a Nikon D2Xs. This camera lets me capture some magnificent images and coupled with the collection of lens I use which include an AF-S Nikkor 17-55mm 1:2.8G ED, AF Nikkor 70-300mm 1:$-5.6 D and AF Fisheye Nikkor 10.5mm G ED has yielded some brilliant images.

Using an Apple iMac and iPhoto software I have produced a 100 page 11 x 8.5 inch softcover book which is now available for sale and is deliverable anywhere in the world.

This book can be purchased from Here.

When Lowest Guaranteed Price Equals Lowest Quality

The Internet has led to some huge shifts in the Travel Industry and in particular many Internet Agents have begun adopting a "lowest price guarantee" to attract customers.

For single product businesses like mine this makes it difficult to join forces with companies who want to on-sell my product. The fact is - they take 25% commission, and for some small businesses like my Harley Rides where my local competition don't offer the same quality product as my company then you the end consumer lose out.

In their rush to lock in the cheapest product, Red Balloon Days, with whom I have supplied Harley Rides since they first started up, decided that my product was too expensive and elected to contract one of my local competitors. Why? Because they were smitten with supplying at the lowest price - not at the best quality.If you look at my company HD Chauffeur Ride Pty Ltd you will note some characteristics which I proudly and passionatley uphold:

1. Harley Rides are the only thing I do. I run a Harley Rides business because I love riding and I love sharing the experince with people.
2. I maintain a "current model Harley Davidson" and I update my own personal bike with a brand new H-D heritage Softail once every three years.
3. My H-D is serviced rigorously, every 8000 kms by my local H-D Dealership. I don't service my own machine because I'm not qualified and my dealer can identify safety issues that would be overlooked if I were to do the work myself.
4. Recently I was elected President of the Motorcycle Riders Association (Victoria). My passion for riding extends to Safe Riding and passing on that message to not only other riders but to the community as well. I am presently heavily involved in reducing the Motorcycle Road Toll here in Victoria Australia, and I take that passion with me into my business.
5. All the riders who work for me are hand picked. I know their abilities and they know my standards. There are some who will never be called to work for me because I have assessed that they are not safe enough!

As someone who is in the Harley Rides business because they love to ride and love to meet new people, I am not prepared to drop my standards just because others want to undercut me. My regular customers are the mainstay of my business. If I were in this "just for the money" then I wouldn't be doing it - because it just doesn't work that way!

Coxy's Big Break and Harley Rides

From time to time we get called on by various Melbourne TV networks to do a spot on one of their shows. This time it was Cox's Big Break, a travel show which goes to air each Saturday on Network 7 at 5.30pm.

Here is the episode that included Harley Rides :

Tourism Australia Winners - Harley Ride

Tourism Australia ran a competition in the USA last year and the winners came to Melbourne and we took them out for a Harley Ride.

They were each given a video camera and told to film their trip. Here are the results:

What Women Want

Being a Harley Rides operator has helped me to understand human nature, and in particular it has given me an insight into the "female mind".

The reality struck me during a telephone conversation with a female customer, who wanted to organise a Harley Ride as a Valentine's Day gift for her boyfriend. She was interested in  what she described as a "chopper style" Harley Davidson. She wanted something with a "look". It was at this point that I began to realise the difference between men and women.

Women want to be seen. They are fashion oriented. As one girl said to me a few years ago, "I really am not interested in being the rider, but I do enjoy sitting on the back of a Harley at a 'fashion accessory'."

From the conversation which I have had with the thousands of women (of all ages) over the last ten years I have learned the following:

• They love the feel of being on the back of the bike doing something that that their parents would never approve of.
• They love to talk - and I have had some amazing discussions (all in confidence and which I would never repeat - and always on the understanding that I had no interest in taking anything beyond the end of the ride...).
• Being seen is paramount. The attention and looks people give them is important in their enjoyment of the Harley Ride.
• Strangely, they don't go for the best looking bike - they go for the one that looks like it will be the most comfortable for them.
• Whenever I take a couple of girls out in a sidecar on a Hens Night ride, they want to wave at everyone. Its the attention thing.

One the other side of the coin, men differ. They are more interested in the size of the bike - its engine and the technical aspects, performance etc.

In the end, men and women are very different.

Big Stick Movie Experience 12th January 2008

Large corporate activities are things that we often get involved in. This month we were called upon by Big Stick Adventures to be part of an activity which invovled a Corprate Incentive Reward activity, the theme for the day which was a "movie experience". The day involved filming us and other forms of transport chasing a "bad guy" around Melbourne with the corporates who captured the bad guy in the end. Prior to the day some pre filming was done, so that when the final product was edited at the end of the day it looked like a genuine "action movie". Things you can do on a Harley Ride - the options are endless.

Harley Rides - More or Our Customers

Here is another Animoto video clip where I have put together another sequence of photo's taken from many of the various jobs that we have completed for Corporate Groups, Birthday rides for mothers and even a wedding - I'm having a lot of fun with Animoto.

Visions of Melbourne Australia

Here is video compilation of photos that I have taken around my home town here in Melbourne. Photography is my other "passion" after motorcycles. As you will see by viewing this this animoto video clip, Melbourne is a very beautiful city which we can share with you when you come on a Harley Ride with us.