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A weekend to remember

Dealership hosts adventure touring overnight for riders

Even motorcycle fanatics are never too old for sleepovers. Foothills Motorcycles in Lakewood, Colo., began offering overnight experiences for its adventure touring riders in June. McKenna Scott, marketing and events coordinator for Foothills Motorcycles, says the first overnight was part of a transition to becoming an adventure touring dealership.

In June, Foothills Motorcycles hosted an overnight adventure touring experience. During the weekend trip the group of 25 riders traveled more than 250 miles.
In June, Foothills Motorcycles hosted an overnight adventure touring experience. During the weekend trip the group of 25 riders traveled more than 250 miles.

“We are actually starting to really direct our focus at Foothills into becoming an adventure touring store. In the last couple of months we’ve got in a great deal of gear and equipment and have started to build up the adventure realm,” Scott said.

Foothills, a BMW and Triumph dealer, plans to highlight its adventure touring capabilities by stocking up on anything a rider may need, from daypacks to survival gear. The industry has seen an increase in adventure touring as a whole with more customer interest and higher overall sales.

“We have been selling more adventure bikes and more dual-sport bikes over the last couple months,” Scott said. “We’ve also seen interest from customers — getting requests about doing these types of events, and each of the events has had a really good turnout.”

In addition to the overnight rides, Foothills will also offer training days and adventure rides to customers of all different levels. “We’ve started to give them opportunities by which they can go and use their bikes and gain training and confidence on them,” Scott said.

The June overnight ride had a great deal of customer involvement and support; several customers volunteered their time to plan the route and take leadership roles on the ride.

“The dealership did most everything other than plan the detailed route. We had one customer who planned the route and another that opened up his property for us to camp and ride on,” Scott explained. A few customers acted as leaders and sweeps during the ride, making sure no one fell behind and that every individual riding level was catered to. Foothills also coordinated food and lodging for the participants through a local company that provided tents and sleeping bags.

“A few of our customers took us up on that, but most brought their own gear and setup. So on our end of things it was pretty much logistics and food,” she said.

During the weekend trip the group of
25 riders traveled more than 250 miles. “We told riders in the beginning that it was going to definitely be a technical route; there were dual-sport elements to it and would include on-road and off-road,” said Scott. While the ride had no beginners because of the route’s terrain, guides who rode along were able to ride with each smaller group’s level of riding.

“We didn’t separate riders by any means, but riders were able to ride with others on their same level, and the guides were able to lead them better that way,” Scott explained. Therefore, participants received walk-through training over the course of the weekend. The event elicited positive responses from the group.

Several customers volunteered their time to plan the route and take leadership roles on the ride. Guides that rode along were able to cater to each individual riding level.
Several customers volunteered their time to plan the route and take leadership roles on the ride. Guides that rode along were able to cater to each individual riding level.

Tutorial ahead

Moving on from a successful ride and popular demand, Foothills will continue to host overnights and informational sessions to keep the focus on adventure touring. “We have an adventure night coming up that’s going to be more of an in-house tutorial instead of a ride,” Scott said. “We’re going to walk them through how to gear up a bike and talk through the benefits.”

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Foothills Motorcycles advised riders that the route would be technical, incoporating dual-sport elements and on- and off-road terrain.
Foothills Motorcycles advised riders that the route would be technical, incoporating dual-sport elements and on- and off-road terrain.

The dealership will also spend time talking about the importance of bike fit for riders, and the service department will soon be able to offer to custom fit any bike to each rider’s needs. “They are able to fit you to your bike and do all the necessary lowering of seats, suspension or anything like that. We’re going to have one set price for everyone to come in and get their bike fit for them,” she said.

Foothills Motorcycles promises to continue to promote adventure touring. “Being able to build that community and camaraderie has been huge for customers. Having people to ride with on the same level, people who share the same interests and getting to meet them is important, and we give customers a way to do that,” Scott said. “They get the most out of the bikes they’ve bought.”

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