October 31, 2007
Houston, TX - What does Harley-Davidson recommend for all their motorcycles? Premium gasoline. And what does a Harley rider need to find quality gasoline while riding their motorcycle? A really detailed map... until now. Harley-Davidson Motor Company (Harley-Davidson) has begun an alliance with Shell Oil Products US (Shell) that will soon place all 14,000+ Shell-branded stations on the motorcycle maker's online Harley-Davidson Ride Planner, where riders will find Shell V-Power premium gasoline. As part of this alliance, Shell also will proudly be the exclusive fuels sponsor of the Harley-Davidson 105th Anniversary Celebration in August 2008.
Larry Burch, vice president of Shell Retail, explained, "As a Harley owner and enthusiast myself, I know Harley owners are passionate about their riding experiences, just as our Shell experts are passionate about providing high-quality fuels and that's why I always use Shell V-Power. With Shell V-Power, I know I'll always have a good ride. Shell also has more locations coast-to-coast than any other brand and adding Shell to Harley's Ride Planner will help riders plan and enjoy their rides even more."
Harley-Davidson's Web-based Ride Planner allows any motorcyclist to pre-plan their trip utilizing an interactive map. The Ride Planner also identifies the locations of authorized Harley-Davidson dealers and soon, fill-ups at Shell-branded stations. While American motorists have long been able to look up Shell-branded gasoline stations on the Internet by city or ZIP code, Ride Planner soon will allow riders to identify the locations of all Shell-branded stations along any route. Riders will even be able to get an aerial view of the station and its surroundings prior to the trip. Riders looking for route suggestions should be sure to check out the roads overlay that will present highlighted routes on the map with an overview, rating and reviews by other riders.
As the exclusive fuel sponsor of the 105th Anniversary Celebration, Shell will join Harley-Davidson in marking the occasion through several soon-to-be announced activities. Harley-Davidson is expecting in excess of 100,000 Harley owners and enthusiasts to converge in its home town of Milwaukee, Wisc., for the Aug. 28-31, 2008 celebration events that cap the biggest anniversary ride in the company's history. Ride participants can follow one of 25 routes from 105 starting points across the country beginning Aug. 17.
"This is the first time we've teamed up with Shell and we're thrilled to have them on board celebrating our 105th Anniversary journey," said Joanne Bischmann, Harley-Davidson vice president - licensing and special events. "We're also delighted to add a new level of service for riders to our online Ride Planner through the inclusion of Shell stations."
For more than 100 years, both Harley-Davidson and Shell have been providing American riders with the quality products for an enjoyable ride - Shell with premium fuels and Harley-Davidson with premium motorcycles. "A sponsorship alliance between the companies is a natural fit that will benefit Harley riders," Burch said.
The alliance between Shell and Harley-Davidson includes:
Shell's designation as the exclusive fuels sponsor of the Harley-Davidson 105th Anniversary activities
Visibility of Shell in the online Harley-Davidson experience
As the alliance between Harley-Davidson and Shell evolves, more information will be available on both companies' Web sites at www.harley-davidson.com and www.shell.com/us/.