Enjoying a Harley holiday with MAN
The two MAN TGX trucks in operation at M-Motorradreisen owned by Jürgen Hollenbach enable customers’ Harleys to set off on their travels before the riders themselves reach their destination.
What could possibly be nicer than a holiday? A holiday with your own Harley – at least that is what Jürgen Hollenbach and his wife Manuela think. And the success of their business concept, which makes it possible for holidaymakers to travel with their own motorcycles, attests to this idea. “We ourselves have always enjoyed going on motorbike trips and were constantly on the lookout for new destinations. But after having searched for so long but never having found the right kind of holiday to suit our wishes, we had the idea to organise something ourselves,” explains Jürgen Hollenbach. From then on they began arranging eight trips a year under the auspices of their own firm, M-Motorradreisen, trips designed in such a way that their customers can explore and get to know destinations like Calabria, Sardinia, Majorca or Crete while travelling on their own motorbikes. So that such a bike tour can take place with the customer’s own Harley, Jürgen Hollenbach purchased two powerful and efficient MAN TGX trucks to transport the expensive bikes to the relevant holiday destination, thus enabling them to arrive safe and sound. At the loading station – which can be individually configured in line with customer wishes – the motorcycles are tied down on purpose-built racks and then, with the utmost care, are lifted onto the semitrailer by experienced company drivers using a forklift truck. A special feature of the MAN trucks used by M-Motorradreisen: “Air suspension which allows both the MAN TGX and our semitrailer to be given approximately 35 centimetres ground clearance.” Consequently, driving onto all kinds of ferries does not present any problems.
And this is how Michael, one of Hollenbach’s drivers, sees the trip to Majorca that he is about to embark on with one of the Harley Lions – completely relaxed and not a single problem on the horizon: “We are now going to be driving 16-18 hours to Barcelona, feeling totally at ease, where the ferry will be waiting for us. We don’t know what to expect at the borders along the way but we are well prepared. We have our negative corona tests in our pockets and now all we have to do is to hope for good weather down there.”
While actually on the road Michael knows he can enjoy the comfort of his MAN TGX: “When kitting out the cab, we dispensed with the second bed which meant we gained a great deal of storage space. And what is more, facilities on board boast a high-quality coffee machine and also a microwave oven. This means that on long trips our drivers can prepare their own meals,” points out Jürgen Hollenbach. On arrival at the location, the motorcycles are then unloaded and taken to the underground car park of the relevant hotel to wait for their owners to arrive.
The reasons why Hollenbach decided to choose MAN trucks as his transport vehicles are many: “For a great number of years now, we have had close business connections with the Volkswagen Group. So our interest in MAN was obvious. And when we took a closer look at the MAN TGX, we were immediately sold on this make,” remembers Hollenbach.
“We were able to discuss our own wishes and those of our drivers with our MAN sales representative Klaus Dillian right down to the last detail and then they were put into practice. The result is impressive.”
And how satisfied he is with this result and with the running of his first MAN TGX can be seen by the way he once again chose a new MAN TGX when purchasing a second vehicle for M-Motorradreisen. At the time of our interview, work was being performed on the new addition to tweak its look so that it would fit in with the fleet perfectly. It goes without saying that the second MAN TGX also has to display the distinctive design of the company when it sets off on tour with the Harleys. In keeping with the biker ethos, a skull is depicted resplendently on the side (or on the sides?) of the cab. And on it, like a tattoo preserved for all eternity, a Harley. We have the feeling that the design is telling us once a Harley, always a Harley, a message that ties in perfectly with the MAN motto: once a Lion, always a Lion. But in any case, Jürgen Hollenbach is sticking with his two MAN trucks: “Everybody has once again helped to make the vehicle fit in with our entire fleet. Now it’s just a question of completing all the preparations for the 2022 motorcycle trips and of sending the travel brochure out to our customers. Our MAN trucks are ready to roll.”