Plus 1 Initiative Update – Harden Family Affair

• Publication: American Motorcyclist
• Original Publication Date: June 2022

as seen in AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST

AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Scot Harden, of Harden Off-Road Inc., has helped more than 3,000 people get started in motorcycling over the years, running training schools in the 1980s, teaching adventure riding during his years at KTM and generally encouraging everyone who voiced an interest.
In 2018, Harden launched his Plus 1 Rider Initiative “to remind everyone that the most effective advocates for bringing new riders into our sport are existing riders.” He encouraged every motorcyclist to convince one person to give riding a try.
This year, Harden’s attention is on at least one potential rider very close to home, the next generation of Hardens: his 3-year-old grandson, Jensen.
“At its foundation, the Plus 1 Rider premise starts at home, with your own family,” Harden said. “No need to look any further than your sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, nieces, nephews and assorted family members to secure the next round of future motorcycle prospects. Why pass up an excellent opportunity to bring your own family along for the ride?
“I never overlooked this fact and am proud to say both my sons, Brent and Brock, are not only avid motorcycle riders but also have careers inside the motorcycle industry.”
Both of Harden’s sons raced professionally in off-road and motocross, but now ride just for recreation, “occasionally even with the old man.” Harden also taught his nephews and nieces about riding when they paid visits to his house, teaching them to ride the Yamaha TT-R125 owned by his wife, Kristi.
“To see the enthusiasm and joy they get from learning how to ride, to operate the throttle and clutch, to shift, feel the acceleration, sense of freedom and control is a beautiful thing to witness,” Harden said. And then there is Jensen.

“Another great gift has been watching my 3-year- old grandson come along on his journey as a new rider, watch him take his first tentative steps into a two-wheel motorized world and to share some of the truly great experiences it all provides,” he said. “Jensen has been riding since he was 2 years old, starting on his new Stacyc.”
Jensen’s uncle, Brock, was one of the original employees of Stacyc, an electric minibike company, and developed the company’s youth demo program. And Jensen’s father, Brent, was Answer Racing’s brand manager for the past five years. “Not only did he have one of the coolest new kids’ motorcycles to come along in quite a while,” Harden said, “he also had all the protective gear he could ever need.”
The rewards of introducing someone to motorcycling are many. But teaching a youngster is special even more so when the youngster is such a close relative.
“Watching Jensen develop as a rider has been one of the most gratifying experiences of my life,” said Harden, a three-time International Six Days Enduro medalist, five-time Baja 500/1000 Overall Motorcycle champion and a Dakar Rally finisher. “His unbridled joy and excitement for the act of riding with his dad and his papa taps into a part of my soul that few other things can reach.”
Harden took Jensen riding and camping in the Mojave Preserve over Memorial Day Weekend, setting up a short course around their motorhome.
“He spent the better part of two days pounding laps, doing doughnuts and burnouts, and, if you don’t believe me, ask him. He’ll tell you so,” Harden said. “He has developed quite a vocabulary, all based around riding his motorcycle. And notice I didn’t say minibike; he won’t let you call it that.”
Harden also took his grandson on his KTM 790 Adventure R on adventure rides to an old mine and homestead sites sprinkled through the Ivanpah Range.
“We searched for gold with metal detectors, explored old mining cabins and vehicles, took hikes in the surrounding desert,” he said. “All this was possible because of our shared love of motorcycling. You can see the positive impact it is having on his development, even at just 3 years old. Better yet, he has a little brother named Layton, who is just a year or so away from riding himself.”
Harden said his Plus 1 Rider Initiative is about encouraging existing riders to become better advocates for motorcycling, “but never forget that charity begins at home. Start there. The rewards are, well, countless.”