Bank forecloses on Big Dog Motorcycles

[cbsnbiker]

Posted without comment:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110409/ap_on_bi_ge/us_big_dog_motorcycles;_ylt=Ak1vsvKBwGGBP3vcWciS4ogfTcF_;_ylu=X3oDMTE1ZzRyYjc4BHBvcwMxBHNlYwN5bi1jaGFubmVsBHNsawNiYW5rZm9yZWNsb3M-

Bank forecloses on Kan.-based Big Dog Motorcycles

WICHITA, Kan. – A bank has foreclosed on Wichita, Kansas-based Big Dog Motorcycles, ending the run of a 17-year-old company that specialized in custom heavy cruisers and had 100 U.S. dealers....

[veefer800canuck]

How many Custom Choppah mfgr's can the country support in a down economy anyhow?

I mean, the entire genre is so 2000-ish and the segment was totally overpopulated with everyone and their brother-in-law building chrome butt jewellery at 50k a pop, something had to give!

[Frankienuckles]

To each their own I guess, but if I had that sorta coin to blow on a bike I think a bimota or high end ducati would be for me...Although those Brittens are pretty sweet!

[Major 662]

To each their own I guess, but if I had that sorta coin to blow on a bike I think a bimota or high end ducati would be for me...Although those Brittens are pretty sweet!

...or a Confederate P120 Fighter

[Orson]

who'da thunk Moto Guzzi would be the last major manufacturer standing?  

[Snowbird]

who'da thunk Moto Guzzi would be the last major minor manufacturer standing?  

FTFY.  

[county]

who'da thunk Moto Guzzi would be the last major manufacturer standing?  

I admire your pluck...

[Zixxerpilot]

Big Dog was actually a pretty innovative manufacturer with a lot of backing. If they are going under, it really shows the state of that market.

I was wondering how long the custom chopper craze would last once it went mainstream. But, of all of them, BD was one of the last I wanted to see go. i know most of those guys personally from working in the industry, and they built a great product. Them, Ness, and Jessie James.

[phoenix]

last line in the article:

Layoffs began in 2007. Today, 22 employees remain

so it has been a slow and probably painful death.

[Rincewind]

I blame the Honda Fury.  

[DNA]

I blame the Honda Fury.  

You owe me a keyboard.  

[falconati]

I blame the Honda Fury.  

Three on the road for every other choppah

[Geoff]

Sorry to see Big Dog employees lose jobs. Too bad the company didn't adapt to the market, which is leaning toward bobbers.  

[Blunder]

How many corporations are still looking for their first "theme bike"? How many individuals willing to spend $50K + to join the thundering herd are there? How many TV networks will pay for done-to-death mock reality shows now?

[bomber]

Sorry to see Big Dog employees lose jobs. Too bad the company didn't adapt to the market, which is leaning toward bobbers.  

I, too, am saddened the folks lost their jobs . . . .

While the custom market seems to be, you you say, moving toward bobbers, I believe the writing was on the wall when HD became able to meet the demand for it's products . . .  big dog, and others, first sprung up when there was a long wait fro anything from the Iron Tower . . .

[mxvet57]

There was a Big Dog dealer a couple of miles north of me. It died over 4 years ago.

[Papa Lazarou]

Over here, Red Dog motorcycles went bust last year. They sold MV and Victory...

[Justin]

I, too, am saddened the folks lost their jobs . . . .

+1, even if custom choppers suck

[Justin]

Anyway, didn't anyone tell them that spotless "Adventure" bikes, with gleaming aluminum panniers are the new fad for yuppies? They just were not following trends.

[Sprintboy]

Things change, adapt or die. Nature's first rule.

+1  

[Kraz]

Anyway, didn't anyone tell them that spotless "Adventure" bikes, with gleaming aluminum panniers are the new fad for yuppies? They just were not following trends.

Can't wait for that fad to crash and massive amounts of used, still spotless, low mileage, farkled out 990 adventures to hit the market at low, low prices.  

[Strog]

The local Big Dog dealer started carrying BMW around the time the SS1000rr was announced. I thought that it was a weird move but maybe they saw this coming.

[Justin]

Can't wait for that fad to crash and massive amounts of used, still spotless, low mileage, farkled out 990 adventures to hit the market at low, low prices.  

+ 1 - the most wear and tear they will have is from grocery store runs loading up the panniers

[satxbonneville]

+ 1 - the most wear and tear they will have is from grocery store runs loading up the panniers

I'll be looking out for a cherry Bob Mielke Edition.

[veefer800canuck]

I'll be looking out for a cherry Bob Mielke Edition.

 

[JeffM]

Big Dog HQ and showroom is up the street a few blocks from me. I had noticed gradually fewer and fewer bikes in there recently, so I'm not surprised to hear this. Sorry to have Wichita lose more jobs, as the economy sucks mightily here. A neighbor has a Big Dog, and while not at all my cup of tea (and this neighbor is a total A-hole), I can appreciate that the bike is at least decently built and does get ridden, unlike the OCC chopper that my employer had built.

[jfurf]

I refuse to believe there are suddenly not enough small-dicked geeks to support this fine All-American product.

[cbsnbiker]

I refuse to believe there are suddenly not enough small-dicked geeks to support this fine All-American product.

There are. They just don't have enough cash anymore.

[Jeff]

Big Dog HQ and showroom is up the street a few blocks from me. I had noticed gradually fewer and fewer bikes in there recently, so I'm not surprised to hear this. Sorry to have Wichita lose more jobs, as the economy sucks mightily here. A neighbor has a Big Dog, and while not at all my cup of tea (and this neighbor is a total A-hole), I can appreciate that the bike is at least decently built and does get ridden, unlike the OCC chopper that my employer had built.

Does your employer have some sort of beef with Big Dog? I mean, why wouldn't he support another local company that makes a superior product?  

[JSharp]

There are. They just don't have enough credit anymore.

FIFY  

[Zixxerpilot]

Does your employer have some sort of beef with Big Dog? I mean, why wouldn't he support another local company that makes a superior product?  

Big Dog doesn't build "theme" bikes. They build choppers, and are more of a mass manufacturer.

[CLAY]

There are rises and falls, waxing and waning, in every market segment. This too shall pass and something more contemporary will rise to take its place. I mean, Ducati is up 68% in 2011 and the Japanese bikes are starting to look pretty bad in terms of dollar/feature value.

Things change, adapt or die. Nature's first rule.

+1.  

[cbsnbiker]

FIFY  

I stand corrected.

[919]

wow

I dunno, maybe I'm just having a bad day, but I'm getting so sick of this kind of snobbish, boorish attitude from my so-called"fellow" motorcyclists. The only thing wrong with the motorcycling community is all damned motorcyclists in it. Ok, so they're not your thing, that's cool. We all have likes and dislikes, but man oh man... you people are like piranhas.

Try *enjoying* being a motorcyclist and try *enjoying* motorcycles, instead of just that one narrow-minded bullshit stance so many of "us" seem to take. Sheesh.

+1  thank you, I've noticed a lot of this lately but I'm a new guy and don't want to call anyone out.  I don't care if you're riding a moped, chopper, cruiser, GW, whatever.  And I'll ride with anyone on any bike as long as they're safe, courteous, can keep up, and don't bitch.

[Justin]

+1  thank you, I've noticed a lot of this lately but I'm a new guy and don't want to call anyone out.  I don't care if you're riding a moped, chopper, cruiser, GW, whatever.  And I'll ride with anyone on any bike as long as they're safe, courteous, can keep up, and don't bitch.

I agree for the most part - I could care less what you *ride*. However, I will continue to poke fun at these fads of over priced garage queen M/C's, that get 100 miles a year if lucky.

[919]

Don't agree with me. It's a quick path to being hated and shunned.  

Statement retracted then......  let the bashing continue  

[cbsnbiker]

FWIW, and this was just one opinion, my local Harley dealer used to carry Big Dogs but dropped them due to poor warranty support and a constant stream of them coming in for repairs (so they said). I have no firsthand knowledge to support this; just passing on something that was told to me.



wow

I dunno, maybe I'm just having a bad day, but I'm getting so sick of this kind of snobbish, boorish attitude from my so-called"fellow" motorcyclists. The only thing wrong with the motorcycling community is all damned motorcyclists in it. Ok, so they're not your thing, that's cool. We all have likes and dislikes, but man oh man... you people are like piranhas.

Try *enjoying* being a motorcyclist and try *enjoying* motorcycles, instead of just that one narrow-minded bullshit stance so many of "us" seem to take. Sheesh.

Here is a serious answer to your valid points.

I have my opinions on these kinds of motorcycles. I find them very uncomfortable and unsatisfying to ride.

Many of these bikes (not necessarily Big Dog, I hasten to add) have, um, reliability issues.

So, I don't ride them. But I'm happy to wave at someone who is riding them, or chat with him or her wherever we may cross paths.

The issue I have is that I've noticed that many (not all, I hasten to add) of the people who choose these chopper bikes have unpleasant attitudes.

I've encountered this quite a few times when, for example, parking at a restaurant or coffee shop where other such bikes are parked.

So, in other words, I agree with your sentiment, and I hope that they also will follow the Golden Rule.

[jfurf]

Nothing wrong with poking fun. Some people quit having fun decades ago and just spew vitriol any more. It's tiresome. I'd like to chalk it up to just being a harsh Winter. Yeah... that's the answer.  

Don't agree with me. It's a quick path to being hated and shunned.  

How is an age-old dick joke an example of me being "vitriolic"? And it's practically summer here in Atlanta and I ride year round, so...  

I will never defend La Belle France again!  

[JSharp]

+1  thank you, I've noticed a lot of this lately but I'm a new guy and don't want to call anyone out.  I don't care if you're riding a moped, chopper, cruiser, GW, whatever.  And I'll ride with anyone on any bike as long as they're safe, courteous, can keep up, and don't bitch.

This.

[OrangeSVS]

I have the urge to play devil's advocate....

Cruisers, drag bikes, crotch rockets, whatever... why would someone who truly loved riding buy a Big Dog motorcycle? Are you going to put 2,000 miles a year on it?

I get cruisers. I get crotch rockets. I get touring bikes. I get dirtbikes and motards. I get bobbers, choppers, cafe racers and other customs. I get scooters. I get chromed wheels and frames and wild custom paint jobs. I get someone wanting a show-stoppingly stunning motorcycle. But seriously, buying a bike that was never meant to be ridden? I don't see how owning such a bike qualifies you as a motorcyclist any more than owning a baseball bat makes you a baseball player.

Some rich guy who buys a bike and puts 100 miles a year on it? That's not a motorcyclist. That's just some guy with a desperate desire to "belong" to something. That's a guy where riding is a necessary evil to achieve his god-like "wow! Cool!" status in a parking lot. I've been an aviation enthusiast (I can finally say this) for decades now. And looking at the rich SOB's who own P-51 Mustangs or P-40's makes it perfectly clear that there is such thing as a labor of love. There is such a thing as a well-loved machine that only sees a few hours of use each year... because it's a priceless treasure that simply should not be ridden hard and put away wet. It's a cultural icon. But something pulled off a dealer's lot a few months ago does not qualify, even if it DOES look like it could be 60 years old! You know, there's REAL classics out there deserving of some affection. You don't have to invent new ones. If only all of the wannabe's motorcyclists were as easily spotted as the ones with brand new $50,000 customs. But no, sometimes people trailer perfectly ordinary bikes for a thousand plus miles (and lie about how they got there), just to look like they belong.

Trailer a bike? Sure... if it was custom built, or is more than 30 years old, or has a ton of custom work done to it, or has historical significance, or is somehow exceedingly rare, then I get it. I wouldn't want to own it at this stage in my life, but I do get it. There is such a thing as a show piece. Having a bike with some race heritage, or having Jesse James, Confederate, or heck even OCC build you a CUSTOM bike? Man, love it or not, that's bespoke artwork! By the mere act of writing a check, you can cause someone (albeit perhaps someone of debatable talent) to create something totally unique just for you. In my eyes, that makes you a patron of the arts, even if I don't personally like the art, but I can still respect that. And I'd take a custom bike with crazy welded metal and sprayed artwork, or a race-rashed bike with only a couple years of heritage, over some stretched rag on a frame that's been painted over with a brush anyday! Even some of today's bike builders have an artistic style that's worth preserving. There is something to be said for it. And that's something worth a shiny dime! But something you can buy at a dealer by checking off options on a list? Uhhhh that makes you a sucker, not an enthusiast. And it sure as shit doesn't make you a motorcyclist.

These bikes are too new to be classics, and as artwork, well that "artistic movement" is now 60 years old and rather obscure. Motorcycle Larry (now also deceased) was not a Banksy or a Van Gogh, let alone being in the same category as Edsel, Tucker, or Harley Earl. But at least his bikes could be traced most of the way back to "back in the day".

Yes, it's true. While I love the "retro style" we see in cars and bikes, and while I think it's  damned awesome to see these "new takes" on the originals, it also annoys me to see that we are getting so hooked on the past with nobody going forward in wild new directions.

With all that vitriol spewed though, they are pretty bikes. It'd make a really awesome third or fourth bike that I could take out on perfect days, in a Plymouth Prowler kind of way (remember those?). And if nobody knew what it was or where it came from, they'd probably still appreciate it for its looks alone. But so much of our aesthetic these days is looking retroactively, back to the times that didn't suck as bad as today, when the American style led the world's aesthetic just as surely as it followed the demands of the technological innovation and certain aspects shade-tree performance know-how that Americans invented. And plenty of people are foolish enough to think that these new copies of the old are somehow going to be classics as well? Heh... it's nothing but a talisman, a carrying around of the original aesthetic, as though it contains some magical power derived from the original. Well, it doesn't. Call it "retro" if it sounds nice, but that's just another name for a rehash of something old. And while the old one was made by people boldly taking chances, the "new classics" are being produced by bean counters whose balls probably haven't even dropped yet and obviously lack the chutzpah to do something truly bold and original for themselves.

Thirty years from now, if these bikes prove sufficiently rare, I can totally see them having some collectibility, but let's face it, they will still be viewed as the late-comers and the copy-cats, not the ORIGINAL custom cruisers. I wouldn't fault anyone who could afford to have such a aesthetically-pleasing machine in their 4-car garage. But as a motorcycle, it doesn't really make a lot of sense. It's more polished and refined than what anybody was putting out 50 years ago, and it's plenty nice to look at, so it's a nice curiosity, it's a nice piece. But like the Plymouth Prowler or a P-51 replica, it's a cheapened, polished, marginalized and commoditized copy of the truly classic and historic originals... and that's about it.

[Zixxerpilot]

You guys keep talking like Big Dog is the worst riding bike on the planet, but have any of you ever RIDDEN one? I have, several in fact. They are not a sport bike by any stretch, but they work well as a cruiser. Get them out on the open highway, and they are a ton of fun to just sit back, and chill on. Not to mention torque to spare. The rake isn't so bad they wobble, the ride is pretty good, and they tend to look pretty damn good while hauling around.

Quality concerns of BD's past had little to do with the bike. S&S had an issue with engines, specifically the coating on the pistons, and was being, well, difficult, to deal with. BD got caught in the middle of that whole mess.

I've done several hundred mile days on a BD, and did so better than my GSXR, and I don't say that often about cruisers. Just because it looks like the garage queen bikes, doesn't mean it is.

[Orson]

You guys keep talking like Big Dog is the worst riding bike on the planet,

I don't think anyone has bashed Big Dog, the motorcycle in this thread.

someone called chopper riders "small-dicked" and of course the Frenchman took it as a swipe at the motorcycles themselves.

Is it unfair to judge all chopper riders as small-dicked? Of course it it but, it's a cross they must bear.

Just like Guzzi riders all all judged to be old farts who wear red suspenders. We bear that cross without throwing ourselves on the floor in a tantrum  

[Jeff]

Just like Guzzi riders all all judged to be old farts who wear red suspenders. We bear that cross without throwing ourselves on the floor in a tantrum  

That's because throwing yourself on the floor would result in a broken hip.

[bomber]

That's because throwing yourself on the floor would result in a broken hip.

Resulting in missed nappage. This is not to be tolerated.

[cbsnbiker]

I have the urge to play devil's advocate....

I'm usually the prolix one in a thread  , but this time I'm going to simplify and keep this message shorter than OrangeSVS's.

I've had discussions with riders, especially cruiser/chopper types, who find my approach to choosing a motorcycle cold-blooded. They have a Romantic concept of what it is to choose a motorcycle. I do not.

When it comes to motorcycles, I'm a function-over-form kind of guy. Does it do the job I want it to do? Is there a good dealer nearby to help me keep it in good working order? Etc. If yes, then maybe I buy and ride it. If no, then I don't. How it looks is subsidiary to how it works.

There are many bikes out there that do roughly what I want a motorcycle to do. I own two of them. I continue to own a third primarily for nostalgia, although even it does certain jobs very well.

There are many bikes out there that do jobs for which I currently have no use, such as race replicas, off-road dirt bikes, full-dress tourers, etc. They do their jobs well; they just do jobs for which I currently have no use, or not enough use to make the purchase.

Then there are bikes that do not do their jobs as motorcycles well. The aesthetic is one of form over function: the intended job is merely to look a certain way, with all else, including functionality, compromised for the appearance.

These bikes hold no interest for me.

Furthermore, in many cases these bikes do certain things particularly poorly. One of them is muffle sound. Many of these bikes are terrible at being socially quiet. They also often handle poorly, ride poorly, produce excessive vibration, and break down.

I honestly don't remember if I've ridden specifically a Big Dog. I've ridden other similar bikes. I just don't like them.

[mwood7800]

Big dog had major problems with there chinese manufactured electronic insterments, with no back up. Most the bikes would not even start half the time.  They went tits up 3 years ago, leaving all dearlers up shit creek.