Great pictures! Thanks.
The business news that is out there are reporting real strength and buying (and borrowing) power in the auto industry. The whole US manufacturing sector is showing record gains this past 2011 and 2012 forecasts are optimistic. US retailers are also showing strong sales. Of course, this is all relative to the dismal 2008-2009 years, and nothing like the booming years of the past, albeit this boom was artificially created and was bound to explode, which it did. This means there are buyers out there and banks are lending.
BMW, Ducati, and Triumph are strong performers in the moto-world while the Japanese are losing ground. That’s because the Europeans continue to release new and interesting models that bring people into showrooms. Kawasaki is the strongest Japanese manufacturer out there and they are aggressively marketing their new stuff. They put money into their entry level bikes (ER650/Ninja 650/250) and this has paid off in strong sales. H-D’s only success in 2010-2011 is in their low cost Sportster models; everything else is languishing in showrooms and now they are shutting down production lines to ease high inventories. I think the market has spoken that in these lean (but financially realistic) times, buyers want value. Those with lots of money continue to buy the expensive stuff. But many more are low on cash and/or can’t get a loan for bigger bikes. Also, even if they have money and borrowing power, they are cautious and don’t want to sign a 60-mo $300/mo payment for a $20k motorcycle! Instead, they prefer a $6k-$10k motorcycle with a lot of performance, fresh looks, and good practicality.
Examples of failed strategies or missed opportunities:
Honda missed the memo by releasing really expensive bikes at the wrong time while ignoring entry level bikes.
Suzuki missed the boat by not aggressively marketing their Gladius model and updating the V-strom 650. Instead, they contracted and stopped importing for a year. WTF? I blame VW for their problems.
Yamaha has a good bike in their FZ8, but why is this bike so boring looking? Why have they held out on the Tenere?
H-D shutters Buell just when they need more entry level bikes like the Lightning and CityX or even an improved Blast or a mid-size adventure sport; this is especially sad since the Café Racer fad is growing—perfect for XB models.
What the last few years has shown us, during uncertain and lean times, you want to give people what they want (value and performance), and give them new & interesting stuff (but not necessarily expensive stuff). Some companies are still operating on their 2008 marketing strategy.
