What were the worst business moves in motorcycling?

[UFO]

In before tired FJR posts.

[Justin]

The DN-01.

Only because 5 people bought the Rune.

[atadaskew]

Only because 5 people bought the Rune.

Yeah, the Rune...
Another example of Honda's late 90's to present day arrogance.
Build a 'custom' based on the Wing and call it a hot rod.  Claim it makes more power than the Wing cuz it's a hot rod.  Didn't think that magazines would dyno it, to find out it made LESS power than the Wing.  But weighed as much.
Butt hay, it's a hot rod!

Thankfully on 5 people fell for that line.

[BashamR6S]

H.D 100 plus years of a bad reputation.....

Bash

[Uncle Leo]

Every person who ever tried to resurrect Indian.

[Brad1445]

Buell realeasing a half baked joke of a bike the 1125r

They wen from Ducati cool to Studabaker fugly, leaky, sparky, nightmare.

[SLK50]

Every person who ever tried to resurrect Indian.

  Beat me to it. I would add Excelsior-Henderson
and maybe Norton. Let the dead RIP.

[SLK50]

Buell realeasing a half baked joke of a bike the 1125r

They wen from Ducati cool to Studabaker fugly, leaky, sparky, nightmare.

  I think brilliant designers are a lot like songwriters:
they have one or two big hits then spend the rest
of their careers trying to recapture that magic.

  I honestly hope Eric "resets" and gets back on
track with more innovative designs.

[Playinthestreet]

Off hand I can think of two:


2/ Harley not letting Buell build bikes the way he wanted.

ok I can think of lots more, but let other people get a chance!
 

Harley bailing out Buell for 30 years.

[Fourstring]

Suzuki for not importing any bikes for 2010.  

Made perfect sense on paper and allowed them to sell overhanging inventory, but left them flatfooted by big K and the Euro brands for the following years.

[Kneescrubber]

Honda with the 23" front wheel on the '79 XR/XL. Bigger is better, right?


The Italian tractor brand still can't get beyond pushrod technology. At least the German's have semi-given that design up.

[jhawk]

Steam power

[sprk_sprd]

Not sure if this counts, but all the Biker Boyz and Torque movies.  The squid populations exploded nationwide.

[sagerat]

BMW scooters.  

[cbsnbiker]

HOVMaven buying Poof's old thumper then attempting to ride it cross-country.

Lawn Dart buying The Bitch, a/k/a Christine.

Someone else buying The Bitch from Lawn Dart.

 

[DogBoy]

Any company that uses ST.N for market research.

[bassjones]

Not sure if this counts, but all the Biker Boyz and Torque movies.  The squid populations exploded nationwide.

Bad for motorcycling, but good for business for the Japanese sportbikes...

[KodiakRS]

The recent rise in price of most Japanese bikes.  It was their biggest advantage over the Europeans and now it's gone.

[Papa Lazarou]

Aside from the disaster that was BSA/ Triumph in the 1970's...

The serious decline in quality in Japanese bikes. Metallic paint now seems to mean you can see the metal through the lacquer. Building their bikes in India and China. Good grief.

[McRider]

The attempt to sell the new Henderson motorcycle, and the umpteeth version of Indian.