Big Dog Motorcycles has laid off 22 employees, with 27 more layoffs expected within 60 days.
According to Paul Hansen, Marketing Director:
“We’re resizing the company to reposition it so when the economy rebounds we’ll have the right product, and we’ll still be a viable player in the marketplace,†Hansen says.
It is the third round of layoffs for the Wichita company in the last year.
Link: Wichita Business Journal
Link: Big Dog Motorcycles
Matt in NC says
Hmmm
“…so when the economy rebounds we’ll have the right product…”
I don’t suppose the “right product” might be something other than a fat-tired cruiser?
How about a big twin sport-tourer guys?
Maybe a sweet super torquey street fighter?
I can dream, can’t I?
Mayakovski says
Going down and not getting back up.
Bye, Bye little dog.
mark says
Yes when the economy gets better we will also all be able to drive Chevy Tahoe’s because gas will be $2 a gallon. Wake up the dream is over, people want a bike that they can ride.
kneeslider says
In the same way that the U.S. auto companies are retooling for smaller cars, do you think Big Dog might retool for something outside their current line?
Jeff says
They gotta think outside the box before they retool .
RH says
Strange – in the WBJ’s “related story” link, they were succeeding in spite of the economy 6.5 years ago.
I really want to hear one of these guys be honest about the businesses for once.
JC says
“I really want to hear one of these guys be honest about the businesses for once.”
Any CEO that did that would probably kill the company.
What the truth would be is “the chopper fad is mostly over, and unless we dream up a new desirable product soon, several of the chopper players will have to go out of business.”
I’m waiting to pick up a good deal on one, but at least something ride able! Some of the creations out there are just plain silly.
It’s kind of like driving a gasser around long after gassers were no longer the strip terror, the last fad is old and tired at some point.
B.Case says
My opinion, if I may be so bold, is that “choppers”, or “customs”, stopped being “cool” the moment somebody tried to mass-produce them. That was like 15 years ago.
That being said, I would have to assume the brass at Big Dog had enough foresight to realize that the fad, if it caught on, wouldn’t last forever. I’m no marketing major, but, if it were true that they did have the foresight, then they wouldn’t have created a brand name so closely related to the style of their product. Can you really picture the name “Big Dog” on anything other than a chopper?
If it were me, I would have considered naming the company “Coleman Motorcycles”, or something to that effect, so that they had more options to expand their motorcycle product line in shifting markets. It’s tough to critizize what they did, though, because Big Dog has certainly been the most successful of all the U.S. customs since the early ’90s. Maybe it was the canine-inspired line extention, or the access to capital, or effective dealer networking, who knows. But they’ve had a good run from my perspective.
Of course, if they do make it through the “resizing”, then they don’t necessarily have to continue with the “Big Dog” brand. A new spinoff brand might work (i.e. “From the makers of the #1 selling Big Dog, we now introduce the all new…[insert new brand]”
Sure the U.S. economy may be in a downturn. But, is that really why the chopper companies, or dare I say H-D too, are all scaling back? How does that explain why Ducati, Triumph, BMW, KTM, are all experiencing record U.S. growth?
My bet for ’09 is Buell. And Indian should be good for a few thousand sales.
Jeff says
I guess the custom motorcycle industry needs to find the next fad to market . Not a bad thing just the way it is . Maybe the retro cafe racer look is next ???? Just make a movie put a celeb a caferacer get the marketing types to sell that only the hip and coolest people are seen on such a machine . Then come up with a few TV shows with some Hip looking builders and the next fad is born .
Diesel says
First off let me say that I like choppers. I.m 6’5″ and 400lbs and I like to ride something I can stretch out on. That being said I like all bikes, I grew up on Hondas and Suzukis.
Anyways I’m interested to see how OCC will make out after that huge new building they built. Nowadays when I see someone in an OCC shirt, I think “What a loser” ,as do most of my friends. I’m sure their Merchandising has got to be suffering, not to mention their production bikes sales.
Clive Makinson-Sanders says
i think people who wear harley merch are losers. you already paid too much for your motorcycle, why give them any more money.
OCC isnt going anywhere, they have made tons of cash on their TV show. Not that i like their bikes, but if any chopper company is going to stick it out, its them.
tim says
percentage wise they make lots more on a T shirt than on a bike, plus its easy to sell a $40 T shirt vs a $20k motorbike, plus the warranty claims should be less, plus you get brand recognition.
Isn’t the “bagger” the new “Chopper”?
B.Case says
No disrespect Clive, but I don’t think it’s fair to assume OCC isn’t going anywhere just because one assumes they made a ton of money. Even if they did make a fortune, what does that have to do with consumers continuing to want what they’re selling?
I guess one could argue that excess money would allow them time to think up the next big fad. For OCC, maybe it has nothing to do with bikes at all. I’ll bet they’ve been more beneficial to charities and fathers and sons than they were to motorcycles.
But, if money were all it took to sustain in a down market, then one could assume Big Dog will be okay simply because of the Coleman fortune. Just because someone has money doesn’t mean they like to throw it away.
The truth, I believe, is that the guys who got the chopper bug out of their system are moving or will move to something more comfortable and more reliable. Not to mention, more sensible. I think the late 90s chopper boom attracted a lot of first time buyers, who have now got a chance to see other kinds of bikes out there. Maybe for some chopper guys, their GS-riding-tag-along-friends with ATGATT finally knocked some sense into them.
As for the MTV gen, well, I think the ones who grew up riding Honda singles are going to set the next U.S. trends.
Clive Makinson-Sanders says
Dont worry, its hard to offend me. The reason i believe occ to exist beyond this phase is the same reason harley davidson existed beyond the japanese invasion. When you think choppers, one of two names come to mind immediately, Jesse James, or The Tuttles. I havent heard much from jesse james lately and he sort of branched off from just choppers quite some time ago. OCC is the quintessence of the custom scene: Huge, sinfully ugly motorcycles made by obnoxious, faux-tough bearded guys who like fat women.
I worked for a company owned by Hero Matsushida, the grandson of the Matsushida family who owns panasonic. That company lost money EVERY year of its existence. But with the panasonic family pumping money into Hero’s pocket, the company stayed open and thriving. So if theres a big enough fortune, a company can lose money and still stay afloat.
OTTO MANN says
I love reading all the coments. But i didnt buy my bigdog becuses of a tread. I bought it becuses i like a well built quallity bike. And with 52548.3 miles on my 2006 chopper. Well its just makes me happy. And is that not resoned we all ride?
oogie says
I believe it’s spelt: Hiro Matsushita