My story about the Harley Davidson strike led to an interesting exchange about dealers getting a backlog of bikes in their inventory they did not want in the first place. It happens all the time and results when dealers must order a particular mix of motorcycles, across the company’s product line rather than just the specific models the dealer is sure to sell. This sounds like the manufacturer is just pushing bikes for the sake of getting them out the door and on dealer floors but the problem starts a lot sooner in the decision about what to build. If the assembly line is turning out slow moving models they have to go somewhere, but even if the lines readjust what is being produced, there was a lot of time involved from the initial design and engineering of that model, producing the parts, contracting with suppliers and the costs have to be recovered. Also, if you just turn off the line until inventory adjusts, a lot of folks making that model are out of work so it’s a delicate balance. What the companies need is a better crystal ball to tell them what will sell two or three years in the future so they build the right bike instead of dogs no one wants.
This is an old problem but like everything else today, you have to make corrections a lot faster or someone else will fill the void where you missed the target, but the advantage today is companies can find out a lot more a lot faster if they listen. Market research can take place over days or weeks instead of months.
Websites like The Kneeslider get plenty of visits from industry insiders trying to get a hint of what’s on your mind. Sometimes we get comments directly from companies or something is sent our way to see what you think. The point is that you can send your thoughts to these companies when you comment here. Thoughtful comments can make a difference.
When companies like Bombardier take a chance with a new category of vehicles like the Can-Am Spyder, you can be sure there was a lot of looking and listening beforehand, combined with a lot of excellent creative thinking and follow through.
Smaller builders can benefit, too, by showing a concept and getting feedback, sometimes finding out a certain design detail has an issue they didn’t think about. No small shop could do that before, if they wanted to build a small run of bikes, they built what they thought was right, held their breath and went for it. Now, fast feedback can help steer clear of major obstacles and hint at unfilled needs or they may find no demand for what they want to build saving a lot of money in the process.
A star designer or idea guy is always nice to have on board but it’s hard for that individual to have a series of big hits and small shops can often produce a winner or two then go stale if they are not listening intently to what customers are thinking.
The days of â€not invented here†so I won’t listen are long over except in dying companies. Any manufacturer that expects to succeed in the future motorcycle market, or any market needs to listen very carefully, because customers are getting very demanding but their demands are often very informative and useful and contain seeds of ideas that could start a lot of new products.
On the customer side, you no longer have to wonder if the companies hear you when you speak. They hear you, which is another reason to think before you speak and make those words count. Your dream motorcycle might come down the assembly line a little bit sooner and dealers will be more than happy to keep them in stock.
F451 says
I am finding that my comments are being censors so how can I help? The ones I made for the Spyder never got to the comments section, as did some others, some gibberish about being spam. They were within the guidelines stated here, and if they will be censored because they might cause a business to actually think, thereafter what good it what you are stating above? It is amiable to help others, but the reality is I stopped giving away my time for free some time ago. Businesses have monetary allocations for paying employees, R&D, marketing, etc…they should use these funds appropriately.
kneeslider says
F451, if you submit a comment that does not appear after a while, contact me through the comment form and I’ll try to retrieve it.
The Kneeslider receives, depending on the day, between 500 and 1000 comments filled with pure garbage, every day. Without very aggressive filtering software, the site would be overrun. Some real comments get snagged and I take a quick look at the catch before junking it but I would need a full time assistant looking through it to make sure nothing legitimate was lost. I did retrieve a couple of yours in the last few days so not all are gone.
The same goes for anyone else, if your comment does not appear, give it some time and then send a message to see if it is retrievable. Thanks.
Sean says
Alright, motorcycle designers, here’s a good thought. Rerelease some of your old classics, the ones that made people go “oooooh” when they first came out. Reignite that old nostalgic flame in people. Things like the Kwakker 9, CBX 1000, perhaps even the CB 750 four that has enjoyed such success as a cafe project. Imagine what would happen if those venerable old bikes took advantage of modern techniques. Ducati have done it with their vintage line, and it works, so why not?
todd says
I like what Sean is saying. Let me add a slight change of direction:
What if the manufacturers built basic bikes?
Let’s say BMW builds an R75 “Toaster” with white pinstripes and a chrome tank? It wouldn’t need paralever or telelever or whatthehellever, just a nice long flat seat and classic lines. Think about selling a F650 that looks like the F800.
Honda, a Nighthawk 750 is not a CB750. A CB750 is like the above BMW but less expensive. I’d like to see a NT650 Hawk GT that steals sales from SV650’s. How about building more road bikes using your XR motors? Bring the CB400SS to the US! If you aren’t going to make the 250 Nighthawk price competitive with the Ninja 250, make it better. Just think of how many Trail 90/110’s you could still be selling if they were available…
Kawasaki, why did you stop such a great bike like the Concours? sure the 1400 version is over-the-top but was that what your customers were asking for? You’re doing great with the Ninja 250 but maybe you should offer an up-spec version with better suspension and updated looks as an option.
Yamaha, you’re foolish not importing the XT660X and R. How about slotting a WRF450 motor into a lightweight street chassis and call it the RD450? Think about building some nice commuter bikes along the lines of BMW’s F800 using the TDM twin.
Suzuki, don’t ever stop building the SV650! A US version of the 650 Tempter would be great as well.
KTM, you had the last serious road single available with the Duke 640. Bring it back. Put a super charger in it if you must; where are all those thumper enthusiasts going to buy their bikes now?
Ducati, I think you could easily build a 450-500 single and out-Mito Cagiva, beat them to the punch. Then you’d also have a competitive Motard option and some sweet trail bikes.
Moto Guzzi: Keep doing what you’re doing. Also don’t over estimate the value of a Maxxi scooter in your line-up. Guzzi people are those kind of people.
Vespa, include a manual transmission option on your GT.
Victory, take some hints from all of the V-twin sport bikes you see on the Kneeslider, maye just call them “Polaris” if you don’t want to disturb your brand direction. Don’t do a Buell, do a Wakan.
I could easily go on.
-todd
chris says
hey, yeah, where are all the sweet, semi-sport single cylinders? oh, yeah, that’s right, in a different country. not everyone in the U.S. is crazy power hungry. like the MT03. it’s pretty, it goes well, it handles well, it’s even pretty cheap. right, i don’t know anybody who’d like that. . .
GenWaylaid says
I say that the old dichotomy that “scooters have automatic transmissions, motorcycles have manuals” has to be broken, and more needs to be done to soften the learning curve and bring more people into motorcycling.
Really, scooters have been predominantly automatic only since the ’80s and there is a large contingent of scooter traditionalists who are currently mourning the demise of the last three metal-bodied manual shift scooters on the American market: the Genuine Stella, the Bajaj Chetak, and the last of the Vespa P series. Any scooter that steps into the void with a twist-grip shifter and a metal body would have a dedicated market waiting.
Most of the cars sold in America (I seem to recall a figure over 80%) have automatic transmissions. Probably half of the American driving public can’t even operate a manual transmission. If motorcycle companies want to get serious about opening up the market and putting more people on two wheels, starter bikes with automatic transmissions could have a lot of appeal to newcomers. The key features would be relatively light weight, a freeway-capable top speed, a few different style options, low fuel consumption, and above all ease-of-use. One would think that combination would appeal to commuters the next time the price of oil spikes, but then again the Hondamatics of the late ’70s didn’t seem to catch on.
Another possibility for enticing commuters would be the Honda Cub-derived “Kapchai” bikes that are popular in Asia. The 125cc models with automatic or semi-automatic transmissions would be fast enough for American traffic and some of them are styled kinda like small sport bikes. Most of all they’re cheap and Americans are incredible cheapskates when it comes to small-displacement machines. That’s why so many shoddily-made Chinese scooters have flooded into the U.S. and given many people a less-than-ideal introduction to two wheeled vehicles.
Most of all I’m worried that motorcycles are getting marginalized in America because of a perception that they’re “just for fun.” Sure, the big, expensive bikes turn a decent profit and are fun to ride but they may be giving manufacturers a perception that Americans aren’t interested in motorcycles built for practical transportation. The entry-level bikes seem to get only token treatment instead of a recognition that they are the lure for the next generation of motorcyclists.
Sean says
I had a manual step thru, and that gave me the experience to move onto my CBX 250, which, incidentally, is powered by the XR 250 motor. Wow, what an engine. Not only does it look good, but it’s a nice, smooth power band and one hell of a learners bike. Please Honda, bring that venerable work horse’s heart into the heart of more bikes. I love thumpers, something wonderfully “Check out my muscles!” about having the one lung breathing away. Perhaps it’s a phallic thing, hell if I know. But on another note, I want a decent V twin 250. I’m still on a learners licence, and a classically styled Guzzi with a nice sounding V 250 would have me selling my CBX, stereo, body etc for one. Please, Guzzi? Please?