What I Would Do If I Owned Harley-Davidson
28/08/08 20:37 Filed in: What I Think
I was thinking today what I would do if I owned Harley-Davidson. Well first I would get a new bike to ride. (Hey, you would too!) But then I would start to strategize the best way to grow my company and maximize profits. I mean, really, I am a capitalist at heart so growth and profit would be a goal.
First, I would have bought Indian the last time it went into bankruptcy. That way, it would not rear its ugly head again in the future. Heck, I would have bought it if I was Honda too.
The Indian purchase would be interesting. I could introduce small, entry-level bikes to compete against the Honda's and Yamaha's while still protecting my HD branded products. HD tries to do this with their Sportster line, and while I like the new Sportsters, it seems most Sportster owners end up trading up within a few years. You can always find used Sportsters for sale. An entry level bike at $9,000 seems stiff anyways. And I would guess that the profit margin on a Sportster is less than it is on a Dyna, Heritage or Fat Boy model. The Indian purchase would have its possibilities while also eliminating a historic rival.
Secondly, I would work with my dealers on maximizing their profits by STOCKING product. There is nothing more irritating than to need or want a new part for my hog and go to my local dealer only to find out he doesn't stock it. I am talking high profit, straight-out-of-the-catalog, chrome accessories. I want it now and don't want to wait a week till he orders it and gets it in. I would venture to say that Harley dealers are making 50% minimum on parts. With that profit margin, they can afford to stock parts.
Lastly, many dealers do a poor job of understanding aftermarket sales. It seems that they want you to buy the bike and get you out the door as fast as possible. When I bought my hog, they did not introduce me to the service manager or parts manager. Don't they realize that there is A LOT of profit AFTER the sale of the motorcycle? Some dealers need training on understanding aftermarket sales and service. By the way, I always bought my parts and had my bike serviced at a different dealer than the one I bought it from. Any Harley owner knows that the HD logo outside a dealer means "Hundred Dollars".
Lastly, I would give an Air Shammy motorcycle dryer away with every bike purchase.
There, now you got my two cents on improving Harley Davidson.
First, I would have bought Indian the last time it went into bankruptcy. That way, it would not rear its ugly head again in the future. Heck, I would have bought it if I was Honda too.
The Indian purchase would be interesting. I could introduce small, entry-level bikes to compete against the Honda's and Yamaha's while still protecting my HD branded products. HD tries to do this with their Sportster line, and while I like the new Sportsters, it seems most Sportster owners end up trading up within a few years. You can always find used Sportsters for sale. An entry level bike at $9,000 seems stiff anyways. And I would guess that the profit margin on a Sportster is less than it is on a Dyna, Heritage or Fat Boy model. The Indian purchase would have its possibilities while also eliminating a historic rival.
Secondly, I would work with my dealers on maximizing their profits by STOCKING product. There is nothing more irritating than to need or want a new part for my hog and go to my local dealer only to find out he doesn't stock it. I am talking high profit, straight-out-of-the-catalog, chrome accessories. I want it now and don't want to wait a week till he orders it and gets it in. I would venture to say that Harley dealers are making 50% minimum on parts. With that profit margin, they can afford to stock parts.
Lastly, many dealers do a poor job of understanding aftermarket sales. It seems that they want you to buy the bike and get you out the door as fast as possible. When I bought my hog, they did not introduce me to the service manager or parts manager. Don't they realize that there is A LOT of profit AFTER the sale of the motorcycle? Some dealers need training on understanding aftermarket sales and service. By the way, I always bought my parts and had my bike serviced at a different dealer than the one I bought it from. Any Harley owner knows that the HD logo outside a dealer means "Hundred Dollars".
Lastly, I would give an Air Shammy motorcycle dryer away with every bike purchase.
There, now you got my two cents on improving Harley Davidson.
New Riders
27/08/08 20:21 Filed in: Industry News | What I Think
Well after a few months of high gas prices, it is finally occurring. More people are buying motorcycles. While I applaud their decision, I have a few concerns. Now don't get me wrong here, I would always recommend that people ride motorcycles. There is no greater feeling of freedom than riding down the highway.
My concern is that they need some intensive training. Riding a motorcycle is NOT like riding a car, or a bicycle, or even a dirt bike. Riding a motorcycle on the roads today can be considerably dangerous. All riders can tell you horror stories about their "close encounters" of the 4th kind. That is the kind that disregards you on the road and cuts you off, merges into your lane without looking, is reading while they are driving, on the phone and not paying attention to what they are doing. All this with a 3000 pound killing machine aka an automobile.
Here is my advice to you new riders.
1. Take your time. Get comfortable with your bike. Ride it around the neighborhood. Go find an empty parking lot. Stay off the freeways for the first few months.
2. Take a class. There are riding classes put on in most states. In California, this was a great class and a short-cut to getting a MC class license.
3. Find a group to ride with. We are safer in numbers. Cagers (that is the correct term for someone riding in a car!) may miss seeing one bike, but rarely do they miss 3 or more. There are all sorts of groups depending on your interest and/or the type of bike you ride. There are purely riding clubs, Christian riding and ministry clubs, clubs just for RoadStar owners, clubs for GoldWing owners, and the HOG club for Harley owners.
4. Ride within your comfort zone and experience. I cannot stress this enough. Do not ride side-by-side unless you are capable of doing it and KNOW the person you are riding with. Otherwise, always stagger in a group and keep a safe distance. I love riding side-by-side if I know the person I am riding with. If not, I prefer to be behind them.
5. Learn to ride defensively. Yeah, the person in the car daydreaming means well, but they could still run you off the road.
6. If you are a new rider and ride in a state that does not have a helmet law, wear one anyways. You are more apt to have an accident than someone who has been riding for 40,000 miles or more. Don't take it personal. Besides guys, girls love helmet hair!
My concern is that they need some intensive training. Riding a motorcycle is NOT like riding a car, or a bicycle, or even a dirt bike. Riding a motorcycle on the roads today can be considerably dangerous. All riders can tell you horror stories about their "close encounters" of the 4th kind. That is the kind that disregards you on the road and cuts you off, merges into your lane without looking, is reading while they are driving, on the phone and not paying attention to what they are doing. All this with a 3000 pound killing machine aka an automobile.
Here is my advice to you new riders.
1. Take your time. Get comfortable with your bike. Ride it around the neighborhood. Go find an empty parking lot. Stay off the freeways for the first few months.
2. Take a class. There are riding classes put on in most states. In California, this was a great class and a short-cut to getting a MC class license.
3. Find a group to ride with. We are safer in numbers. Cagers (that is the correct term for someone riding in a car!) may miss seeing one bike, but rarely do they miss 3 or more. There are all sorts of groups depending on your interest and/or the type of bike you ride. There are purely riding clubs, Christian riding and ministry clubs, clubs just for RoadStar owners, clubs for GoldWing owners, and the HOG club for Harley owners.
4. Ride within your comfort zone and experience. I cannot stress this enough. Do not ride side-by-side unless you are capable of doing it and KNOW the person you are riding with. Otherwise, always stagger in a group and keep a safe distance. I love riding side-by-side if I know the person I am riding with. If not, I prefer to be behind them.
5. Learn to ride defensively. Yeah, the person in the car daydreaming means well, but they could still run you off the road.
6. If you are a new rider and ride in a state that does not have a helmet law, wear one anyways. You are more apt to have an accident than someone who has been riding for 40,000 miles or more. Don't take it personal. Besides guys, girls love helmet hair!
Never Forget
23/08/08 19:01 Filed in: What I Think
One of the great things about having a blog is that, if you like to write, you can get your thoughts down on paper and tell someone (if anyone even reads this) what is on your mind. Today it is this image:
I was fortunate not to be old
enough to be in Vietnam. But I know a lot of brothers I ride with that were. A few have passed away now but their memory will never be forgotten. The next time you see this flag or the one that flies red, white and blue - know that someone paid that price with their blood, with their scars and with the memory of those left behind. God Bless you.
I was fortunate not to be old