The CB1100 Community Forum

Well HD is doing something right in OZ. According to press reports , Quote: Roadbike sales were strong in 2015, increasing 2.6 per cent compared with 2014 and accounting for 41.4 per cent of the total market. Australians rode home with a total of 45,013 roadbikes in 2015.

Harley-Davidson accounted for 21.7 per cent of those bikes with 9790 sales, including 1605 Street 500 models and 1552 Softail Breakouts.

“Harley-Davidson is super excited about being the number-one roadbike seller across Australia,” said H-D Australia’s Adam Wright. “Much of the success is attributed to the new LAMS* Street 500, which was released in February of 2015, and the ongoing popularity of the Softail Breakout, which continues to be in high demand. May I also say we would not have achieved this level of success without the assistance and dedication of our dealer network, which has done an outstanding job across 2015 in delivering dreams of personal freedom to so many great customers.”
Not big numbers compared with larger markets but significant here. HD has morphed from the outlaw ride, to the stockbrokers ride in the nineties, to the boomers choice in the early noughties and now very popular with the younger hipster set. Good marketing has taken a big chunk out of the Asia/Euro manufacturers sales. Well done to them.

Cheers

* Leaner approved.

Just goes to prove that marketing and image is everything.


2014 CB1100 DLX
2013 CB1100 Std
1990 BMW K75 RT

(04-13-2016, 12:53 PM)Elipten_imp Wrote: [ -> ]Just goes to prove that marketing and image is everything.


2014 CB1100 DLX
2013 CB1100 Std
1990 BMW K75 RT

Image is the key, marketing propels it to either success or failure. Image is just another word for what appeals to different people. The CB has the "image" that appeals to me at this stage of my life. Honda failed miserably at marketing that image outside of Asia. Even then I think its comparative success in Asia was self-propelled by its cubes compared to the average.

Trying to put aside my inbuilt prejudices I would say that the Street looks like a quite good ride.

Cheer

Impressive to note that Harley's Street series is taking hold. At over 16% of their total sales (in the first year) it appears that their aim to attract a younger customer base is actually working (at least in Aus.). I wonder how it's working in the rest of the world. I know I've seen very few of them on the street around here.

I was in the local HD dealer getting a t-shirt for my buddy as his birthday is coming up next month. HD does have great t-shirts with local art themes.

I asked the dealer how the new smaller bikes were selling, (my first viewing). He said not at all, and sales of the real deal were very slow. Summer is too hot here soon and sales drop to nothing.


2014 CB1100 DLX
2013 CB1100 Std
1990 BMW K75 RT

I've probably only seen one or two of the street 500s (or maybe they were street 750s, I can't tell the difference). Definitely doesn't seem to be a big seller. I've always though they were sort of a replacement for a Buell Blast -- i.e., a smaller/cheaper bike that lets new riders interested in Harleys not be forced to start on a competitor's bike before (hopefully) moving up to an HD. The initial reviews of them seemed to be pretty spotty (Motorrad experienced complete front brake failure on their 2015 test bike).

Good to HD doing well though. They have finally seemed to be making bikes with more mass appeal.

The HD street wasn't really designed for the us market.. It's an entry level bike here, which many buyers shy away from..

However in other countries where bikes are often main uses of transportation, folks are buying em for urban commuters to get around. Plus, it gets em HD street cred. One of the crowd if you will

In OZ I am guessing it's the inner city boys that really like the Street. Easy to ride, can fit to the café scene but with the HD touch of outlaw.

Cheers

Dealer here says they're gathering cobwebs and not buyers. Too bad because it looks to be a decent bike at a good price.

The street models don't appeal to me but I could see myself on an iron 883.