01-29-2019, 08:36 AM
The CB1100 target audience is more mature, as the forum survey shows - 40-60 age range. Lets face it, most remain mostly stock, and most of us like it like that.
If you wanted a touring bike, Honda had Gold Wings and Valkyries and ST1300. Something faster? CBR1000RRs, CB1000R, VFR1200s. They promoted it as much as they anticipated sales would be. It was a niche market bike for those who grew up with the original CB750.
When the Bonnevilles were first introduced in the US, I had the chance to talk with a national sales manager at a motorcycle show. He said at the time that they didn't feel the Bonneville would be a large part of their lineup, maybe 20%. It is now close to 60% and growing.
Their target audience was 20-30- maybe 40 years old, so clothing and lots of acccessories made sense. They really hit a home run with it. The real beauty of the Bonneville was that it could be a retro bike, a proper cafe racer, a scrambler, a bobber, a chopper, a lite tourer, a hooligan bike, a race bike, or a rat bike - just about any direction you wanted to personalize it.
If you wanted a touring bike, Honda had Gold Wings and Valkyries and ST1300. Something faster? CBR1000RRs, CB1000R, VFR1200s. They promoted it as much as they anticipated sales would be. It was a niche market bike for those who grew up with the original CB750.
When the Bonnevilles were first introduced in the US, I had the chance to talk with a national sales manager at a motorcycle show. He said at the time that they didn't feel the Bonneville would be a large part of their lineup, maybe 20%. It is now close to 60% and growing.
Their target audience was 20-30- maybe 40 years old, so clothing and lots of acccessories made sense. They really hit a home run with it. The real beauty of the Bonneville was that it could be a retro bike, a proper cafe racer, a scrambler, a bobber, a chopper, a lite tourer, a hooligan bike, a race bike, or a rat bike - just about any direction you wanted to personalize it.