06-14-2015, 07:09 AM
Who is buying what motorcycle and why is always an interesting and frustrating exercise it seems. There are so many varied and wonderful choices out there.
I work with a lot of guys who are current and former riders. In my world, it seems like there are two main camps; sportbike riders and Harley riders.
I know several guys in their 20's and 30's, who never owned a bike before, who were looking at or bought the 250/300 size sportbikes or an 883. To them this size is less intimidating than larger displacement models. So that market is out for the CB.
There are those that simply want the most powerful/fastest ride on the planet. So that market is out for the CB.
I know Harley riders who used to ride sportbikes and bought a Harley when they wanted to "settle down". They bought full size Harleys that come with windscreens, GPSs, removable bags, heated grips, bottle openers, etc. So that market is out for the CB.
Add a small dash of Japanese cruisers that look like Harleys and a KTM supermoto type and you get an idea of what I see overall.
It has got to be difficult to market a CB in this type of environment.
I am curious to know how Honda defines success and failure with regards to the CB. I doubt they actually thought they would sweep the nation like they did in the 70's. Maybe they just wanted to keep their product line varied and thrilled that it grabbed the attention it has.
I work with a lot of guys who are current and former riders. In my world, it seems like there are two main camps; sportbike riders and Harley riders.
I know several guys in their 20's and 30's, who never owned a bike before, who were looking at or bought the 250/300 size sportbikes or an 883. To them this size is less intimidating than larger displacement models. So that market is out for the CB.
There are those that simply want the most powerful/fastest ride on the planet. So that market is out for the CB.
I know Harley riders who used to ride sportbikes and bought a Harley when they wanted to "settle down". They bought full size Harleys that come with windscreens, GPSs, removable bags, heated grips, bottle openers, etc. So that market is out for the CB.
Add a small dash of Japanese cruisers that look like Harleys and a KTM supermoto type and you get an idea of what I see overall.
It has got to be difficult to market a CB in this type of environment.
I am curious to know how Honda defines success and failure with regards to the CB. I doubt they actually thought they would sweep the nation like they did in the 70's. Maybe they just wanted to keep their product line varied and thrilled that it grabbed the attention it has.