CB1100 or Harley?

[dBuster_imp]

After too many Harley's on the road...............

What screen is that?!

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[SanPete_imp]

@ cbfan: The horns on your ride look like eyeballs in the picture. That is so cool!

[cbfan_imp]

The nose cowl (with touring screen) is Chic from Japan/Samurider with a little pin stripping. They say when you get old you get silly, I'm old so I went silly with the horns.

[bubblerboy64_imp]

We do have to give Harley credit. They know how to sell. I travel around to various bike shops (that frequently gets me into trouble) any one who does the same will agree Harley shops are nice places to spend time. Like the machine or not the dealerships make me feel like a kid in a candy store. That's just smart business.

My two local Harley dealerships are also outstanding in customer service. Any time I enter the store I am immediately greeted with a friendly smile and ask if they can be of assistance. They are ALWAYS more then ready to get a bike out for a test ride.

I haven't always been treated as well at Honda shops. In fact some of them have a no test ride policy. Now how much sense does that make?

There is a lot to this and it's worthy of study. I do maintain in addition knowing how to sell they are also just as skillful in knowing WHAT to sell.

Some of us don't necessarily think Harley that cats meow but that doesn't mean we have some superior insight into motorcycles.

A few of you fellows seem to imply that you are some how intellectually superior because you buy something other then a Harley. I'd like that to be proven. I'll agree I don't entirely get the fact that Harley has such a large percentage of the market. But if I was selling Honda's you better believe I'd be studying Harley's business model. I'd also be looking the bikes over and seeing what they are doing correctly. I promise you Honda is don't that and all the others.

The other side of this is I believe Harley could also learn a bit from the competition. I've never entirely understood why Harley hasn't seen fit to counter balance all of their bikes. I am sure there is a good reason.

None of them are perfect but I enjoy searching for that elusive beast that is.

The perfect bike for me would be a remake of the Magna which was sold from 95 to 2003. Love those bikes.

[the Ferret]

I haven't read much Harley bashing in this thread. Seems most of the posts on here are in agreement that Harley is doing a lot of things right.

Well I hope I don't come off as trying to sound intellectually superior ( don't think I do ) cause that would certainly be a ruse, but I do have a lot of experience having owned many bikes from many manufacturers, and having spent 17 years working in the motorcycle business having been a store manager, a sales manager, parts manager and service manager for deslerships of Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Moto Guzzi and Norton. I am familiar with the industry practices from both behind and in front of the counters.

Harley does just about everything right from a manufacturers standpoint... They know their market better than anyone ( certainly better than the Japanese who are all over the place with products) and in doing so have the most loyal customer base. Harley does spot on advertising. Harleys dealers do a great job for them and are rewarded with list price sales in most cases, and the Harley aftermarket is vibrant and strong. Can't fault that business model at all.

Harley doesn't counter balance their engines because they don't want to change the character of their bikes. They want them to vibrate and shake some. It is what most of their customers expect. It's also why they don't have multiple cylinders, counter balanced engines, liquid cooling, or shaft drive. Those things are not desired by the faithful. Harley knows its customers, like you said, better than anyone. Harley certainly has the engineering and manufacturing ability to provide those things, for example as on the V rod, but V rods don't sell. Road Kings, Dynas, and Sportsters sell, so harley will keep making them until they are forced to change.

Honda may have a technically superior product line, but their dealers are inept, except that they are actually very good at driving customers away, the aftermarket sucks, Honda does minimum advertising, and the loyalty to the brand is weak. A very poor business model.

BMW has it's fanatics
Harley has it's fanatics
Moto Guzzi has it's fanatics
Triumph has it's fanatics
Tough to find fanatics for a Japanese brand. Honda probably comes the closest, but it's fanatical fan base is certainly weak compared to the others. Goldwing owners are probably the closest you'll find in the Japanese product line.

[CIP57_imp]

[/quote]Honda may have a technically superior product line, but their dealers are inept, except that they are actually very good at driving customers away, the aftermarket sucks, Honda does minimum advertising, and the loyalty to the brand is weak. A very poor business model. [/quote]

I have three local Honda Dealer in my area. Two of these dealership are below average, nasty attitudes etc.

I found a GEM in Danbury Motorsports in CT, the furthest from me but the best. I have built a relationship with the owner and have traded and bought 2 bikes from him in the last two years. Frank will prep any bike i want to demo on the spot even with little interest in buying, great business man. The are far and few between but there out there.

[dBuster_imp]

Doesn't advertising cost money and in some cases lots of money? And wouldn't the additional costs involved with advertising be passed along to the customer by means of higher sticker prices? I would think so... Wait that is why it costs so much for one of those HD bikes? They over advertise?

To me word of mouth is the best advertising. Not whether a company can spend gajillions on advertising and pass those costs on to the consumer...

As far as Honda dealerships, the one local for us here is great! I can also go in and demo without any interest in buying. It all depends on how greedy I guess the owners are or are they geared towards the customer instead???

[the Ferret]

"To me word of mouth is the best advertising. Not whether a company can spend gajillions on advertising and pass those costs on to the consumer..." dbuster

Honda has no problem selling Pilots Accords and Civics thru advertising. I subscribe to 5 MC mags and never saw 1 ad for CB 1100's. Did you? None on TV. None on radio. Saw one ad the other day for Yamaha during Moto GP for an R-1. Other than this forum how many people have you told what a great motorcycle the CB 11 is? Word of mouth only goes so far. How many enthusiasts and former enthusiasts have come up to you in a gas station thinking that your bike is from the 70s or 80's? If they saw an ad during say NCIS or Big Bang theory which they probably watch, then they'd know that Honda was producing this bike.
Honda succeeds in spite of themselves.

If you have a good dealership nearby, cherish it, they are few and far between. The one near me has good salesmen and they allow test rides, they have a very good service manager, mechanics seem decent, but the parts and accessory department sucks big time. Nothing in stock, they charge over list and everything must be ordered and paid for in advance requiring two trips for anything more extensive than spark plugs, oil or filters.

[dBuster_imp]

See now I never thought to bundle the auto part of honda with the cycle part in regards to advertising. I thought they were like two separate operating entities...

[the Ferret]

See now I never thought to bundle the auto part of honda with the cycle part in regards to advertising. I thought they were like two separate operating entities...

principal is the same ... Advertising works... For everything