How to save Harley Davidison
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From: don (Calgary) on 15 Jul 2010 19:02 On Thu, 15 Jul 2010 07:40:00 -0700 (PDT), "tomorrow(a)erols.com" <tomorrowaterolsdotcom(a)yahoo.com> wrote: >On Jul 15, 2:20�am, totallydeadmail...(a)yahoo.co.uk (The Older >Gentleman) wrote: >> don (Calgary) <hd.f...(a)telus.net> wrote: >> > On Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:49:16 -0400, "J. Clarke" >> > <jclarke.use...(a)cox.net> wrote: >> >> > >But what is their objection to getting more customers of a different >> > >kind from the ones that they have? >> >> > So they should manufacture home furniture, because they could get more >> > customers of a different kind? > >The fact is, that the people who are running Harley-Davidson have >demonstrated for the past 29 years that they are pretty good at what >they do, and lots of companies have gone under straying from things >that they do very, very well. Considering the market they are in and the competition they have to face I'd say Harley is a model of success. The very fact HD is the most talked about company and their bikes are the most talked about machines in this forum speaks to their success. Factor in the Buffoon from Britain telling all who will listen he finds it odd HD is not making other styles of bikes and you know they are doing something right.
From: don (Calgary) on 15 Jul 2010 19:04 On Thu, 15 Jul 2010 08:07:05 -0400, "J. Clarke" <jclarke.usenet(a)cox.net> wrote: >On 7/14/2010 9:54 PM, don (Calgary) wrote: >> On Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:49:16 -0400, "J. Clarke" >> <jclarke.usenet(a)cox.net> wrote: >> >>> On 7/14/2010 7:19 PM, don (Calgary) wrote: >>>> On Wed, 14 Jul 2010 07:13:40 +0100, totallydeadmailbox(a)yahoo.co.uk >>>> (The Older Gentleman) wrote: >>>> >>>>> High Plains Thumper<hpt(a)invalid.invalid> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> Actually, I'd like to see Harley put the water cooled V-Rod engine into >>>>>> a cruiser. I know it would break the mould of oil cooled offerings at >>>>>> the loss of the potato - potato - potato sound. But I feel that it is >>>>>> inevitable that such should happen. >>>>> >>>>> Agree 100%. >>>>> >>>>> I'd also like to see it in a more coherent touring bike than what they >>>>> make at the moment. Something with a decent chassis, more power >>>>> (obviously!), more ground clearance and the sort of sophistication that >>>>> would give BMW a few worries. >>>>> >>>>> They could do it - they just *choose* not to. Which is a bit odd. >>>> >>>> They could choose build a better mouse trap too, but that is not in >>>> their business plan. They know what they do well and they understand >>>> what their customers are looking for. To date they are doing a damn >>>> good job of keeping their customers happy. I doubt they care very much >>>> you find it "odd". >>> >>> But what is their objection to getting more customers of a different >>> kind from the ones that they have? >>>> >> >> So they should manufacture home furniture, because they could get more >> customers of a different kind? > >How about they try filling every major niche in the motorcycle market? Or they could simply build on a proven formula, cater to a growing number of prospective buyers, by doing what they do well.
From: J. Clarke on 15 Jul 2010 19:50 On 7/15/2010 7:04 PM, don (Calgary) wrote: > On Thu, 15 Jul 2010 08:07:05 -0400, "J. Clarke" > <jclarke.usenet(a)cox.net> wrote: > >> On 7/14/2010 9:54 PM, don (Calgary) wrote: >>> On Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:49:16 -0400, "J. Clarke" >>> <jclarke.usenet(a)cox.net> wrote: >>> >>>> On 7/14/2010 7:19 PM, don (Calgary) wrote: >>>>> On Wed, 14 Jul 2010 07:13:40 +0100, totallydeadmailbox(a)yahoo.co.uk >>>>> (The Older Gentleman) wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> High Plains Thumper<hpt(a)invalid.invalid> wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> Actually, I'd like to see Harley put the water cooled V-Rod engine into >>>>>>> a cruiser. I know it would break the mould of oil cooled offerings at >>>>>>> the loss of the potato - potato - potato sound. But I feel that it is >>>>>>> inevitable that such should happen. >>>>>> >>>>>> Agree 100%. >>>>>> >>>>>> I'd also like to see it in a more coherent touring bike than what they >>>>>> make at the moment. Something with a decent chassis, more power >>>>>> (obviously!), more ground clearance and the sort of sophistication that >>>>>> would give BMW a few worries. >>>>>> >>>>>> They could do it - they just *choose* not to. Which is a bit odd. >>>>> >>>>> They could choose build a better mouse trap too, but that is not in >>>>> their business plan. They know what they do well and they understand >>>>> what their customers are looking for. To date they are doing a damn >>>>> good job of keeping their customers happy. I doubt they care very much >>>>> you find it "odd". >>>> >>>> But what is their objection to getting more customers of a different >>>> kind from the ones that they have? >>>>> >>> >>> So they should manufacture home furniture, because they could get more >>> customers of a different kind? >> >> How about they try filling every major niche in the motorcycle market? > > Or they could simply build on a proven formula, cater to a growing > number of prospective buyers, by doing what they do well. Yeah, capturing about 1 percent of the motorcycle market.
From: J. Clarke on 15 Jul 2010 19:40 On 7/15/2010 6:51 PM, Odinn wrote: > J. Clarke wrote: >> >> >> On 7/15/2010 10:11 AM, T.J. Higgins wrote: >>> In article<i1lq360239a(a)news2.newsguy.com>, J. Clarke wrote: >>>> On 7/14/2010 9:17 PM, tomorrow(a)erols.com wrote: >>>>> On Jul 14, 7:47 pm, "J. Clarke"<jclarke.use...(a)cox.net> wrote: >>>>>> On 7/14/2010 7:02 PM, don (Calgary) wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>>> On Wed, 14 Jul 2010 10:12:37 -0600, "Bob Myers" >>>>>>> <nospample...(a)address.invalid> wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>>> Beav wrote: >>>>>>>>> I'm interested to know which bikes the Japanese produced were in >>>>>>>>> competition with Harley? Until they produced the Harely clones I >>>>>>>>> can't think of one. >>>>>> >>>>>>>> But you're not thinking in the right context. Any product that >>>>>>>> is sold in a given market which can take a share of that market >>>>>>> >from you is a competitor. At the time, Japanese standards, etc., >>>>>>>> were seen as a possible alternative for buyers that might otherwise >>>>>>>> have purchased a product from H-D. >>>>>> >>>>>>>> Bob M. >>>>>> >>>>>>> Excellent point. >>>>>> >>>>>>> When I was in the retail business, my stores were in competition >>>>>>> with >>>>>>> every other store in a shopping center, regardless of whether they >>>>>>> sold identical products to what I was selling. We were all competing >>>>>>> for the consumers disposable income. >>>>>> >>>>>> Of course if someone wants a standard and Harley doesn't make one, >>>>>> that's Harley's error. You can't win unless you play the game. >>>>> >>>>> Of course, untold previously successful businesses have gone under, >>>>> "playing" that game. >>>> >>>> And every motorcyle manufacturer in America except Harley has gone >>>> under >>>> by _not_ playing it. >>> >>> AFAIK, Victory does not make a standard. >> >> But Victory is a sideline for a snowmobile manufacturer that also owns >> a good sized chunk of KTM, and Victory has been in existence for just >> over a decade so it's a bit soon to be betting on their long-term >> stability. > > Kawasaki Motorcycles is a sideline for a LARGE Japanese Conglomerate Yep, they can buy Harley out of pocket change. > Yamaha Motorcylces is a sideline for a musical instrument company. Yep, and they can buy Harley out of pocket change. But according to you diversification, which has worked hugely well for everybody else, would be a horrible decision for Harley. > >
From: J. Clarke on 15 Jul 2010 19:44
On 7/15/2010 7:02 PM, don (Calgary) wrote: > On Thu, 15 Jul 2010 07:40:00 -0700 (PDT), "tomorrow(a)erols.com" > <tomorrowaterolsdotcom(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > >> On Jul 15, 2:20 am, totallydeadmail...(a)yahoo.co.uk (The Older >> Gentleman) wrote: >>> don (Calgary)<hd.f...(a)telus.net> wrote: >>>> On Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:49:16 -0400, "J. Clarke" >>>> <jclarke.use...(a)cox.net> wrote: >>> >>>>> But what is their objection to getting more customers of a different >>>>> kind from the ones that they have? >>> >>>> So they should manufacture home furniture, because they could get more >>>> customers of a different kind? >> >> The fact is, that the people who are running Harley-Davidson have >> demonstrated for the past 29 years that they are pretty good at what >> they do, and lots of companies have gone under straying from things >> that they do very, very well. > > Considering the market they are in and the competition they have to > face I'd say Harley is a model of success. The very fact HD is the > most talked about company and their bikes are the most talked about > machines in this forum speaks to their success. So being talked about on USENET is evidence of "success"? > Factor in the Buffoon from Britain telling all who will listen he > finds it odd HD is not making other styles of bikes and you know they > are doing something right. So it seems that the "buffoon from Britain" is also "successful" by the standard of "being talked about on USENET". |