American Honda Regains #1 Spot

[Smoker]

It is quite a bold move for Honda to eliminate all US 2-strokes. For the diehard CR fans the way to go will be north to Canada for importing. The other manufacturers should see an increase in motocross 2-stroke sales, but the death of the 2-stroke comes quickly upon us and Honda is promoting it. This is certainly good news for enviro-freaks, but in the big picture, does it really make much of a difference. My feeling is that even the modern 4-stroke is antiquated in ways and that there should be more development towards alternative power sources, or at least use of alternative fuels for the 4-stroke. Whichever bike manufacturer gets to the hot setup first (probably Honda) will be sittin' pretty when it comes time to convert.

[starvingstudent]

"I can't wait for Honda to give us a big bore V-twin sport bike."

...like the RC51? Or the Superhawk?



I think you made a typo. I assume you mean "sport cruiser", where I would counter by saying that the VTX is to heavy and long to be a sport cruiser--it's a power cruiser (like the Valkyrie and the Magna).



What Honda should do to make a sport cruiser is take a VTR1000 engine, tune for a bit more torque but keep it somewhat revvy and powerful, and put it in a chassis that looks like a Sportster or W650 or Thunderbird or CB750 (the original, not the 1990s Nighthawk). Make the frame strong, the suspension good, and the brakes up to the task. And make it look classic at the same time (sort of a 60's sportbike look). I'll buy one.

[starvingstudent]

The only reason HD would have sold more $ of bikes is because their bikes are overpriced for the performance you get.



Number of units matter more than $ when it comes to industry dominance. If Honda sells two Shadow 1100s and HD sells one big-twin, both companies make the same amount of cash. Yet you've got two people on the street on Hondas and only one person on the street with a HD.

[Eric]

Actually profit margin matters as much or more than # of bikes or sheer revenue. One of the things many Japanese car companies discovered in the '80s was that selling cars near or at the margin in order to gain a great deal of market share did not necessarily help long term solvency (there are numerous reasons why they might have committed to this practice, including guarantees of lifetime employment among other things). Why do you think so many Japanese auto manufacturers have looked for investment abroud to help keep them afloat (not a problem for Honda)? One of the reasons for the focus on the SUV is that it is a high margin vehicle. Kind of like cruisers. The investment for building a cruiser is lower than that for a high end sport bike. Cruisers also happen to sell better and make more money. If your revenue does not exceed your cost, you will have little to re-invest -- a problem neither Harley nor Honda have, though I am sure many disagree with how one or both companies choose to spend their money.



At the same time, sales volume also matters. I applaud Honda for retaking the crown.

[kman]

Read Harley's annual reports. They are trying to grow outside of the US. Their global sales numbers are no where near the Japanese OEMs.



Honda (Japan) releases global numbers. The economy is not as global as you may think. Try claiming warrenty on a bike imported from Canada or Mexico in the US. You can't do it. Maybe one day .



kman

[marc]

and two more hondas (new) on the street again. buy low-sell high- repeat often. works every time. as i have said before, when hd builds a motorcycle, i'll buy another one. when they get out of the updated antiques business, perhaps then, i'll get another hd. honda has been building nice stuff for quite some time, that explains their success. if honda, via its keiretsu companies, wasn't supplying hd with critical componentry, where would they (hd) be? certainly not in the strong position that they are now. number two in the us market ain't too shabby. but it's still #2!

[LW]

Yes they do. It's called the Buell Blast!.

[bigjames]

If Harley had just sold a few more dirt bikes and atvs...

[RiderMike]

If I were a teenager that might be a valid concern as I wouldn't be mature enough to care what I think about myself vice someone subjected to valuing their self esteem based upon the opinions others. I just honestly don't care what morons may think of me.

[RiderMike]

And 883 Sportsters.