100 Years of H-D

[seruzawa]

So now that longride is off for a while Sean is going to keep the old pot stirred.



Good job.

[Mooner]

Alright, who's the joker that put the "Honda, Performance First" ad right in the middle of the Harley story!!!

[dwr461]

Honda maybe? They pay they get to play.



Dave

[Sam_Freed]

. . . come in H-D . . .



I don't ever recall seeing an H-D ad on MO. I saw a V-Rod commercial on a WNBA game a month or two back though. A F'in WNBA GAME!!! As a former ad exec, I can't help paying attention to these things. I was rolling! How the hell did those rocket scientists come to the conclusion that there were more potential Hog buyers watching a WNBA game than reading MO? Are they going after the six-foot tall lesbian target demographic or something?



I can only conclude that KPaul is somehow involved in this lunacy.

[KPaulCook]

"I can only conclude that KPaul is somehow involved in this lunacy" Why thank you sir. "Yes we need women, six-foot tall lesbian target demographic , on V-Rods" I said to Willie and he agreed. You're funny dude

[KPaulCook]

I miss the old fart (longride). Especially in the discussion on the Suzuki GSXR1000. He always has some choice words for me. You can probably subsitute right.

[KPaulCook]

"Willie G's story really is a classic fairy tale. Born a prince, he nearly lost the kingdom before prevailing over long odds at the last minute to win it back again--through clean living, hard work, the love of a good woman and a band of loyal merry men. "



This why I subscribe to MO. Great Review.

[FrankS1]

Actually, the ad space buyers are a little more clever than the WNBA fiasco would lead you to believe. There have been plenty of ads for Buell here on MO. Eric Buell has ideas that are at least interesting, if not completely convincing, to the "typical" MOReader, and I think the ad buyers are smart enough to know that we'll look at the ads.



Willy G. seems to have a knack for coming up with designs that appeal to the leather fringe and chrome and life-saving pipe crowd. For better or worse, he leaves the sporty stuff to Buell.



As I type this, it occurs that in my eyes, and I'm sure those of many other folks here, Eric Buell and Pierre Terblanche come up with ideas and products that interest us here - whether we like 'em or hate 'em. Mainstream Harleys don't arouse much excitement, by and large, certainly not compared with what Ducati and Buell are up to.



While Willie G's book has early racers, judging from the photos. I wonder if the book even mentions Cal Rayborn, the best pavement racer Harley ever had, and by all accounts the equal of Hailwood, Roberts, Nixon and the best of the current crop. But I somehow doubt that invoking Rayborn's name would sell many twin cam 88's, or even Buells, for that matter.

[TatdNPrcd]

Maybe H-D found the demographic of viewers of the WNBA to be similar to one they are trying to reach. I really donÂ’t know who watches the WNBA but it appears to be teenaged girls, their mothers and a few guys who think it is a valid sport for women.



H-D doesnÂ’t have to market to those; "If you have to ask you wouldnÂ’t understand." folks. They are looking for riders of other brands as well as potential riders. As a former ad exec IÂ’m sure you can understand that point.



With regards to this: "Â…come to the conclusion that there were more potential Hog buyers watching a WNBA game than reading MO?" My wife rides a Harley Road Glide now and she only reads MO when I want to show her something. (No offense MO, she thinks itÂ’s silly and IÂ’m silly for being a part of it.) She does however watch TV and when she saw the woman riding the V-Rod in that financial commercial on Discovery channel she pointed it out.

[gooseman_1]

"The modern Harleyite is nowhere without a full array of black leather Motor Clothes and Genuine H-D Accessories to get the full effect. "



'Nuf said.