Brand Bashing ..

MIKER · Post by **MIKER** » Sun Jun 10, 2007 9:40 pm

Brand Bashing ..
« Thread Started on Today at 21:40 »

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Brand Bashing ..

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A quote i found from another source ..

Brand Bashing....

I love looking at a nice bike - any bike, no matter what the badge on the tank says. Having said that, I read a very interesting article this morning that was posted over on BikerSwag.com. In his article, Swag describes how some Harley owners display their arrogance, talking down non-Harley's and their riders. Whilst I don't like this and generally try to avoid these types of people, I do believe that it is a by-product of a brilliant marketing strategy that Harley Davidson has developed over many years. They have been able to make a lot of people think that owning a Harley sets them apart from other bikers. And it's worked well - very well!

Have a read of Swag's post....

I'M NOT ANTI-HARLEY, I'M ANTI-HARLEY-ARROGANCE
If you are from the Middle Tennessee area you don't need me to tell you that the 2007 Tennessee State HOG Rally is in town this week. The event is taking place at the beautiful ***lord Opryland Resort and Harley-Davidson owners from all over the Mid-South have descended on The Music City to enjoy the festivities.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Harley-Davidson terminology, HOG is an acronym for Harley Owners Group which is Harley's national members only club with chapters operating out of local dealership literally around the world. It's a good way for fellow H-D owners to get to know each other and participate in group rides together but it also serves as the primary means for H-D to continue preaching the Harley message to its existing customers.

You have to hand it to Harley-Davidson. They are the masters at building brand recognition, customer loyalty and an overall sense of family. (Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and the likes could learn a lot in this area.) Still, although I am a HOG member by default, I am definitely not in to the whole H-D HOG vibe. In fact, some of my friends are aghast because I often flippantly say that I am "anti-Harley".

I guess I need to choose my words more carefully because the truth is I'm not "anti-Harley" but rather "anti-Harley-arrogance". The fact is I love many of their bikes but the Harleyer-Than-Thou attitude that a lot of H-D riders take annoys the crap out of me. Maybe it's because my chosen field is marketing related but it seems ridiculous to me that people actually buy into the message that dropping $20,000 on a particular brand of motorcycle suddenly transforms you from pastel wearing Polo Shirt weenie into certified MOFO in leather who has the right to bad mouth anyone who rides another brand.

Don't get me wrongâ€¦ I think it's totally cool if someone is legitimately a one brand person (lord knows most of my family has a hard time straying from Chevrolet) but the fabricated personas and the arrogant attitude that seem to frequently come with a lot of H-D owners really chaps me. And it's usually the big-mouthed ones that are the biggest posers. One guy I know takes every opportunity he can to let everyone know he rides a Harley (especially in large settings) but I know for a fact it hasn't seen sunshine more than two times in the last six months. Another guy I know has only been riding his Dyna for about a year-and-a-halfâ€¦ complete with all the H-D branded clothing money can buy. Despite his low saddle time, I hear him smack-talking guys with metric bikes continuously, telling them how their "rice burners" suck. I guess his vast year and a half of riding experience has already made him an expert on brand selection. Amazing! Yet another guy I know, who barely ever rides his H-D was recently bashing a another guys BMW behind his back. Is he serious? Bagging on BMW engineering when he rides a bike that hasn't changed significantly in decades?

In the end, my view point is... who gives a rat's *** what brand of motorcycle someone else likes and rides? If I could afford it, I'd have one from every manufacturer. I say ride what you want, ride safe and stop bashing those who happen to like a different brand than you do. News flash... riding a Harley doesn't make you better than the rest.

And BTW, those of you reading this that are just itching to play the Made in the USA card... all I can say is that if you believe H-D is all about American made products, take a walk through the clothing department at your local shop (a significant portion of their profit) and see if you can find more than just a few items that aren't imported... you won't. Preaching the USA only message is valliant but none the less hypocritical when those doing the preaching are wearing Made in Hong Kong Harley shirts, Made in China Harley hats and Made in Mexico Old Navy jeans.

Holy cowâ€¦ this turned into a major rant... can you tell it's really late as I write this? hahahaha I didn't intend to write a stinkin' book but I think I'll go ahead and post it so I can get a good laugh from the onslaught of emails I'll get from the rabid H-D fans out there who think I'm bashing the Motor Company. Remember morons, I have an H-D in the garage right now. I just don't buy into the all the hype that many blindly subscribe to.

Post by **robracer** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 3:27 pm

MEAN 1 wrote: News flash... riding a Harley doesn't make you better than the rest.

Just slower

Neka79 · Post by **Neka79** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 4:02 pm

robracer wrote:
MEAN 1 wrote: News flash... riding a Harley doesn't make you better than the rest.
Just slower

and uglier

Post by **Wattie** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 5:06 pm

im having trouble decifering this thread...

i cant see "kawasaki's rule the world" ANYWHERE!!!!!

what a shit thread

just kiddin!

my old man rides a loungechair on wheels (aka harley) it sucks at everything, except what it was designed to do.

be noisy
reliable (the new ones are)
slow
tourer

and look like a shiney piece of space junk.

as for the hog bit.
they are all sheep!

dirty irving · Post by **dirty irving** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 5:57 pm

"You ride what you like and I'll ride what I like.......but if Harley Davidson built aircraft, would you fly in one ?"
It's a great conversation killer.
Cheers

Post by **robracer** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 6:28 pm

Thats an interesting point & NO is my answer.... the wings would be to heavy with all that chrome

shadowzx9 · Post by **shadowzx9** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 7:01 pm

Theres a new Spin off from H.O.G (The Harley Owners Group)

Its called H.A.G

The Harley Accountants Group

Yes ill agree people buy harleys because they want to, but they are the minority, IMO most harleys are bought for "status" now, which is ok, coz most of the purchasers cant ride for shit anyway so its better they are on something that needs written notice to get its fat ass round a corner

Post by **Wattie** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 8:44 pm

shadowzx9 wrote:
Yes ill agree people buy harleys because they want to, but they are the minority, IMO most harleys are bought for "status" now, which is ok, coz most of the purchasers cant ride for shit anyway so its better they are on something that needs written notice to get its fat ass round a corner

like alot of people on sportbikes...
bought on status not ability

shadowzx9 · Post by **shadowzx9** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 8:54 pm

Wattie wrote:
like alot of people on sportbikes...
bought on status not ability

Cant argue with that point either

Remember when the R1 came out, Someone once told me that of the original year model, whichever that was, there was something like 7 out of 10 written off within the first 6 months

Or that lunatic kid that bought himself a 12, pulled a monster mono and parked it in someones front fence?

I had a point somewhere.....now ive lost it....damn this giving up smoking

Neka79 · Post by **Neka79** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 11:36 pm

shadowzx9 wrote:
Wattie wrote:
like alot of people on sportbikes...
bought on status not ability
Cant argue with that point either

Remember when the R1 came out, Someone once told me that of the original year model, whichever that was, there was something like 7 out of 10 written off within the first 6 months

Or that lunatic kid that bought himself a 12, pulled a monster mono and parked it in someones front fence?

I had a point somewhere.....now ive lost it....damn this giving up smoking

yea.. 98 was the first R1 i think, and every wanker had to have one... didnt make it a good bike tho...

oh..and im day 5 without smokes...lol

mohawk miss · Post by **mohawk miss** » Tue Jun 12, 2007 10:43 am

They forgot to add that the bit about Harley being part owned/ financed by Honda....(I think its Honda, definately Japanese money)

Neka79 · Post by **Neka79** » Tue Jun 12, 2007 6:45 pm

mohawk miss wrote:They forgot to add that the bit about Harley being part owned/ financed by Honda....(I think its Honda, definately Japanese money)

haha but rhey wouldnt admit to that would they??

zzzak · Post by **zzzak** » Tue Jun 12, 2007 7:05 pm

robracer wrote:
MEAN 1 wrote: News flash... riding a Harley doesn't make you better than the rest.
Just slower

Sorry,I thought that it was a mobile slalom.

shadowzx9 · Post by **shadowzx9** » Tue Jun 12, 2007 7:16 pm

dont porsche have a piece of hogely doggely as well?

I remember hearing something about porsche engineers being involved in designing the V-Dog

Post by **Wattie** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 6:05 pm

the wheels are made in Oz

Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

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