Reviving the Motorcycle Industry, Can Harley and Indian Succeed?

Wine said the “reality isn’t fantastic” and noted the industry “has a long way to go.” He was followed by

Harley CEO Matt Levatich, who also said developing a new generation of motorcycle enthusiasts was

essential to the industry’s health. “Let’s not forget what an awesome thing riding is,” he said, in imparting

that a sense of excitement would be needed almost as much as developing new bikes to attract the riders.

Harley-Davidson has committed to adding 2 million new Harley-Davidson riders and launching 100 brand

new models over the next 10 years while growing its international business by half. To achieve its goals,

Levatich told analysts it requires moving “from thinking in terms of ‘we build bikes’ to thinking in terms of

‘we build riders.'”

That’s actually evident in the programs Harley is unveiling, such as the Harley-Davidson Riding Academy,

where it’s trained some 32,000 new riders. In fact, it set out to train one entire town in North Dakota to ride

a bike, 15{6afdcdf14f1f3d0d6d046bdd6bb6844d1d6f78a435ef85ae323b1d28ccc5d3f7} to 20{6afdcdf14f1f3d0d6d046bdd6bb6844d1d6f78a435ef85ae323b1d28ccc5d3f7} of whom went on to buy a Harley-Davidson motorcycle (OK, the town only had 94 residents,

but it got 70{6afdcdf14f1f3d0d6d046bdd6bb6844d1d6f78a435ef85ae323b1d28ccc5d3f7} to participate).

Its also expanded a bike rental program in partnership with EagleRider, a motorcycle rental service, while last

quarter opening 13 new dealerships in countries like China, Thailand, Korea, Switzerland, Italy, United Arab

Emirates, and Russia.

Similarly, Polaris CEO Wine said that with the global motorcycle market estimated to be a $54 billion opportunity,

there was more than “enough to prosper if we get this right.” He sees technology helping the industry attract new

riders, such as allowing buyers to build their bikes online, which would help tap into the customization and

personalization trends that are bolstering many other industries. Polaris is also considering experimenting with

rentals, believing its three-wheeled Slingshot would integrate well into the so-called sharing economy.

Are Motorcycles Enough to Turn Harley and Polaris around?

While these initiatives are all outside of the actual hardware Harley and Polaris are building, we can arguably see

best their attempts to lure in new riders  to the Motorcycle Industry with the bikes they’re introducing.

In August, Harley-Davidson launched eight new cruisers as part of its ambitious product-development program,

but also saw it fold its Dyna lineup into the Softail and kill off its V-Rod sports bike. Indian has also introduced a

slew of new models, like its new Indian Scout Bobber that harkens back to an earlier customized bike ethos.

These bikes are geared to the new demographic of rider who is younger, more urban, and female. Make no mistake

— Harley-Davidson already owns large swaths of these markets. With an overall U.S. market share of 48.5{6afdcdf14f1f3d0d6d046bdd6bb6844d1d6f78a435ef85ae323b1d28ccc5d3f7}, the

big bike maker also owns 42{6afdcdf14f1f3d0d6d046bdd6bb6844d1d6f78a435ef85ae323b1d28ccc5d3f7} of the 18- to 34-year-old demo, 60{6afdcdf14f1f3d0d6d046bdd6bb6844d1d6f78a435ef85ae323b1d28ccc5d3f7} of Caucasian women, 54{6afdcdf14f1f3d0d6d046bdd6bb6844d1d6f78a435ef85ae323b1d28ccc5d3f7} of African Americans,

and 54{6afdcdf14f1f3d0d6d046bdd6bb6844d1d6f78a435ef85ae323b1d28ccc5d3f7} of Hispanics. Its sales may have fallen sharply for the past few years, but it’s still the 800-pound gorilla.

Yet despite both Harley-Davidson and Polaris Industries knowing what they need to do, and even taking many of the

same approaches to do it, can they really help the industry bust out of its current slump? The big-bike course may not

be the best route. As I’ve suggested before, acquiring dirt bike maker ATK Motorcycles, the only other U.S. maker of

bikes, is an avenue that should be given serious consideration.

The time to make an impression on new riders is when they’re kids, and off-road dirt bikes are where many riders got

their first taste of “the awesome thing that is riding.”

Both Harley and Indian have histories that span back over a century, so they’ve seen various peaks and valleys. It’s true

some of the bad times nearly killed them off — Indian has been in bankruptcy several times — but the bike makers of

today aren’t the same as they once were, and I’m guessing both good bets for figuring it out and generating that healthy

long-term growth we’d like to see.