Friday, July 29, 2011

Why do people keep ripping off Falcon Motorcycles?

First, Paul Jr. of OCC infamy blatantly stole one of their designs and tried to sell it on his T-shirts, and now Troy Lee Designs:

Here’s a picture of the “Bleed Slim Fit Tee” from Troy Lee Designs:

troy_lee_designs_bleed_falcon_ripoff

Now here’s a picture of “The Bullet” from Falcon Motorcycles:

falcon_motorycles_bullet

Hmmm, look familiar?

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Good Motorcycles and Bad Market Research

Equipment manufacturers, software companies, and motorcycle dealers alike can benefit from quality market research. No matter what you're selling, customer input can help you improve your business and your products. I've been thinking about this recently after my experience at a local motorcycle dealer.

A little background

 

Please do not sit on the bikeShopping for a motorcycle is totally different than shopping for a car.  Most motorcycle dealers don’t allow test rides.  In fact, some motorcycle dealers don’t even let potential buyers sit on new bikes (crazy!). So even though I’m not in the market for a new bike, whenever there’s an opportunity to try out different motorcycles I usually take advantage of it.

2011 Triumph ThruxtonOne of the motorcycle dealers in my area recently offered Triumph demo rides.  For demo rides,  a motorcycle manufacturer will send a truckload of 15 or 20 new models to an event for the day.  After hearing a description of the ride route and specific safety instructions, demo riders are taken out in a group with guides at the front and rear (to make sure everyone obeys the rules and doesn’t “accidentally get lost” with a new $10,000+ motorcycle).

The Saturday of the demo rides was a gorgeous 75 degree day, and I chose a Bonneville SE to ride.  It had a totally different seating position, handling, and even exhaust note from the motorcycles I normally ride. With a little more time in the saddle, I might have fallen in love!  (Hmm, maybe I am in the market for a new motorcycle after all…) While the Bonneville was great, there were things I didn’t like about the experience, but no one was around collecting feedback. Fast forward to last Monday night:

Market research caller My phone rang shortly after I got home from work. It was a representative from the dealer that hosted the demo rides and she wanted to ask me a few questions about the event.  Aha – now was my chance to provide some valuable feedback! Now don’t get me wrong - normally I don’t do phone surveys and say “I’M NOT INTERESTED” more rudely than I should (mostly because I don’t like being interrupted right after I sit down to dinner) – but I was actually happy to get the call because I had an opinion and feedback to give. She asked me just a few brief questions:
  • Which bike(s) did you ride or were you interested in?
  • On a scale of 1 to 5 how would you rate your overall experience?
  • On the same scale, how would you rate your interest in Triumph?
  • Do you currently own a motorcycle?  If so, what make/model?
That was it! I was shocked that I wasn’t asked any open-ended or qualitative questions. When I rated the overall experience just a “3,” I couldn’t believe that I wasn’t asked why. There were no questions about what I liked, what I didn’t like, or what I would change about the event.  There weren’t even any questions about how soon I would be looking to purchase a new motorcycle. I’m still trying to figure out what they were hoping to learn from the questions asked.

Here’s what I took away from the experience:

 

Determine what you want to measure

Make your measurements meaningful
Before forming the questions you're going to ask, identify what you want to learn, and then make sure the questions (and potential answers) support those objectives. From the few questions I was asked, I had no idea what they were hoping to find out.  If they wanted to identify what Triumph models might be popular to have in stock, they should have asked follow up questions about whether or not I liked the bike I rode. If they wanted to target potential customers, they should have asked how soon I’d be making a purchase decision.

 

Ask questions that give you actionable information


Make sure the questions you ask identify areas where you can take action. I was asked to rate the overall experience, but when I rated it poorly I wasn’t asked why.  If after doing all the research, they learn that the demo rides got poor ratings, they’ll have no insight on what people disliked, and no direction on what to fix first.

 

When you find people that are passionate about your product, keep them engaged

 

Engage passionate people. But not quite like this. Customer advocates are invaluable to knowing your market and shaping your products. When you do get someone who is interested and engaged, take advantage of all the time they’re willing to give.  I would have gladly answered more questions, and if asked would have made myself available for a follow-up conversation or even a focus group.
For more information on the topic of market research, check out Mike Sweeney’s post on the Marketing Trenches Blog: Market Research Without an Action Plan = Worthless Market Research.

How about you? Had any good (or bad) experiences with market research lately? How do you get feedback from the market about your products?

Photo credits:
  1. http://motoaus.com/pictorials/events/2010-melbourne-motorcycle-expo-pictorial-two.html
  2. http://www.flickr.com/photos/officialtriumph/5178871018/in/set-72157625391764564/
  3. http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanclarkdesign/2486090836/in/photostream/
  4. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sterlic/4299631538/in/photostream/
  5. http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyermonkey/2839963443/in/photostream/

Monday, April 11, 2011

New Zero Engineering® Springer Fork

Check out this new springer front end from Zero Engineering®:
zero_engineering_springer_1
zero_engineering_springer_3
zero_engineering_springer_2
A little pricey at $1,545, but I’m sure it’s worth it.  I want one!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Motorcycles and Startups: Wild Rides

Between having two young kids at home and all the cold and snow we’ve had this winter, it had been far too long since I fired up a bike and felt the wind in my face. This past weekend, I finally had the opportunity to get out on my motorcycle for the first time this year. When I left the house the temperature was in the mid-fifties, which seemed nice and warm sitting still, but on country roads at 50+ mph it was on the refreshing side!

While I was riding around for a few hours, I was reminded of all of the things I like about motorcycles. I’ve also been thinking lately about how much I enjoy working for startup companies. Surprisingly, the two have a lot in common:

Roads less traveled 

Motorcycle on a road less traveled
Ted Simon summed it up well when he said, “Hooray for the motorcycle! It seduces you into getting off the freeways and onto smaller roads and doing things the harder way and being aware of the countryside.”
My motorcycle takes me on roads I wouldn’t otherwise travel. When I’ve got a free afternoon, it’s fun to hop on the bike and try to find some undiscovered routes. When I turn down a new road, I don’t know where I’ll end up.  Sometimes, it’s a dead end.  Sometimes it takes me right back where I started.  But sometimes, I find a great road with smooth pavement, little traffic, and lots of curves. Other times I find a beautiful scenic overlook or a tucked away pit beef stand with the best sandwiches in the area.

Similarly, the roads ahead of a startup company are largely unknown. When new products are launched or different methods are tested, the outcome is often uncertain. Sometimes the new ideas don’t work.  Sometimes new products fail spectacularly! But sometimes, the road leads to a discovery that changes the face of the industry.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

So bummed

What is it with people selling motorcycles without titles?  The owner of the CL350 I was trying to buy refused to take a deposit or lower his price while he "tried" to track down the title from the previous owner.  Looks like he sold it to someone else yesterday.  Bummer.

Oh well, I'll continue to scour craigslist for the next project candidate.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Honda CL350 Cafe Racers

Lately it seems like I’ve been running across numerous pictures of sweet little Honda CL 350s and CL 360s that the owners have either restored, or completely redone.

Woody’s CL350 Brat Tracker

More pictures can be found here, and the full build story can be found here.
woodys_cl350_brat_tracker

MotoFiaccone 1969 Honda CL350

More pictures can be found here.

1969_honda_cl350_motofiaccone

Joshua Hoffmans’s CL350 Cafe Racer

Picture found on BIKEEXIF here.
honda_cl350_cafe_racer

Rocket Garage Honda CL350 Cafe Racer

More pictures and information can be found here.
honda_cl350_custom

Rocket Garage Honda CL360

More information and pictures can be found here.
honda_cl360

Guy Bolton’s Honda CL360 Custom

More pictures and info here.
honda-cl360-1
I’ve been jonesing for a new bike project, and this popped up on craigslist in my area a few days ago for a good price.  If the owner can track down the title, I’m hoping to pick it up in the next few days:
honda_cl350_scrambler_2 honda_cl350_scrambler_1
Who knows when it last ran, and it’s missing some parts, but it should be a good challenge.  I just love the look of those high pipes with the perforated heat shields. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Tachibana Helmets

Ran across Tachibana Helmets the other day, man I wish these were available in the US:



For anyone not fluent in Japanese, here's a link to Tachibana translated into English through Google Translate. I'm seriously jonesing for a new helmet.  Anyone have any suggestions on how to get one of these (without giving an arm and a leg) or any other similar helmets?