Help Wanted

So here’s the deal: In 2008, with the advent of the Great Recession, motorcycle sales in the US fell to half of what they had been (and up to that time, they had been steadily climbing).

Okay, that’s rough…a drop to 50% of prior sales is a major hit, but hey, these things happen and it’s logical to assume that sales would gradually rebound and the uptick would continue.

Except they didn’t.  Post recession sales tanked to 50% of their prior levels and they never recovered. Oh, they came back a little bit, but not anywhere near where they had been. Based on this, it’s been sort of a national pastime in the two-wheeled world to put forth reasons why this happened (presumably, so the reasons could be addressed and we could get back to the good old days of taking second mortgages to buy overweight, oversized, and overpriced driveway jewelry).  Here’s the problem with all of the explanations:  With essentially no exceptions, they all came from motorcycle industry insiders. Motorcycle importers, motorcycle journalists, motorcycle dealers, and such. Wouldn’t these be the people to provide the big reveal?

In a word: No.  Especially with motojournalists, who seem to pontificate a lot on this issue.  Hell, these folks couldn’t even keep their magazines afloat.  But it’s also the case for the manufacturers, the importers, and the dealers.  They’re the ones who got us here.  If they had the answers, they would have fixed things already.

I’ve been a consultant for more than 30 years helping companies with delinquent deliveries, poor quality, and behind-schedule performance, and when I was hired by any of my clients, it would always be by the chief executive (I quickly learned not to waste my time marketing to underlings).  I’d always tell the chief execs during my first meeting that improving performance would involve replacing at least some of their key staff members.  “They’re the folks who got you here,” I’d say, “and expecting them to be the ones to fix the problems is not the answer.”  I think it’s the same situation when addressing the US motorcycle sales slump. The folks who called the shots (cabals of industry execs and motojournalists) prior to, during, and after the recession don’t have the answers.  Repeatedly having meetings to discuss the issue with these same folks fits the classic definition of insanity: Doing the same thing again and expecting a different result.

So who has the answer?

You do.  You are the folks who actually buy motorcycles. You’re the ones who created that heady rampup prior to the recession, and you’re the ones keeping your wallets closed now.  We need your help.  Tell us.  Why? What’s holding you back?  Please, leave your comments.  We want to hear from you.