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can you help me with my harley project

Discussion in 'The Polling place' started by ddickson010, May 5, 2008.

  1. ddickson010

    ddickson010 New Member

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    Hey, I am currently an MBA student doing a projects on Harley Davidson and their marketing. I was hoping you could spend 5 minutes and help me by answering the survery questions below. I would greatly appreciate your input.

    -DD

    Harley Davidson Survey


    1) How long have you been riding motorcycles in general? How long have you been riding a Harley Davidson motorcycle specifically?


    2) Are you a first generation cruiser rider or did your parents or grandparents ride cruisers?


    3) What do you like about your Harley motorcycle? (Performance, style, price, etc)


    4) Is your motorcycle your primary means of transportation? (Or do you own a car as well?)


    5) On average, how many miles do you ride per month?
    100-500 500-1000 1000-2000 Over 2000


    6) Are you Male or Female?


    7) What is your age range?
    Less than 25 25-35 yrs old 35-50 yrs old Over 50 yrs old



    8) What is your income range?
    Under 20k a year 21-50k 51-75k 75-100 over 100 a year


    9) Do you belong to a Motorcycle related group? If not, would you like to be part of one?


    10) Was your most recent bike purchase new or used?


    11) If you could change 1 thing about Harley Davidson motorcycles, what would it be?


    12) Would you ever buy another type of bike? If no, why not? If yes, in what scenario?
  2. wvak47

    wvak47 Active Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Chas WV
    1) How long have you been riding motorcycles in general? How long have you been riding a Harley Davidson motorcycle specifically? 1 year in August to both. Never rode anything until I got my Sporty.

    2) Are you a first generation cruiser rider or did your parents or grandparents ride cruisers?
    My paternal grandfather rode a HD in the 30s. According to family it's what killed him and no other direct family member has rode until I started in August.

    3) What do you like about your Harley motorcycle? (Performance, style, price, etc)
    What’s not to like. Everything mine is, is what I made it over the winter with the help of the fine folks here on BT and my local friends

    4) Is your motorcycle your primary means of transportation? (Or do you own a car as well?)
    I own two other cars, only because the roof leaks on my Sporty otherwise I would call it my primary means of transportation.

    5) On average, how many miles do you ride per month?
    100-500 500-1000 1000-2000 Over 2000
    I put in just at 1000 last month but I promise to do better this one (1000-2000)

    6) Are you Male or Female?
    M

    7) What is your age range?
    Less than 25 25-35 yrs old 35-50 yrs old Over 50 yrs old
    35-50

    8) What is your income range?
    Under 20k a year 21-50k 51-75k 75-100 over 100 a year
    21-50k

    9) Do you belong to a Motorcycle related group? If not, would you like to be part of one?
    that is a bad question here, as we are all motorcycle riders and a dang fine group right here on BT, but officially NO I don’t. Like to be, maybe, maybe not, depends on the group

    10) Was your most recent bike purchase new or used?
    used (and abused LOL)

    11) If you could change 1 thing about Harley Davidson motorcycles, what would it be?
    Just one thing, dang I changed 4 or 5 over the winter. Look/style to match me better. Motorcycles are personal expressions of the owner/rider, or they are yuppy scum toy/status symbols

    12) Would you ever buy another type of bike? If no, why not? If yes, in what scenario?
    If by type you mean maker then yes I would, if by type you mean leave cruiser and go to those crotch rocket things NOPE sure wouldn’t. I wouldn’t want to leave HD bikes, but would consider customs or Victory bikes. Anything it takes to stay on two wheels short of donor cycles.
  3. Sleepy

    Sleepy Well-Known Member

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    1) How long have you been riding motorcycles in general? How long have you been riding a Harley Davidson motorcycle specifically?

    bikes since '69 Harleys since '89

    2) Are you a first generation cruiser rider or did your parents or grandparents ride cruisers?

    first generation rider


    3) What do you like about your Harley motorcycle? (Performance, style, price, etc)

    comfort and simplicity


    4) Is your motorcycle your primary means of transportation? (Or do you own a car as well?)

    the bike is a toy now


    5) On average, how many miles do you ride per month?
    100-500 500-1000 1000-2000 Over 2000

    lately not much


    6) Are you Male or Female?

    male


    7) What is your age range?
    Less than 25 25-35 yrs old 35-50 yrs old Over 50 yrs old

    over 50



    8) What is your income range?
    Under 20k a year 21-50k 51-75k 75-100 over 100 a year

    sorry


    9) Do you belong to a Motorcycle related group? If not, would you like to be part of one?

    belong to a riding club


    10) Was your most recent bike purchase new or used?
    new


    11) If you could change 1 thing about Harley Davidson motorcycles, what would it be?

    A bit more power out of the box

    12) Would you ever buy another type of bike? If no, why not? If yes, in what scenario?

    Absolutely! A hooligan or streetfighter works


    ddickson010
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  4. SPORSTERBOY

    SPORSTERBOY New Member

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    Location:
    spokane, wa.
    1) How long have you been riding motorcycles in general? How long have you been riding a Harley Davidson motorcycle specifically?
    10 YEARS

    2) Are you a first generation cruiser rider or did your parents or grandparents ride cruisers?
    4TH GENERATION

    3) What do you like about your Harley motorcycle? (Performance, style, price, etc)
    EVERY THING BUT THE PRICE:roflmao:

    4) Is your motorcycle your primary means of transportation? (Or do you own a car as well?)
    SOME TIMES, HAVE OTHER VEHICALS

    5) On average, how many miles do you ride per month?
    100-500 500-1000 1000-2000 Over 2000
    100-500, NONE IN WINTER

    6) Are you Male or Female?
    M

    7) What is your age range?
    Less than 25 25-35 yrs old 35-50 yrs old Over 50 yrs old
    25-35


    8) What is your income range?
    Under 20k a year 21-50k 51-75k 75-100 over 100 a year
    51-75

    9) Do you belong to a Motorcycle related group? If not, would you like to be part of one?
    YES, H.O.G.

    10) Was your most recent bike purchase new or used?
    NEW

    11) If you could change 1 thing about Harley Davidson motorcycles, what would it be?
    THE PRICE

    12) Would you ever buy another type of bike? If no, why not? If yes, in what scenario?
    NO, JUST NOT INTERESTED
  5. Red Rider

    Red Rider Well-Known Member

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    Location:
    Churchill County, NV
    DD - You first!

    1) What school are you seeking your MBA in?

    2) Who is paying for your education?

    3) What is the income level of the person(s) financing your education?

    4) Are you male or female or ____? (Hey, just trying to be accommodating!)

    5) Are you aware there is an easy-to-use polling section of this forum?

    6) Where (state/province/country) do you live?

    7) What is your age range?

    8) Have you ever approached a group of bikers at an event and asked them these same questions?

    9) Are you aware that this is not a Harley-Davidson forum, but a motorcycle rider forum?

    10) Do you want non-Harley rider responses?

    (11) Do you ride motorcycles?

    (12) If so, what make?

    (13) If not, :wtf:

    Just for starters.......:roflmao:
  6. Art_NJr

    Art_NJr New Member

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    Location:
    North Carolina
    1) How long have you been riding motorcycles in general? How long have you been riding a Harley Davidson motorcycle specifically?

    In general, on & off for 40 years. H-D specifically, started in 1969, had other brands & Sportsters only since 1999.

    2) Are you a first generation cruiser rider or did your parents or grandparents ride cruisers?

    Neither parents nor grandparents rode any kind of motorcycle.

    3) What do you like about your Harley motorcycle? (Performance, style, price, etc)

    Performance & style mostly. Classic American "Standard" motorcycles & especially the '95 & '00 Sportsters I have are very dependable. Not the best handling or fastest bikes you can buy, but good @ all things, fairly easy to service & don't break. Racing Sportsters we've used a 3rd engine of mine in are fun - bigger challenge to make 50-year-old technology work than to buy a new "high-tech" motorcycle.

    4) Is your motorcycle your primary means of transportation? (Or do you own a car as well?)

    Have a 4x4 pickup truck & a big van too - cars won't carry what they will or go places off-road like the pickup will. But if I don't need to carry anything large or heavy, or pull a trailer, then it's a bike.

    5) On average, how many miles do you ride per month?

    Varies a great deal, depending on weather & what I need to haul.

    6) Are you Male or Female?

    Male.

    7) What is your age range?
    Less than 25 25-35 yrs old 35-50 yrs old Over 50 yrs old

    Over 50.

    8) What is your income range?

    Low & varied. Wouldn't work as a company employee again with a gun to my head.

    9) Do you belong to a Motorcycle related group?

    That question needs to be more specific. Group as in motorcycle club of riders who meet & go on group rides together, no. Group as in internet group with similar interests, yes. Group as in racing association, yes.

    10) Was your most recent bike purchase new or used?

    Never bought a new bike in my life. Although one only had 635 miles on it & another just 2300.

    11) If you could change 1 thing about Harley Davidson motorcycles, what would it be?

    Suspension.

    12) Would you ever buy another type of bike? If no, why not? If yes, in what scenario?

    No. My knee-dragging "canyon-carver" days are long gone & I'd rather adust things like air-fuel mixture with a screwdriver than a laptop computer.

    Let me add to your project that H-D knows what its customer base is. I was a manufacturing engineer for awhile so I understand mass-production & I've also seen that what you would think would sell doesn't. For example, the 1200S "Sport" model Sportster was the best performance bike H-D ever made for sale to the general public off the showroom floor, it never sold well, some dealers never even ordered that model & 2003 was the last year it was offered.

    And the AMA used to have the 883 Sportster Race Series where someone who didn't have a sponsor or a lot of $$$ could go race on dirt tracks & paved road courses - couple factory racers ran it too, but it is no more. And if you want a real XR750, better have some serious $$$ - but they OWN the flat-tracks. Honda got into the 750cc Pro series, but only for a few years.

    Point being that someone who wants a high-performance bike is going to buy a Japanese bike or perhaps something like a Ducati, not a H-D or even a Buell & Buells are very, very good motorcycles. And H-D will not spend the $$$ to compete with with the Japanese, Italians, et al in the perfomance dept.

    One way to explain that is the demographics & financials - "baby boomers" who wanted a H-D as a kid growing up but couldn't afford one can now & they want a bike with the style, sound, etc. they liked back then.

    And ol' Willie G. Davidson (like him or hate him) ain't no dummy. I remember when the H-D dealership had Electra Glides & Sportsters - that's all. But ol' Willie G. got to looking @ all the things people were doing to their own bikes & came up with the idea of making several different models of the same thing - bobbed fenders on this, laced wheels or cast aluminum on that, windshield or not, solo seat, 2-up seat, saddlebags or not, etc.

    That way if you don't happen to be a customizer, you can get a bike like you want from the dealer - or pretty darn close to what you want, no matter which "custom" style you happen to like. But going back to the mass-production deal, you can use the same frame, engine, transmission, etc. to make several different bikes, only the details of wheels, seat, paint color, etc. being different.

    That's smart marketing. And you save a lot of $$$ with less inventory & smoother production lines - these frames go down this line, get that engine, that front end, etc. I haven't been to a H-D plant but I know several who have & their descriptions are along the same lines of what I did as a manufacturing engineer - get that product out the door as inexpensively & as quickly as you can. You already know who your customers are & what they want.
  7. steveb

    steveb Active Member

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    Location:
    Cambridge, Minnesota
    1) How long have you been riding motorcycles in general? How long have you been riding a Harley Davidson motorcycle specifically? total of 38 yrs
    riding Harley 3yrs


    2) Are you a first generation cruiser rider or did your parents or grandparents ride cruisers? first generation


    3) What do you like about your Harley motorcycle? (Performance, style, price, etc) style and the people you meet on a harley


    4) Is your motorcycle your primary means of transportation? (Or do you own a car as well?) I have a truck also


    5) On average, how many miles do you ride per month?
    100-500 500-1000 1000-2000 Over 2000 during the riding season in Minnesota 1000-2000 per month


    6) Are you Male or Female? male


    7) What is your age range?
    Less than 25 25-35 yrs old 35-50 yrs old Over 50 yrs old

    Over 50 yrs old

    8) What is your income range?
    Under 20k a year 21-50k 51-75k 75-100 over 100 a year
    over 100 per year

    9) Do you belong to a Motorcycle related group? If not, would you like to be part of one? yes


    10) Was your most recent bike purchase new or used? new


    11) If you could change 1 thing about Harley Davidson motorcycles, what would it be? the price


    12) Would you ever buy another type of bike? If no, why not? If yes, in what scenario? no I waited too long to get my first Harley.
  8. Hot01

    Hot01 Active Member

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    Location:
    Northern Colorado
    We studied Harley in my MBA program too. Everyone wanted to be on my team. :roflmao:

    1) How long have you been riding motorcycles in general? How long have you been riding a Harley Davidson motorcycle specifically?

    29 years/29 years

    2) Are you a first generation cruiser rider or did your parents or grandparents ride cruisers?

    1st generation

    3) What do you like about your Harley motorcycle? (Performance, style, price, etc)

    It's my best friend. I love every everything about it.

    4) Is your motorcycle your primary means of transportation? (Or do you own a car as well?)

    Spring, summer and fall - yes; winter - no. I have a car, but I put more miles on my bike in a year than on my car.

    5) On average, how many miles do you ride per month?
    100-500 500-1000 1000-2000 Over 2000

    about 10K a year, but 14K last year - most of it from May through October.

    6) Are you Male or Female?

    Female

    7) What is your age range?
    Less than 25 25-35 yrs old 35-50 yrs old Over 50 yrs old

    35-50

    8) What is your income range?
    Under 20k a year 21-50k 51-75k 75-100 over 100 a year

    eh, I'd rather not say.

    9) Do you belong to a Motorcycle related group? If not, would you like to be part of one?

    National HOG - looking for a local chapter

    10) Was your most recent bike purchase new or used?

    New


    11) If you could change 1 thing about Harley Davidson motorcycles, what would it be?

    6 speed transmission


    12) Would you ever buy another type of bike? If no, why not? If yes, in what scenario?

    Probably not, but I've thought about a dual purpose bike to do some trail riding.
  9. ironhorse

    ironhorse Active Member

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    I'm everywhere, I'm everywhere
    when i was looking to get a new one i looked at the bmw but style brought me back to the hd, so probably not, unless i build it myself.


    and now your turn as red rider has mentioned
  10. maxpower_hd

    maxpower_hd Active Member

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    Meh. I'll cross that bridge when I burn it. I have the type with two wheels. I think I'll stick with that type.
    Last edited: May 7, 2008

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