Genevieve Schmitt
Founding editor of WomenRidersNow.com, an e-zine
I don't think they need to change their current product line at all right now. They made a huge change by introducing a more powerful engine, and that will bring in a whole bunch of new buyers who want more power and want fuel injection, which is the wave of the future. What I would do is just keep moving along with what they're doing, continuing to focus on what they do best, which is Big V-Twin motorcycles.
They've responded to the needs of smaller, less muscular riders by offering motorcycles with lower motors. They can modify the bikes to fit smaller riders with smaller hands. They realize women are an up-and-coming segment and they need to accommodate them—and they have modified the line to accommodate those riders. They don't market to a specific gender, but are gender-neutral. They market a lifestyle, and to me that says family lifestyle, with daughters and moms, dads and sons. You can get the whole family involved.
Jim Rogers
Cofounder, with George Soros, of the Quantum Fund and author of Investment Biker: Around the World with Jim Rogers. His choice for his global jaunt: BMWs
I have never owned a Harley. They are not very well-made motorcycles. Once you've been on a well-engineered bike, you're not going to go back to something that's not terribly well-engineered. They've got a great reputation, but not among people who know bikes.
They should make a better bike; there's no question that they should make a better bike. They've been making the same bike for many years and they've done extremely well. You can't fault them for what they've done, a brilliant job of marketing. [But] if young people are not buying Harleys, they've got to change. Young people are not going to suddenly buy them when they turn 47. They didn't grow up with those [Harley-friendly] images in their heads.
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