Motorcycles – The competition between Harley Davidson and Japanese Manufacturers
Riding a Motorbike
The motorcycle is extensively looked at as a symbolism of the rebel, a description of youth, and an symbol of Americana. The first noted motorcycle design was made by a pair of German engineers in 1885, in what was, originally, a bicycle with an engine. While Japanese manufacturers like Suzuki outshine the motorcycle market globally, in America, the Harley-Davidson company has secure control over the market.
It was during the late eighties and early nineties that Japanese makers such as Suzuki, Kawasaki, Honda, and Yamaha captured a foothold in the global motorcycle market that they have never let go. They were designed and built with better execution, better handling, and better quality. It is a well-known fact that their advertising offensives during the early years also pointed at the negative standing of the Harley-riding bikers and the public fright of biker gangs. While such criticism vanished quickly, the stain it left in the reputation of the Harley has not been erased. People considered this very factor to be the explanation of Japanese manufacturers holding such a strong presence, despite the American consumers. Also, by reputation, the Japanese motorbikes were easier to take care of and the people did not link them with leather-clad savages, though the biker pattern is harshly incorrect.
Nevertheless, competition has not chased the main American manufacturer, Harley-Davidson, into limbo. After taking time to plan the applicable scheme, the American manufacturer came back to regain its market share. The company did so not by aspiring to conform to the more family-friendly reputation of a Japanese motorcycle, but by playing on the appeal of their older designs. Selling the re-built designs as surely American machines, the company very soon took back its former customer base. They strengthened their hold even more by pleasing collectors, such as comedian Jay Leno, and making their motorbikes easy to customize and re-tool. As a matter of fact, it is the customization market that has really allowed Harley-Davidson to stay so long in the game despite fierce rivalry from the likes of Kawasaki and Honda. Many people like to state that the rarest type of Harley one can find is one that is completely stock; that is, one that has not been customized in any way. Undoubtedly, many Harley devotees believe that the main weakness of Japanese bikes is that they are not as easily customizable as a Harley is.
Regardless of whether or not one is convinced of the reputation of Harley biker clans or takes pleasure in being able to customize their very own motorcycle, these machines are here to stay. Production of both Japanese and American bikes have not diminished and there are, statistically, more bike owners than car owners. That statistic holds remarkably true outside the US, where a bike is a more accepted means of personal transportation for the average person than a car is. This welcoming of the motorcycle is happening in spite of the higher accident rate for motorcycles than any other private land vehicle out there. It doesn't seem to matter what country one goes to; the young person of every culture seems to view these two-wheeled machines as icons of teenage high spirits and thus, the adrenaline rush associated with a bike ride is, as they say, like out of this world.
