Selling the Blast

Selling the Blast

Small, economical motorcycles have been a tough sell, but Buell and Harley think they have some answers

ENRTY-LEVEL MOTORCYCLES haven't exactly leapt from showrooms in the past decade,but Buell and Harley-Davidson are planning to reverse that trend with the Blast.

How?

To start with, the two companies worked hard to understand who their potential customers are. They divided those individuals into two classes: people in proximity to motorcycles and motorcyclists (“friends and fam ily”), and those who aren’t. In Buell’s opinion, the first group will largely sell themselves; the second requires real effort. Of those, Buell is concentrating on the relative youngsters (34 years old and under) who share similar values and lifestyles with current riders.

Both groups are into things such as “exercise, instant gratification, sophisticated design, sports and unique styling,” says H-D product planner Lisa Forthofer. In general, both riders and those identified as potential riders, “love all forms of physical activity and prefer outdoor activity. Right now, these people don’t have motorcycling on their radar screens. With the Blast, we want to remove some of the barriers.” Forthofer wants potential riders to conclude, “motorcycling is a fun activity that has some utilitarian positives with it.”

Much of the design of the Blast was undertaken to make that point. One thing that came out time and time again in focus-group studies was the perceived dangers of motorcycling. So from the beginning, the Blast was styled to look sporty and fun-but not sporty and aggressive. Pure sportbikes were seen as too dangerous. Also, high performance was seen as less important for the Blast than simplicity and ease of use. Accordingly, it makes about 30 horsepower with a fat torque curve, requires almost no maintenance, and comes with an automatic choke-different characteristics than it would have been given if it had been aimed at long-time riders.

To tell non-motorcyclists about the Blast, Buell plans to advertise it beyond the range of motorcycle-enthusiast magazines and racing-oriented television. Expect to see ads in such magazines as Outside and Details, and expect to see use of cable-TV ads on very targeted programs that appeal to the potential rider profile.

Also, expect Buell and Harley to ease the barriers that prevent potential motorcyclists from joining the club-in specific, the rider-training requirements for licensing now in many states. Harley joined the Motorcycle Safety Foundation in preparation for the Blast’s release, and hopes to offer rider-training programs on supplied Blasts at Buell/Harley dealerships. The program details are still being worked out, but at presstime, Harley believes it may be able to make an official announcement in February, shortly after Blasts arrive in dealerships.

Production will be fairly limited the first year, when Blasts are built at the Buell facility in East Troy. The company is planning a rapid transition and expansion of Blast manufacturing to the new and large Harley plant in Kansas City. But until then, based on initial dealer feedback, every Blast will likely be spoken for by “friends and family.” Accordingly, some discussed marketing programs have been held in abeyance until Buell can supply the demand that appears to already be there-not a bad problem for a company to have, and one that Harley has learned to live with over the last 15 years. Steve Anderson