Love’em or hate’em the Harley-Davidson Motor Company is the indisputable King of building lasting relationships
with its customers. As a Harley owner, I’m
impressed with the Motor Company’s efforts to create a bond between the company
and those of us who buy their motorcycles.
I’ll be the first to admit their primary motivation for creating this
bond is to sell more product…but I don’t care.
It’s great that Harley-Davidson values our business enough to create and
promote an environment where people from all walks of life can come together to
share the freedom and passion of riding.
I don’t know of any other motorcycle company that even tries to do that.
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| Shade Tree Saloon |
This past weekend I attended a customer appreciation event
sponsored by my local dealer, Gruene Harley-Davidson. The dealership organized a ride to the Shade Tree Saloon & Grill,
a local watering hole, in Spring Branch, Texas and bought everyone’s lunch.
There were 200+ people and 150+ bikes that participated. As I moved through the crowd, I was amazed
at how easily the conversation flowed.
No one cared whether you were blue-collar, white-collar, or no-collar. What was important was that you enjoyed
riding. There was an unspoken sense of
family. It was a great event!
Besides giving away free food and drink, which can be found
on almost any weekend at many Harley dealerships around the country, the Motor
Company also promotes the Harley Owners Group (HOG) as a way to bring like-minded individuals together. Whether you’re a new rider or one that’s
ridden your entire life, HOG is a great way to meet folks who just want to ride
and have fun. HOG has been around for 31
years and boasts over 1,400 chapters with more than one-million members
worldwide. Now, that’s a lot of motorcycle love. If you
own a Harley-Davidson, you should check out your local HOG Chapter (most Harley
dealerships sponsor a chapter). As a member of the Gruene HOG Chapter, I’ve
participated in countless group rides, eaten some great food, seen some
terrific places, helped raise money for charity, and met some really cool
people.
My involvement with HOG has been very positive. While I enjoy riding by myself, riding with
other Chapter members adds a new dynamic to the whole experience. There’s something almost magical about riding
in a crisp staggered formation with people you’ve grown to trust…and it’s nice
knowing you’re not alone when you have trouble along the road. Had
the Harley-Davidson Motor Company not pushed and promoted HOG, I certainly would
have missed some great times and may have never fully understood the
camaraderie shared by those who ride.
That’s worth something.
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| Just a few of the many Bikes at Shade Tree |
I know there are other motorcycle manufacturers out there
and I’m not such a Harley disciple that I would never consider another brand.
But…wait for it…I’ll always look at Harleys first because
the Motor Company has earned a little loyalty.
As I stated in the beginning, I know of no other motorcycle manufacturer
that invests as much in their customers as Harley-Davidson. Maybe that’s what makes them an American
icon.
I’d like to know if my experience is unique, so please share
your experiences with me. And if I’ve
missed something in terms of other motorcycle manufacturers and how they treat
their customers, by all means, please share your story because at the end of
the day, it doesn't matter what you ride.
It only matters that you ride.
My brother worked for Harley for near 20 years in Canada and the USA before moving to the DMV two years ago. He loves the brand, belonged to HOG both in Oregon and Alberta and was immersed in the brand.
ReplyDeleteI think that is why I don't look to Harley for bikes, been in my face for too long. It is so advertised, so mainstream. Everywhere you look there is the Harley logo, trucks, cars, kids, clothes, everywhere. Good for Harley, but I'd be reluctant to buy one because of it.
Seems it used to be people bought a Harley to be non-conformist and now I just see all the non-conformists conforming together.
Just my 2 cents. I don't dislike any of the brands Harley included (we currently own a Triumph, Suzuki, Yamaha, and a Kawasaki). Harley are just like any other to me, just more advertised.
Of course if someone was to give me an XR1200 I wouldn't turn it down, still wouldn't join HOG though - I don't play well with others.
Trobairitz, an interesting concept...non-conformist, conformist. And after reading your blog for awhile, I can't imagine that you don't play well with others. :-) The great thing about riding is that it doesn't matter what you ride as long as you Live Free, Ride Hard, and strive to Be Happy! ~Curt
ReplyDeleteI agree that it doesn't matter what you ride. We have friends with all kinds of bikes and scooters too. We even wave at bicycles.
DeleteI didn't mean to sound as though I don't like Harleys, I don't mind them and I know a lot of people love them. I just think they are over advertised, lol.
I loved the sound of my Dad's Harley coming home after he had been gone a few days. And I have sat on a few and they are pretty nice. But at this point in my life, it's not for me.
ReplyDeleteI realize that Harley works hard and spends a great deal of money to keep the riders entertained and embraced, and yes; the point is to keep you coming to the dealership to buy things. I can appreciate that type of marketing, being a marketer myself. They understand their buyers and now with the new Street, they're embracing women riders like never before. This will be good for them.
But I can only imagine that this is why a Harley costs so much more than a comparable motorcycle. Because they spend so much on getting the customers to keep coming back for more. Also, if you have anyone touch your bike, even for an oil change, that isn't a dealership or an authorized HD shop, you've voided your warranty. All of that maintenance costs a pretty penny, I'm sure.
Then there's luxury tax. . .
It's expensive to own a Harley, which is why it's not important to me right now. I want a bike I can ride to death and one I won't cry about putting thousands of miles on.
Back to your question, how much do I love my brand? Well, after years of buying brand name clothing, shoes, purses and jewelry, it's all lost it's luster for me. I appreciate quality, not brand.
Smooches,
Sash
Sash - The Rude Biker Chick
Tina,
DeleteI'm sure you're on to something with regards to cost. Harley's can be more expensive and I'm sure part of the reason is the amount Harley invests in marketing and "building" a following.
I also agree that name brands aren't all that important and that quality counts for something...and based on my limitied experience I don't think Harley has an issue with quality. I guess in the end, I'm comfortable paying a little more for a Harley because you get so much more than a bike.
I won't say I'll never buy anything else because one day I might but for now I'm happy. My mom always told me you should always leave with the girl you take to the dance...I think that's some pretty solid advice. :-)
Cheers,
Curt
The only other motorcycle brand that has the level of "community" of Harely-Davidson is "BMW", BMWMOA and it's local chapters are excellent sources of motorcycle involvement, I've had the pleasure of being a BMWMOA member a few times over 30 years of riding motorcycles.
ReplyDeleteNow, I "totally" agree with your preception of the Motor Company, and at least our local dealership. We've NEVER had a dealership work so hard to get us into their motorcycles. We don't have "perfect credit" and we are living on a "single" low level blue collar income but the folks at Pikes Peak Harley-Davidson, kept going to bat for us and we got a payment we could afford and now ride a 2014 XL883L Sportster! :) We've been impressed that Service, Parts, etc. treat us just as good as someone who bought a CVO model, costing many thousands more than our bargin basment Sportster! We too enjoy HOG and our local chapter's events and yes, even the dealerships cookout's and events add to the experiance. I'll always LOVE BMW's but for our style of riding and with all the bennies of HOG, etc., the Harley-Davidson Motor Company will probably have us on a Harley from now on! :)