Velocette Records

The appeal of bicycles of yesteryear is almost irresistible. Bikers, I think, are romantic by nature anyway, so the mystique of big names like Norton, Vincent or Matchless is only heightened by the decades that separate them from us. We love a good sad story, but the only thing better than a tragic story of demise is one of ultimate resurrection and triumph (pardon the choice of word). Reviving an old brand of motorcycles has never been more popular, but in an already fractured and confused motorcycle market, it’s a perilous business. While some revived brands are enjoying a shiny new life, others are staggering in search of their brains.

The same thing has been happening in the automotive space for quite some time, of course, sometimes successfully (the Mini Cooper), sometimes not (the Thunderbird), sometimes just inexplicably (the Dodge Dart). Think of all the resurrected muscle car models, most of which are pretty cool and popular. It’s the era of the reboot.

Triumph, of course, is the big achievement of the motorcycle revival. From receivership 30 years ago, today they are a major global full-range player. Indian is back and better than ever under Polaris management. Meanwhile, others seem to continue to struggle. Here are some common sense thoughts on what separates these groups.

The brand still needs to have a motto. Do you remember Excelsior? Horex? Bite? No? Even if you’ve heard of them, they probably don’t resonate personally with most people. Penton is probably more valuable as a pure brand than those names. If part of what you exchange is the emotional connection with the brand, it should always be warm in people’s hearts.

The bikes have to be competitive. The market for motorcycles over $30,000 is extremely small, and producing modern machines at a marketable price requires serious engineering and manufacturing power. It was a challenge for the new Vincent, the new Norton and for the pre-Polaris Indian, and it will be a challenge for anyone starting out.

The pilot’s experience is essential. Triumph primarily rebuilt its brand around the Speed ​​Triple, a hot, forward-looking bike that pushed the naked sector forward, not just around the new Bonnevilles. No matter how revered a name may be or no matter how many mentions of deceased celebrities, it will only bring the customer to the store; the ride will make the sale.

Offer something unique. The quality and variety of bikes available today is unparalleled, and the market is tight, so the consumer is in the pilot’s seat. We need more than just a performance roadster or clone cruiser to get excited enough to walk away from the many excellent options already available.

“Glory Days, well, they’ll pass you by.” Bruce Springsteen knew that nostalgia is a trap. Yesterday’s wine is today’s rotten liquor. “Boring Stories from the Glory Days.” Our love of motorcycle history and heritage must be more than nostalgia, because those days are also glory days. I’d love to see all of these brand revivals succeed, but they can’t do it on legacy alone. They need to expand the market with innovative, reasonably priced bikes that are fun to ride.

Now if I can just find some investors to help me buy DKW…

On:

Carter A. Edman teaches “Motorcycles and American Culture” at Case Western Reserve University and has taught a variety of creative culture courses. He rides a modified 2008 Triumph Bonneville and restores a 1970 BSA. As the founder of Moto Sapiens, he explores the ever-changing motorcycle culture that is unapologetic, unpredictable and sometimes strange.

Follow Carter on Twitter: @Moto_Sapiens

This article was originally published in 2013 and has been updated.

INGOLSTADT, Germany (Reuters) – Germany’s Audi NSUG.DE has given up selling its Italian motorcycle brand Ducati, its chief executive Rupert Stadler said, in a sign of confidence that the manufacturer expects to be able to bear the costs of its transformation.

The logo of Italian motorcycle manufacturer Ducati is seen in Dietlikon, Switzerland October 11, 2016. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann

Measures to cut costs by 10 billion euros ($11.8 billion), cut red tape and deepen ties with other Volkswagen owners VOWG_p.DE The Porsche brand is “gradually increasing our financial and organizational leeway for strategic realignment,” chief executive Rupert Stadler told reporters.

So there is no economic need to sell Ducati, Stadler said. Volkswagen asked banks to assess options for Ducati and transmission maker Renk earlier this year as they seek to become more nimble in their transition to electric and self-driving cars in the wake of its car fraud scandal. diesel emissions.

“I can assure you that Ducati belongs to the Audi family,” said Stadler. “Ducati is the perfect implementation of our premium philosophy in the motorcycling world.”

Plans were already stalled this summer when powerful VW unions, backed by the ruling Porsche-Piech families, argued against the logic and need to sell assets given the group’s financial resilience.

Investors and potential Ducati buyers, however, expect VW to change its mind again and possibly decide to sell the asset they believe is of least strategic importance to VW.

“For Volkswagen’s powerful works council, this could be an easy bargaining chip to push through something completely different,” said a person familiar with the matter.

Investors have long favored divestments to simplify VW Group’s structure and strengthen its management’s ability to push through structural changes against the will of unions.

Audi, which owns Ducati and Italian supercar maker Lamborghini, reported higher operating profit and revenue for the first nine months last month, helped by growth in auto demand in higher-margin markets. high in Western Europe and the United States.

While pushing the costly shift to zero-emissions and autonomous technologies, retaining the profitable Ducati division and the lucrative Lamborghini brand has become more important, Stadler said.

“Caring for a high-end bouquet is as difficult as a gardener’s job,” Stadler said. “Therefore, I’m happy with every new flower, every promising new branch,” he added, predicting Lamborghini’s sales would double thanks to its new sport utility vehicle.

Separately, Stadler said Audi will spend almost half a billion euros over the next eight years to train staff for the digital age, with steps to develop and hire experts such as designers of automotive applications and automotive robotics specialists.

To contain costs, Audi wants to keep its workforce stable, at least for the next 2-3 years, even though it plans to have more than 20 electrified vehicles on the market by 2025 and to move into services. digitized mobility, said the CEO.

With two-thirds of Audi’s roughly 60 models by 2025 still slated to be combustion-engine cars, tighter carbon dioxide (CO2) rules will pose the ‘greatest risk’ in years to come , he said, adding that Audi would face 1 billion euros. fines if the average CO2 emissions of its fleet do not exceed EU limits by more than eleven grams per kilometre.

Audi has revised its whistleblower system to make it easier for national and international staff to report illegal behavior and has set up a permanent investigation office.

Audi plans early next year to disband a task force set up to monitor patches for 850,000 diesel-powered cars that the automaker said in July needed updates with engine control software. emissions to avoid possible driving bans.

“It’s a sign that we can slowly transition from crisis mode to standard operation,” Stadler said, predicting the health checks will be complete by the end of the first quarter.

Additional reporting by Arno Schuetze; edited by Alexander Smith