Triumphrat

Paul955I · 09-25-2007

I agree with Brooksie's perspective. We have another reality up here in Canada...Triumph Canada is nothing more than a web site...our dealer network does not appear to be well supported...the largest city in Canada has not had a Triumph dealer of its own for over a year...and I guess they are still managing to sell bikes. Now if we were to stop buying....maybe somebody will show up. But there is not much need to in the current circumstances.

Paul

Shawn · 09-26-2007

I've made buying decisions during and after the show.

Silverado57 · 09-26-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shawn

I've made buying decisions during and after the show.

Exactly.
At the last motorcycle show I started looking for another bike. I looked at & sat on lots of bikes.
None were Triumphs. I got a Victory.

SCbonneville · 09-26-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silverado57

Exactly.
At the last motorcycle show I started looking for another bike. I looked at & sat on lots of bikes.
None were Triumphs. I got a Victory.

I agree... It's not like there is a Triumph dealer on every street corner... Or that they have such name recognition left over from the "glory days" that people will take it upon themselves to seek a dealer out.

I was at the MC Show in Atlanta a couple of years back.... The last year Triumph participated... Folks were wall to wall looking at the bikes... The 1050 S3 was introduced that year and created a huge buzz...

I believe that Triumph is missing out on being seen by a large audience that is motorcycle savvy and usually has the money to purchase... Or at least is contemplating a purchase.

The odd thing is that Triumph has a huge state of the art display that travels to all the European Union shows...

I don't fully understand Triumph N. A.'s marketing strategy.... They seem to be cutting back on the number of demo truck appearances also...

Diego · 09-26-2007

> I agree... It's not like there is a Triumph dealer on every street corner...

It's not like there are 175 IMS shows, either. The dealers clearly outnumber the shows.

For every one of you lucky jokers who get to go to one of those shows to make your buying decisions, there are hundreds of us who've never been able to go! So, it's just not that big a deal in the broad scheme of things.

Brooksie · 09-26-2007

I was so disappointed at the Chicago show the last year Triumph was at it that I will not go back. You can't buy the bike at the show, sooner or later you'll have to do some research on your own and go to the dealer. If you can't go into a dealer and tire kick because there aren't enough dealers, then maybe you need to buy a bike that is better supported in your area. I can go and see Ducati and BMW at the show, but the nearest dealers are too far away to care. Growth takes time and Triumph has done a pretty good job with product and support.

SCbonneville · 09-27-2007

The IMS shows are not a point of sales place for motorcycles. I don't know of any manufacturer that sells bikes at the shows.

As far as dealers outnumbering the shows, that goes without saying.

But the potential to be seen by a greater number of people, or to been seen by a potential customer that has not previously been exposed to the brand or the lines of bikes available is exposure that can't be denied.

I'm a Triumph guy, no doubt about it... But in one spot I was able to see and sit on all the bikes the manufactures had out. I was impressed with the BMW 1200LT (I can't afford one though) and the old Kwak Concours. Great bang for the buck...

I was also able to try on helmets and research communication devices... I have a "small town" dealer that can get me anything I want but that has limited resources to have an in stock inventory of all the items/brands available.

Somewhere along the line most manufacturers have found the shows to be worth while or the shows would have died out...

The question remains, does Triumph know something the others don't or is it Triumph that is missing out?

I just find it interesting that Triumph participates in all the shows in Europe but not the US....

Shawn · 09-27-2007

You can't sell bikes if you aren't out in front of buyers.

Diego · 09-27-2007

> But the potential to be seen by a greater number of people, or to been seen by a potential customer that has not previously been exposed to the brand or the lines of bikes available is exposure that can't be denied.
...
The question remains, does Triumph know something the others don't or is it Triumph that is missing out?

No question remains. Clearly they don't feel they're missing out! That's all that matters.

If they ever feel otherwise, I'm sure the policy will change again. But if so, it will be for practical reasons, not because of the squeaky wheel brigade. Much of the concern expressed in this thread has been more about the writers' self-interest than the welfare of the company, while some is based on a persistent but erroneous mindset that all companies ought to crave unbridled growth. That's never been Triumph's goal.

Besides, for the first ten years or so after Triumph's return to the States, they were at the IMS circus. After the first few years, it did not appear to help their brand recognition much at all, right at the very time they most needed it. One reason: the show doesn't reach as many people all year as one issue of a major moto-mag does. Unfortunately, physical presence or no, they couldn't buy adequate press coverage for love nor money.

Now, of course, the products speak for themselves. With the introduction of the Rocket III, followed immediately by the 1050 Speed Triple, followed by the Daytona 675 and the new Tiger, the press can't afford to ignore Triumph any more. In case you haven't noticed, there's huge media interest right now in what gee-whiz models Triumph are about to unveil in a matter of days.

Any more public recognition would not be a good thing at their current production capacity, and they're not interested in taking on massive debt to handle sudden growth spurts that seldom last very long in this industry. If you're wise, you don't borrow to overbuild and then have idle plants to make payments on when demand dips. Leave that sort of thing to Harley.

It's a trite old truism, but sometimes one feels like asking the doomsayers "if you're so much smarter than John Bloor, how come you're not as rich as he is?" It's mighty hard to argue with such consistent results as he gets.

Diego · 09-27-2007

> I just find it interesting that Triumph participates in all the shows in Europe but not the US....

Some likely reasons spring to mind:
* Those shows are practically in their back yard.
* They are a European company, not American, so that's where they have the most people available. (Triumph's entire North American staff--plus their main warehouse--take up scarcely half of one modest sized single-story office park building.)
* It takes a lot less time to "do" all those than to follow IMS around all over this country.
* The Berlin and Milan events are actual trade shows, as much for industry players and media types getting together, as for the benefit of laypersons who attend. The IMS is more of an exposition than a true trade show; not a bad thing, but not a necessity in the way Berlin is.
* They're still working to be taken seriously in the European market that's been dominated by upscale names like BMW, MV, Ducati, etc., for a long time.
* The US already takes up a bigger percentage of their export production than any other single country.

Really, it's not that big a deal. As the song says, "don't worry, be happy."