Husqvarna at the crossroads? From the Asphalt and Rubber motorcycle blog: http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/news/business-case-husqvarna-nuda-900/ I've always found the A&R blog to be well written, not sensationalist and very pro Husky (even if they weren't initially sure about the Nuda's looks!), so I read this article with interest. The sales figures mentioned are quite concerning - 7000 worldwide projected sales this year from a plant with a max. capacity of (iirc) 20,000 units per annum. This isn't a discussion of the finer points of the current Husky dirt / SM lineup (we can do that here though), rather it's an analysis of where / how Husky might fit into the BMW picture. Discuss!
I owned a Mini. For about 3 months. Worst "fun" car I ever owned... emphasis on worst. It was like owning a $23,000 Yugo. Biggest POS on 4 wheels I've driven. Too many nickle and dime problems to post without writing a novel. But fun to drive. I sincerely hope Husky is NOTHING like Mini is in the BMW grand scheme.
BMW's QC isn't what it was 15 years ago. It's taken a serious dive. At least from my personal experience with my F800GS compared to my K1100.
Wow! Kind of read it fast and really need to read 3 more times. Alot to be said, and so sad that Husqvarna did not hire talented market people along time ago, so they could be where the POS orange ship AKA KTM is. Foe us who truly know we own possibly the finest semi-exotic motorcycles ever produced is one thing, but to convince some fool who was brought up on a Honda the merit of our brand is another. Had I ever had the opertunity to work for Husqvarna I assure you, I would have done all that was possible to prevent them from today. 5000 units???????????? That is not good. I'm not sure where it will all go, however as sad as it seems, had BMW not stepped in. we may not have even been able to purchase a new Husqvarna or get parts for that matter. Where did they go wrong, where SEGA went wrong. I could go on 4-ever.......................................................................................................................................................... about this.
I think that the comparison with the Mini is about how the parent company uses a different badge to access a buyer demographic / part of the market that they aren't normally associated with. I agree with the variability in QC though - I used to work for a company that owned several different brands of the same product / service. Each had it's own prestige and pricing and each had it's own (albeit subtly different) QC level -even though all the work was done under the same roof. Regarding motorcycles I see radically different standards of fit and finish between "flagship" bikes and lesser models from the same manufacturer. Accountants are everywhere these days! Recently a friend was checking out a KTM 990 (yeah, I know) and the shop also had some newish BMW Boxers in there. He was shocked at how tatty they were after so little time. I ragged on him a little as I know how he likes to look after his bikes, but he said he wasn't being picky - he just thought that the standard of finish on a BMW would be better. So now he's the owner of a brand new KTM990 Sumo and loves it... On paper he would certainly have been a potential Nuda customer: He wanted something that he could blast around the cart tracks that pretend to be roads round here, but would also eat a few miles occasionally. Above all he was looking for something a bit different that would be fun. But here's the thing: he's my age (44), has been around bikes all his life and remembers Huskies only as feisty competition dirtbikes (he recently restored and sold the Maico 490 he had for 20-something years). It would take him a lot of convincing that a Husky would be a solid road bike. He would also be looking for a dealer network and availability of parts and accessories (stuff like a rack and rear throwovers that would actually fit, as well as all the bling that roadbike owners love!). People much younger than him don't tend to buy bikes, or they buy adventure bikes, or sports bikes. That leaves Husky fans like us and people who don't know they want one yet... OK, Triumph managed to reinvent themselves and Aprilia seem to be making headway, as are Ducati. But consider MV, Benelli, or (worse) Moto Morini. Husky are starting pretty much from scratch here. They aren't doing the "niche marque at a premium price" thing so they will have to shift lots of units to ordinary people. People who will want the dealer support and all the other stuff. [/$0.02 mode]
