Survival of the Motorcycle Let's be honest. Poor business decisions and a shift in consumer focus made the 1970's a difficult time for British Motorcycles. In the end, Triumph was about the last to squeeze out a meager production. Norton, Vincent, Ariel, BSA, Royal Enfield, Brough-Superior and Triumph, mainstays of the British motorcycle industry, had called it quits along the way. Back on the mainland, their American counterparts were struggling as well. A major factor in the success of the motorcycle industry at this time was the shift in public perception. In the 1960s, Triumph advertisements stated, You meet the nicest people on a Triumph, but I believe a growing fear of biker gangs and the association of motorcycles with violence and mayhem created a mistrust of motorcycles in the public eye. While the motorcycle has successfully endured in eastern countries simply as an efficient means of transportation, lifestyle has always been the greatest marketing element in western culture. Since perception is reality, reality says that the American motorcycle movement has lost its anti-establishment edge. No longer does the American motorcycle hold the mystique that kept it afloat during the lean years of motorcycling. Since people now joke about every doctor and dentist buying an American bike, it should be no surprise that the custom bike market is exploding. More and more builders are emerging, and television programs like American Chopper garner the highest ratings out of any show on the Discovery Channel. Triumph has also exploded in popularity, and its motorcycles continue to advance in their rankings and reviews. Royal Enfield is exporting motorcycles again, and Norton and Vincent both are scheduled to release new models in the very near future. British motorcycles, in their styling alone, are proving that there is a desire out there for something more individual and unique than the mass produced, chrome plated, tribal paint jobbed, leather fringed V-twin motorcycle. |
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