KTM/Husqvarna... now how will this play out?

[ScottyR]

ktm-parts.com is a privately run dealership in WV. They are a KTM, Berg, GG and just within the last month or 2, a Husky dealer.

 

[AndrewS]

Okay. That did seem to be a pretty quick change. Makes a little more sense, now.

 

[rxcrider]

I wonder if that's a way to blow out all the BMW era bikes to make room for KTM designed Hukys?

(edit) my bad, that KTM site is extremely inclusive. It even lists many after-market items. Very much like any online store front.

the bottom of the page shows the company as Appalachian Offroad MC LLC
http://www.racerxonline.com/dealer/appalachian-offroad-mc-cross-lanes-wv

Dealer for Husqvarna, GasGas, KTM, Husaberg...

 

[Coffee]

Any news from the Husqvarna NA, or Husqvarna Corporate Facebook pages?

I am not a member of Facebook...

 

[MikeB]

Coffee - nothing on Facebook other than the normal new Husky action photo of the week.

I did get the new Husky contingency t-shirt and RideMore Journal. Picture of Jenna in there who handles the program: How come no one told me she was cute?

 

[mnb]

I doubt Pierer is planning to only ship Huskies in India. Just like KTM does now, they'll ship some bikes there and some bikes elsewhere. Some bikes for India may not even see the light of day outside the borders of India. Determine what each market wants. Sell them that. If multiple markets want the same thing, even better.

I wouldn't be too worried that you'll only see cheap 200cc fourstrokes for India with the Husky name on them in the future. That will just be one aspect of the brand we probably almost never hear about.

 

[ray_ray]

"Thus Bajaj-KTM will offer three alternative in the 200cc segment – Pulsar 200 NS at the entry level, Duke 200 in the middle and the Husqvarna 200cc bike at the high end. "

Are you guys reading the same thing I am [see quote above from the article]? I read it just the opposite -- that Husky is more of a premium brand.

Although I must admit -- I could care less about the street bike component of either KTM or Husky.

I could use a small street bike here to loop the island and make short runs to the store ... I just don't wanna buy a Rouser or some honda or a china brand ...
--

This is alot to wrap a mind really at this stage and SP has all this thought out apparently as things are moving so quickly ...

Its got to be looked at as business selling a product and nothing else as the only way I can grasp what might be happening here ...

1st) When you say ktm you are saying SP 51% \ baja 49% of a product ... You gotta keep that straight as ktm is the product they are selling and SP is still the man here.

2nd) Husky is 100% SP to date WITH all the resources of (SP 51% \ baja 49%) ktm name brand and resources in his hip pocket. This can change after the deal finalized by the GOV powers ...

3rd) Bajaj is really just bailout money with SP\Husqvarna as shown with the purchase of the ktm brand ... I don't see why he would let them get a grip on Husky like what happened at ktm ...But I know zero on how bajaj got inside in the first place ... I'd imagine SP has his hands full dealing with bajaj chewing up and down on him on the product (ktm) they co-own ... SP can 100% use the bajaj\ktm resources and keep Husky on its own platform OR fade they into ~1 ... His companies, his call .. The VW company angle sounds like might be his model ...

That's the players

--

Sales....

4th) Selling to India is a money \ units sold number\$$ move. This $ will finance the more expensive and probably MX \ off-road models for the the states and EU maybe .. Not that the 3rd world type places don't buy MX \ off-road bikes ... More $$ means more that they can compete with the island of japan for bike sales across the board ...

5th) From what I have gathered by living here for 3 yrs, a 200cc bike fits here ... Its not an the American attitude of the perfect size dirt bike. Most of these riders here do not want anything over 200cc ... Too heavy, too costly, too powerful, too big... anything bigger is un-needed here for the masses ... You really never see any of the Asian dealers selling anything over a 200cc honda xr (~140,000 peso cost, 3,500$ ).. The GOV does not want bigger bikes here really is what I'm told ...Most hiways are not suited for high speeds and the people are not really for higher speeds either ..

So currently, all the India squawking may be a non-event after it plays out other then lining the pockets of these business men and putting more people on a Husky bike ... Myself, I've saw enough of the island of Japan bikes ...

---

After seeing motorcycles power a country's transportation system pretty much, I don't see why the USA does not grasp this attitude with bikes ... It solves so many of our problems and makes everyday of living so much better by riding a bike around ...

--

I'm going back to dirt bike riding \ racing ... see you later ...

 

[R-J van Hulst]

Sales....

4th) Selling to India is a money \ units sold number\$$ move. This $ will finance the more expensive and probably MX \ off-road models for the the states and EU maybe .. Not that the 3rd world type places don't buy MX \ off-road bikes ... More $$ means more that they can compete with the island of japan for bike sales across the board ...

5th) From what I have gathered by living here for 3 yrs, a 200cc bike fits here ... Its not an the American attitude of the perfect size dirt bike. Most of these riders here do not want anything over 200cc ... Too heavy, too costly, too powerful, too big... anything bigger is un-needed here for the masses ... You really never see any of the Asian dealers selling anything over a 200cc honda xr (~140,000 peso cost, 3,500$ ).. The GOV does not want bigger bikes here really is what I'm told ...Most hiways are not suited for high speeds and the people are not really for higher speeds either ..

So currently, all the India squawking may be a non-event after it plays out other then lining the pockets of these business men and putting more people on a Husky bike ... Myself, I've saw enough of the island of Japan bikes ...

---

After seeing motorcycles power a country's transportation system pretty much, I don't see why the USA does not grasp this attitude with bikes ... It solves so many of our problems and makes everyday of living so much better by riding a bike around ...
--

I'm going back to dirt bike riding \ racing ... see you later ...

Uh what about Malaysia Indonesia Philippines Thailand
huge markets in potential sales for this type/class of bikes (and growing)

if they only catch 5% of the nr of motor cycles sold in a year I would say you get already close to a few hundred thousand units

worth taping into if you ask me.

Robert-Jan

 

[ray_ray]

Uh what about Malaysia Indonesia Philippines Thailand
huge markets in potential sales for this type/class of bikes (and growing)

if they only catch 5% of the nr of motor cycles sold in a year I would say you get already close to a few hundred thousand units

worth taping into if you ask me.

Robert-Jan

Yep ... All people of the world love bikes in general and these smaller bikes are real enabling machines for the people in many ways ...They are work horses here and not nearly such a luxury item as in the places like the states ... You laugh seein a bike with 4 people on it but that is taxi and low cost for moving around ... Bikes and riders are not hated here ... We park up front in most places AND will almost always have dedicated parking ...
--
Thats the market these guys are going after ... The cost is critical here only as a sticking point to move the honda xrm type and such bikes to the rear ...

And please remember SP is a racer guy ...That's the saving grace in all this ... He'll be racing his Huskies on the top tier with top riders ... Strap your helmet on tight for the future of the Husqvarna brand ... Indians are not to be feared ... BTW, they have built plenty of the high tech stuff in the states ... The H2B visas numbers should reflect that story ...

 

[Cdn_rider]

Wow if i didn't like my TC449 so much id think of selling it while i can. For me its been a bunch of downs on a bike that has so much up. I bought my tc449 for a few reasons $price its was a smokin deal and it came with all the good parts brembo ti exhasut kyb etc etc.. there kinda rare and a real head turner and the best part is there a great woods bike thats a track bike by roots, you don't really have to do much to it.
So i bought the bike rode it a few times fell in love then i head in for service only to find out the Canadian distributer went tits up and it might be hard to find parts in Canada . 2nd i find out im on a bmw not the Swedish husky i thought, my bad but bmw has got to be a good thing. Then 3rd the cool dealer that has really been pushing them drops out or can no longer sell them cause the big$$$$ bmw dealer down the road brought them in and dropped Yamaha. Its tuff to go from a cool dealer to a tight ass dealer. NOW im in with KTM who i was going to buy in the first place but the $price was high. problem Im on the bmw motor that im sure doesn't go to ktm ... can't wait to try and find parts in a few years if not earlier.

I own a husky for the same reason most on this site do. Ive ridden a wr and did a lap on a cr and got a chance to ride my next bike the txc310 and there is something about them i just like.

 

[Jeff aka BOLT]

Just some thoughts...

If the intent is to complete with the Japanese bikes, you have to compete mostly on price. In fact, to start to gain market share you have to sell at a lower price.

NO... With 30% market share worldwide in motocross... and 50% market share worldwide in enduro KTM has a huge handle on the business WITHOUT competing on price. I have spent my whole life selling technology based on value and quality. In fact, a higher price supports the perception of a better product. It does NOT hurt you. I'll admit there are a lot of people selling a lot of crap in this world based on price alone. They are order takers and are NOT selling anything. There are also buyers that will always want the cheapest widget. They are NOT who KTM or Husky needs to bother with.

Mercedes can be successful without selling $18,000 cars through Walmart, Costco & Home Depot. So can KTM and Husky.

 

[organ donor]

Jeff aka BOLZ has hit the nail on the head. We´re not a mass market. When the time comes for a new bike, we know that it´s not made in an Asian, mass production facility. That´s for the masses. Not for us. We want the best ... and are prepared to pay for it. I don´t want a BMW bike. I want one that´s individual, made by a dedicted team. I don´t even want to see copies of the one I own on every street corner. I know it´s an expensive hobby. But I pay for it by not even owning a car. I can only hope that Husky reverts to what it traditionally was, and that the company isn´t sucked in to some global, mass producing group of campanies. If not, there´ll be others.

 

[rasputin]

I know zero on how bajaj got inside in the first place ...

ktm and polaris had a "love affair" in 2005. polaris boght a 24% share of ktm. when polaris sold that share in 2007, bajaj bought it.

KTM has a huge handle on the business WITHOUT competing on price. I have spent my whole life selling technology based on value and quality. In fact, a higher price supports the perception of a better product. It does NOT hurt you. I'll admit there are a lot of people selling a lot of crap in this world based on price alone. They are order takers and are NOT selling anything. There are also buyers that will always want the cheapest widget. They are NOT who KTM or Husky needs to bother with.

exactly. more than 15 years ago, i attended a car-hifi workshop from an american manufacturer. he showed us an equation that i remember ever since:
value = prestige * performance / price

it explains a lot. it explains why an audi has a higher price than a skoda, while both customers are happy (same performance, different prestige, "compensated" by a different price).
customers buy value. the "homo economicus" who has a toal disregard for prestige does not exist. especially when it comes to motorcycles...

"prestige" is in fact the only advantage that the european companies have over the asian companies. we europeans cannot compete in price, but we are known worldwide for the quality of "european engineering" and "european design", and for the long-time history of many of our companies.
as for motorcycles, it's basically enough to have a sustainable business. look at beta motor, look at bimota. there's no need to be a "global player" in motorcycles, it's just that some people want to be that.

r

 

[Coffee]

Coffee - nothing on Facebook other than the normal new Husky action photo of the week.

I did get the new Husky contingency t-shirt and RideMore Journal. Picture of Jenna in there who handles the program: How come no one told me she was cute?

Does anyone have a link to the HVNA or HV Corporate (Italy) Facebook pages?

It is possible that I made a mistake.

 

[Coffee]

NO... With 30% market share worldwide in motocross... and 50% market share worldwide in enduro KTM has a huge handle on the business WITHOUT competing on price. I have spent my whole life selling technology based on value and quality. In fact, a higher price supports the perception of a better product. It does NOT hurt you. I'll admit there are a lot of people selling a lot of crap in this world based on price alone. They are order takers and are NOT selling anything. There are also buyers that will always want the cheapest widget. They are NOT who KTM or Husky needs to bother with.

Mercedes can be successful without selling $18,000 cars through Walmart, Costco & Home Depot. So can KTM and Husky.

I'm reasonably sure he was referring to Indonesia, malaysia, Philippines, India...

 

[Boogie]

KTM CEO wants to double husky sales in 5 years. Does this mean a new 450 motocrosser rolled out for 2014? ... Or just small street bikes for the Indian market by Bajaj?

 

[MikeB]

KTM CEO wants to double husky sales in 5 years. Does this mean a new 450 motocrosser rolled out for 2014? ... Or just small street bikes for the Indian market by Bajaj?

Time will tell but I would hope (guess) that we'll see:
*no street bikes except in Asia/India.
*the brilliant 125 continue production with suspension changes (WP) for a few more years until DI comes out.
*the x-lite 250 and 310 continue (with revised e-start and WP) for a few more years.
*a new CR450 called an x-lite with a KTM engine in the fall.
*new 250/300 smokers with DI in 18 months sharing engines with KTM/Husaberg.
*Racer (and dealer) support and purchase financing are critical to capturing market share from the Japanese manufacturers and need to be continued.
*manufacturing in India of Indian products is normal business practice and is good for me in as much as it benefits Husqvarna profitability (and doubles their sales) .... and allows Husky to R&D, to race, and to build products that I want in Europe (using outsourced components).

 

[TemecuCoastie]

I must say, Id love me a KTM Freeride..Parked next to my WR and TE of course

Huskatoomaberg!!!

 

[JonXX]

We´re not a mass market. When the time comes for a new bike, we know that it´s not made in an Asian, mass production facility. That´s for the masses...I don´t even want to see copies of the one I own on every street corner.

BINGO.
Of the many bikes that I own and ride, only one of them is a "bellybutton bike" - and it's for roadracing only.

 

[Not Dead]

I wish that they would start selling the CR 65. My son has been sad to see that BMW was afraid to sell Youth bikes in the USA. I just Hope that my son will have a chance to purchase one.