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Last Update 8/16/08
Reverse Trike Marketing Concept
I wrote this primarily for manufacturers that specifically make a reverse trike (2F1R) and they're looking at ways to market their product. Whether you're working on a concept vehicle, you have a RT that you're ready to go into production with, or you're already having some success selling your RT, there's a few things I've noticed from looking at this industry and its past successes and failures.
I'm 52 years old now and although I've been
riding something with a motor on it since I was 6, I just don't feel as confident
riding on two wheels as I use to. I've been wanting to switch to something with 3 wheels, but the standard
1F2R trike design leaves a lot to be desired in my opinion. There are some
new designs that sit low and have a custom chopper look which are very nice, and
in general, I admit the standard trike design does have a large following
worldwide.
In mid 2006, I remembered seeing some of these reverse trike designs in past
years. So I went looking for
the current state of the art in the RT field, but I didn't find much. In the course of doing research to see what was available these days, I realized
there was a real lack of information on the web about this specific style of
trike. There was no database style website with information on currently available RT's
that I could find. So I started the Reverse Trike Club, and I've put many hours
of my labor into publishing info on these trikes. Within only one month after I bought
this domain my site was #1 in google.com for the term "reverse trike"! Now this site has over
90 pages, though I'm still adding to that
on a regular basis.
Just recently I added a page titled You Buy It - We'll Build
It! I intend
to start building these RT's full time if I can, and I'm emailing companies that make RT kits to see if they'll send business my way.
I have 2 close friends who are both ace motorcycle mechanics who want to help me get this going, so I'm working
the assembly / builder concept, but my real passion would be marketing these vehicles at the motorcycle shows nationwide.
I figure I need some history with building these so I can get some experience on how
different models of RT's perform. The motivation for me behind the club format and marketing different models of RT's came from my research into the
history of all the people that tried to market their particular design in the past.
It appears you can't just take one style trike out and hit the shows and expect to get a bunch of sales.
You'll sell something, but maybe not enough to pay your expenses traveling around the country
from show to show.
For smaller manufacturers that only have an internet presence, it makes a lot more sense
for someone to go to a show with 10 different trikes, than it does to show up with one.
The idea is to sell them something, anything you have, but don't let them walk away without making a
commitment to purchase a product.
People are emotional buyers. These RT's will pull as much floor traffic as
probably anyone else at the show, including your custom Chopper builders. You'll have people all over you, more than you can handle
I'm sure, and that's even if you only show up with
a couple of RT's. Imagine what it will be like if I show up with a V13R, a V-Twin
Roadstercycle, an ACE Cycle Car, a Crossbow, a SpinWurkz TT1, a Hudson Stinger, an
Aptera Diesel Hybrid, an XR3 Hybrid, a Grinnall Scorpion, and a Blackjack Zero for example.
That's 10 vehicles, and customers can see them all on my one website. All
of those aren't on the market as of today, but I think you get the picture. Who can walk away from my booth?
They can't. Their dream machine might be a $30,000 V-Twin Roadstercycle
because they like the look, but maybe they can't afford that, so I point them to the cheaper kits.
Get them in something, and if money is the only issue, I can get as cheap as the
$5000 Aero Trike Roadster kit.
No one walks away without buying something from me, and now I can afford to continue on and pay the bills and keep my shop busy back
home building RT's. I'm promoting this idea to manufacturers because this is where
I think it went wrong in the marketing of RT's in the past. I think the
club format can be successful where marketing one company / one trike hasn't
been. Unless you're already a well known manufacturer of other motorcycle
related products like Piaggio or Can-Am. Once these trikes are out on the road in numbers, motorcycle shops will be coming to you wanting to be the local
builder you refer buyers to in their city.
You have to have a history first. The only history some are going to
remember is the fact that the companies that had products like this at the shows
in the past pretty much all went out of business! Builders should be coming to you, not the other way
around, but you have to establish that credibility first. Where's your
credibility with a company few have heard of, and your 'one style trike' only a
very few people have seen before? When a dealer sees different RT's coming in their motorcycle shop for service
on a regular basis, they'll be credibility. Even if your name was Honda,
Kawasaki, Suzuki or Yamaha people would still be somewhat skeptical. You're just a
salesman selling your latest and greatest product. You might convince them
you have a quality built product because it has the Honda nameplate on it, but
will your one RT product convince enough people to buy one?
Historically the answer is no, and you don't have the Honda nameplate either, so
where does that leave you? Sure, everybody wants to look at it, but few
will chance putting the money down to actually buy one not knowing if it will ever get
delivered.
I think these 3 wheel RT designs in general will catch on here in the US, but I think someone needs
to actively market them at the bike rallies, clubs and shows and so forth to make it happen.
I think they need to do it differently than the way it was done in the
past. My goal is to take a few RT designs around to major bike rallies and the large motorcycle club meetings to show
them off at least by the 2009 riding season if some manufacturers agree to this
concept. Take people for rides, maybe rent them by the hour.
Whatever works.
Probably because of rising gas prices, it seems there are twice as many people riding bikes to work this year as there was last
year. I've personally talked to a lot of people that could and would purchase a 3-wheeler, but don't feel comfortable with
their ability to handle a trike with the traditional 2 rear wheel design. I think to
convince these people, they are going to have to be able to test drive a RT and that's what I want to provide.
I want to trailer a small number of reverse trikes of different designs out to
car or motorcycle shows and rallies where the most people are, and generate sales.
If I'm traveling the country with these trikes, at the same time I could stop at select bike dealers and sign them up to sell and service
RT's.
I think the idea to handle multiple products across a wide price range so they'll have a good
product selection suitable for each potential customers desires, is a good
concept. At the same time I want to
get this Reverse Trike Club domain going as the focal point for providing information to
potential customers. I'll add to my FAQ page, add Tech pages and whatever is needed relative to
addressing the different questions people will have about purchasing and maintaining these
trikes. I'll start Member pages where owners can show off their trikes and I'll model it
around what I've done with my KZ1300
USA Club as that site is at the 1,350,000 hits a month stage now after 8 years and
still climbing.
If there's going to be large scale acceptance of reverse trikes in the US, someone is going
to have to be able to actively market various designs and provide a forum to address
customers concerns. For someone like myself to go on the road and promote these
vehicles, they're going to have to make a substantial profit at it just to keep the bills paid.
If I'm only selling one vehicle I feel there's no way it's going to happen
unless the company is already very well known. There are a lot of
RT designs out there, and I'm contacting them all to see who is interested in having their product
marketed this way. I figure with at least 4 to 5 vehicles I should be able to make it work
for me, and I'd like to have 8 or 10 as I mentioned earlier.
There are quite a few RT's in the $30,000 - $50,000 range, but I wonder how marketable
those will prove to be even though they're exceptional designs. They'll
sell no doubt, but it remains to be seen what percentage of the market share
they'll capture in the long run. However, I think there's a huge market in the
$5000 - $20,000 range and there are a few RT kits buildable in that range now.
I'm guessing that only a very small majority of people are going to opt for a 'plans built' vehicle,
if they can buy a body and frame kit for a reasonable price. Even if they can't
assemble a kit, there are plenty of motorcycle shops that will.
I have a good idea of what a lot of buyers in the RT market want. Many trike discussion groups including this one have discussed the issue in great detail and it boils down to the following:
1) Enclosed with weather protection (soft sided
doors or an optional hard top on an
open base model might be acceptable if well executed)
2) Two seater (For some they did not care about 2 seats, but most seemed to want 2 person
capability - side by side seating or front/back, either style)
3) Capable of freeway speeds, minimum 65mph
4) Predictable handling - no tipping or violent oversteer
5) Performance and economy
6) Engine sizing options available
7) Known engine with parts and service availability including some type of service network for at least the engine and drive train.
8) Automatic Trans available as an option or CVT (paddle shifters with an
electric shift manual trans would generally be acceptable)
9) Some type of Climate control available as an option
10) Cost under $20,000 (obviously some wanted a cost under $10,000 or even $5000)
11) Attractive appearance (this seems to be pretty subjective)
12) Kit or turnkey models available
13) Rollover and crash protection
14) Lockable storage
15) Insurability and licensable in the 50 states
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Contact me with your thoughts on this concept of marketing or if you'd like me to start actively marketing your product. The timing is right for RT's to hit the market in a big way. I'd like to be one of the people to help make that happen. Thank you,
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