Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge HD dude is new CEO

A recent PowerSports Business article announces that Triumph Motorcycles (America) has a new CEO, and he comes from a strong Harley Davidson background!

Meanwhile, a couple o' highlights from the article, sure to raise your blood pressure...

"The program, (the 'upgrade incentive') set to roll out this spring, will guarantee buyers of 2011 America or Speedmaster models the full value of the price of their unit up to a year after their purchase if they then place that value toward a new Triumph model that is aimed at a more experienced rider." and...

"For the dealer, the program is aimed at driving store traffic with hopefully a new clientele, the entry-level rider."

http://www.powersportsbusiness.com/output.cfm?id=2721547

I'll highlight MY favorite part of this report:

"The former longtime Harley-Davidson official and new CEO of Triumph Motorcycles (America) rode into his new leadership spot — quite literally — in a memorable way during the brand’s recent North American dealer meeting. Heichelbech’s first introduction at a Triumph North American network event began with his arrival on a Speed Triple, while sporting a doo-rag, leather vest and ass-less chaps, and ended after rolling out a series of brand initiatives, including a new consumer program aimed at the entry-level rider and some considerably different marketing objectives and policies."

(...okay okay, if you read the previous paragraph in that report then you know the highlighted part above wasn't what Greg was really wearin'...BUT chances are he COULD have been wearin' that getup IF he had forgotten WHERE he was and WHO he's workin' for now, RIGHT?!)

Very interesting. Hope he's a good fit for the position.

Anyone have any figures on how well that worked when HD did the same thing with the piglets?
I wonder if HD is going to sue for using their marketing ploy?

Perchance that entry level riders equate as to the base price of America s and Speedmasters? I would be more willing to believe that, if not for the new CEO s background, the whole thing feels like a slam on us. A $500 gift certificate from Triumph would go a long way towards mending the fence with me.

I think they should just replace all the old crankcases to make amends.

40+ years of riding and I find out I now own an "entry level" bike.

Kinda' makes me long for the days of owning a "old geezer" bike.

I worry when the first thing he says is asinine. God, I hope he reads this.

Typical top level corporate thinker. He has one idea and he's gonna run that right into the ground.....

Been riding a lot of years too and I love my entry level bike.

Triumph would probably just as soon glue him onto a Rocket III or T-Bird to get him to "appreciate" the product range, when truth is, he would make a far better American CEO if they encouraged him to stick with one of these "entry-level" bikes for a while until he earned his stripes here. Even a standard Bonneville would likely shed a little more soul.

If he never rides one of these Americas or Speedmasters, or a Bonneville, for an appreciable amount of time, he'll never amount to much as the CEO of American Triumph. Unless he's after a track-day bike, which I doubt, or he wouldn't be coming from H-D to begin with.

We're going to miss Tuy, I'm sorry to say, and I never even met the gentleman.

Bet he's a business major.

The Triumph accessory catalog is going to get a lot thicker...

Maybe he should "enforce" the dealers to stock more than 3 parts. I get tired of hearing that I have to wait 2 weeks...

I think there may be a small disconnect here. Triumph Motorcycles America does not build motorcycles. They market motorcycles for the parent company.

I don't think you will see a bit of difference. England pulls all the strings on design. If they don't like the way he markets he will be looking for a new job pretty quick.

Harley has no problem selling. I talked to a sales man yesterday. He said the sales at his store never slowed at all. So they maintained good sales nation wide from what I understand and what I see on the road.
Triumph marketing here in America has been just short of awful. I would not have found mine if I had not done lots of research first. A lot of people ask me what year model mine is and are suprised to find "Triumph still makes bikes".
Harley is not a top quality bike, but has made a big come back since the late 70's, When Honda ruled the roost.
This may be wiser than you think on Triumph's part. If he can bring back the name recognition Lots of things will happen. Parts makers will be more interested in making more accessories that are Triumph specific. Resale value will increase as well.

Wonder how long it will be before we start seeing Triumph t-shirt shops pop up all over the place.

Really wouldn't hurt if we did start to see more merchandise. Hate to go the HD way but you have to admit the HD name is out there and you almost can't go a day without seeing it. Ford even made a black and orange HD edition pick up.

Did some Web searching, but couldn't find the answer.

Did he leave Harley or was he pushed.

Harley had a really hard time because they forced all their dealers to move next to freeways and ended up only able to survive because of marketing their brand on everything in sight. I don't want our shop to ever be forced to move somewhere because of what someone sitting in an office thought might be a good idea.
As for entry level bike... When I talk to new riders I don't tell them to get an America because it is feet forward and new riders ususally feel more confident with feet under them. Yes it has a lower seat hieght, but it is more bike than a new rider should just jump right into. Wow...a lot of red flags in my thoughts right now.
I love my bike and it is not ever going back to trade "up?" for anything.

Saw the first facebook add for this new program

http://www.rideatriumph.com/value?utm_so...aign=mcrae-2011

What is the logic behind this incentive program as to Speedy s and America s? Why not the Scrambler or the Bonny? A feet forward cruiser is not really a beginner bike, IMHO.

Well Ryk, my guess as to what they're thinkin' is that people who ride "Cruisers" with the feet forward position are people who generally ride slower...like newbies to the sport should ride until they're a little more experienced.

(...and, not to brag here or anything, BUT the only problem with their thinkin' like that is that they've never seen ME ride MY BA over a twisting mountain road!!!)

Maybe they know seasoned riders know what they want to buy when they get a bike, and are targeting new riders. The new riders get a speedie or an America and fall in love with the brand, buy other Triumphs, advicate Triumph, and were Triumph branded clothing there by advertising the brand in the most effective way possible the living example.

I think its a good idea. I don't know how many will do it but its a try. Most of the new riders buy Japanese or their friends give them the ole pier group talk and they buy a Sportster.

Bikes at bike night sell bikes.

I have 47 years up in the experience stakes and would expect this from a ex Harley exec. Thank god he is the American CEO and not the Aussie one although will have a influence on our market here no doubt.

I just hope they don't adopt the whole Harley marketing campaign and make POS motorcycles and focus their R&D on tee shirts and thongs.

Also, while I want the company to do well I don't want to be like Harley riders and own the balogna sandwich on white bread of motorcycles, as Harley has become. Where I live, if you don't ride a sport bike you ride a Harley and, to me, they all look the same. I've ridden several and never in a million years would I buy one.

I think there's an aspect to this whole "sales thing" that hasn't been covered here yet.

Uh huh, and that is that Triumph motorcycles and their riders have never really had much of the "Bad Boy" image to hang their hat..err..I guess, helmet on.(well, with the possible exception of when Brando did his little shtick in "The Wild One", of course) Well, NOT at least to the extent that Harley-Davidson has cultivated that image this past half century or so.

Yep! And so ya see, IF maybe this new CEO dude could talk Sonny Barger and his ilk into switchin' from Harleys to Triumphs, then that COULD open up a whole NEW clientele base for Mr. Bloor's wares.

Uh huh, I mean THEN you might have all those dentists, lawyers and other RUBs out there who really haven't got much of a friggin' clue about motorcycles in general buying Triumphs instead of Harleys whenever they'll want to connect with their "Inner Bad Boy"...or say, their "Inner Pirate"...and then...EUREKA!!! Yep, Triumph could eventually outsell every other motorcycle brand out there to those folks!!!

And from what I've seen these past couple of decades, "those folks" are friggin' LEGION out there nowadays...RIGHT???!!!

(...hey, I'm just tryin' to help this new CEO dude with some other "fresh ideas" here, that's all!...I mean, you folks WOULD like to see Triumph increase their sales, wouldn't ya???!!!)

Forget Sonny Barger, they need to switch to Triumphs on Sons of Anarchy... (although he was on that too)

I think Triumph should try to exploit the relationship they enjoyed with one of the true Mensch s of Hollywood, "Steve McQueen", way more cred than Barger with me.

Hmmm....

"Director of Strategic Sales and Marketing, Buell American Motorcycles"

So he's the one that killed off Buell.

"Masters of Business Administration (Executive MBA)
2006

Emphasis in Strategy Development, Values Based Leadership and Ethics, Financial Management and Analysis, Globalization and International Business"

I knew it! He has a degree in meaningless buzzwords! When are they going to get smart and hire someone with a real education and real ethics? It's his kind that can't understand the long term effects of deporting all the country's technical jobs.

Maybe he is a mole, sent by Hardley on a mission of destruction, I say waterboard him. He'll talk, they all do.

Well GB, if Greg here WAS the guy who "killed off Buell", then in THIS case he didn't do it by "deporting all of this country's technical jobs"...at least not according to what I've read from Erik Buell's take on the whole failed Buell/H-D partnership.

Ya see, from Erik Buell's perspective it was the shortsighted decision making in product planning and a lack of financial commitment with which the H-D management encumbered Mr. Buell from the very beginning of that partnership.

Of course, yep, the final outcome of that ill-fated venture was that anybody interested in purchasing a modern sportbike would once again be forced to look overseas and purchase such a motorcycle which would be designed and built in either Japan, Italy, Germany, or England.

(...and so, yep, I suppose in a "Bottom Line" sense, one could say, as you did above, that "jobs were being deported" here)