"Nicky Hayden doesn't sell bikes! " Honda.

That's pretty sad!! (What they said.)

 

Sad, but maybe a misinterpretation. Someone at some point may have decided that the cost benefit ratio of haveing Nicky there didn't work out. As in; haveing Nicky there won't sell enough extra bikes to justify the cost. It is business after all. This may have then been shortened by someone along the line to "Nicky Hayden doesn't sell bikes."



Also; Nicky may have been unavailable that weekend and someone dreamed up the "nicky doesn't sell bikes" line.



But I never heard of anyone in sales or marketing that was full of crap :lol:

 

True, Nicky probably couldn't be there in person, but not to have any mention of him, no posters, anything, is pretty pathetic.

 

Hopefully there at least weren't any Pedrosa posters/signs/pictures. That would have been a bigger disservice to Nicky, although it wouldn't surprise me.

 

The statement "Nicky Hayden doesn't sell bikes" demonstrates unbelievable ignorance. You would think that someone in retail sales would at least understand the basics of marketing (which is, after all, essentially common sense). Reminds me of the abject ignorance I repeatedly encounter when listening to retail sales staff at consumer electronics stores (Circuit City, Best Buy, etc...)

 

I was not surprised Nicky was/is not any of the shows, but Honda could of at least had a something that looked like his race bike on display. After all he did win the championship and is an American. We bitch that no one gives motorcycles any press or air time, the world champ does not get any at his home country bike shows. At the Detroit show Honda had 3 (or at least displayed as) race bikes off to the side: Zenke's FX Daytona bike, a Paris to Dakar bike and I forget the 3rd one.



Yamaha had a display bike which looked like something Rossi road. He was not a the show, plus I am sure he has never seen or hear of it.



I am disappointed I did not think to ask where the Pedrosa bike was.

 

Honda says "Nicky Hayden doesn't sell bikes". well, that's just one more reason that I don't buy Hondas. it's not like they really make competitive sportbikes anymore, anyway.

 

I like Honda bikes and I like Nicky but I hate the way Honda sells bikes . I was happy for Nicky last year but wish he had been on something other than Honda ....anything That sucks .

 

Another angle to this; I happened to notice last week in Cycle news that Honda has few sport bikes in it's line-up anymore. If your company mainly sells cruisers, touring bikes and dirt toys, what point is a roadracer for marketing?



Around here for example most of the riders of the above refer to roadraceing as "circle track" and when you try to explain the difference, their eyes glaze over in about two seconds. There was a time when this was mildly annoying. Now it's just reality and I find it humorous.



Not only do most Americans not care about roadracing, Most American riders don't care about it either.

 

A few of you might have noticed that Mike (Desmo46) doesn't seem as upset or surprised as you at the comments alledgedly made by a Honda rep. Neither am I. Why? Because Mike and I are both in the motorcycle industry (I work in a multi franchaise dealership that includes Honda) and understand that Nicky has little to do with selling Hondas; the rep wasn't wrong. Politically incorrect, perhaps, but not wrong. The reality is that Honda will probably sell no more motorcycles this year than they did last year, when Rossi won the MotoGp Championship for Yamaha, and if they do....it's only because they will have the "latest" and "greatest" 600 this year. Racing gives Honda a wonderful R&D facility, winning gives them credibility, but who pilots the machine is of little interest to the consumer who benefits from that successful R&D program, and who's impressed by a winning tradition. Few of our customers even know who Nicky is, and far less care. It might be different in the European market, where motorcycles and motorcycle racing is far more appreciated by the mainstream, and where they don't know who the Hell Dale Ernhardt is, but like it or not ,that's the reality here in the Good Old USA, so.....don't condemn the messenger who brings you an unpopular truth; He's not the first, and won't be the last :lol: .

 

Well said BRKNBNZ!

 

Well, a couple of you guys just made a good point.(The ones in the motorcycle industry.) I guess we are just the "Weird" Americans because we love a sport that very, very few people in this country understand. It's too bad because IMHO it completely blows NASCAR out of the water.......but then again I love it so who cares. Maybe someday it will become more popular, but I don't see it for a while.

 

Think of the upside Rabbit. We get to enjoy track days because it isn't popular. If roadracing suddenly caught on, supply and demand would drive the going price for track rentals, trackdays and sport bikes through the roof. Most guys like you and I, that work with our hands would be driven out or at least put in the corner to watch the fun we could no longer afford.

 

This is a point that I like!!!! :wink: ........but I'm always broke NOW!!!!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: .......Oh well, but I'm one happy dude!!!

 

I ride a Honda CBR600f4i, it was purchased because I like Honda's. To each his own but I've had pretty good luck with them. Never did it cross my mind to buy a Honda based on who rides them. That market angle might get passed down to some teenager but not me. The old addage "What wins on the track on Sunday sells on the floor on Monday" is a folk tale.

 

Hopper might manage to pull off an occassional pole position &/or podium result, but I don't think he has what it takes to do well regularly, let alone pull off a championship.



I'd like to see Spies over there on the new Suzuki, or Troy Corser even.



FWIW, I predict Rossi or Pedrosa will win the 1st 800cc championship though.