Triumph / China

[TB-Racing]

How to make a Triumph Scrambler fly..... http://www.cyclenews.com/589/21393/R...Scrambler.aspx
-One of the Scramb's shown in post #17 is still for sale-

[euphonius]

So has Triumph gotten cold feet about China, or just found greener pastures on the other side of the Himalayas?

Not sure what makes Triumphs "iconic" any more; the story does not say which models they'll be rolling out in India.

Hmmm. Harley is reported to be selling 150 bikes a month in India through 10 dealers. How does that compare with China?

cheers
euphonius

Britain's Triumph Motorcycles aims to win over India's wealthy bikers
Fri, Nov 22 2013
By Aradhana Aravindan
MUMBAI (Reuters) - Britain's Triumph Motorcycles will start selling its iconic bikes in India on Thursday as it seeks to capture the hearts of wealthy motor heads who ride for passion not function.

Privately held Triumph is following high-end motorcycle makers such as Harley-Davidson Inc (HOG.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Volkswagen AG's (VOWG_p.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) Ducati in entering a market where quick-rising wealth is leading to greater demand for expensive toys.

"The best combination on the road is the bike and the road - they are the only two people who can talk to each other. I think that culture is coming up in India," Triumph India Managing Director Vimal Sumbly told Reuters in an interview on Friday.

Triumph not only has to win over customers, but also has to persuade people to buy touring bikes in a country notorious for poor roads. Its track record for infrastructure development is miserable compared with China and most other emerging economies, and its failure on this score has sapped growth.

Most Indians commute using motorcycles or scooters and it is common to see families of four or five on a single vehicle snaking through heavy traffic or even over pavements escaping jams. As the economy slows, two-wheelers comprise the only category of the auto industry to register growth this year.

Sales of motorcycles with an engine displacement of 350 cubic centimetres or less, which make up the bulk of the market, have risen about 3.5 percent so far this fiscal year, show data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).

Sales of more powerful bikes, including those from Harley and Eicher Motors Ltd's (EICH.NS: Quote, Profile, Research) Royal Enfield, have doubled over the same period. Industry watchers say strong growth is likely to continue in the medium term, as consumers in the luxury segment are not as vulnerable to the impact of a slowing economy.

Still, high-end motorcycles form a miniscule portion of the Indian two-wheeler market, the world's largest by some estimates with sales of nearly 14 million bikes in the last fiscal year.

Harley, which shipped nearly 250,000 motorcycles globally in 2012, sells about 150 bikes a month through its 10 Indian dealers, according to SIAM.
Triumph, which sold more than 50,000 bikes last year, plans to open at least three showrooms by the end of 2013, in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

The company, which began life as a bicycle manufacturer in 1887, will assemble some models at its new plant in Manesar, Haryana, to save on high import taxes and so keep prices down. It also plans to build a factory in Karnataka.

As well as Harleys, Triumph's classic cruisers and sports bikes will also compete with offerings from Honda Motor Co Ltd (7267.T: Quote, Profile, Research), Yamaha Motor Co Ltd (7272.T: Quote, Profile, Research) and Bayerische Motoren Werke AG's (BMWG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) BMW Motorrad - plus the lower priced bikes of Royal Enfield.

"We will be an aspirational brand for guys who use (Royal Enfield) bikes," said Sumbly, who was previously with Bajaj Auto Ltd (BAJA.NS: Quote, Profile, Research), India's second-largest motorcycle maker.

Asked whether Triumph would design an India-specific bike, Sumbly said, "As the market develops and we see the growth, the company will surely invest more and more in India."

(Editing by Christopher Cushing)
© Thomson Reuters 2011.

[SabineHartmann]

Suzhou, minimum 10 HD a month. But we learned, they, the buyers, hardley ride their bikes

[lipsee]

Suzhou, minimum 10 HD a month. But we learned, they, the buyers, hardley ride their bikes

Hahahahaa it was just the same with my 1974 Triumph 500,,it was easier to walk....

[MJH]

I do not think I would be willing to invest in a Triumph dealership in India, but if I was too Goa would be my choice. But think it be best to also offer some other brands as well.


http://www.triumph.co.uk/india/

[ZMC888]

Suzhou, minimum 10 HD a month. But we learned, they, the buyers, hardley ride their bikes

Yes the bikes as toys to be seen on once a month in the summer. Also 6000 kms or more is seen as an 'insane' annual mileage making your bike very hard to sell if it ever clocks up any real mileage. Essentially they are an alternative to a second or third car, and can be conveniently kept in a small garage with enough space for other family junk. Three of my neighbors have unregistered big bikes in their lock-up garages. They almost never ride them, hardly ever out of the city unless there are at least five other riders to hold their hand. They ask me if my bike is broken every time I check my tire pressure, oil or water.

Motorcycle sales figures for bigger bikes in China will depend largely on the amount of 'face' someone can gain by owning one.

[euphonius]

Yes the bikes as toys to be seen on once a month in the summer. Also 6000 kms or more is seen as an 'insane' annual mileage making your bike very hard to sell if it ever clocks up any real mileage. Essentially they are an alternative to a second or third car, and can be conveniently kept in a small garage with enough space for other family junk. Three of my neighbors have unregistered big bikes in their lock-up garages. They almost never ride them, hardly ever out of the city unless there are at least five other riders to hold their hand. They ask me if my bike is broken every time I check my tire pressure, oil or water.

Motorcycle sales figures for bigger bikes in China will depend largely on the amount of 'face' someone can gain by owning one.

I'd see them as the male answer to a Louis Vuitton bag: a fashion accessory, nothing more, nothing less.

euphonius

[bikerdoc]

I'd see them as the male answer to a Louis Vuitton bag: a fashion accessory, nothing more, nothing less.

euphonius

Fell off my chair... ROFL...

[lipsee]

I'd see them as the male answer to a Louis Vuitton bag: a fashion accessory, nothing more, nothing less.

euphonius

I never felt a real need to carry a Louis Vuitton bag around,,, I expect thats what happens when you ride a Jialling,,hehe

[euphonius]

Haha. You know, given that LV bags are note even made of leather, but of some plastic-coated canvas, they'd probably make decent tool bags. Alas, not the most affordable.

As for Jialing riders, I've never seen anyone among us even carrying a manbag! You know something I don't?

euphonius