Harley-Davidson Japan

Harley-Davidson, Inc. the U.S. maker of the acclaimed Harley-Davidson

motorcycle, recently celebrated its ninetieth anniversary. The company
has a lot to celebrate. Its motorcycles have won the hearts and
loyalties of "bi bike" riders aro!nd the world. In "apan, the bike is so
pop!lar that Harley#s wholly owned local !nit--Harley-Davidson "apan
$$--need not advertise for c!stomers. The %,&'' !nits it imports into
the co!ntry each year are snapped !p as soon as they reach the
salesroom (oor.
In the Beginning
)essrs. Harley and Davidson created their *rst motori+ed bike in ,-'%.
.nly fo!r !nits were prod!ced that year/ b!t by the ,-0's, the H-D
assembly lines were t!rnin o!t 01,''' bikes ann!ally. Today,
prod!ction is !p to 1',''' vehicles per year and steadily climbin.
H-D bikes *rst arrived in "apan in ,-&0. 2rom then !ntil ,-1,, a
domestic tradin company acted as the eneral sales aent for the
motorcycles. 3!t Harley wanted more control, So in ,-1- it bo!ht a
&, percent controllin share, and by the end of ,--, took over ,''
percent ownership to form Harley-Davidson "apan $$.
Give Us More
Tateo Ueno, marketin s!perintendent for H-D "apan, wants to boost
yearly imports of the bike above %,&'' !nits. "4e co!ld sell more," he
reasons, "b!t prod!ction in the U.S. is limited. 4e need to sell &,''' a
year to maintain o!r ,& percent share in the "apanese market for
motorcycles in the seven h!ndred *fty-one cc cateory. So we hope
that U.S. prod!ction will contin!e to increase."
H-D "apan has a network of thirty-*ve a!thori+ed dealers pl!s another
si5ty-*ve corporate dealers who s!pply the bikes to lon waitin lists of
c!stomers year after year. 3!t who are these "apanese bikers who
prefer a Harley to so many competin domestic brands6
"4e did a market s!rvey," Ueno says, "and came !p with some
s!rprises. There are two kinds of Harley owners in "apan. .ne kind is
fairly old, bikers over the ae of &' who love a bi bike, especially one
with a sidecar. .n the other hand, we have very yo!n people who
want nothin b!t a Harley."
H-D Heaven
The mecca for die-hard Harley fans is the H-D showroom in )ita, Tokyo.
Here, the bi bikes are pro!dly displayed alon with a mo!ntain of
other H-D ear ranin from 7ackets and motor oil to embla+oned
helmets and Harley#s own model train sets.
8asy 9iders, a shop located in Tokyo#s Shin7!k! ward, is another place
where enth!siasts can stock !p on Harley ear--and accessories for
other forein bikes--incl!din caps, patches, leather 7ackets, and co:ee
m!s. )anaer ;as!e <o!chi remarks, "4e move a lot of Harley
merchandise. It#s very pop!lar."
Harley the Heartwinner
Harley owners in "apan don#t *t the common imae of bikers as
brawny, tattooed hell-raisers. Indeed, the Harley-Davidson )otorcycle
9iders =l!b, one of the vario!s local H-D owner ro!ps, t!rns the
ro!h-rider imae on its head. )embers of the cl!b are "apanese and
forein white-collar e5ec!tives who comm!te to their o>ces on the
roarin machines.
.wners may spend as m!ch as ;,&',''' ?@,,%ABC a month to maintain
their bikes. 3!t nobody#s complainin. Ds one owner p!t it, ";o!#ve ot
to have heart to have a Harley. S!re, it costs money to keep one. 3!t
who#s co!ntin6 ;o! love the machine so m!ch that money doesn#t
matter."
So!rces
E!estionsF
4hy doesn#t Harley-Davidson "apan $$ have to advertise for c!stomers6
4hat motivated Harley-Davidson *rst to acG!ire &, percent control of a
domestic tradin company and then to b!y it completely6
4ho are these "apanese bikers who prefer a Harley over so many
competin domestic brands6