[dsjr70]

Don, I would figure that none of the events are factory events. You are saying the dealer is willing to pay for the truck but he can't get it? I see your point: where the hell are all 6 trucks.

To Bubba's point, I'd have to blame both the dealer and the regional rep for dropping the ball a year ago when they should have booked something.......again, you may have a new rep that didn't even have the job a year ago.

Yep, he is willing to pay for it and it is my understanding that it was booked. But it is not as simple as putting your name on a calendar and you get that weekend. I understand they have to coordinate the trucks to several dealer events so they want to make it as cost effective as possible to keep the dealer cost down and not zig zag across the US. But where I think they failed was reschedule one of your events in Texas so that both are either before or after Biketoberfest. What better way then to get your name out there then an event the size of Biketoberfest especially when the dealer is footing the bill. Also, October is historically pretty cool by Florida standards so I would assume it is colder in the North... Like you said, where are the other 5 trucks?

 

[bubba]

Don, I would figure that none of the events are factory events. You are saying the dealer is willing to pay for the truck but he can't get it? I see your point: where the hell are all 6 trucks.

To Bubba's point, I'd have to blame both the dealer and the regional rep for dropping the ball a year ago when they should have booked something.......again, you may have a new rep that didn't even have the job a year ago.

Yep, he is willing to pay for it and it is my understanding that it was booked. But it is not as simple as putting your name on a calendar and you get that weekend. I understand they have to coordinate the trucks to several dealer events so they want to make it as cost effective as possible to keep the dealer cost down and not zig zag across the US. But where I think they failed was reschedule one of your events in Texas so that both are either before or after Biketoberfest. What better way then to get your name out there then an event the size of Biketoberfest especially when the dealer is footing the bill. Also, October is historically pretty cool by Florida standards so I would assume it is colder in the North... Like you said, where are the other 5 trucks?

Smowmobiles and ATV's

 

[randysfishing]

bottom line for something this big Vic needs to be there

 

[bubba]

bottom line for something this big Vic needs to be there

Because you think they should?
Lets just assume based on the knowledge Victoryhas learned overthe past 10 years that they net very few saleswhile attending this event.
Lets alsoassume that they net more sales with less overall costs attending a dealer event.
They are not a very stupid company IMO. They have out engineered, improved sales and make a ton of cash.
Othersthat will be attending have not had that great of a year. How stupid are they?????

 

[randysfishing]

bottom line for something this big Vic needs to be there

Because you think they should?
Lets just assume based on the knowledge Victoryhas learned overthe past 10 years that they net very few saleswhile attending this event.
Lets alsoassume that they net more sales with less overall costs attending a dealer event.
They are not a very stupid company IMO. They have out engineered, improved sales and make a ton of cash.
Othersthat will be attending have not had that great of a year. How stupid are they?????

ok i agree point well taken
lets just say it would be nice to see them there

 

[bubba]

[/quote]
lets just say it would be nice to see them there
[/quote]
Agree 100%!!!!!

 

[dsjr70]

Don, I would figure that none of the events are factory events. You are saying the dealer is willing to pay for the truck but he can't get it? I see your point: where the hell are all 6 trucks.

To Bubba's point, I'd have to blame both the dealer and the regional rep for dropping the ball a year ago when they should have booked something.......again, you may have a new rep that didn't even have the job a year ago.

Yep, he is willing to pay for it and it is my understanding that it was booked. But it is not as simple as putting your name on a calendar and you get that weekend. I understand they have to coordinate the trucks to several dealer events so they want to make it as cost effective as possible to keep the dealer cost down and not zig zag across the US. But where I think they failed was reschedule one of your events in Texas so that both are either before or after Biketoberfest. What better way then to get your name out there then an event the size of Biketoberfest especially when the dealer is footing the bill. Also, October is historically pretty cool by Florida standards so I would assume it is colder in the North... Like you said, where are the other 5 trucks?

Smowmobiles and ATV's

Ummm... They are Victory trucks, not Polaris???

 

[dsjr70]

bottom line for something this big Vic needs to be there

Because you think they should?
Lets just assume based on the knowledge Victoryhas learned overthe past 10 years that they net very few saleswhile attending this event.
Lets alsoassume that they net more sales with less overall costs attending a dealer event.
They are not a very stupid company IMO. They have out engineered, improved sales and make a ton of cash.
Othersthat will be attending have not had that great of a year. How stupid are they?????

Bubba, I say this with all due respect... Get your head out of the Victory you know where... It is a dealer event, it just happens to be when the second largest motorcycle event is going on in his area. If the local dealer didnt net sales at this event he wouldnt request it. Why is that so hard for you to understand?

 

[dsjr70]

I think it is because the trucks support dealers. Do they have a dealer anywhere near Daytona? The purpose of the truck is to draw folks into the dealer and get them talking to sales guys. A Daytona Victory dealer would get thousands of walk through visitors anyhow. Then the question would be, do you let the drunks drive your bikes?

I would disagree on one thing about bike events. Folks that ride great distances to things like Daytona and Biketoberfest pretty much know the bike manufacturers. The guy on the Harley from Indiana is not likely to spend a day waiting for his turn to ride a bike. He is not looking at bikes to buy in Daytona. It interferes with getting drunk, falling down and getting drunk again.

I do see your point that it would be doable. But they would need a secure Victory dealer lot to setup wouldn't they? Is Volusia still a Vic dealer. Last I was there they had about 4 bikes and a frown on their faces. (2008)

Yes Volusia is still a dealer. When I was there in June, they had more bikes and smiles on there faces. I don't know, maybe the customer they were talking to when you were there put them in a pissy mood?????
Shawn

Shawn,
The dealer Satxron and you seen were two different dealers. When he was there they were a bike shop trying to play motorcycle shop. Andy has a totally different outlook these days.

 

[satxron]

Thanks for clarifying it Don, I was thinking they may not want to send the truck to the Volusia I saw a while back. They try to send trucks to volume shops too so had visions of the old Volusia.

I am glad you understood what I wrote rather than look for a fight about something.

Even though according to our resident asshat, I was picking a fight.

 

[dsjr70]

Thanks for clarifying it Don, I was thinking they may not want to send the truck to the Volusia I saw a while back. They try to send trucks to volume shops too so had visions of the old Volusia.

I am glad you understood what I wrote rather than look for a fight about something.

Even though according to our resident asshat, I was picking a fight.

Nah, understood... I was there for the first time about the same time as you and I seen wall to wall bicycles and scooters and a parts guy that was less then helpful. Now they have two full time sales people for the Victory/Polaris line. plus Andy the owner that does it all and a new service manager that seems to have his **** together. I think right now they are second in the State in sales but I could be wrong on that. I know they are in atleast the top 3 in Vic sales... Yeah, most of them were sold to me...lol

 

[bubba]

bottom line for something this big Vic needs to be there

Because you think they should?
Lets just assume based on the knowledge Victoryhas learned overthe past 10 years that they net very few saleswhile attending this event.
Lets alsoassume that they net more sales with less overall costs attending a dealer event.
They are not a very stupid company IMO. They have out engineered, improved sales and make a ton of cash.
Othersthat will be attending have not had that great of a year. How stupid are they?????

Bubba, I say this with all due respect... Get your head out of the Victory you know where... It is a dealer event, it just happens to be when the second largest motorcycle event is going on in his area. If the local dealer didnt net sales at this event he wouldnt request it. Why is that so hard for you to understand?

Because there are always two sides to every story. There is no way any company would not support something if it meant increasing sales. Personally, I can give two ****s,it just a way tosee you increase your posts!
My head is notin my ass, I can see very clear, thank you. I see yours is way to big to fit in yours!!!

 

[OneThumb]

bottom line for something this big Vic needs to be there

Because you think they should?
Lets just assume based on the knowledge Victoryhas learned overthe past 10 years that they net very few saleswhile attending this event.
Lets alsoassume that they net more sales with less overall costs attending a dealer event.
They are not a very stupid company IMO. They have out engineered, improved sales and make a ton of cash.
Othersthat will be attending have not had that great of a year. How stupid are they?????

Bubba, I say this with all due respect... Get your head out of the Victory you know where... It is a dealer event, it just happens to be when the second largest motorcycle event is going on in his area. If the local dealer didnt net sales at this event he wouldnt request it. Why is that so hard for you to understand?

Because there are always two sides to every story. There is no way any company would not support something if it meant increasing sales. Personally, I can give two ****s,it just a way tosee you increase your posts!
My head is notin my ass, I can see very clear, thank you. I see yours is way to big to fit in yours!!!

Old Age is Temporary

 

[mjw930]

Just to clarify Vic's attendance for the Daytona events, last fall was the first time in recent memory that the truck was not here for Biketoberfest. Volusia Motorsports, Best Buy and Farrera all chipped it and manned a tent across from the Iron Horse and Vic sent 2 non working (at least they didn't send the keys with them) Cross bikes for display. It was pitiful but it was where I made the decision to become a Vic owner. 3 weeks later the demo truck was at Volusia and I got to ride the XC and placed my order.

The belief that Biketoberfest is a regional event is misplaced, just drive down A1A and look at the thousands of trailers with NY, PA, NJ, Ohio, Mich, etc. license plates will change your mind. As for bike sales, the 2 largest sales weeks for ALL dealers in the Daytona area are March and October, those dates just happen to fall durring our bike events. Coincidence, I think not!

The facts are that Andy wants the truck, is willing to chip in his fair share but Victory has decided it's more important to spend 2 days at a dealer in Texas than have their presence felt at an event that draws over 200,000 riders. Even if they don't buy here the opportunity to demo the bikes is one of the reasons people come to these events. I know I was hugely disappointed past year and almost didn't give Victory a second look and I'm not all that much different than the guy who's on the fence about his next bike, has read the press and wants to check out the Vic's back to back with their competition.

To Don't point, they should look at the upcoming year's national bike rallies and schedule their trucks to make sure they can make each event, the stand alone dealer demo's come second IMHO. It's marketing 101.

 

[dsjr70]

The belief that Biketoberfest is a regional event is misplaced, just drive down A1A and look at the thousands of trailers with NY, PA, NJ, Ohio, Mich, etc. license plates will change your mind. As for bike sales, the 2 largest sales weeks for ALL dealers in the Daytona area are March and October, those dates just happen to fall durring our bike events. Coincidence, I think not!

I should have clarifed that statement, it is not that it is regional but it is allot more regional then Bike Week itself. I know more of us locals attend Biketoberfest because the crowds are a little smaller.

 

[BellesAZ]

Well, if it makes you feel any better, they weren't at Las Vegas Bike Fest either.. disappointing, but I own a Victory,and I've seen the demo truck several times, so I didn't miss them personally but would have been nice to introduce them to other riders.CanAm was there, however. They weren't at Bike Week here in Phoenix, which is huge. Doesn't matter if its local and I agree, that in the "major" bike shows at least.. the benefit to dealers would be to share the cost and have the demo truck there. Maybe not all dealers would contribute in your region and if that's the case, they could benefit from the demo truck without having to fork over any $$ for it. Has anyone considered picking up a phone and ask the Marketing VP at Victory why they weren't there? And I do suspect it has something to do with dealer sponsorships, etc. You may even consider calling the local dealers to ask.
BTW, they don't expect alot of sales from these shows and reallyit is not the reason they have the demo truck there. In fact, if youdid a demo on a bike and said, "I'd like to buy one!" They wouldn't have one there to sell to you on the spot. You'd have to visit your local dealer - which is probably who paid for the demo truck to begin with. The demo trucks are there more for enhancing brand recognition,not direct sales.
The first sentence of this thread seems a bit harsh and somewhat generalized about Victory and members of this Forum - which happens to be forVictory owners. So, it's fair to say Victory has some fans here, but I don't recall anyone here ever claiming perfection from Victory. They aren't and don't claim they are as far as I know.If you talk to your dealer, they are loaded with complaints too. But at the end of the day, they aren't selling Harley's and you're not riding one.Victory may not be perfect but they areheads and tails above other manufacturers in the quality of what they put out on the market.

 

[satxron]

It appears much smaller but is still a huge event. I have been there twice and Spring Daytona once. Biketoberfest is smaller than our Republic of Texas rally but it is far from a small deal. Dealers should get huge foot traffic in the showrooms at that time.

I agree, if they are paying the freight, they deserve a truck.

 

[ddawg]

"Rumor has it..." Need I say more?
Does anyone have any FACTS?
Maybe the demo truck won't be there and the truck that shows the Vic line will be?
Must be raining to post about rumors?

Rumors are the best. It gives everyone more latitude!!! More elbow room!!! LOL!!

 

[dsjr70]

Has anyone considered picking up a phone and ask the Marketing VP at Victory why they weren't there? And I do suspect it has something to do with dealer sponsorships, etc. You may even consider calling the local dealers to ask.

I have done both actually and the answers I was given were provided.

BTW, they don't expect alot of sales from these shows and reallyit is not the reason they have the demo truck there. In fact, if youdid a demo on a bike and said, "I'd like to buy one!" They wouldn't have one there to sell to you on the spot. You'd have to visit your local dealer - which is probably who paid for the demo truck to begin with. The demo trucks are there more for enhancing brand recognition,not direct sales.

The event would be at the dealership and does result in direct sales. This dealer happens to be on the outskirts of Daytona and will not get the direct foot traffic without the truck to bring them there. Historically the truck brings them allot of business and as Mark mentioned it is one of the biggest weeks for bike sales.

The first sentence of this thread seems a bit harsh and somewhat generalized about Victory and members of this Forum - which happens to be forVictory owners. So, it's fair to say Victory has some fans here, but I don't recall anyone here ever claiming perfection from Victory. They aren't and don't claim they are as far as I know.If you talk to your dealer, they are loaded with complaints too. But at the end of the day, they aren't selling Harley's and you're not riding one.Victory may not be perfect but they areheads and tails above other manufacturers in the quality of what they put out on the market.

Belles, I have been around here for a while and that intitial comment was made with two people in mind that think Victory walks on water and never makes a mistake. ALLcompanies make a poor decision and no company is perfect 100% of the times. I ride a Victory not because I am sold on the company as a whole but because it is the best made American bike today. If HD came out with a better bike tomorrow I would probably be on one. There are some people that are falling into the HD mentality that Vic can do no wrong, and once Victory starts thinking that way innovation and technology will go stale just like it did at HD and for that matter Suzuki.

 

[BellesAZ]

@dsjr - fair enough. But in reality, Harley hasn't come out with a better builtbike and even if they did, you'd still have to put up with HD gouging you on after market products and services. So far, I haven't seen that with Victory (too badly), even though I grumble about adding this or that. All I have to do is compare what I spend to that of my neighbor with the Harley. I'm lucky.
Besides, I go to all these bike events and I see Harley after Harley after Harley.. I don't care what style or make of Harley it is.. they are all the same. They all look, sound and act the same. That was one of the reason I bought my KP - I wanted something unique and different and I don't want tomarch to the beat of the drone machine. I didn't see them at a bike show, I wasn't influenced by other Vic riders. I did my own research and discovered it on my own. I realize, however, that marketing exposure could have certainly influenced the decision to buy sooner.
I don't mean to belabor this point, but if others herethink Victory walks on water, that's cool. Most of us know they don't but I also know you'd have to shop a long time to find a bike so well engineered, reliableand put together. To that point, we can probably all agree.
Now, as for their marketing and strategy? I am absolutely confused. In today's market, no one is able to do business like they used to. I get that, but c'mon.. there are some obvious targets that you need to hit. I'm in Marketing and I can tell you that historically, Victory is a fairly young and inexperienced company. But you don't have to have a degree in Marketing to figure out the obvious. They have alot of learning curves ahead of them and they have struck out on several campaigns where they could have used a different strategy. I'm not sure that I would agree witheverythingthey do, but then again I'm not the one making decisions.
It seems logical they would hit the big shows with the trucks. As I said, they didn't come to Vegas or Phoenix, two huge bike markets.
"Let's see.. how can we sell more Victory's... demo trucks at all the major bike shows, or the True American Road Trip? Hmmmm.... brilliant idea!"