River Cities Business Journal: Cover Story

River cities business journal

KINGMAN - It has been said that image is everything and that may be so when it comes to Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

Beginning with the 1954 movie “The Wild One,” in which Marlon Brando actually rode a Triumph motorcycle, the image of the outlaw biker riding a Harley was formed, Route 66 Motorcycles general manager Tony Campbell said.

It is still image that makes a lot of people want a Harley. It's the Harley sound, look and Harley logo that prompts many people to become motorcyclists.

A part of that image that keeps people from buying Harleys is that the price is prohibitive.

“They're more affordable than most people think,” Campbell said. “A couple of big fallacies are Harley-Davidsons start at $20,000. The reality is you can get into one for about $7,000. An 883 Sportster starts at $6,595. They compare very well. A 750 Honda starts at $8,300.

“It's like saying all Chevys are $60,000 because Corvettes are $60,000.”

For the local commuter that may be exactly what they want.

“If you want something to commute on you don't want as big a bike,” Campbell said. “Our bigger bikes start at about $12,000.

“We sell more in the $15,000 to $21,000 range. Our area fits more into bigger bikes because it's so far between places here.”

Even the only Harley dealer in the area has a bit of an image issue. Route 66 Motorsports is also named Mother Road Harley-Davidson.

With just one Harley-Davidson dealer in the region one would expect it to be busy during the Laughlin River Run and that would be correct.

Motorcycle sales actually drop at the 22,000 square foot dealership during the seven-day River Run, but other sales improve.

“During the River Run it's mostly service, parts and clothing,” Campbell said. “Everyone wants to get something that says Kingman, Route 66 Motorsports or Mother Road Harley-Davidson. We sell as much clothing as we do in a month with the business condensed into a seven-day period.

“Laughlin is great for us. We try to have fun, but it's a lot of work.”

Even though during the River Run motorcycle sales slow down, there is a spinoff that causes peaks in sales.

“The biggest time for motorcycle sales, I'd say, is a couple weeks before or a couple weeks after River Run,” Campbell said.

There is no typical Harley buyer at the Kingman store, Campbell said.

“The average customer is 48 years old nationwide. If anything we have a little bit older customers because of the retirees,” Campbell said. “The youngest was 15. We run the gamut, but a large portion are retirees.”

Mother Road Harley-Davidson stays busy throughout the year with a large geographic customer base.

“Our territory goes from Essex, Calif., to Seligman and from Parker Dam to Dolan Springs,” Campbell said. “It's by Zip Codes so it's a fairly loose area.

“We sell some bikes into the Las Vegas area and some into Phoenix, but the majority stay in our area.”

And Campbell said you never know who is going to be the next Harley rider.

“Statistically half the people who buy a Harley-Davidson are new to Harley-Davidson and new to motorcycling,” Campbell said. “You never know who our next customer is going to be.”