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Brand Loyalty
Blog Date - 28 February 2017
I picked up on this thought from a thread of Faceache. Quite a reasonable proportion of motorcyclists seem to become loyal to one brand, one marque, one manufacturer. Why is this? Considering how pragmatic I am in so many ways it comes as a surprise even to myself to find that I have been fiercely loyal to Honda over my 27 years of riding. I guess that makes me at least partially qualified to answer this question.
My first bike was a Honda H100A. It was cheap, worn out and I later learned that the frame was actually bent. It was still my first bike and I loved that first bike. Was it any good? Being new to motorcycling I had absolutely no frame of reference to make comparisons. It started, it felt as fast as lightening, it didn't break down too much so of course I believed it was fabulous. When it was stolen my choice of replacement was influenced by the fact I knew only one bike so I stayed with what I felt comfortable with and got a H100SII.
Looking back I seem to think the next few bikes (CD200 Benly, CB250T Dream, another CD200 Benly) were not chosen because they were Honda but because that was what was available, cheap, and reportedly reliable at the time. In my price range the Suzuki GS250 had poor electrics (my mate's GS250 went up in smoke), the Yamaha XS250 was renown for eating the engine, Kawasaki's Z250s were rare and GPZ305s were too expensive.
My old Benly. Don't ask, no, please, don't ask OK. It was a long time ago.
Is this all true? I seem to remember it being like that, I seem to remember reading all this in "The Used Motorcycle Guide" and hearing such from my new-found biker buddies. I am however looking back through the rose tinted spectacles of hindsight. Maybe I already had built my brand loyalty after my first bike and my first love and I'd become blind to the stories of Superdreams falling apart and CD200 Benlys being as dull as dishwater.
Fate dealt me my next Honda, a CB400 Super Four. This was the bike given to me by the training company I was working for. The Super Four only cemented my love of Honda by being supremely smooth, quite powerful and totally dependable save for one regulator/rectifier. When I stopped being a motorcycle instructor I'd already set my heart on another Honda, this time the NT400 Bros. Again totally reliable, shame it ended up in pieces but that wasn't the bike's fault.
NT400 Bros. Another great Honda.
I suppose by this time my brand loyalty was entirely set in stone.
But WHY!? I keep on coming up with reasons. Perhaps Honda make the type of bike I like? Perhaps Honda are more reliable? Perhaps Hondas are more commonplace and therefore more likely to be available at the right price? I believe these things but are they true? I like to think of myself as sensible, pragmatic, logical and intelligent, maybe I'm just as delusional, unreasonable, easily influenced and drawn in by the hype as any other human being.
I did own a Fazer FZS600 for a couple of years. That was entirely reliable, powerful, fun and comfortable and yet I never "felt" for the bike. Sharon's Keeway has been a splendid machine especially when I consider the purchase price. Sharon's Kawasaki Z250SL has completely endeared itself to me by being economical, fun, well made, nippy and feeling very "quality". Yamaha's range of "MT" models have superb engines that are punchy and grunty while being user friendly too - something all the other marques really do need to learn from.
You can't argue with a bike that can carry this much luggage for 3,000 miles without complaint. Fazer 600.
I'm not blind to the fact that other marques are at least equal to Honda. I just seem to find Honda motorcycles are the right choice for me each time I'm in a position to buy. Oh dear. OK. I admit it. I am delusional and under a Honda spell. I somehow have managed to find excuses to buy a Honda rather than admitting I have a Honda problem. I feel ashamed now and I need to attend "Honda Anonymous". Maybe we never truly get over our first love.
Do you have a brand loyalty, if so why and which marque? Is it all just nonsense? Why did you choose your current ride? We'd love to publish your thoughts on this matter and any other motorcycling related subjects too. Click Here.
Reader's Comments
pocketpete said :-
I certainly have brand loyalty towards certains things. Ive always liked Berghaus stuff for hiking. Ive always liked Korean Cars wich replaced my love of fords.
Panasonic always for TV/Video and HIFI. Dell for computers and Samsung for phones.
I think brand loyaly is for lazy folks in a way they simply cant be bothered to learn about a new brand. Ive always found Suzuki a reliable brand Ive had a few. But the Kawasaki Z600 was pretty good, it always worked. The Yamahas I have had FS1E, RD80LC RD 125LC 250LC were all good. The Hondas have always been good 200Bently Custom, C70, C90 250Superdream were all good the only one I had which was unreliable was my Honda 250RS Single cylinder but it was fun.
You know the way Hondas work the way they tick, where to find parts cheap and how the are put together thats why you always veer over to honda this may be on a subconcious level but it will be there hidden away somewhere.
My wife had a samsung washing machine when it went wrong she got another one even though it was not better at washing than our old Hotpoint. She just prefered the samsung but could not give me a reason for her preference.
I now prefere Daytona boots the reason for this are many but I am now a convert. The little transistor in my head now is firmly pointing to 1 rather than 0 for that brand.
28/02/2017 18:05:30 UTC
Snod said :-
Ahh the UMG, the only place other than here where people seem to ride motorcycles in the same miserable world as I do. Also you read the UMG yet didn't know that Superdreams were rubbish? Did you understand any of it??
And, err, Bye eye 50cl 2CV? Oh right don't ask..
28/02/2017 20:05:28 UTC
Henrik said :-
Basically brand-loyalty is nonsense, especially nowadays, and especially when it comes to motorcycles, cars, and consumer-electronics,..
They all share basic components, development is often joint-ventures, and many products are even identical, like Peugeot Partner/Citroen Berlingo,.
And it doesn't stop there, several French cars got transmission from Nissan,
and the list goes on,..
What is there to be loyal about ?
28/02/2017 21:17:10 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
Pocketpete - I think you're quite right regarding "laziness". If you bought a Twix and you liked it why would you take a risk buying a Mars bar instead? You might not like it and therefore you've wasted 75p. It's just easier, safer and less risk to stick with what you like.
Snod - Lemme see...you're 29...so back when you were doing your potty training the car of choice for young lads was the Astra GTI. Posers would say of their fast cars and motorcycles "Bye Bye GTI" and it became a catch phrase. My Benly wasn't as fast as a GTI so the phrase to Bye Bye 2CV. I doubt it would of beaten a 2CV to be honest.
Henrik - There are a lot of generic parts out there. There are certain things that certain manufacturers do particularly. For example I know Honda always use green for their earth wires. Meh, who am I kidding, your're right there's nothing to be loyal about and I'm sure Honda wouldn't be loyal to me. But old habits die hard.
01/03/2017 11:14:20 UTC
125Tony said :-
Personally I tend to lump all 4 Japanese manufacturers in the same boat since they have enough models to keep the average biker happy and busy for most if not all of their biking career. So that's brand loyalty of a sort. Fact is they are all I've known so I'm comfortable with them.
Ok so today I own a KTM but that's only because Mr Honda up the road didn't have what I wanted. I'm glad to see the Japanese finally catching up with things like Yamaha's MT125 and the soon to be released Suzuki GSX S125, I'm looking forward to that.
With most manufacturers building bikes in somebody else's factory along side the competition surely some of it comes down to your local dealership and the whole buying experience they give you and your relationship with them.
There's no doubt the internet has opened our eye's to alot that's going on, both good and bad and changed the buying experience. To me there's no substitute for visiting dealerships and trying things over a coffee and a chat.
01/03/2017 14:57:09 UTC
Latchy said :-
I'll try anything that takes my fancy, and I am glad that I do, the latest bikes I have spent a decent amount of money on have all been different makes. It is the machine itself I am interested in and a test ride reveals the magic within, so I have owned Japanese, Italian, and dare I say it British machines. There is absolutely no doubt for me that the Aprillia I owned for 2 years was more up my street than any of the big four from Japan and fearing I couldn't better that v twin , I found a even more exciting ride with my triumph. I looked on with doubt at them silly street triples for five years, after all the ugly frog eyes and silly whistle from the exhaust put me off them, but a ride on one shocked me and completely won me over, it was lighter and quicker than my Shiver.
I currently keep getting thoughts of testing a KTM but only because of the package, ie light weight (same as my trumpet) and a beautiful V twin motor nestling in the bike, thumping away sounding like a proper motorbike, and that gorgeous orange and black paint.....OOOOOH
There are some amazing bikes now, and not enough time (or money) to own them, shame
01/03/2017 18:53:34 UTC
125Tony said :-
I hope to be reading about a orange and black project in the near future then.
01/03/2017 19:16:21 UTC
Sharon said :-
Brand loyalty..hmmm seems to me it can be rather complicated.
I would consider that I myself have no particular brand loyalty. When I wish to purchase a new TV or phone I do the research on what is the best on the market within my price range at that time. The brand name does not overly concern me. I have only owned two bikes so far but both are different manufacturers.
Sometimes we end up stuck with certain brands for certain things. Take my helmets. They have always been either HJC or Shark. That is not brand loyalty it is just that they fit my particular shape of head. But having said that if we buy a helmet and find we simply do not like it we can not just take it back. The same with a new camera. So sometimes in fear of ending up with a sub-standard product we can end up sticking to a previously know and trusted brand. Better the devil we known especially when we do not have money to throw away on a incorrect choice.
I also think that we actually have too much choice these days and it can sometime overwhelm us. So by sticking to certain brands we reduce the confusion. We can feel so bombarded by choices we find ourselves frozen into inaction. So choosing a brand we know can be a simple lifeline thrown into a tangled web of possibilities.
01/03/2017 21:05:27 UTC
Bob said :-
I tend to work the other way. I don't have a list of brands that I trust, but I do have a list brands that I don't!
Most stuff these days is basically good, so avoiding the duffers isn't so hard.
03/03/2017 16:22:50 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
Ah Bob is there no-one you trust? But yes of course there are certain brands I wouldn't touch with a bargepole! Once bitten twice shy.
Making decisions requires effort and in today's consumer market there are too many choices. We're looking for shortcuts rather than having to research and understand 327 options. We had product X once it worked fine. Product Y failed spectacularly. Ignore all other options. Choice made.
04/03/2017 06:48:03 UTC
Tony W said :-
I bought Honda because of the salesman, and the deal on panniers etc :)
I'd really like a Triumph.
Oh and a Harley.
Maybe a Kawasaki / Suzuki / Norton.....
So many bikes so little time ! --- and money :(
And I do like the idea of Honda's DCT system - an automatic bike, or should that be scobike?
For me brand loyalty is what takes your fancy at the time and the deal you can get.
But I do get attached to my bikes. In an ideal world I'd never sell one, just keep buying more :)
04/03/2017 10:53:11 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
What I or we need Tony W are 2 things. Firstly a shed the size of Aldi's new distribution centre in Bolton. I think it's large enough to have, oh I dunno, one of everything. Secondly is a lot of money. I haven't found a solution to the money issue.
As for getting attached to bikes, yes, I do a little but Sharon will be in therapy if she ever has to sell any of her bikes. Many years back her Fiat Punto had to go off to the great scrapyard in the sky. I still can't mention that car without seeing a tear in the corner of her eye.
04/03/2017 14:24:18 UTC
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