WIBW Television, out of Topeka, KS, reports that Big Dog Motorcycles laid off 20 of its employees yesterday.

The company is blaming a downturn in the economy, the housing market decline, and the financial lending crisis. 2007 was apparently a really bad year for the custom motorcycle maker. Last March, the company went through another round of layoffs, with 10 employees getting the boot.

Big Dog is a manufacturer that thrives on customers with disposable income, kinda like Harley Davidson. On the other hand, manufacturers like Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha can thrive in lean times by selling cheap, and highly fuel-efficient motorcycles.

Paul Hansen, marketing director for Big Dog, manages to find a silver lining in all this...

Our goal is to resize the company to a level that can be successful, even in a down market. The good news is that once the economy rebounds, Big Dog Motorcycles is perfectly positioned to continue to be the dominant player in our market for years to come and hold our position as the world’s largest manufacturer of custom bikes. We are a sizable company with excellent dealers, a great brand name and a strong diverse line-up of new models. We expect a respectable 2008, even with a murky economy.

Labels: Big Dog Motorcycles

Big Dog Motorcycles laid off 7 percent of its workforce, according to the Wichita Business Journal today.

There's no word on exactly how many people that equates to, but it probably comes out around 18-20 people.

The company is lowering its production forecasts to help lower inventories in the factory warehouse and at dealerships. The layoff is described as a "conservative approach" to "keep the company's balance sheet healthy."

Labels: Big Dog Motorcycles

Perhaps in the footsteps of Harley-Davidson's successful online video "Creed", Big Dog Motorcycles has released a new online video touting itself as the alternative to cookie-cutter motorcycles...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8T8p1LQh64

The entire video is themed on the notion that each biker is unique, and doesn't want to be like everyone else. Perhaps for Big Dog it's a little more fitting, being that there are already so many people who ride Harleys.

However, I'm not sure buying a Big Dog is any kind of expression of uniqueness. When bikes are marketed for their looks and horsepower, rather than handling, functionality, and comfort, you gotta wonder if the people buying them truly are looking to be unique.

That being said, Big Dog was considered America's second largest motorcycle manufacturer a couple years ago. Why not offer up a new motorcycle designed for transportation or riding, as opposed to just attracting "oohs and aahs"?

The way I see it, this whole "chopper phenomenon" is a fad like all the other fads, and will die out. Big Dog seems to be putting it all of its eggs into this basket.

Labels: Big Dog Motorcycles

Labels: Big Dog Motorcycles

For those in the Wichita, Kansas area...

Labels: Big Dog Motorcycles, Kansas Motorcycle Rallies

If someone was to ask you which company is the second largest motorcycle manufacturer in the United States, would you know?

No, it's not Victory. It's Big Dog Motorcycles.

Big Dog Motorcycles may make Wichita, Kansas famous in the same way that Harley Davidson made Milwaukee, Wisconsin famous.

The company was founded in 1995 Sheldon Coleman Jr., who once ran Coleman Co. He started his motorcycle business after he customized a Harley-Davidson Fatboy in his garage. In the 10 years of operation it enjoyed 50 percent growth. In 2004, it had sales of about $120 million, compared to $5.02 billion for Harley Davidson.

Big Dog recently made news with Coleman purchasing 106 acres in northeast Wichita that is expected to become its new motorcycle plant. Coleman was quoted in the Wichita Eagle that he envisions a spacious campus-style complex there with lakes, offices, warehouses, a museum and a training center, as well as the factory itself. Big Dog currently employs 340 people and expects to build 5,700 motorcycles this year.

Big Dog has evolved from selling what was mostly a customized Harley Davidson, to designing a bike that is completely their own, with the exception of the motor. Prices for their bikes range from $24,000 to $30,000, which is within HD's sights. Last month, DealerNews, a major powersports industry dealer publication, issued its manufacturer report card for the motorcycle class, with Big Dog taking top honors, beating out Harley Davidson, Victory, Yamaha, BMW, and all the others.

Labels: Big Dog Motorcycles

John Wyckoff, who blogs on motorcycles from time to time, wrote a piece on the business forcast for the power sports industry this year. He indicates that Big Dog Motorcycles and American Ironhorse are already sold out for 2005.

Last October, Wyckoff wrote an interesting blog entitled, "How Harley Davidson Lost its Cool". Of course HD is still the dominant force in the biker industry, but the custom builders are carving out a bigger niche.

Labels: American Ironhorse, Big Dog Motorcycles