Comments on: Is Ducati Risking its Brand Equity with the Power Cruiser

By: Rino

Rino — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 04:13:14 +0000

Well, Porsche made à goose that lays golden eggs with there Chayenne. I don’t like it but it surely did’nt hurt them. i think the same of this Ducati. Would score quit well on the US market.
Same thing with their scooter. it will sell like crazy in southern europe. And would most likely find it’s wat into my garage.
@ Daddyo. Multi is indeed priced highly, but wurth every penny imo

By: Scott

Scott — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 01:10:59 +0000

I can’t wait to see a ton of Ducati-labeled fringed accessories in the catalog. [/sarcasm]

I’m totally against it. I think your Porsche analogy is a good one; at one time I loved Porsches (and BMWs for that matter) but since they’ve introduced SUVs they have killed that love. IMO the image of both of those brands has been lowered though I imagine I’m probably in the minority.

By: cward

cward — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 23:59:50 +0000

Really…..a Ducati cruiser??? I say leave that market to the other companies. What’s next, a Ferrari SUV? No wait, how about a Ferrari pickup truck?

By: Daddyo

Daddyo — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 22:48:52 +0000

I consider myself to be “settled down” married, kids, mortgage etc etc but as fun as my 08 Hyper is I will be looking to go the power cruiser route in the coming years, for me its either a vrod or maybe a glide.

If Ducati brought out a power cruiser i’d be in like flyn, I dont think they are risking their brand. Just stepping into a new market segment. I just hope its priced slightly better than the New Multi or Street Fighter

By: Don Zielke

Don Zielke — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:50:51 +0000

I’m not so convinced this is a bad idea.

There is a market out there for muscle bikes… VMax, V-Rod, Warrior… and if it handles and has class-leading power I fail to see how this dilutes the brand image. Remember the Monster Challenge a few years back? Several of the most memorable bikes to come out of that (IMO) took the Monster low and long, and they looked pretty good.

Ducati can do all the market studies and leak photos all day long, but in the end the only way to know if it’s really going to be a good seller is to bring it to market. I seriously doubt they will make another mistake like the Indiana, a bike that was mediocre at best as a motorcycle.

I say change is good, and the difference this time around (as opposed to when the Indiana was brought to market) is that Ducati is far more stable, focused, and knowledgable at building top-shelf motorcycles. Race bikes, sport touring bikes, standards, motards… it does each one exceptionally well. There is no doubt in my mind this bike will appeal to certain segments of the cruiser fan base.

I think that in order to increase sales you can’t just sit with what you’ve got, you need to reach out to new segments with something different. I think this bike definitely reaches into new territory. I’m all for it!