A brand new brotherhood

Owning a high-end superbike or a touring motorcycle is no longer just a guilty pleasure but rather an entry ticket to a loyal brotherhood of bikers

The reason why Harley, Triumph or even Ducati don’t advertise as much as other brands, one might think, is because their automotive masterpieces speak loud enough for themselves. But then, why go for billboards, TVCs or even the haranguing pop-ups (which have become the norm for advertising in the modern era) when you have your customers doing it for you They’d rather spend on building communities and a loyal customer base. In doing so they have given rise to a fast-growing trend in the country of ‘biking brotherhoods’— ones that are divided by professions, but united by brands.

“Our owners are our brand ambassadors,” says Pallavi Singh, the head of marketing for Harley Davidson in India. And her point is well attested to by Sridhar Raju, an avid biker and a proud Harley owner himself. Sridhar, who is currently the President of the Harley Owners Group, popularly known as HOG (One of the largest of such communities or brotherhoods the world over) tells us, “When we ride as a group around the city or on trips, it naturally makes people notice and our activities help the brand. We too consider ourselves the brand ambassadors of Harley.”

Pallavi, on her part adds that this is at the core of Harley’s philosophy. “We were one of the first such brands in the touring segment to enter India. When we came in 2009, there was not much of a biking culture in the country and in the last few years it has grown tremendously. And as far as HOG is concerned, building a relationship with our customers is at the core of Harley’s philosophy.”

However, they are not just a brotherhood. These motorcycling fellowships come with their own perks, adds Sridhar. He says, “It’s a very professional set up and the best part about the group is the networking.” Sridhar, who has owned a Harley for the past three years says, “Since it is an international community, being a part of it helps you wherever you go. One simple advantage is that when we take international biking trips, we can get help from the local chapters of the HOG. But apart from that, once you are a member you get something called the Harley Badge, which for all intents and purposes is a Harley bike in your pocket. How it works is, wherever you go, if you have a Harley Badge, you can get a Harley bike to ride around in.”

The way it works out in advantage for the brand itself, adds Pallavi, is that an existing customer base is not a stagnant set up. “The customers are constantly upgrading their bikes. Our customers are very loyal and if you have a lower end model, you are very likely to upgrade and buy another one when you think of buying another bike. So it helps us directly as well.”

Harley is not the only high-end motorcycle company to adopt this model. Another major manufacturer that has surfed on this trend for sometime now is Triumph. Known internationally for it’s loyal customer base, Triumph’s RAT or Riders Association of Triumph is one of the best motorcycle clubs in the country with extensive involvement from the brand itself. Giving us an insider’s account of the club, professional biker, Kalyani Potekar, who is also one of the growing number of professional women bikers in country says, “The brand is extensively involved and helps us in all our club activities. For example, when we were riding for the India Bike Week in Goa this year, it was Triumph that organised everything from the routes to our schedule and stay.”

What really makes it a cut above other private biking clubs, says Kalyani is that with a club like the RAT the standards of professionalism are on an international level. “I have been a part of other clubs and the main difference is that there are no unnecessary stunts or speeding while on the road. All riders ride in proper formations and we are all initiated in various signals for communication and safety measures.”

On the other hand, Ducati, which recently became the latest entrant to the high-end biking segment in the country has wasted no time and has already launched its own owners’ group called the Desmo Owners Club or DOC.

In a surprising move, the DOC, which is one of the biggest such groups worldwide, recently announced that eight of its Indian members will be going to Italy to take part in the 90th anniversary celebrations of Ducati, where over 20,000 bikers are expected. Telling us about the group and its activities, Dr. Ashutosh Palep, who is currently the president of the newly opened chapter of Desmo owners Club in Mumbai, says, “Yes, eight of ours members will be going to Italy to take part in the annual congregation very soon.”

Telling us about the club’s activities, he says, “As of now, a major chunk of our activities revolve around weekend or Sunday trips. We are a new chapter, so we only have about 30 registered members with about 60 or so total owners. So every Sunday we take a weekend trip, which is usually towards Lonavla, Nashik or Baroda. We even do overnight trips from time to time.” Dr. Palep reveals that it was a childhood dream of his to buy a Ducati and says, “I have been considering buying a Ducati for a long time now because I was always fascinated with the brand. I thought of buying it a few years back but back then you had to import the bike through agents. Now that Ducati has officially launched showrooms, I thought it would be a good time to buy.” A major perk of being in such a group, adds Dr. Palep is, “The after sales service and help. According to me, that is a major part. Also, we have people from varying professions and there’s only one unifying factor, which is the bike.”