Re: RAT Pack

[Eric Sheley <eric@xxxxxxxxxx>]

replies to 2 emails to follow:

>jay levine <levine98@xxxxxxxxxxx> writes:
> > Does anyone have any notion why the RAT thing is so lame?  Is it lack
> > of brand identification, poorly administered, lack of dealer
> > involvement, or too early in the product/brand lifecycle to have a
> > significant following?

Well, I think you have touched on many of the reasons. Taking your last 
point first, it is still very early in the brand's life cycle. In order to 
have a "pack" you must first have enough people that want to ride together. 
If your dealer is new or has only rolled a few units, getting a group 
together may not be any easy thing. The next thing of course, is the dealer 
participation. RAT Packs cannot exist without dealer sponsorship. It is the 
dealer's job to get the ball rolling - hopefully they do this by finding 
one or more enthusiastic owners and then push them in the right direction. 
One of the things that the head of  US RAT is trying to get done is to have 
the packs make a regular ride schedule and then plan a few larger 
gatherings each year (this is from my head, so if I am wrong someone please 
correct me). Regular rides will hopefully boost membership and by planning 
big events early, word of the event can be passed out in Torque and 
published on the website. I am sure that there are many events that might 
be worth considering that we just never hear about.

jim@xxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
>     I'd say it's because it's contrived, and appears to be a marketing
>gimmick.

While it is a marketing tool, I don't know if I would go all the way to 
contrived. Factory sponsored rider's groups wether it be Harley or BMW or 
Triumph are designed to enhance the motorcycle ownership experience. Do 
they hope that it will help increase sales through repeat business ? I 
would hope so.

>     I also think that in this country (and probably others) it's
>something of a slight to the existing Triumph Owners Motorcycle Club,
>which may not have official factory backing but is made up of Triumph
>enthusiasts.

Maybe, but I always considered TOMC to be "vintage" (bikes and riders) ;-) 
While they might have an event that I would be interested in, I would 
rather be part of a group that catered to the Hinckley models.

>   It looks to me as though Triumph want to completely
>control all elements of the "Triumph Experience".

As do many manufacturers.

>     It seems to me that good clubs are formed by their members, not by
>some external agency - TSRA is a shining example of this.

Thank you. The Triumph Sport Riders Assoc (http://www.TSRA.cc) was started 
by a bunch of riders with a similar passion for riding. I think that TSRA 
will only continue to grow in the coming years as more people find out 
about us. As a non factory sponsored group, we can do things that the 
factory groups may not be able to (like have open membership) but, we would 
still like to work with RAT to make the events bigger and better for all 
Triumph owners. Judging from the response at this year's Rallye, next year 
is going to be awesome. With over 50 riders attending the "Riding the Ridge 
Rallye" we surpassed many of the Nationally advertised and promoted RAT events.

However, for an example of a successful group formed by an "external 
agency", just look at H.O.G. here in the US. There are a number of reasons 
for it's success
- - Strong Factory Support - lots of $$$ from Milwaukee. Also, their 
organization from the top is much larger. They have people on the national 
level that are responsible for very small territories (regions or large 
states).
- - Strong Dealer Support - the dealers know how important HOG chapters are 
and support them accordingly.
- - Common Platform - they only have to target one audience - the cruiser. 
They don't have to try and accommodate the sport rider versus the cruiser 
versus the tourer..... (yes, I know there are some exceptions to this)
- - Rider base that likes to hang out - I mean really - what an ideal group 
to have to target.

I could go on and on, but their market is so different that it is not a 
worthwhile exercise.

Triumph can be successful with RAT, but it is not going to be as easy as 
just saying "Here we are.... come ride with us"

First there needs to be an increase in the support on the National level. 
Hopefully with this 60% increase in sales, Triumph can afford to add one or 
two National RAT people to the payroll. There is no way that 1 person can 
cover the entire country and do everything that is required to make this a 
success.

The next thing is that they need to stop trying to make every event one 
pace / style for every owner out there. What happens at the events that I 
have attended is that it becomes a sporting event. The lead rider goes out 
and sets a hot pace (wahoo!!) and then everyone tries to keep up. Problem 
is that by the time it is over the people that came to cruise are upset - 
either for getting left behind or by the feeling that they were pushed to 
ride faster than they felt comfortable doing. I am not saying that the need 
to set a course speed limit, but they need to address the different riding 
styles so that everyone can have a good time.

However, the thing that can best improve RAT is rider participation. If you 
have a "lame" chapter or no chapter, get with the sponsoring dealer and let 
him know - offer your services. If you need more help, contact your Area / 
National RAT leader and get their assistance.

I know there are several pack leaders on the list - maybe they can offer 
some insight as well.

- - Eric
aka "Weasel Dawg"
Ride Hard - Stay Hard


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