I had a chance to chat with the CEO and Co-Founder of Damon Motorcycles, Jay Giraud. We talked about the new version of his Hypersport electric motorcycle, but we also talked about what kind of response he has elicited from the market.
Giraud said that he was surprised by all the press coverage, and he also said that about half of the people who have placed pre-orders for the motorcycle were Millennials, which is surprising considering how other motorcycle manufacturers are targeting that generation of people.
Damon Motorcycles released two new paint jobs for its Hypersport Premier motorcycles. There’s the Arctic Sun and the Midnight Sun. These bikes offer more of what the Premier version of the bikes do—upgrades suspension, brakes, etc.
The company will also offer the Hypersport HS. Jay said the number of millennial buyers was surprising.
Why Millennials Like Damon Motorcycles?
“There’s a formula here that needed to be understood and tested,” he said. “It’s about electrification. It’s about comfort and usability. I don’t think there’s an industry atrophy problem. I think there’s a product-market fit problem.”
Damon doesn’t sell cheap bikes. The cheapest version of the bike is $25,000. That’s a far cry from what other manufacturers are doing to attract younger buyers. They’re building small-displacement bikes with small price tags for buyers saddled with student loan debt.
Jay said he sees this as the wrong move. They’re building the bike that they thing people want, and the industry’s sales are down because of it. He says Damon is actually building the bike that millennials want, and that it’s the whole package that matters—electric bike, with an innovative safety system, and adaptive ergonomics.
I wish him and Damon Motorcycles the best of luck. I’m a millennial and I won’t be buying one of his bikes because they’re too expensive, but I do think there’s something to the technology that his bikes offer. There’s certainly a market for it.
For my whole conversation with Jay, check out the long article I wrote for Web Bike World.
