Big Dog Motorcycles laid off 7 percent of its workforce, according to the Wichita Business Journal today. There's no word on exactly ho...
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."Apparently, they have a glut of inventory as a result of lower-than-expected seasonal sales.
Big Dog is still catering to the chopper shopper, and I think we've seen the climax of the chopper craze. Choppers are still going to be selling, but I think the market is correcting itself. Yes, there is of course a problem with motorcycle sales overall, but I think we also saw a chopper fad for a while, and fads always die out for something else.
As big of a company as Big Dog is, there's no reason why it can't build bikes that are made for riding instead of bikes that are made for looking at.
I think touring bikes are the next craze. People are rediscovering the roads, and are wanting to ride to rallies and see America. I think folks will buy cool looking baggers that are comfortable to ride.
