[banda]

What I want to see is a movie about real Triumph owners. I want to see esoteric middle aged nerds attempting to get their wheel bearings replaced under warranty. I want to see the drama born from rage when a TT owner has his eighth fuel injection map installed and his bike still stumbles off idle. I want to see the anguish on a Sprint ST owner's face when VFR riders get the girls despite horsepower and luggage space inferiority. I want to see the "Groundhog Day" type scenes where the same old guy walks up to the Triumph owner at the same gas station every day and remarks "I didn't know they still made those!"

 

[13630]

Scary. You hit this one on the head, especially with that last remark. I hear that every single time I go into the local Triumph dealer.

 

[NoKneeDown]

REAL Triumph owners??

What about the twentysomethings who don't care about the latest racer, yet don't want to be on the same cruiser everybody and their 'brother' rides. What about THOSE real Triumph owners? Wanna see a movie about a 22 year old raising hell on his college campus with a Tbird?? Wanna see the look on MY face when the guy on the VFR gets turned down by the girl because even though she doesn't know what the heck a 'triple' is, she knows it sounds oh so sweet. I hope you like documentaries... Call me an "esoteric middle aged nerd" if you want, but "young guy on a bike that stands out a bit" might suit a little better. Oh, and most of the guys I see at the dealer aren't whining about warranty work or fuel injection, and it's amazing how fast these guys can get around on an 'esoteric' Bonneville (not too mention those quirky little Speed Triples--trust me, the guy on the plain-jane ride ain't got a chance). Finally, who cares what the old guy at the gas station knows or doesn't know about bikes. He'll be dead soon.

 

[sarnali]

Re: REAL Triumph owners??

your right about that, Triumph's are and always have been tops in the cool factor, way ahead of any "technicaly superior" Japanese bike for eyeball appeal and way ahead of HD for performance

 

[KPaulCook]

Harley/Buell could learn from Triumph.

I think Triumph is smart for doing it. I must confess I have the Mission Impossible 2 on DVD and watch the motorcycle chase scenes for fun. What better way to tap into the Gen X and Y market. Put a cool bike in a blockbuster film

 

[9214]

I don't think that placement in movies will impact current riders looking for their next (or another) bike-we all pretty much know exactly what we want and why...seeing it in a movie would just give us a warm fuzzy glow (and make us to buy the DVD).



I think Triumph's market in this case is the impulse buyer-someone (typically under 30), who thinks motorcycles are "cool" but knows next to nothing about them. This is the guy who saw T2 and wanted a chopper, or biker boyz and wanted a Hayabusa. These are people who are looking to buy something and are only needing a shove to trip into a Triumph dealership.



In essence, this is the demographic Harley has been courting (with limited success) for the last 5 to 10 years. Wonder who will win them over?

 

[dnakase]

Let's see they pay Hollywood producers to place their product in films, (of dubious merit, I might add), and hope to recoup said expenditures in sales to the public....



Put another way... There was a motorcycle in Daredevil!? Must have been on screen AFTER I fell asleep!

 

[amp5]

I don't think product placement will lead to immediate, material increased sales however it does build Brand Equity, which is important. Everyone knows about H-Ds, from kids to grandmas. However, the Honda/Suzuki/Yamaha/Kawasakis are more likely to simply all be lumped into the general "Japanese Bike" category. ANd like it or not, a lot of motorcycling is about image so building a recognizable and desirable brand name is necessary in order to achieve significatn growth in the marketplace.

 

[40446]

I bet majority of movie goers won't even recognize it as Triumph....

It was kind of funny to see tires being mysteriously changed in different scenes on Mission Impossible 2.

 

[tedsim]

Weird, I bought a bike based on its merits and the fit to my riding preference, not due to something I saw in a movie..

 

[BlueSprint]

Having had some of those experiences, I can agree with you on one level. However, the look on the rice-rocket-jockey's face when the people stop and stare and smile and touch and say "Wow! Cool bike!" when they see my Sprint ST and ignore the Tokyo cruise-missile makes it all worthwhile. Oh, and by the way... I had a lot more service problems with my Seca 750 (Yamaha-ha-ha)than I have ever had with my Sprint.

 

[273]

Two more reasons to see "How to Lose a Guy..." The Bonneville and now discovering that Matthew McConaughey rides a TBS.



Each is minor, however, compared to the opportunity to see Kate Hudson...



This from a middle aged nerd who remembers her mother.

 

[danch]

I think of myself as more eccentric than esoteric, I'm not middle aged yet, if I wanted a bike to get chicks with I wouldn't be taking the pillion pegs off my Daytona ... but I've been at that gas station with that old guy.