When you’ve seen one motorcycle, you’ve seen ’em all, right?
Don’t offer that observation to motorcycle owners or enthusiasts. And certainly not to the cycle manufacturers.
Each maker tries to put its personality into its design, and apparently they are successful in the eyes of buyers.
A 2003 J.D. Power & Associates consumer survey indicates that style and design carry greater weight by far among buyers of cruisers (44 percent said style was the No. 1 reason to purchase). Style also dominated among touring bike buyers (26 percent-the largest of any category), while performance and handling swayed sport bike buyers (46 percent); price was most important to standard bike buyers (27.3 percent); and quality and durability dictated to 31 percent of dual-sport bike purchasers.
“Do buyers know differences in [bike] designs? Absolutely,” said George Gryparis, a staff member at DuPage Honda Yamaha in Chicago. “Characteristics and changes in models are much like the auto industry.”
One design isn’t necessarily better than another, he added. “It’s more a matter of preference,” he said.
So what makes a Harley-Davidson a Harley? How can you pick out the Hondas in a crowd? Don’t all Japanese sportbikes look pretty much alike? Why is Italian design awe-inspiring?
Harley-Davidson design is driven by tradition and philosophy.
“The engine, the heart of the motorcycle, is always the centerpiece of our design,” said Louie Netz, vice president of styling and design for Harley-Davidson in Milwaukee.
Function is the purpose of a motorcycle, he said, and Harley seeks to make functional pieces look as good as possible.
These are machine-driven bikes, bikes with a purpose, he said. “Form follows function, but both report to emotion.”
Harley’s nine-person design team addresses everything from basic frame design to bike accessories. And accessories are a huge part of bike ownership, said David Wallace, general manager at Harley-Davidson of Crete.
And though Honda motorcycles look decidedly un-Harley, Martin Manchester, executive designer for Honda R&D North America in Torrance, Calif., rejected the idea that all Hondas look alike.
Honda sport bikes may share elements–look for the race scheme of bright red with a large wing graphic, though not all are red. But sport-bike design elements are not likely to be found on Honda touring bikes or its VTX cruisers.
“The design and proportions of the opposed 6-cylinder engine with its prominent cylinder banks visible from each side of the motorcycle has defined the Gold Wing since its inception in 1975 [it had 4 cylinders then],” Manchester said.
The VTX cruiser line has six models and 12 variations, he said, but they can be identified by the oval headlight shape with a curved hood, air cleaner case design, the engine head and spark plug covers design.
“To maximize the characteristics of each type of motorcycle, we have purposely not shared common Honda styling theme between categories,” Manchester said.
The appearance of Honda road sport bikes is described as racer-like, powerful, edgy, aggressive, purpose-built.
The touring Gold Wing and ST1300 are seen as “expensive looking,” aerodynamic and integrated.
At America Suzuki Motorcycle’s offices in Brea, Calif., spokesman Mark Reese cited the trademark headlight shape — “vertically stacked” — as a distinguishing feature.
“We offer many kinds of bikes,” he said. “Our sport models feature the Suzuki blue-and-white race team colors. They have a lean and lightweight look, plus the vertically stacked headlight.”
The Hayabusa sport bike is “very poised, dynamic, almost thin” in appearance, he said. “It has a trim look and also a look of high performance.”
Reese said Suzuki bikes are designed in Japan, but feedback from North America plays a role in product.
BMW builds and designs its motorcycles in Germany for sale around the globe. Its 25-person design staff works in Munich, Germany.
David Robb, vice president of BMW motorcycle design, said certain design elements distinguish BMW products.
BMWs have full fairings: body panels that sweep over the front and mechanicals of a bike, hold a windscreen and protect the rider. There are oil coolers and the twin air inlets in front of kidney-shaped radiators.
“Those interested in our dual-purpose motorcycles [on-road and off-road capabilities] recognize those BMWs immediately because of the unique `beak-like’ silhouette,” he said.
“BMW motorcycles have always been designed to be extremely functional,” added Laurence Kuykendall, a U.S. spokesman for BMW motorcycles.
“Engineering or working parts often are exposed, not encased or covered by stylized body panels.”
Telling makes apart and deciding which looks best puts enthusiasts at odds.
Rider Genevieve Schmitt, Emigrant, Mont., tends to be a Harley-Davidson loyalist. But as a rider and industry pundit, Schmitt admits she finds it harder and harder to tell bikes apart.
“Sometimes it’s something as small as a rearview mirror,” she said. “I’ve ridden most every cruiser out there, and so far I’ve chosen to stay with Harley,” said Schmitt, who owns a 1994 Dyna Low Rider. “I do like the styling a lot. I just wish it was more outfitted for touring.
“I can’t really say I pick a bike just for its style. It’s really the whole package,” Schmitt said.
Independent designer Craig Vetter jumps into the fray from Carmel, Calif.:
It’s the shape of the gas tank that differentiates U.S. bikes from Japanese motorcycles, said Vetter.
Harleys, known for what he called “classic American design,” feature a teardrop-shaped gas tank with the larger end toward the front of the motorcycle.
“And you can see their V-twin engine from the side,” he said. Doughnut tires and an “almost tractor-like look” say Harley-Davidson, he said.
Japanese bikes tend to feature gas tanks that are small in front, expanding toward the back, Vetter said.
“The Japanese makers love complexity, so you will see many little parts or `jewelry’ on their bikes,” he said.
“They reflect the same thinking. The closer you get to a Japanese bike, the better it looks,” he added, in praise of the precision with which these bikes are made.
With the emphasis on heavy, simple and durable components and designs, Harleys don’t do as well under scrutiny, he said.
But Vetter applauded Harley for finding a trademark look as early as 1936. The Japanese designers are all over the map, he said.
In Detroit, Darren Chilton, who has graduated from the College for Creative Studies and is a Kawasaki enthusiast, cast his vote for the Japanese. Chilton, clarified that by saying that Japanese products have an edge in “engineering and performance.”
Chilton, who used to race Kawasakis, said he thinks Italian products represent the pinnacle of motorcycle design.
“The [Italian] MV Agusta is my current favorite,” he said. “Every detail has been thought out, even to the bolt on top of the steering stem.”
The bolt, he said, is “awesomely machined” to fit the complete design of the neck, where the handle bars are fastened to the frame.
Engineering, Chilton said, is “99 percent of the driving force behind motorcycle design,” because design adapts to engines, brakes, transmissions, suspensions and new materials.
Chicagoan Bob Taugner is a longtime motorcyclist who has ridden and/or owned Hondas, Harleys, Buells and BMWs.
“I currently have a ’95 BMW K75 RTA, which is not made anymore,” he said. “It’s a great bike that had its genesis in the late 1980s. I could go around the world on it.”
Taugner who has ridden for 40 years and logs 3,000 to 10,000 miles a year on his BMW, thought Harley cruiser design has been picked up by Japanese makers.
“You can usually tell a BMW from the upright profile of the rider,” he said. “It’s an ergonomically comfortable riding position with feet straight down from the hips position, good for long-distance riding.”
