12/15/2023 0 Comments Zombie biker imgSome cannot be saved, and die a slow and painful death in a fickle marketplace. Today, these brands are vibrant giants compared to what they once were, rehabilitated into healthy, profitable and growing concerns, in part due to the power of their respective brand (tribal) values.īut sadly, behind every Triumph, every iconic brand success story, there are a staggering number of iconic motorcycle brand corpses. Triumph actually closed down and ceased motorcycle production for a number of years. To a casual observer, it would be hard to believe that in 1990 BMW Motorrad was a brand primarily aimed at pensioners, or that Ducati has been sold four times in the same period since. ![]() Its easy to forget, sitting on the comfortable sidelines as a consumer, that the motorcycle industry is a highly volatile and cyclical one. Over the past two decades motorcycle resurrection has become a serious business. With motorcycling, it seems, it’s never too late to bring out the dead. And it is this tribal magnetism that continuously attracts investors to iconic motorcycle brands, who then try and resurrect them. This cult-like behavior, considered mildly disturbing in most normal social circumstances, is just part of motorcycle culture. Motorcycle brand rallies (sometimes about just a particular model – I’m looking at you, Honda Goldwing) and clubs are organized on all four corners of the earth, wherein the brand faithful congregate to show off, be entertained and educate themselves among others of their tribe. Thousands have willingly paid lots of money to walk around as human billboards advertising their favourite motorcycle brand on their clothing, while others still have permanently tattooed the Harley-Davidson logo on their bodies. It may sound like an exaggeration, but there are few other manufactured goods that instill brand loyalty like motorcycles. For many dedicated motorcyclists, the brand of bike they ride is akin to a tribal association for which they would gladly prostrate themselves and pay tribute. The motorcycle industry has not been immune to this trend, and dead brands have been rising up through the mud to stage a comeback, often with horrific results. It used to be that tales of the undead were a niche pop culture relic, while today modern high profile hits like The Walking Dead and Resident Evil are front and center. Somehow in the past few years the threat of a zombie apocalypse seems to have become a thing again. But BEWARE! If you read carefully you’ll see a familiar reaper among the bodies… It is Halloween, a treasured North American holiday known for dark, scary tales and for sightings of ghosts and the living dead! Enjoy this updated and expanded version of my classic motorcycle brand horror story. He’s given us permission to run this story today, and it’s certainly seasonally appropriate-Ed. For questions about bike rentals and t-shirts, visit : Some ADVers might recognize Michael Uhlarik’s name from his many years of writing industry insider pieces, analyzing the moto business. The WeCycle crew will help with last minute tune-ups and safety equipment for the ride. Rentals are available for the ride but the bikes must be returned to WeCycle Bike Shop. Zombie Bike Riders are encouraged to drink a lot of water, limit their alcohol consumption and follow all bike safety rules. They will be available at WeCycle Bike Shop and at the online store. The Zombie t-shirts were designed by local artist Marky Pierson of Wonderdog Productions & Design, and sell out every year. Plus it gets you a 2022 souvenir Zombie Bike Ride collectable numbered sticker. A $5 registration fee per rider pays for the insurance, street closures, cone rentals, police officers and permits. Some artists do take appointments earlier in the day. ![]() Face painting is first come first served with each artist offering a $10 dollar face paint option and other prices are negotiated with each individual artist. Zombie Land at the historic and haunted Fort East Martello opens at 2pm, boasting live music, entertain and vendors. A police escort leads the ride down US1, past the Zombie Beach Bash at Salute! On The Beach, and down to Duval Street where the ZombieFest continues. The Zombie Ride has grown to epic proportion with the help of thousands of fun-loving, bike-riding, costume-sporting, and rock-and-roll townspeople. The ride is a little over four miles long and takes a leisurely pace down US1 along the Atlantic Ocean, right at sunset. The bike ride quickly grew from a couple hundred people to over 5,000. We Cycle Bike Shop's Zombie Bike Ride was created in 2009 by Marky Pierson of Wonderdog Studios and Evan Haskell & Chris Needham of WeCycle Bike Shop.
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