A Nearly Perfect Business Plan
Step one: Create a terrific product which answers a question almost nobody is asking. Something entirely new which meets a need few people are interested in meeting. It is important the product only appeals to a small number of consumers.
Step two: Make the product so durable it wears out very slowly and rarely requires service.
Step three: Make the product expensive and relatively difficult to obtain by selling it only factory direct since it needs to be available in many closely graded sizes to perform well, and also has to come with detailed ‘how to use’ information.
Step four: Allow it to be unconventional looking if this is best for functionality.
That’s all there is to it.
The rest is simply lots of work.
That is what the Aerostich Roadcrafter suit is. An entirely new kind of functional tool for riders wanting to make motorcycling an all-season, all-weather, everyday commuting activity which is easier and safer through today’s congested, risky high-speed road and traffic environments.
It turned out there were only a few riders thinly spread across the entire country who wanted to use their motorcycles this way. Especially during miserable and adverse weather. Forty years ago, the new Roadcrafter armored coverall was not wanted by millions of enthusiastic sports and recreational riders.
Making the product itself work as intended was relatively easy, but finding customers interested in purchasing and wearing it wasn’t. (See www.ridetowork.org.) It quickly became obvious only a very few riders wanted an armored all-weather breathable-waterproof textile coverall, and most 1980s moto-magazine journalists and editors agreed. At the time most riders, especially experts, knew leathers and/or denim was the only proper way to dress to use a motorcycle. And the more respected the expert, the more they felt this was so.
Even more distressingly, a never-spoken truth everyone knew back then (both rider and non-rider alike) was in America motorcycles were designed, manufactured, and sold to be enjoyed as toys, machines for sport and leisure, with maybe only 2% being applicable for daily personal transportation and then only on extra-nice days. Transportational riding was for unfortunate souls who by circumstance lived in less advanced parts of the world, wobbling helmetless and in flip flops at low speeds along potholed village roads aboard beat-up small-engined machines, often carrying a few live chickens in a flimsy wire cage, or perhaps some oversized bundles of something unidentifiable.
Despite this then-prevailing zeitgeist, a few lower-ranking junior-editor motorcycle magazine journalists did try early Roadcrafters and surprisingly were giggling into their helmets almost immediately. The odd-looking Roadcrafter coverall was a better way to dress for routine everyday riding. You could feel it almost immediately because it wore noticeably lighter, cooler, more comfortable, and was faster and more convenient to put on than traditional leathers. But crash and abrasion protection levels were still uncertain, so getting older experienced senior editors to try a Roadcrafter took a while longer.
A few print magazine editors from those old days are still around and they remember what it was like. How most riders poked fun at early wearers of these suits. But eventually, Aerostich’s armored high-tech textile coveralls did become more popular among editors. So much so that at several motorcycle new-model press intros one OE did not allow participants to ride their new bike in photos if they were going to be wearing Roadcrafters.
What soon was more wanted than a one-piece coverall for commuting was a more versatile two-piece version of the Roadcrafter, something to serve the needs of recreational and touring riders. For the company to become financially viable we cut a coverall in half, made patterns, and that was that. A few years later we also added another two-piece design hoping to supersede traditional English waxed cotton touring gear with modern vent systems, impact energy absorbing armor, more useful pocketing, large reflective areas, etc.
Today, more than forty years later, a few more riders are considering Aerostich one-piece suits. Experienced motorcyclists better understand how gear that fits precisely makes a big difference in comfort day after day on a long trip, and year after year when worn for daily commuting and utility riding.
Now about step two...If we could figure out what to do about that long-wearing durability characteristic, we might have something.
--- Mr. Subjective, May 2023
PS - This summer during the months of July and August we are celebrating our fortieth year. Fortunately, these are the only months of the year when the weather here is consistently fabulous for riding. There are lots of cool places around this area to see, eat, camp, and stay, plus some great roads to ride. Everyone who shows up at our HQ during these months will get a free ‘Very Boring Rally 5’ T-shirt and while supply lasts a nice cloisonne pin. See www.boringrally.com for detailed info. We’d love to meet you and show you the factory and store.
Since then it has served as my primary jacket for my commute which was over 30K miles a year.
That jacket has easily seen 250K miles of commuting (for a while I was doing 210 miles per day going to work)
Continues to be the best investment I ever made, finally had to send it back this year to get some zippers replaced and a tune up.
Got it back good a new.
This is always the first place I send someone that is looking (and is serious) about getting gear that is a one and done purchase to serve them for years to come.
It never disappoints (Other than being really warm when it gets humid and hot lol).
Back in the 70s, I was managing the manufacturing or a small acquisition company in Omaha. We'd recently purchased a high voltage testing product line from an engineer who was retiring. His advice to me at the time was, "Find an obsolete industry that still has wealthy customers. You can charge a lot for the products and won't have to worry about competition." You definitely did not do that. Instead, you invented a whole new industry, found and inspired new customers and competition, and saved a bunch of skin and lives.
LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this gear....
Thanks Guys for making the perfect Motorbike gear...
Your's
Larry Byvik
Thanks for the memories. My brother was one of your earliest Roadcrafter customers . He bought one in the early 80's and became disenchanted with it and daily commuting. The suit got parked in a closet until I bought it and wore it completely out over the next 25 years. Your company graciously offered some savings on a replacement suit which I used 5 years and last year
sold to a guy getting back into riding after a long break . I happily bought it's replacement Roadcrafter last year . It was good to steer a newcomer to a highly effective quality product , knowing he'll get years of value .
Incidentally , one of my fashion conscious riding friends trashed his euro import jacket's cheesy main zipper in a minor get off last year , rendering an expensive imported jacket useless . I'm glad you pay attention to details like that and have stayed focused on key priorities.
Sincerely,
Steve Fowler
I have long recognized the value of the one piece suit, but the cost was not affordable for me. Nonetheless, I saved and decided to pull the trigger on a custom sized suit. I am not an off-the-rack fit. I was shocked to be quoted 'about $2,300' for a custom suit! This premium vs. standard sizes seems like price gouging. And, though there were at least two reps with cloth measuring tapes draped around their neck, the reps were not measuring for custom suits. I can only conclude that you are abandoning the business of suits for unusual sized folks.
I guess congratulations are in order for being successful enough to write off this segment of your potential market.
I bought my first Roadcrafter when I was 43, replaced the jacket when I was 65, so I guess the next time I'll be in for a fitting will be when I'm 87. Do I need to make an appointment?
Seriously, got tired of wearing it~ & snagged a Roadcrafter Classic Jacket in ORANCE (my 3rd season). I ride Snow/Salt (gone) til Snow/Salt (arrives) , including commuting daily~ Aerostich clothing is wear and weather resistant~ whilst style is in the mind of the beholder. Stay doing what you do best~ it works!