2011 Caberg DOT Helmets Caberg Helmets and the U.S. Market
There were probably more helmet manufacturers on display at the 2011 Dealer Expo than any other type of motorcycle product.
I’m not sure why; perhaps there only appeared to be more helmets due to the paucity of clothing manufacturers who attended the event.
I do know this — I’d hate to be a helmet manufacturer in this competitive market. It must be very tough, because there are way too many brands ready to grab market share, especially at the low end.
The problem is that some of their goods are pretty good and getting better all the time.
From the consumer’s standpoint, it’s getting more and more difficult to justify slapping down that extra Franklin or two for a helmet (or jacket or boots or gloves…) from one of the big guys when you can get what seems like 90% of the quality for 30% of the price.
So how does a helmet company compete? One way is to figure out how to offer just a little bit more than the next guy. Something different, something useful, something unique. A different take on design or something that adds that little extra to performance.
That’s what it takes to survive in a commodity market: unique, distinguishing characteristics. Some call it the “value proposition”.
Nothing new here, by the way; merchants in teh village square were basically doing the same thing 300 years ago. But sometimes you have to go back to the past to re-learn the lessons that will allow you to move into the future.
Bell Helmets (2011 Bell Helmets Dealer Expo report) has this figured out, and so has Caberg. They both have some very unique helmets with interesting design and engineering tweaks that set them apart from the crowd.
For example, take a look at the Caberg HyperX (review) or check out the Caberg HyperX First Look, and also see theCaberg Ego First Look and video from the EICMA show. Both of these helmets have useful features not found anywhere else, along with style and quality that separates them from the rest.
The Caber Ego is definitely a helmet chock full of those “unique characteristics”. It has a huge waterproof “roll top” vent that peels back most of the top of the helmet to expose a big perforated stainless steel plate for ventilation. The good news is that Caberg would very much like to sell the Ego in the U.S.
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