We don't primarily talk about price, we sell an attitude to life

There was an award for the oldest authorised Harley-Davidson dealer in Switzerland. Bixe AG in Hünenberg has been shaping the motorcycle scene for 25 years. And the all-clear has been given for the time being regarding punitive tariffs.

The crew of the longest-serving Harley dealer in the country, Bixe AG Harley-Davidson Zentralschweiz, celebrated its birthday in a more informal setting last Friday evening. As it should be, with a cake, aperitif and an award for 25 years of loyalty and service with the “HD Company” for Beat Hürlimann, founder and owner of the company in Hünenberg, and his team of 25 men and women.

The first person to congratulate him on Friday was Iwan Steiner, Harley-Davidson's head of the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East and Africa). He highlighted Beat Hürlimann's passion and emphasized that he has helped shape the history of the Swiss motorcycle scene over the past 25 years. “Anyone who always thinks of Harley-Davidson as traditional and old school will be proven wrong here. Beat has also swum against the tide and adapted to the changes,” said Iwan Steiner. The sales figures underline the fact that these words are not just empty words, and that Bixe is indeed a success story.

More than a thousand Harley-Davidson models have been sold in the region in the last five years, and Iwan Steiner claimed that every 75th household in Switzerland owns a Harley-Davidson. That’s all the more remarkable because a new Harley-Davidson does have a certain price tag, and the upper limit is actually open.  But second-hand models are already available for just under CHF 10,000, however. For the currently popular touring models such as a Street Glide, you have to pay around CHF 30,000 and more. Iwan Steiner makes a statement on this that is confirmed by the majority of Harley people: “We're not talking about the price, but about an attitude to life.”

From left: Iwan Steiner (Head of Europe) and Florian Rübartsch (Sales Manager) from Harley-Davidson with Bixe owner Beat Hürlimann and son Maxim Hürlimann        
25 years of Bixe AG Harley-Davidson Central Switzerland: Iwan Steiner (Country Manager at Harley-Davidson for Germany, Austria and Switzerland) and Beat Hürlimann, owner and Managing Director of Bixe. 
The award presented at the ceremony        Photos: Pius Amrein

Stock in Europe replenished with 7,000 machines
At the moment, however, one topic cannot be completely ignored. Keyword punitive tariffs on American products such as motorcycles, jeans and whiskey, as in 2018. Iwan Steiner cautiously gives the all-clear on this point for the time being: “Up to the weekend, customs duties were not an issue for us. It could change overnight, but we don't expect that to happen.” At that time, Harley-Davidson bore the costs and did not pass them on to customers. But that wouldn’t be possible now. But potential Harley-Davidson customers in the EMEA region are on the safe side for at least two months, as he explained. “We (i.e. Harley Davidson Europe) started proactively bringing motorcycles to Europe by air freight before the turn of the year in order to replenish our stocks. We currently have over 7,000 machines that will not be affected by a punitive tariff either way. This year should remain stable, but we really don't know what will happen afterwards.”

Going for an ice cream in Ticino with an atypical Harley 
A tour of the company is definitely not to be missed. If only to draw a comparison between the current machines and the old classics, of which an incredible fleet is parked in the basement. Beat Hürlimann's above-mentioned passion is visible and tangible here, and can also be experienced with the nose. Old machines have something to tell, you just have to stroll through the place with heightened senses.

Bixe employee Andrea Zimmermann picks up on a visitor's judgmental comment about the “Pan America” adventure touring motorcycle, which doesn't seem to fit into the Harley-Davidson model range at all, and immediately argues with a whole series of advantages of the machine. Although she herself also rides an older Shovel Head built in 1983, when she fancies an ice cream in Ticino, she gets on the Pan America and feels perfectly at home.
Iwan Steiner is also impressed by this machine. Especially as adventure motorcycles like this have become very popular in the motorcycle community. “One in four motorcyclists today rides a bike in this category across all brands. So it was natural for Harley-Davidson to build one too, it was brave, but they couldn't be left out,” he says.

55,000 Harleys on Swiss roads
The Harley-Davidson brand is represented in Switzerland by 16 official dealers, and around 55,000 men and women ride Harley models in Switzerland, with the second-hand market being around five times as big as the market for new vehicles. 

The average age of motorcyclists is getting higher and higher. According to Iwan Steiner, the average age in Switzerland is 47. But the Harley community is still somewhat more mature. Nevertheless, the younger generation is also increasingly enjoying the two-cylinder bikes from Milwaukee. Maxim Hürlimann, 24-year-old son of company owner Beat, is working on this: “The so-called club-style bikes can be easily built from Dyna models. This is a good entry-level bike for young people on a tight budget,” says the mechanic, who already has a few of these bikes on the road.

The party in Hünenberg continued on a larger scale on Saturday and Sunday. “On both days, we were able to receive congratulations from many well-known people, regular customers and also those who had never been to us before,” says Beat Hürlimann. Over the 25 years, the demands and riding behaviour have changed, as he says: “In the 2000s, fat rear tires were in demand. Later, bobber conversions became popular and, in recent years, the scene has shifted towards riding comfort on original motorcycles.”