Consumer Perception About Hero Honda Bikes I n d e x Chapter No Subject Page No. Chapter: -1 Industrial Back ground 1.1 Historical Industry Development 1.2 Introduction about company Chapter:- 2 Concept of Consumer Behaviour. 2.1 Concept. 2.2 What is Consumer Behaviour? 2.3 Buying Behaviour Model. 2.4 A model of Consumer Behaviour. 2.5 The Birth of Buying idea. 2.6 Factors Influencing Consumer Behaviour. 2.7 Buying Decision Process. Chapter: - 3 Questionnaire Chapter:- 4 Data Interpretation and analysis Chapter:- 5 Summary 5.1 Finding 5.2 Suggestion Chapter:-6 Conclusion ICFAI NATIONAL COLLEGE Page 1 Consumer Perception About Hero Honda Bikes 1.1 HISTORICAL INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT THE FIRST MOTORCYCLE "Who invented the first motorcycle?" It seems like a simple question, but the answer is a bit complicated. Just as the automobile was the answer to the 19th-century dream of self-propelling the horse-drawn carriage, the invention of the motorcycle created the self-propelled bicycle. Motorcycles are descendents of the "safety" bicycle-bicycles with front and rear wheels of the same size, and with a pedal crank mechanism to drive the rear wheel. Those bicycles, in turn, were descended from high-wheel bicycles. The high- wheelers were descended from an early type of pushbike, without pedals, propelled by the rider's feet pushing against the ground. These appeared around 1800, used iron-banded wagon wheels, and were called "bone-crushers," both for their jarring ride and their tendency to toss their riders. The first commercial design was a three-wheeler built by Edward Butler in Great Britain in 1884. It employed a horizontal single-cylinder gasoline engine mounted between two steerable front wheels and connected by a drive chain to the rear wheel. However, it would perhaps be incorrect to call it a precursor of the two- wheeled genre of vehicles. The person credited with building the first motorcycle in 1885 is Gottlieb Daimler (who later teamed up with Karl Benz to form the Daimler-Benz Corporation). The gasoline-run vehicle had one wheel in the front and one in the back, with a smaller, spring-loaded outrigger wheel, on each side. Powered by a single-cylinder Otto-cycle engine, it may have had a spray-type carburetor also (since Daimler's assistant, Wilhelm Maybach was working on the invention of the spray carburetor at the time). The motorcycle was constructed mostly of wood, with the wheels being of the iron- banded wooden-spoked type, definitely a "bone-crusher" chassis! If one counts two wheels with steam propulsion as being a motorcycle, then the first one may have been American. One such machine was demonstrated at fairs and circuses in the eastern United States in 1867, built by one Sylvester Howard Roper of Roxbury, Massachusetts. It was powered by a charcoal-fired two-cylinder engine, whose connecting rods directly drive a crank on the rear wheel. This machine predates the invention of the safety bicycle by many years; so, its chassis is also based on the "bone-crusher" bike. ICFAI NATIONAL COLLEGE Page 2 Consumer Perception About Hero Honda Bikes FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS Most of the development during the early phase concentrated on three- and four- wheeled designs since it was complex enough to get the machines running without having to worry about them falling over. The next notable two-wheeler was the Millet of 1892. It used a five-cylinder engine built as the hub of its rear wheel. The cylinders rotated with the wheel and its crankshaft constituted the rear axle. The first successful two-wheeler, though, was the Hildebrand & Wolfmueller, patented in Munich in 1894. It had a step-through frame, with its fuel tank mounted on the down tube. The engine was a parallel twin, mounted low on the frame, with its cylinders going fore-and-aft. The connecting rods linked directly to a crank on the rear axle, and instead of using heavy flywheels for energy storage between cylinder firing, it used a pair of stout elastic bands, one on each side of the cylinders, to help out on the compression strokes. It was water-cooled, and had a water tank/radiator built into the top of the rear fender. In 1895, the French firm of DeDion-Buton built an engine that was to make the mass production and common use of motorcycles possible. It was a small, light, high revving four-stroke single, and used battery-and-coil ignition, doing away with the troublesome hot tube. Bore and stroke figures of 50 mm by 70 mm gave a displacement of 138 cc. A total loss lubrication system was employed to drip oil into the crankcase through a metering valve, which then sloshed around to lubricate and cool components before dumping it on the ground via a breather. DeDion-Buton used this 0.5 hp power plant in road-going tricks, but the engine was copied and used by everybody, including Indian and Harley-Davidson in the U.S. Although a person named Pennington built some machines around 1895 (it's uncertain whether any of them actually ran), the first US motorcycle was the Orient- Aster, built by the Metz Company in Waltham, Massachusetts, in 1898. It used an Aster engine that was a French-built copy of the DeDion-Buton, and predated Indian (1901) by three years, and Harley-Davidson (1902) by four. The Indian Motorcycle Company, Springfield, introduced the AV-Twin in 1903, updated with two- and three-speed gearboxes that were further refined with swing arm rear suspensions. The first motorcycle with electric start and a fully modern electrical system, the Hendee Special from the same company, astounded the industry in 1913. Before World War I, IMC was the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world producing over 20,000 bikes per year. INCREASING POPULARITY The popularity of the vehicle grew, especially after 1910. By 1900, many manufacturers were converting bicycles, or pedal cycles as they were sometimes called, by adding small, centrally mounted spark ignition engines. The need for ICFAI NATIONAL COLLEGE Page 3 Consumer Perception About Hero Honda Bikes reliable constructions led to road trial tests and competition between manufacturers. The original Tourist Trophy races were held on the Isle of Man in 1907 as reliability or endurance races. Such events have been the proving ground for many new ideas- from the early two-stroke-cycle designs to the supercharged, multi-valve engines mounted on aerodynamic, carbon fiber reinforced bodywork engines. In 1916, the Indian Motorcycle Company introduced the Model H racer, and placed it on sale at the astronomical price of $350. It featured overhead-valve heads with four valves per cylinder, and was easily capable of speeds of over 120 mph. In various forms, it was raced on the dirt track as well as on the boards with very great success. It is unknown how many of the 8-valve racers were manufactured, but production was very small indeed; most machines were ridden either by factory riders or were "loaned" to promising privateers. During World War I, all branches of the armed forces in Europe used motorcycles principally for dispatching. After the war, it enjoyed a sport vogue until the Great Depression began in 1929. After the World War II, a revival of interest in motorcycles lasted into the late 20th century, with the vehicle being used for high-speed touring and sport competitions. The more sophisticated motor scooter originated in Italy soon after World War II, led by the manufacture of a 125-cc model. Since then, an increasing number of powerful bikes have blazed the roads. During the 1950s, the practice of attaching auxiliary engines to bicycles in Western Europe and parts of the United States led to the development of a new type of light motorcycle, the moped. Originating in Germany as a 50-cc machine with simple controls and low initial cost, it was largely free of licensing and insurance regulations except in Great Britain. ICFAI NATIONAL COLLEGE Page 4 Consumer Perception About Hero Honda Bikes 1.2 INFORMATION ABOUT COMPANY HISTORY:- As we all know that the HERO HONDA is super hero of the current automobiles sectors undisputedly, they are the king of bike Market and this position is achieved by them in just one and a half decade and now it become “DESH KI DHADKAN”. The birth of HERO HONDA become possible in 1983-84, when the world’s largest bicycle manufacturer’s think to enter into the two wheeler’s automobiles market which is still in the hands of BAJAJ. What stand out as a joint venture between Hero group and Honda motors, company of Japan, is today the leading manufacturers of Indias largest selling motorcycle. Coming into existence on January 19, 1984. HERO HONDA Motors Ltd. gave India nothing less than a revolution on two wheels, made even more famous by the “Fill it- Shut it-forget it” Campaign. Driven by the trust of over 35 Lakes customers, the HERO HONDA products range today commands as much as 47% making it a veritable giant in the industry. Add to that technological excellence, expansive dealer network and retable after sales services becomes it a customer friendly company. The level of growth can be determined as per the company’s sales figure over the years. Year No of units Manufactures 1985-‘86 43,000 1989-‘90 92.200 1998-‘99 5.30.600 1999-‘00 7.61.210 2000-‘01 10,29,555 2001-‘02 14,25,195 In fact every second bike sold in the India today is a HERO HONDA! Customer satisfaction, a high quality product.