Damon Motorcycles has no difficulty capturing the public’s attention. If the brand’s sleek design doesn’t stop you in your tracks, the claimed 200+ horsepower, 200-mph+ top speed, and 200-mile+ range should do the trick. That head-turning ability enabled the Canadian firm to rake in $90M in backlogged orders over the past two years.
That $90M waitlist now includes 3,500 customers. To celebrate the occasion, Damon distributed a press release lauding the brand’s pre-order success. Chockful of corpspeak and unsubstantiated claims (“We can cause the accident rates to perpetually fall over the coming decade.”), the statement reads more like a victory lap than an update. There’s only one problem —Damon hasn’t actually delivered a Hypersport or HyperFighter unit yet.
There’s a fair share of skepticism regarding Damon’s delivery record. From naysayers doubting the company’s performance figures to customers consistently receiving delayed delivery dates, Damon’s $90M backlog is both a medal and an albatross around its neck.
The electric motorcycle market is no stranger to companies making bold claims just to fold under the pressure of production. Damon not only has to overcome the customer’s preconceived notions but also has to deliver on its lofty promises.
With all that said, Damon isn’t shying away from the criticism. It’s meeting the cynicism where it lives, on the forumsphere. On August 11, 2022, Damon Motorcycles Senior Marketing Manager Meygan My-Diem Ngo started a thread on Electric Motorcycle Forum. The first post indicated that Ngo would share Damon updates on a rolling basis and answer any forum member questions.
To Ngo’s credit, she hasn’t backed down from the hardball queries. As expected, there’s a PR sheen to many of each response, but she has also relayed critical information during the exchanges. For instance, on August 11, 2022, Ngo disclosed that “Media and public test rides will be later this year and all through next year starting in Canada and the US - then Europe (including France) afterwards. I wish I can give you a specific date, but I can assure you we are working on it (because that's what I spend all of my time doing ;D ).”
Of course, we know that Damon is currently building a long-term factory in British Columbia but it’s also prepping its pilot production facility in San Rafael, California, to serve its Californian customers. However, the firm will need to actually deliver models in the near future. After all, $90M in backlogged orders isn’t as good as $90M in revenue.
