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Post by w650 on Aug 15, 2017 20:12:21 GMT -5
Maybe, but I'll believe it when I see it. Remember the Kymco Compagno? 110cc and more than a 150cc Super 8. It sells like ice in Alaska.
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Post by w650 on Aug 15, 2017 18:43:36 GMT -5
I get that 50cc engines may become extinct in Japan but I don't see how that affects the rest of the world. Honda just bought a factory in China to build the Metropolitan. Plus Honda and Yamaha signed an agreement to build small scooters together in Japan. The Cub and Monkey Bike aren't scooters either. Given that sixty-five percent of scooter sales here are 50cc I'm thinking they're not going anywhere anytime soon.
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Post by w650 on Aug 14, 2017 13:28:19 GMT -5
On the Mana one of the big issues was that many dealers did not understand it nor spend the time to send a tech for the factory training on calibrating it. It has 7 gearshift ranges, a paddle shift and a foot shift plus Normal, Rain, Sport and Touring Automatic modes.
And so we finally hit on the reason Italian bikes don't sell big. Poor communication and absurd techno gimmickry. This is the 21st Century Rocky. "Send a tech for factory training"?? Two words Rocky-You Tube. Any factory that has to have a complicated bit of tech should be able to teach via video. What low volume dealer, which most who sell Italian are, is shipping a tech off to Pontadera for training for the two Manas they'll sell each year?
You are aware that the Burgman 650 also uses thumb selection to change ratios too? Yet it doesn't inhibit sales and seems to hold without fiddling. As with any CVT equipped vehicle acceleration is so leisurely you would be left behind by shifty partners. As a commuter vehicle I'm sure the Mana was an excellent partner. As a sport bike its specs weren't up to its appearance.
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Post by w650 on Aug 14, 2017 0:44:48 GMT -5
Here's all I know about Vespa versus Japan. This past year a Yamaha SMax ran all over the 250 Vespas in the Scooter Cannonball in a cross country run. Yes, even running them down from behind. Eighty mph top speed, Japanese reliability and a dealer network on every street corner. All from 155cc. A 300 Vespa might have all of five mph more top end all for twice the cost.
As I have said before. You and I are not the typical owner. That we get high mileage and heavy reliability from troublesome brands doesn't make them exceptional. It just means we can hear them about to fall apart and cut it off before it happens. If we owned SMax's they would put us to sleep.
I read. Modern Vespa puts their troubles right out there in the open. Yes, a Vespa will last with heavy, expensive, diligent maintenance. It's all right there in print. Not prejudice. Blaming all the owners doesn't work. It could be said about 2008 Chinese scooters too. Mine runs like a clock after nine years, How come all the rest broke down?
A DCT Honda just might hunt and peck but it will do it for decades. Where is the Guzzimatic these days?
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Post by w650 on Aug 13, 2017 16:45:07 GMT -5
They have achieved the same quality with Indian, even the air cooled Chief. Victory just didn't have the same "Name" as Indian. Frankly, as far as I'm concerned, a Polaris is a Polaris no matter what the badge. And as far as quality, panache is what sells sometimes. A Vespa isn't half the scooter an SMax is no matter what the size, 155 or 300. Yet when people say scooter they mean Vespa. Hype sometimes outweighs quality. It's kept Harley on top for 115 years.
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Post by w650 on Aug 12, 2017 20:31:28 GMT -5
Indian/Polaris dumped Victory in the face of slipping sales and the cost to develop new engines for two brands. Indian sales exceeded Victory even though Victory was around for nineteen years to only six years under Polaris ownership. Plus it's easier to sell hype than engineering to Cruiser owners. "America's Oldest Motorcycle Company" my butt.
This isn't new sadly. Seventies Japanese bikes were replaced rather than fixed. Repairing was expensive in a shop in comparison to MSRP. Never mind any pride of ownership or loyalty to your machine.
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Post by w650 on Aug 12, 2017 15:33:26 GMT -5
While I've never been able to understand the Italian mindset on model selection, I only know if it sells, it stays with most intelligently run companies.
DCT is the wave of the future. I could see an engine set up like the Mana's in an ATV but it didn't seem to strike a chord here as a bike. Plus, I don't know, if you're going to ride a bike it should shift. It's part of the experience.
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Post by w650 on Aug 11, 2017 3:38:38 GMT -5
The Aprilia isn't in the game anymore but the discussion is relevant.
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Post by w650 on Aug 6, 2017 20:49:23 GMT -5
Nope Pete. It's the four valve motor from the ill fated Movie.
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Post by w650 on Aug 5, 2017 18:22:06 GMT -5
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Post by w650 on Aug 4, 2017 17:13:04 GMT -5
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Post by w650 on Aug 3, 2017 14:03:14 GMT -5
Or this dazzling display.
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Post by w650 on Aug 3, 2017 14:00:46 GMT -5
Here's my point also. Why can I find great ads for scooters on Youtube but never see them on some tiny cable channel. I think an ad like this would pique some interest.
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Post by w650 on Aug 1, 2017 15:11:19 GMT -5
Again, I'm only taking exception to the "Lower cost of maintenance". I have two scooters and three motorcycles and I don't see it that way. If I could only have one and needed to rely on it daily I would have a hard time going with a scooter.
The joy of old age is cheap insurance so a few spares is easy to swallow.
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Post by w650 on Jul 31, 2017 19:07:10 GMT -5
First Leo, I read an ominous article written by a young guy a few years ago. "Our generation wants solar powered electric cars that are autonomous. Why should we waste time driving when we can be doing more important things." Apparently twenty somethings regard surfing the web and texting as essential life activities.
I'm loving how a generation is being blamed for Harley's sales slipping. Indian is pulling away customers as much as aging Baby Boomers not buying new Hogs is responsible. Every dog has its day and Harley will have to build newer bikes for a new generation to stay on top.
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