It's the name stupid  

True story.....a study was done by a marketing firm at a major department store. They had the exact same product (shoe) but with different prices, one cheap, the other expensive. They of course changed the name, etc, to give the appearance of difference items. The more expensive one out sold the cheaper one.

My son graduated from University California with a masters in marketing, works for a large world wide hotel chain, its big business selling us on trade names, etc....

On a different note, can anybody design a new bike that won't look a little (or more) like another bike to some degree?

gizzo wrote on 04/09/14 at 15:41:31:


Oh man, those Enfields look soooo cool. If I had the money I'd-a-bought one. Yer killin' me.

Can't the radiator thingy leak if the bike is dropped or falls over? If the radiator is a pressurised thingy, does it leak more rapidly than a non pressurised radiator thingy? Can it be hit by stones, rocks and road debris thingy's?

Yep radiators can be damaged and leak.  If you want a modern high mpg, high performance motorcycle that includes emmission controls.....it now comes watercooled.  Even lightweight trials bikes are now watercooled.  The temperatures are easier to regulate and the engine lasts longer.

And 100% US made Harleys are not exactly without their problems either. Nothing is.


There's no such thing as a 100% USA made Harley Davidson, never has been. They've always had, at minimum, a handful of Canadian or European sourced parts. Since the debut of the nose cone "Trouble Head" they've used Japanese and Taiwanese sourced electrical, suspension, rim and brake components. The Evo and the Twinkie (Twin Cam) are both Kawasaki designed engines, using parts from Toyota-Honda-Yamaha and General Motors of Canada...

Keihin and Mikuni (Japan) carburetors, Showa (Japan) forks and shocks, Denso (Japan) starters, NGK (Japan) sparkplugs, Stanley (Japan/Taiwan) lights-wiring-switches, Dunlop (Japan) tires, Lockheed-Wagner (England) brakes, Delphi (Canada) fuel injection, Excell (Japan) wheels, Emgo (Taiwan) filters, Bridgestone-Firestone (Japan) tires, Screaming Eagle (Taiwan-Korea-China) accessories... I could go on for awhile...  this is just a small portion of parts that were/are sourced from outside the USA (or the company headquarters are no longer in the USA).  

oldNslow wrote on 04/10/14 at 08:36:18:


Definitely true. Look at the major league flop known as the V-Rod, a Porsche-Citroen-Harley Davidson design exercise that should have been absolutely flawless. Biggest turd the Motor Company put out since the AMF Nose Cone Shovelhead...

Serowbot wrote on 04/10/14 at 09:07:24:


He's running thru every instance of his use of "c0ck" that was changed to "thingy" in his previous post.

the bloody wally  

They couldn't hardly give them away in the USA. Too ghetto for most Harley Davidson fans. I heard more than one prospective buyer walking away shaking his head saying "Too ugly, too quiet, lousy seating position", among other more colorful comments...