09-07-2014, 05:55 AM
It's sad to see all these small and sometimes quite brilliant motorcycle manufacturers not being able to make it. It cost a lot of money to develop and build these bikes, and it is simply impossible for them then to make the volumes that would allow them to make it. Horex obviously is one, but there are so many others like them that have tried and failed.
I have mentioned it before, but the Moto Morini is another typical example. Their engine is probably the greatest twin made, and is something that any true motorcycle enthusiast should experience. Most professionals that have tried it would agree, yet they went bankrupt a few years back. For now they are still alive, but for how long?
The problem is that bike prices have been pushes too far down, and the US market being one of the most important ones is most at fault. The prices bikes are sold at in the US are simply too low to sustain any sort of production for small scale producers. I remember speaking with one of the top people at Ducati a few years back when they brought out the 1098. In the US it was selling for basically half price of what it costs in Europe, and he explained to me that at that price they were losing money on every back. But this was simply a necessity in order to compete with the Japanese sports bikes, and make their place in the market. So, this loss was then being offset by the higher prices in Europe. I know this might seem unfair to a lot of you, but for any of these smaller bike companies to survive, the US market needs to accept that it costs a fair bit to build a proper bike. Consider that here in Europe we pay $16'000 for a CB1100.
I look at the posts on this board, and it is the same with most motorcycle forums in the US, after buying a bike for say $10'000, it is very common to spend at least another $5'000 over the next years buying aftermarket parts. If instead people would accept to pay $15'000 for the bike to start with and then accept it as it is, smaller companies would have more of a chance to survive.
However, at the end of the day it is the demand that decides. The reality though is that the way the demand is in the US today, none of these small bike manufacturers will be able to survive. It is what it is, and we buy what we want, but I find it a bit unfortunate.
I have mentioned it before, but the Moto Morini is another typical example. Their engine is probably the greatest twin made, and is something that any true motorcycle enthusiast should experience. Most professionals that have tried it would agree, yet they went bankrupt a few years back. For now they are still alive, but for how long?
The problem is that bike prices have been pushes too far down, and the US market being one of the most important ones is most at fault. The prices bikes are sold at in the US are simply too low to sustain any sort of production for small scale producers. I remember speaking with one of the top people at Ducati a few years back when they brought out the 1098. In the US it was selling for basically half price of what it costs in Europe, and he explained to me that at that price they were losing money on every back. But this was simply a necessity in order to compete with the Japanese sports bikes, and make their place in the market. So, this loss was then being offset by the higher prices in Europe. I know this might seem unfair to a lot of you, but for any of these smaller bike companies to survive, the US market needs to accept that it costs a fair bit to build a proper bike. Consider that here in Europe we pay $16'000 for a CB1100.
I look at the posts on this board, and it is the same with most motorcycle forums in the US, after buying a bike for say $10'000, it is very common to spend at least another $5'000 over the next years buying aftermarket parts. If instead people would accept to pay $15'000 for the bike to start with and then accept it as it is, smaller companies would have more of a chance to survive.
However, at the end of the day it is the demand that decides. The reality though is that the way the demand is in the US today, none of these small bike manufacturers will be able to survive. It is what it is, and we buy what we want, but I find it a bit unfortunate.