04-12-2014, 10:39 AM
(04-12-2014, 03:25 AM)Captain Klutz_imp Wrote: What exactly is the reason that Honda, Kawasaki and possibly others don't introduce a certain model to the U.S. market? For example, here in Europe we have the EX with spokes and ABS plus everything the DLX has (but it *does* cost more in the EU, of course). Why produce two different bikes when just one line would be cheaper (I assume)?
I mean they are aware of all the regulations and homology requirements, otherwise they wouldn't sell *any* bikes.
Can someone offer more than speculation? Just the facts ma'am! If you are a Honda representative, by all means, create an anonymous account and let us know.
It's all up to the marketing department. They decide what various markets want, and more importantly, what they'll be willing to pay.
The U.S. market has historically been more price sensitive than the Euro and Asian markets. That's one of the reasons that the '13 was offered in ABS and non-ABS versions in the U.S. last year, while ABS was standard everywhere else. I suspect that's the reason that the Euro/Asia markets got the spoke wheels this year and the U.S. got the cast wheels.
My other bike (CB750) is a good example of this. The U.S. model was a stripped down version, designed to come in at an MSRP below $4K (in '91), even to the point of making the centerstand optional. The Euro/Asia version was much more refined with upgraded suspension and brakes (and a centerstand). Another example is the little CB250. It sold for decades with a front drum brake in the U.S. and a front disk just about everywhere else in the world.