The Ricardo company

lkchris said:

Lightness is expensive

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36654 said:

So, when the consumer buys a product from company XYZ that's a compendium of parts from suppliers A, B & C does he or she really understand that you're possibly just talking about a variance in QA/QC standards applied to the same product produced on the same assembly line? In addition, when the number of suppliers of a given component become fewer than the number of car companies, doesn't differentiating between car companies become silly?

Once the market understands that you're just offering a different combination of parts that the other guy could have chosen to purchase, you've pretty lost any brand appeal.

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36654 said:

tonycarlos said:

OK, so if Honda and Yamaha trim some weight from their sports touring bikes, I would be a fool to spend the money on a more expensive brand.

I really hope someone in Japan and Germany is listening..........

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I doubt it's only the weight. Perception factors in here and with the japanese, it's price point. There's no other reason the ST and C14 do not have CC other than price point. Same with the F6B. It lacks ABS and CC. You'd think they'd find a way to include it at the same price or even a little more, but it's left out completely. That said, go to the gym and workout. The extra weight isn't the end of the world.

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ponch1 said:

To your point, remember when each GM brand made their own engines? That ended. The difference is in the badging, trim and name. It's a perception game that in the end is meaningless as there is very little differentiation. It's already a little silly and will get sillier.

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ponch1 said:

36654 said:

I doubt it's only the weight.

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Actually, weight and CG height are the biggest factors for me.

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36654 said:

ponch1 said:

Actually, weight and CG height are the biggest factors for me.

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I had a Nomad before the RT, so the RT is like a sportbike to me.

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36654 said:

Yes, and I quit driving Big Three products in 1992, because of that...

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