curry@nsc.UUCP (Ray Curry) (04/12/86)
At last, something to get a heated discussion going. Who says that net.cycle never has anything exciting to argue about. When I posted my for sale on my Yamaha, it wasn't because I felt it obsolete and wanted the GSXR because it was a year newer. Actually, I still think the Yamaha is a superior overall street bike if you add in weekend or weeklong trips. Its high torque motor and milder riding position make it more comfortable for the average rider and far easier to ride than the Suzuki. I wanted the Suzuk because I race occasionally and even on the street, I have occasion to scrape pegs once in a while. As I prepared to fine tune the Yamaha to fit me (raise the pegs, lower the clipons, etc.) the Suzuki came along a did it for me. Anyway, this wasn't what I felt was food for thought. What if obsolescence were the reason? Is there a reason to say its bad. Certainly some people want to own something that doesn't depreciate because next years model isn't any better. That's why there's Harleys. That means the person can use the item for a low cost. I on the other hand, tend to use up the product. Resale isn't a major concern and I only buy new to gain some signifcant improvement. Witness my 75 Van with 170000, 77 KZ1000 with 70000. I do have enough of the racer still in me to not mind buying the "best tire" this year and replace it with the better next year, even though its not worn out. It took the Yamaha to get me off the KZ and the Suzuk for the Yamaha. But isn't that the advantage the Japanese have in business. They do not tie themselves to obsolete methods just because they didn't think of it last year, or because consumer taste changes and the market may sell different this year. Remember the Yamaha 750 twin. Scrapped after one year because it was garbage and Yamaha realized it. Sad they were able to prove out the design before committing, but they could have pulled a GM and continued to make the same garbage for years just because of the investment made. Whats better, a Japanese consumer disposable market where everything is new every three years, or an American one where the same item is made for 10 or 20 years? Food for though, indeed. :-)