[starvingstudent]

Who buys it?

All the people I see in Screaming Eagle black tee-shirts--the ones where you ask them "so, what do you ride?" And they say "Ride? No, I don't actually have a motorcycle."

 

[starvingstudent]

Just for the record...

I don't let BMW off much easier than HD. There is no way a 650 single should be $8000+. But at least its technological gadgetry (FI, catalytic converters, etc) makes it easier to justify than an air-cooled, pushrod, 2 valve/cylinder motorcycle costing $18,000.

 

[starvingstudent]

"Easier to justify" defined

It's easier to justify because the techno gizmos BMW peppers their bikes with raise the price of manufacture. Whether or not you want or need them, ABS, FI, and catalytic converters are expensive. Doesn't mean I _want_ all that junk on a 650 single, but I wouldn't walk away from the purchase thinking that 50% of the MSRP is just for the name on the tank.

That said, HD has every right to charge whatever they want because this is America. And they're doing something (namely marketing) right, because their stock is through the roof. But it's America, so I have the right to say that their product is overpriced from purely an objective, not an emotive, standpoint. Ain't this country sweet?

 

[starvingstudent]

Re: Their share price performance is unmatched in the biz

> They're not living stuffed in a box with 6 other people, i.e., they (overseas workers) live with less means and less amenities.

Yeah, there's NO consumer goods in Japan. That's it. Have you ever even seen a picture of Tokyo? Japan is one of the most extreme consumerist/materialist countries in the world. During a normal economy, the Japanese quality of life is HIGHER than American, and even in the current severe recession, their unemployment rate is barely higher than the US rate.