Motus has hit the road

[derf]

Originally Posted by Trip

Yeah, they are targeting the high end guys who want a sport tourer. These guys put down a lot of miles and want those bells and whistles.

Thats the target audience I'm seeing for the bike too. For a basic sport tourer with none of the bells and whistles there are plenty of other alternatives out there for half the price, with a reputation for reliability and quality, and even more with all the goooonannys and whatzits added in.

I think there is a market out there for the bike at the $30k price point, just not a big one. If they want to make it the standard american sport tourer/naked/sportbike, then they need to fill in the hole that buell left behind at the near 10k price point. If they fill in the niche that buell opened up with their departure and they can get a decent dealer network, at bigger dealerships than a boutique shop based network could support. Buell however was successful because they were able to develop their bikes relatively cheaply, enabling them to pass the low costs on to their customers.

[Trip]

Originally Posted by derf

Buell however was successful because they were able to develop their bikes relatively cheaply, enabling them to pass the low costs on to their customers.

The low price point also kept the must buy UHMURICAN! people in the target audience. Price gets too high and those people can't afford the bike.

[Gas Man]

See I don't believe there is much market for a $30k bike... not much at all. Hence why you seen so many of those priced bike manufactures die off.

I also, agree, that there should be some basic bells & whistles. If not standard at least optional. ABS should be a must. For me, any touring bike should have it. You pack allot of weight on these bikes for trips and sometimes much if not all of it up high (center of gravity). In a panic stop you need all the help you can get. I know when I ordered my Ultra it had to have ABS on it. No other way, especially at only $700.

[goof2]

Originally Posted by Gas Man

See I don't believe there is much market for a $30k bike... not much at all. Hence why you seen so many of those priced bike manufactures die off.

That, and you are dealing with an unknown brand (with untested customer support), usually with a limited dealer network and difficult parts availability. Realistically how many people are willing to put up with that instead of buying one of the new BMW K bikes, even if the prices end up being the same. Unique things are often unique for a reason.