One huge difference I have noticed between American and German companies, American companies are dominated for the most part by professional bean counters, accountants, whereas German companies are often led by engineers and designers, think Dr. Ferdinand Porsche here. Huge difference, they take pride in what they build over there and the accountants can take a back seat. Here it's all about short term, quarterly returns, no wonder America is so uncompetive and builds crap. Germans will start a company and build something that is the best in the world just to do it, whole different philosophy. American companies are all about return on investment, we suck and don't build anything anymore that anyone is interested in buying ......except Boeing aircraft which are still world class and maybe Harley's and I don't get that at all.

Kinda cool lookin....that's American?Or used to be?As far as American Sportbikes...you have yer Harley 1200...it is strange,a little,why the US doesn't pursue sportbikes.They'd have to be pretty darn okay to keep up with the inlines and all.Probably feel it's just not worth it.Besides..."AMERICA"...is Harley's and Hot dogs!

"Harley's and I don't get that at all"....It's an American ICON....they're cool bikes...for what they are.They don't look (to me) near as beefy when yer sittin on one though...I was surprised after I got my first Harley...a Heritage Classic...she looked,well,big standin there lookin at her.When I got on,the tank suddenly appeared...well...not near as big as lookin from the outside????I didn't care for the e-cheapo turn signal stalks either...pot metal.Cheap.The fender was made out of some sort of metal...cheap...friggin bent the rear one barely touching my truck bumper while backing it out of it's shed.I mean...BENT....pushed it almost against the tire...pulled it back out...but....

@Kruz (Mr Caruso): I agree completely with your German assessment. They leave no stone unturned during the R&D phase and accept nothing less than perfection during production... during wartime to boot! The Wehrmacht were the first to deploy a bona fide assault rifle: the SturmGewher chambered in 8mm Kurz.

The United States owes its current coal production capability to German company. Hemsheidt was one of several German companies that developed long wall mining.

If 1936 Germany had played its cards differently, some portions of Europe would probably still be under its flag.

I'm glad American manufacturing might tipped the balance... but it could have been completely different if Germany held off open aggression by five years.

Yep, you could probably fit Germany inside of Texas with plenty of room to spare and they almost kicked the whole worlds ass, they're smart no doubt but hubris has always been their downfall. When you're that arrogant, you tend to underestimate your opponent, kinda like we did in Vietnam. The rest as they say, is history.

@Grn That's always been my take and a buddy of mine that worked at Harley years ago said the parts came in from everywhere, Brazil, China you name it. Not American anymore.

I was reading somewhere that every modern assault rifle including the AK47 has been based on the Sturmgewehr. The MG42 was way ahead of it's time too, Hitler's buzzsaw.

* Last updated by: Kruz on 8/3/2012 @ 4:00 PM *

There used to be a pic on the web somewhere...showed a part for a Harley...clearly...it read 'made in Japan'.Okay...probably when AMC owned Harley for a short time...but still.....I don't doubt that within some of their electrics and such there's some overseas chips or whatever in there.One thing about our zx's...I've NEVER seen a part labeled 'made in America"...not that it wouldn't be fine...it would...but...

I read the Germans in WWII were issued rations of methamphetamine at different times...in different situations...Germany had a serious role in mfging drugs...Even today...that 'shake and bake' meth recipe is an early German way of making meth(amphetamine).Adolph Hitler was given IV drugs all the time at the waning of his rule.For SEVERAL years anyway.Meth was supposedly one of em.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 8/3/2012 @ 4:05 PM *

America's new motorcycle company

Motocsycz is concentrating on electric motorcycles.

It has been said that in heaven, the police are British, the cooks are French, the engineers are German and the designers are Italian, while in hell, the police are German, the cooks are British, the engineers are French and the designers are Italian.

Because of the preponderance of dirt roads and wide open spaces back in the day, motorcycles in America took a completely different turn than in Europe- they had large wheels and heavy-duty tires and frames and torquey, low-revving motors. Sound familiar? In Europe, where sportbikes were originally devised, they were lightweight and designed more for paved roads and routes through the mountains and hills. While the Japanese were using 20th-century metallurgy to manufacture motors that could rev to astronomical limits, America was plodding along, reproducing slightly improved versions of the Same Old Thing. Two-cycle tech then came into it's own (always hated here) and then longer-travel suspension. Both advanced as a result of motocross (all three euro inventions). The Japanese took the ball and ran with it. The Euros have made an effort to catch up, with some spectacular results. Meanwhile back at the ranch, The Same Old thing still makes more money for it's shareholders than any startup sportbike maker could ever hope to, so that's in a state of stagnation.

What was said earlier about American companies makes that even more true. Everyone in the world is in business to make money, but here, the profit is the only object. Gaming the system to your favor and shuffling paper is much more profitable than producing a viable product, so here we are. Let the third world do all the work, and we'll just rake the gravy of the top. As much as I'd like to buy American, I don't like riding Harleys. And at $36K, the Motus is waaayyyy out of my price range.

The part were Mikuini carberaters.They were said to run better with them on.I was just watching Top Gear on BBC.These electric cars had a horrible range.They had 7 niles to go and the nearest charging station was 45 miles with a 13 hr wait.
Craig

@Danno: also after World War 2, japans engineers were forbidden to build planes or any other warfare machine so they all went into cars and MC manufacturing, the rest is history. I watch a documentary about a factory in Japan and their culture is all about perfecting their work however futile it is. They also don't strike or question their superiors authority. They look like cold, calculating robots but somehow manage to produce some of the most exhilarating motorcycles! I guess everybody has a dark side lol

Yep, Harley is back on top again, world wide sales are up, it's like they're recession proof. I always thought the Harley thing was a bubble and would someday burst and they'd be as cheap as dirt. Hasn't happened yet but give it time. Think about it, Vincent motorcycles are coveted because they are aesthetically beautiful and are very rare. They didn't build very many of them. Harley's in contrast are everywhere, by far the most common motorcycle down here in Texas, the market is flooded with this crap. The Law of Supply and Demand hasn't been revoked, just delayed for a time. When it finally catches up, it's going to be with a vengeance and all of those Harley's you'll be able to pick up dirt cheap..if you want one.

Harley Davidson is the triumph of marketing over engineering. It's like everything else these days, built on hype not on a solid, lasting foundation.

Hardly Dangerous just goes to prove that marketing an image is easier than marketing a product.

Spyglass

Isn't that the way everything is going nowadays though. Look at the 2012 presidential campaign, do you mean to tell me that out of over 350 million people in this country these two jokers are the best we can come up with? If you stop to think about it, that is a scary thought and a sad commentary on the current state of our nation.

Obama's 2008 campaign was like a Harley commercial, all feel good rhetoric and no substance. Hope and change, what did that mean? We're sure finding out aren't we?

"Hope and change, what did that mean?"...it meant exactly what he said...it wasn't rhetoric Kruzr.He'd make changes....we'd have to hope things will be okay.Simple.Truth.

Harley Davidson is the triumph of marketing over engineering. It's like everything else these days, built on hype not on a solid, lasting foundation.

Approaching 110 years of continuous production says otherwise.

To me, it's the hope that we can change the last 40 years of the profit-at-all-costs economics that has kept middle class incomes stagnant while the incomes of the wealthy have skyrocketed 600% If you are one of the 1% who have reaped all the benefits of this debacle, you should definitely oppose any hope for change.

Recent studies have confirmed the new healthcare law will reduce the deficit. So who are the opposition? Why it's the good ole "deficit hawks" who are more concerned with being policeman to the world than taking care of our own citizens. We are the richest country on the face of the earth, but we are too stupid to see who our sweat and hard work really benefits.

do you mean to tell me that out of over 350 million people in this country these two jokers are the best we can come up with?

To me, it's the hope that we can change the last 40 years of the profit-at-all-costs economics that has kept middle class incomes stagnant while the incomes of the wealthy have skyrocketed 600% If you are one of the 1% who have reaped all the benefits of this debacle, you should definitely oppose any hope for change.

Call me a pessimist, a fatalist whatever but good luck with that. We're a consumption driven society and as long as that fact will remain true there will be no hope. I have seen some people so enslaved by consumption and money that they shared fate with people who lives under regime in third world countries. We could start to make an effort in learning about who we buy from (the kind of company, their ethics etc) but nowadays even going green is a marketing campaign and who wanna spend 2 hours in a grocery store trying to find out if frito-lay is a good company. Another way would be to voice our opinion a la Occupy Wall Street but again in this consumer driven society most of us have multiple car notes, credit card payments, mortgages. Who has the time to go camping in Zuccatti Park? lol I guess the Canadians since the started the movement. Isn't that pathetic? In France, getting stuff like a new passport, driver license takes so long that people hire people to stand in line for them lol We could just hire people (preferably Canadians) to militate for us

Danno, watch Ethos, it's on Netflix. I don't agree with all of it but it makes sense. I think you'll like it!

* Last updated by: dragking on 8/9/2012 @ 1:32 AM *

It's funny how long we were warned.Remember the old rock group Steppenwolf?The leader and writer is a guy named John Kay.Wrote Born to be wild.Can still see Fonda and Hopper riding down the road on their choppers with the Pusher being played in Easy Rider.Well anyway he wrote a song in 1967 called Monster.All about the rise of our federal government.Theres a Monster on the loose got our heads in a noose and the people keep watchng.It's available at Amazon.com.Double live Steepenwolf.Awesome album.I was a product of the 60's kinda radical.Airplane,Stones,Hendrix,Sabbath.My Dad hated that shit.Long hair hippie type.
Craig

If you were in the Warren Buffet arena...you wouldn't be worried about "the Monster"....or Tom Cruz...or Jimi Hendricks.Or Bill Gates.They all helped keep 'the Monster' alive...There's a VERY few running this show.Calling the shots as it were.When it gets bad enough...they'll tweak the system a bit one way or the other...according to the World Profits....kinda like 'throwing them guys a bone" or whatever.So long as they can stay making cash....everything else is game time.The economy...the Govt,the programs.All designed to make money for......the few.Long as the people don't say en masse..."we've had it"...they're cool with that.No problem.The rest is smoke and mirrors...all this.The economy....the "Presidency"...the corporate deals...all designed to make money for the few.World trades....WARS.All in the plan."They're" thinking about their Grandkids...and their Grandkid's kids.White....in control.Cutting the deals.Rollin in the cash...for years to come.WE don't have shit to say about it...or actually DO about it.WE can fail...it's already been factored in.The elites aren't gonna allow themselves to fall...no way.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 8/9/2012 @ 4:01 PM *