Carbon Fibre Effect Tmax

[irev]

Instead of these misguided 'styling' attempts to woo potential buyers, why don't Yamaha stop pissing about and drop their overly inflated prices?

Profiteering? High time we had an investigation into cartel price-fixing in the motorcycle market. The defence of lower volumes can't hold water when most of the manufacturers now have plants in developing countries with wage costs 1/3 that of the previous production centres. And as for materials costs, just look at what these machines are made of - if they're that heavy they ain't made of unobtanium, are they?

And they are still made in volume quantities sufficient to justify economies of scale over the now-extended life of the product - gone are the days of 'new model every year'.

Yet prices rise at a rate above inflation persistently and consistently. Does that imply a good deal for the consumer to you? And the operating economics are based on fallacious criterion that haven't actually been true for twenty years of more - there is absolutely no reasons a realtively lowly-stressed CVT scooter shold need a service before 20K miles, and if there is something going 'off there ought to be sufficient electronics on board to monitor for it, and alert the rider to somethig needing attention.

And of course it's the real customer who is the victim in all of this - the failed sales and marketing strategies result in profit over smaller numbers of units, so who gets squeezed so they can make the same or greater profit?

There can be no justification for a market model that doesn't at least follow the line of the automotive sector (of course, there is massive scrutiny and legislative control in the car markets leading to genuine competition).

Prices should reflect what markets will bear, to accentuate sales. Does that seem true in the scooter market?

[MrGrumpy]

Instead of these misguided 'styling' attempts to woo potential buyers, why don't Yamaha stop pissing about and drop their overly inflated prices?

Well, if we stopped buying them, then the price might come down. If we keep buying them, then Yamaha will charge as much as they can get away with!

[irev]

Not sure that works. They simply attempt to squeeze the same profit out of smaller unit sales by increasing prices still further.

Watch how much ABS will add to the price of a scooter come 2016, when it's mandatory. It won't be 100, 200 or 300 quid, as now, it will be closer to five. And the actual cost of the gubbins? About £20, not counting the ECU, which is about another 20, including programming for the individual application. What it should be is at no extra cost, because the manufacturer recognise it's a key tool to encourage new customers.

Piaggio are putting TCS on scooters not because the buyers are demanding it, or because a CVT scooter even needs it (there is a natural anti-spin tendency with CVT anyway) but because it and ABS are factors in persuading non-buyers to, when the reason for their non purchase is fear and safety concerns...

What we have now in the UK is fear, safety concern, absence of a suitable training regime that is accessible AND excessive prices. Along with a complete lack of exposure to a persuasive sales message, as evidence by my neighbour.

TTW's with a roof should have long since eroded many of those objections. But who's selling them? And at what cost? Still the only single-track two wheelers ever to be properly punted to the non-riding masses are the BMW C1 and the Honda Cub.
(I'd like to add the Velocifero from Italjet, but that was never punted to the masses, only the 'stylish').

Soichiro didn't do so bad off it.

So the question is just who is a carbon-fibre TMax aimed at? As usual, the existing TMax customer. OK there's a large enough number to potentially create demand, but TOWIE doesn't apply to scooters.What it needs to be is 30 kilos lighter, 40mpg more frugal, and just as fast as it is now, for 3K less. And there are no bolt-ons to deliver that, it actually needs a manufacturer who understands that scooter aren't motorcycles, not thinks they are a poor relation.

[Ferret]

IREV totally agree with all that well said.