Let me inform a narrative:
Pre-pandemic a good friend of mine had a gathering with the executives in control of the Honda’s US motorbike division in Torrance. They mentioned gross sales and forecasts and all the same old dangerous information subjects. Many of the Honda road line wasn’t promoting at anticipated ranges at the moment. This isn’t to say that they had been making inferior bikes or dangerous streetbikes, in no way. They had been making bikes for individuals who needed to be satisfied to contemplate bikes as a mode of transportation or a object of ardour as an alternative of constructing bikes that will be a “should have” bike for Honda fanatics. My good friend implored: there are consumers on the market that will purchase a contemporary V-twin Hawk GT650, or a 400 V4, or perhaps a customary CB400F in-line 4, outfitted with a number of the Honda Motor tech they’ve been renown for within the final 60 years.
The execs had been sympathetic to their customer’s plea, however dismissed most of it on precept. We’d must re-tool, they mentioned, the bike must be mainly created, the prices to convey it right here would make the value too costly for the market.
Okay, my good friend mentioned, mentioned, trying over the bikes that Honda was pushing on their sellers and prospects for that mannequin 12 months, however what did it price to create, re-tool and produce all of those bikes to America? Bikes you must persuade non-riding folks to purchase, to persuade them to contemplate a motorbike as a mode of transport.
This was after American Honda had determined to herald the MotoGP streetbike model of the RC213V-S. After they introduced pre-ordering for the RC213V-S that was an vital day. It’s also a day that lives in infamy with workers as a result of the announcement made the customer support telephone strains explode.
And never in a great way.
Honda fanatics had been so moved by the RC213V-S announcement that they sought out the customer support telephone quantity for Honda and determined to let Massive H understand how they felt about this motorbike being imported and bought. The message, in response to these working the telephones, was ‘HEY! (WTF??!) How a few very particular Honda motorbike that I can afford and trip? I’ve been using Honda for 20/30/40 years and that is the bike you usher in for fanatics? I don’t need an Africa Twin. I don’t desire a CBR1000RR. I would like one thing small, and quick and funky. I need to hear the howl.’
What’s the take-away? That there are folks on the market that yearn for a cult bike to name their very own.
When the Kawasaki 250 4 cylinder (ZX25R) was launched in Asia in 2020 there was a really laborious push for Kawasaki to convey that bike to the USA. By me. And doubtless many others. I used to be all-in once I noticed the 250 spun to a 17,000 rpm redline.
Kawasaki mentioned that it will price an excessive amount of to herald, there could be enormous re-tooling prices and albeit loads of work to make it USA compliant. Tooling prices for an organization that makes ships, helicopters and laborious elements for nuclear energy vegetation?, I countered. Give me a break. There are rounding errors within the KHI ship division which dwarf the prices to switch a motorbike to make it saleable within the USA.
Make it a 400, I advised to Kawasaki. Usher in some type of Z-1 retro 400cc to unfold the prices round, I mentioned, appearing like I’ve a clue as to what I’m speaking about.
Not going to occur Kawasaki mentioned.
Nevertheless, clearly there was main change in how Kawasaki USA is contemplating this motorbike. Most of the early rumors about 2023 product embrace a brand new providing of the ZX4R (powered by an in-line 4 cylinder). Woo-hoo!
What was the final cult bike produced for the US market? Should you apply the provided that any Italian motorbike is a cult bike and take away them from the information, it’s been not less than 25 years. I applaud Kawasaki for bringing this bike to America, in the event that they do.
Kawasaki: one final piece of Dean Recommendation: make it inexperienced with the blue and white stripes; I wager they promote each one with retro aesthetics.
Return to Information