From: svoboda@rtsg.mot.com (David Svoboda)
Subject: Re: heyuk! be 'murkin to!
Organization: Motorola Inc., Cellular Infrastructure Group
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 00:19:20 GMT

In article <1e1j02ya33.=01@JUTS.ccc.amdahl.com> efk00@cd.amdahl.com (Eddie Kieger) writes:
|In article <1993Jan20.001437.12058@rtsg.mot.com>, svoboda@rtsg.mot.com
|(David Svoboda) writes:
|
|>Crap.  Motorcycle sales is a smaller part of the US economy than VCR
|                              ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|>sales (witness the number of VCR sales facilities, vs motorcycle sales
|>facilities).  
|
|Not for each individual sale. Not by a LONG shot.

Learn to read, idiot.  "Motorcycle sales is a smaller part than VCR
sales" does not mean motorcycles are cheaper than VCR's.

|>Now, it would be *nice* to buy an American motorcycle,
|>except that each American motorcycle manufacturer has chosen to either
|>ignore my motorcycling needs entirely, or priced their products completely
|>out of reach.
|
|Obviously I am lucky in that I LIKE the style, etc. of the HDs. That 
|makes it easy for me to support them and not go through the headaches 
|of customization. Of course if the tables were turned, and the "HD style" 
|bike was made somewhere else, and the "sport" bikes were made here, I would 
|buy a sport bike. Then I would rip it apart and make it into a comfortable 
|ride (this is hypothetically assuming that we made no models with an 
|upright riding position, etc.).

That's bull.  There is NO WAY to make a Harley Davidson product into a
Kawasaki Concours, in terms of handling, power, comfort, and reliability,
looks, price, and the other things I love in my motorcycle.

If someone thinks it really is possible, I will be glad to discuss the
project with them by email.

|It is just that the defenders 
|of the foriegn faith all seem to be japanese bike riders (wonder why 
|that is??).

"Foriegn faith".  Cute.  Does it occur to you that most of the non-Harley
riders in this newsgroup are here because they are interested in *motorcycles*,
regardless of marque?  Frankly, though, I am offended when some dickhead
individuals in this group call my choice of ride stupid, inferior, or
irresponsible.  It has very little to do with faith.  It has a lot more
to do with the love of the bike I have chosen.  If it was some sort of
fanaticism about foriegn bikes, I would not have the kind of interest in
Buell that I do.

|No shit, I am a hypocrite 

Thank you.

|(if you say so). I admitted this earlier in a 
|round about way, but I guess I have to blatantly spell it out. My point 
|was that THERE ARE NO FUCKING ABSOLUTES (as I pointed out above). 

Except that you should absolutely never buy a foriegn bike, right?

|I guess 
|to take the absolutes even further, I should live within walking distance 
|of work, because of the nasty environmental impact of manufacturing that
|bicycle. Yeah, right, be realistic. 

Well, um, I do.  You could.  It's not so hard, and it really does help
the environment.

|Yeah, I like Harleys for what they are. What am I supposed to do, like 
|them for what they AREN'T?? 

You profess to have a higher moral ground, because you bought a domestic
bike.  You imply that you bought it because it is domestic.  I don't believe
it.  I think you bought the bike because you like it.  Same reason I bought
my bike.

|OK - Lets go:

Let's not.  Suffice it to say that I have just about the same level of
domestic ownership as you do, motorcycles excepted.  It proves nothing.

|The bottom line is that I do end up getting somethings made overseas. 
|It is unavoidable, unless I want to live as a hermit and not participate 
|in the real world. That is in some ways hypocritical, but mainly 
|realistic. I NEVER claimed to buy EXCLUSIVELY USA, and to NEVER buy 
|foriegn. 

Fine.  The thing is, my average for domestic goods is similar to yours,
but I choose strictly on the basis of quality and price (quality first,
unless the price is outrageous).  That just goes to show that Americans
can still make good products. (Subliminal message: buy Motorola cellular
phones. :-)  But if we can't, we don't *deserve* the business.  If a
company doesn't make a product that fits the market, they don't deserve
the market.  Harley doesn't fit my market.

|Read my old posts before you get your shorts all bunched up. 
|I was just pointing out that everyone should feel an obligation 
|to buy domestic whenever possible. I guess that PERSONALLY, I "find it 
|possible" a lot more often than you do.

Well, that's because you happen to like Harley Davidson.  If I liked
that style of bike, I would probably shoot for one.  But I don't.  And
a square peg won't fit in a round hole.

|Originally what I was trying to point out was that too many people 
|just buy foriegn products without any thought at all to the effects 
|on the economy. I never said that it was immoral or evil to buy 
|foriegn products. 

Hmm, interesting you should say that.  When above, you said that people
"should feel an obligation" to buy domestic bikes.  Shirking obligations 
is immoral, right?  Therefore...

|Personally, I don't like it, but we have to be 
|realistic. I just wish that people would think more before they act. 

Or before they post?

|I still won't be swayed.

Won't be swayed.  Interesting that a person who says that would call
someone *else* religious about their brand.

Dave Svoboda (svoboda@void.rtsg.mot.com)    | "I just can't take
90 Concours 1000 (Mmmmmmmmmm!)              |  this weird shit
84 RZ 350 (Ring Ding) (Woops!)              |  before breakfast!"
AMA 583905  DoD #0330  COG 939  (Chicago)   |   -- Evo Woman