a side thread from the oil price rant

[jserio]

so, i didn't want to thread jack and had my own question to pose to you GStwins memebers. with the rise in gas prices, we're seeing a slight decline in sales of larger vehicles and a slight increase in more economical vehicle sales. it's not drastic yet but i think it will be soon. i don't see oil prices coming down for awhile. now, i know that motorcycle sales are probably up. but from what i can tell, only a handful of bikes are made for the "beginner" category. it's my understanding that the sub-600cc class at one time was superb. and now, well, we've got the GS, and a lil ninjette for choices. so here's my question: do you think other motorcycle companies will go back to the sub-600cc class bikes? will the others try to compete with suzuki and kawi? do you think it would make sense to try? i know that the biggest reason the sub-600cc class is so small now in the states in comparison to other countries is the whole, "i gotta have the baddest thing on the block" mentality that seems to be rampant here in the states. i myself would love to see the sub-600cc class be expanded by something new. any thoughts or opinions?

[bucks1605]

I think it would be great if other manufacturer's got in to the game with smaller displacement bikes. It would definitely make the bikes better if there was some competition.  Maybe we could even get a few more bikes with FI.

It only makes sense, if people are going to start riding to save money on gas, there has to be a larger selection of beginner bikes.

[yamahonkawazuki]

yes, however sales of sub 600 bikes are small compared to their larger brethren. my vehicles, ive got, i had plans to get my pickup on teh road, i had sold my frontier to a member here, and bought his gs, but i had plans recently of getting "sanford" on the road as a backup. ( sanford is a 1965 chevrolet c10 stepside 305, 2bbl and 3 speed column shift. but gas spiked 20 cents in 24 hours so those plans are somewhat delayed been driving "grandpa" since i sold teh frontier. grandpa being a 1989 chevroltet celebrity, 2.5 fi 4cyl, but grandpa is imho not gonna be long for this worls 88k miles, but seals have dried out, lolso me and my broke ass is looking at vehicles in teh economical class.i have my eye on a 96 olds ciera, 4cyl 94k miles hondas being too low to the ground for my liking, and too small. i need a vehicle that has teh capability to carry alrge items like a 32 inch crt tv. which is what i use as a standard. grandpa and the olds both do it with ease and both are semi miserly on teh fuel. i make my living on the roads, id say in teh last 12 years ive driven 4.5 million miles mostly accident free   i average around 70k a year now, ( in miles driven), with fuel going up, i may have to put the gs into service. i still think we need to drill in anwar as a short term solution, and energy alternatives/independence as a long term solution.

[The Buddha]

I'd like to see a chevrolet or a ford get a parts binner going. Injectors from this, cylinder liners+pistons from that, etc etc till the whole bike (no more than 450 or so, and no more than 2 cyls please) is literally from stuff they got lying around.
Then the fun is going to start. I'd settle for no less than 70 clicks a gal (easy, KZ440's do 70 mpg) and no less than 300 cc (its gotta be rideable on the present infrastructure). No more than 2K MSRP.
Bio/Diesel, make it 600 CC max twin for 2500.
Cool.
Buddha.

[The Buddha]

And, The saudi currency is indexed to the dollar, so I cannot fathom why gas costs are going up.
OK Oil at 125 a barrel, that is all speculalation, like Google at 500, but gasoline should not move due to weakening dollar. Which trust me, it is.
Cool.
Buddha.

[scottpA_GS]

Well, I work at a Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, KTM dealer 

While sales are slightly up there is no mad rush to buy bikes, especially smaller bikes. Every year we only sell about 3-5 GS500's We did well with the new ninja 250s we have trouble keeping them in stock and have already sold about 15 this year

For the most part people buy a bike that is way larger than what they need so they can be "cool" I see it everyday. About once a week some newb buys a 600 and within the hour it comes back on a roll back rashed and broken in half.

I think if more people would find a board like ours before they purchase their first bike they would make better decisions 

[lewismug]

No doubt they would make better decisions if they knew about this site....and many others.  I've been on a few other boards, kind of just lurking, and the advice is the same: Start small because you'll look stupid on a bike that is too big/fast for you.

yamahonkawazuki, have you thought about looking into a Volvo?  I have a 99 S70 and I average around 30 mpg on the highway.  It has a 5 cyl 2.5 l engine (non turbo) and I have treated this car like sheite.  It has over 231,000 miles on the clock right now and will still hit 130 if I want.  I mostly commute though, and hardly ever have to carry anything, so the GS is perfect for me.

On the news the other day, they were talking about how motorcycle sales have started rising, and there's no doubt, if gas gets as high as they're predicting, the sales will skyrocket.  Then again, you still have the "I'm more macho than you." guys out there riding on the interstate in their brand new Hummer.......alone.  Or the soccer mom who just have to have an Excursion because she "Needs the room for her one daughter."  I see it everyday.  It's getting old.  Those people have no idea what they are doing to the economy and the environment.  They don't care.  People are stupid.

[jserio]

oh, i know we will still have the few out there that no matter how high the gas prices get they will still want that biggest, baddest vehicle in town. but i think if gas spikes high enough we may see a larger influx of more economical vehicles. companies like honda and toyota were laughed at becuase they didn't have these huge ass performance cars like everyone else. they prided themselves on selling economical vehicles that were actually not expensive to own either. now, those companies are the ones laughing at the other guys. i'm just hoping that the motorcycle companies will have the balls to get into the mix and make the sub 600cc class more competitive. maybe our liscensing system needs changed to in order for this to really have an effect on what consumers buy. maybe kinda forcing people to have to get the smaller bikes first will help cut down crashes and insurance costs  as well. i've heard  many countries have a "tiered" liscensing system for bikes. how's this work? opinions from my brothers from across the pond? and is it the same for cars there as well?

[lewismug]

i'm just hoping that the motorcycle companies will have the balls to get into the mix and make the sub 600cc class more competitive. maybe our liscensing system needs changed to in order for this to really have an effect on what consumers buy. maybe kinda forcing people to have to get the smaller bikes first will help cut down crashes and insurance costs  as well. i've heard  many countries have a "tiered" liscensing system for bikes. how's this work? opinions from my brothers from across the pond? and is it the same for cars there as well?

The licensing system change sounds like a really, really great idea.

[The Buddha]

No I think gas @ $40 nay ... $39.99 will do the same.
Lets see how many illegals are sneaking across the border then, and lets see how many houses are getting built 80 miles from the nearest office park.
You know ehat they say right ... "Neccesity is the montherf^&ker" of invention"
BTW the market will always move to the opposite side of the majority in the long run. That is supply and demand.
If everyone bought fuel efficient vehicles and used 1/3 the fuel, promptly it will drop to 35 cents.
If everyone bought a house or 3 or 12 while borrowing with leverage on both ends, as soon as you are done buying, the houses will drop to nothing, and now try to rent it out and rents will fall to nothing.
That is the very definition of bubble. Its also the herd mentality colliding with classic economics, and the herd gets slaughtered.
Cool.
Buddha.

[yamahonkawazuki]

lewis, hell i cannot afford a volvo lol a bit beyond my means atm i wish tho unless i sold my 65 im not selling my gs, hell ive been almsot 2 years without one.