I realize that this topic is getting stale, but I had the opportunity to
actually go out and ride this weekend for a change, so my big behind is
a little behind.
> From: "Andrew Tuning"
> Subject: RE: Re: Noobie questions
>
> Thank you Eagle Mike!! I have to chime in on this subject. It really burns
> me the guys like Studebaker Mfg. who take Tim's design and do low quality
> "knock offs" (in Taiwan) One, don't they know about design copyright
> infringement laws? I mentioned to Tim on one occasion (and will never bring
> it up AGAIN) that he should have nailed them on it. But, I guess the way the
> laws are written it is really hard.
If you don't file for a patent within one year after you begin selling
your part, you may no longer do so. Given that it takes $5,000-10,000
to properly file for a patent, it's really hard for a small business to
handle the expense for a product of unpredictable success. That cost is
in the range of my total annual gross, and would have to be done for
each new product.
> With HT products, you get what you pay
> for. If you don't like the price, go get it cheaper somewhere else (Taiwan),
> that is your choice, BUT, the quality isn't there. I am all in favor of
> buying American (yet I ride a Kawasaki made where?) and especially helping
> the little guy. He knows what he is doing.
In addition to what Mike and Andy said, another thing to consider is
service after the sale. I can't speak for the others, but I try to help
my customers with other questions, and Mike has been all over the place
assisting with tech sessions. I don't have nearly as many miles on my
KLR as I would like, but I've been riding it for almost nine years. In
fact, I met one of the big KLR parts suppliers at the LA-Barstow-Vegas
ride one year. I was on my KLR, he was on an ATK. (On second thought,
maybe I'm just an idiot for riding a KLR through that.) But I don't
just own a KLR for parts development, I ride the darn thing. So do most
of the other key suppliers. You likely won't get that from a knockoff
company.
As for price, parts that require cutting, bending, notching, fitting and
welding take an inordinate amount of time. Sure, a skilled person could
do this himself, but it all adds up for a business. I've discontinued
parts because at a reasonable sale price I'd be making minimum wage. A
lot goes into price considerations, and I'm sure Tim has spent a fair
amount of time considering the price points for his items.
And this one's for CA S2 (DV Daze inside joke):
Chuck Norris invented the KLR by delivering a roundhouse kick to an
F650GS, knocking $4,000 and a bunch of useless crap off of it.
Krokko
--
Dr. J. Christopher Krok
Explosion Dynamics Laboratory
Caltech MS 205-45, Pasadena, CA 91125