Voodooo
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- Joined
- Aug 10, 2016
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First I have heard of this.
The article appears to state that Dominators and Commandos will be built in India for sale in India and other Asian markets.
Not for export to other markets (Europe, US, Etc)
I guess this agreement is another money maker for Garner.
I see this and the China deal as huge plusses. A 2 valve air cooled engine will soon not be allowed in DOT and Euro? Countries. Anything that keeps the 961 production going and infuses cash to Norton is a plus!Maybe Garner is looking ahead.
Maybe it won’t be that far in the future when the USA and Europe both basically outlaw the 961 due to every stringent emission laws.
But whilst the US and EU are huge markets, there are other huge markets out there, that, unlike the US and EU, are actually growing, and forecast to do so on a huge scale.
So, building some kind of alliances there is probably a sensible thing to do.
Glad mine is made in England too! As I’ve argued before, to me, that is important. However, as was argued by many on here, the reality is that the vast majority don’t seem to care / mind (Triumph, Ducati and others all seem to prove this) especially if it saves them a buck !
This article does say it’s for the local market. It is probably a way of getting around tax rules on imports which must make a 961 unimaginably expensive to 99.9% of all Indians.
It says Commandos and Dominators will be CKD. That stands for ‘Complete Knock Down’ whereby a complete motorcycle is built in Donnington, then completely knocked down, and then shipped out to India as a kit of parts to be re assembled there. It’s a very common dodge in the automotive industry to avoid import taxes etc.
I have worked with operations and supply chain topics in India and I can assure you that Norton face some significant challenges merging their products and business model with an Indian operations.
We’ll have to see how this unfolds.
I have a Triumph built in Thailand! The quality, fit, finish rivals or beats anything from the Japs or US.
Not a single problem which is the norm for most!
We'll just have to agree to disagree on that one. I've been playing around with Thaiumphs quite a bit and they do not rival a HD. They do a lot for a low price but the finish is not all that great. They are loaded with medium grade plastics. That said, plenty of bang for the buck. Still a good bike with a decent reliability rating. The UK triples are superb. I'm up close with those Harleys almost on a daily basis and their build quality is excellent. Buddy has an 08 with 60K on it. No breakdowns or niggle
You got the Bobber already? And 30 other bikes? Well ok then. Guess you won that argument. I really don't care for the triple tree and dials area on the Bonnies and the Thruxton. Felt cheap to me. Already scratched up at the dealership. The Bobber a cruiser? But whatever floats yer boat. Over 30 bikes. Damn. Now I'm just jealous. HD is pretty much what the majority of my riding buddies own with a few Aprilia and Ducs in there. Not my style of riding, actually. Its a barker lounger on wheels. Maybe when I have more time to go more than 200 miles in a day.