I feel the same about the bloody French leaders with their waving undocumented men straight through into the UK which we as tax payers paid hundred of millions for.
I agree. But when it comes to "The Brand" Ducati is VW Audi and Harley Davidson is Blackrock. Their boardrooms are more concerned with share prices and what share holders want, not what buyers want. You sense the deaf ear of the corporate boardroom to the wishes of the brand faithful. There isn't a bike in Ducati's current line up that I'd want to buy, which is why my two Ducatis are five years old and sixteen years old respectively. American HD loyalists (and their domestic market is by far their largest) are saying the same thing. KTM went the same way. They used to monitor buyer chatter and quietly fix problems they were reporting and bringing out models they were asking for. That stopped, coincidentally around the time their financial problems began when they started producing models that no one had asked for.
Interestingly enough…….https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-news/industry-news/omoda/learning-uk-customers/
No, but they're threatening to invade Taiwan and bomb their children. They routinely execute petty criminals and drug addicts with a bullet to the back of the head. Political dissidents are "disappeared"; they're engaged in a systematic genocide against the Uyghur people and they use slave labour.
Look at the things made by Kawasaki Heavy Industries - ships, spacecraft, trains - a motorcycle is well within their design and manufacturing abilities. With their competitive pricing you don't need to buy Chinese on the basis of price. They have an excellent range of bikes, and I think they have arrived at this moment in time well equipped to compete with the cheap Chinese competition. I am not saying this because I recently bought a Kawasaki, rather buying a Kawasaki with my own money proves the point.
The only Japanese brand I've never owned. I know I should but I wish they'd stop painting them all fairy liquid green. But yes, Kawasaki is a solid brand with an impeccable engineering heritage, and it shows. Not just a boardroom that's bought a badge.
I haven't ever lived in a time you describe, the gap between has always existed and has been that way since the late 70's.
I am a late convert - only had one Kawasaki before the current one, a KMX200 used mostly as a commuter bike. There are a few "less green" colour options, but sometimes still with some green in the colour scheme somewhere on the bike ! They seem to offer great value at this time.
Its been that way since the French revolution and the Russian revolution. I doubt Robespierre went for a glass of red with Louis XV1 and Marie Antoniette and nor did Lenin pop round for a swift vodka with the Romanovs.
The current USA doesn't seem far removed from that TBH. Political corruption, wiffs of paedophilia and sexual abuse, shooting US citizens who disagree with them, set up supposed assassination attempt, takeover the media, trying to convince everyone that the President is right when he is so blatantly wrong.
They might well be but, rigging or not Biden got into office and opened the boarders. Whenever theres an action, theres a re-action and its usually balanced which is why what is happening, is happening over there currently.
There will be two very important things happening for us serious French citizens in 2027: - The RWC - The Presidential Elections. About the latter, things could change quite drastically in the light of 40 years of immigration complacency. For better and for worse. But some things will definitely have to be addressed if they don’t want some sort of civil war happening over here…
The 790 engines made in China started production in 2023. Which means the problem units were made in Austria. All the information I can find from KTM says that the 890 is made exclusively in Austria. The small bikes are made in India. I have a 2018 390 Duke and it's a great knockabout. I am unaware of any issues regarding these bikes. Its certainly not low quality finish in any respect, and the engine / frame s/arm paint is perfect like it just left the showroom.
The numbers of people entering the US via the southern border under Biden was approx 35% more than during Trumps first term. These numbers are now massively reduced. However stopping illegal immigration, is not an excuse for attempting to overturn democratic elections.
I wasnt disputing that. Each side will shout til the cows come home that the other side rigged it. I was highlighting the current state. Trump got in this time because of re-action to the action, im not saying hes the be all and end all (in fact his current action) being extreme as it is will bring the corresponding reaction - so im far from a supporter of his. Im over here, and just an observer. Edit: apologies....sliding the forum thread without realizing it...
Unfortunately for KTM they didn’t respond positively enough when owners with the faulty cylinder heads complained of excessive wear on camshafts. There were other issues too but the camshaft fault created the loudest reaction. It seemed to manifest itself at around 5k. I put 11k on my 69 790 and had non of the usual issues. Camshafts, coolant leaks and the final drive shaft seals. I’d buy another if I was in the market for a middleweight naked with all the bells and whistles. 6895 OTR was a phenomenal price at the time.
All sides can say whatever they like. The US courts are not compromised to the degree that 62 cases of alleged election fraud by the defeated President would all be dismissed. That the US southern border is now effectively closed is not more relevant than any other major action by the current administration. I would draw your attention to 12 million more Americans being without healthcare, two illegal attacks on two different sovereign nations, -and wide scale ramifications following- all which have also only happened since Trump took office.
I've been watching Youtubers that rock up at different european cities and it's quite disturbing what's happening thanks to you know who that opened the flood gates, it's biting everybody on the bum now.! Ps what a great game between France & England.!
There's an obvious option to "take with a pinch of salt", but AI (me being lazy) summary is interesting. " Top US Motorcycle Brand Trends (2025–2026) Kawasaki (No. 1): Surpassed Honda and Harley-Davidson by mid-2025, growing 17.7% in a down market thanks to popular small-displacement bikes (Ninja 500, Z650) and strong off-road sales (KXF series). Honda (No. 2): Dropped from the top spot with a -10.5% sales decline, largely due to supply chain issues, despite strong demand for the Rebel series and smaller bikes like the Grom. Harley-Davidson (No. 3): Fell to third, facing significant sales drops due to an aging customer base, high competition, and quality concerns, though the Sportster and Touring models (Street Glide) remain strong. Yamaha & Others: Yamaha holds a strong fourth place. Other active players in the market include KTM, which saw a significant drop, and Indian Motorcycle, which is growing as a competitor to Harley. Key US Market Trends Market Contraction: New motorcycle registrations dropped roughly 6.5% to 9% during 2025. Shift to Small Bore: Popularity has shifted toward smaller, more affordable, and nimble motorcycles (e.g., ZX-4RR, Ninja 500) over traditional heavy cruisers. Adventure Growth: Despite the overall slump, the adventure market segment continued to grow, with brands like Kawasaki targeting this space with competitive pricing (e.g., $6,599 KLE 500). Electric Struggle: Electric motorcycle sales have struggled - sales for the first two months of 2026 down 16.4%." All the pro-electric vehicle people i've listened to ought to try and soak up the last sentence - the "electric bike revolution" ain't happening anytime soon.
