billmeek said:
lycheed said:
Quite a different market to the US, wouldn't you agree?
Yep. Here they'd all be on sportbikes.
In England they wouldn't be able to a) afford a sportsbike, and b) insure it; so they'd probably be driving a car and pouring through sportsbike magazines, dreaming about how they want to 'get their knee down'. Less wise individuals swallow a 5 year loan, buy the sportsbike, and struggle to use to effectively on public roads.
billmeek said:
lycheed said:
And by the way, there is not an AN400 Type S in sight here - these are all 250cc machines.
Hmmm .... didn't catch that before. It makes sense now why the Type SS came out only for the Skywave 250.
Bingo. Whilst there are also a few Majesty 125s there, too (easier for 40kg girls to handle) the 250 market is their 'core business' - the 400 market is a 'value-add', largely for the world market. 250s are the most popular displacement largely due to the fact that the up to 400cc license is easiet/quicket/cheapest ($2000 as opposed to $3000 for the large cc licenses) to pass, and because 250cc machines are not subject to the strict (expensive) vehicle inspections that take many 399cc+ vehicles off the road in Japan after only a few years.
The AN400 is an AN250 with a bigger engine, as is the Majesty 250/400. With this in mind, it may also make sense now why the Type S took 2 years to be released in AN400 form, even in Japan - they simply weren't selling enough to justify it. The AN250 Type S was quickly released a couple months after the 2002 debut when standard AN250s gathered dust in bike shops whilst buyers traded in their 1960s British style nakeds, sportsbikes, and 100cc scooters, and flocked in droves to buy Majesty Cs (factory custom) and Forzas.
Arguably, the 2000 Forza is the machine that has shaped big-scooters into what we see today - not simply comfortable city transport for the odd, but stylish transport for the trendy. The current AN250/400 has abody modelled on it, the new Majesty has an instrument panel lifted straight from it, and many customisers offer rear fin kits that mirror the rear spoiler on the 2000 Forza still today. Interestingly, the 2004/5 Forza has lost both of those styling attributes, and has stolen the seat from the Majesty...
Main problem for the AN250/400 in Japan is that it is large, and the weight is carried high compared to the Forza or old Majesty - which is still on sale. It's a shame, as after the Honda Fusion/Helix, it was Suzuki that revived the big-scooter concept with the Skywave/Burgman 250. The new Majesty - Grand Majesty - is not selling that well either, due to its bulk. Both Yamaha and Suzuki are banking on world sales picking up for big scooters - as they are now building 250/400cc machines almost too big for Japanese. Well, before you put a $750 lowered suspension kit on them. Japanese are serial customisers, so no grave problem there.
The new Majesty probably sells as well as the Silverwing – which is no coincidence as they are pitched at the same market: fashion conscious 25-35 year old men, commuters, and budget conscious Journeymen. Funny that Yamaha is playing catch-up to Honda in both the 250 cruiser scooter market and the all-purpose 399cc+ scooter market. ‘Let the games begin’.
This is how the Silverwing looks in the hands of a trendy 20 something:
Silverwing Images via Google
Not a million miles away from the Grand Majesty’s on the link you posted earlier.