[Sherri]

Honda has dropped the MSRP from $8240 to $7499 on the Shadow line of bikes. They must be getting ready for the Harley Street coming out and don't want Harley to point out how much cheaper their bike is over the Shadow.

http://powersports.honda.com/street/...adow-line.aspx

 

[Puneet]

Honda Shadow comes with rear drum brakes I guess. High time Harley pays heed to customer reviews and improve it's disc brakes and that wiring mess. Competition is catching up and consumer is the ultimate winner.

Let a price war start where we consumers get more value and better quality for our bucks!
Amen

 

[Desert Tortoise]

Scared? Nah. We are seeing that the Shadow was really over priced. Competition is a good thing, but Honda has amortized the cost of developing that Shadow many model years ago. It's been gravey for them for a long time. They will have something better soon enough. Honda didn't as big as they are being dumb.

 

[NikC90]

Here in India they completely dropped the plans for releasing the CBR 500R, which was supposed to be out by now. Because of KTM offering a better bike for half the price, Its called Duke 390.
Honda is completely messed up with their pricing of the Mid-Weight Segment.

 

[Puneet]

Going by KTM pricing and quality standards, I am thinking what would be the price of Duke 690 and Duke 1290 when they are launched in India. I guess KTM is gonna obliterate the competition!

 

[Livin On]

Going by KTM pricing and quality standards, I am thinking what would be the price of Duke 690 and Duke 1290 when they are launched in India. I guess KTM is gonna obliterate the competition!

heh, they're kicking out the jams! 2014 Q1 numbers beat last year by 27%. Plus they're spooling up chinese production. Consider this time last year the lineup was relatively bare for them, now they've got the babay dukes and the RC's on the way cool brand on the way back up!

I heard they're also planning big things for Husqvarna...

 

[harleyhoonigan]

Good play on Honda's part, at least they lowered the price. I think it was one of the only things they could have really done to help themselves out

 

[fkystreet]

well price drops are always welcome.

 

[HarleyVest]

Here in India they completely dropped the plans for releasing the CBR 500R, which was supposed to be out by now. Because of KTM offering a better bike for half the price, Its called Duke 390.
Honda is completely messed up with their pricing of the Mid-Weight Segment.

I think they just missed a big ship which already set sail with the other big guys. And even if they were to of implemented the CBR500R they probably would have lowered the price just to turn some heads... for a bit.

 

[Testiphony]

Obviously Honda made an educated decision to drop the price of some of its bikes, but I don't think that we can surmise that it was entirely because of the Street going on sale.

 

[Puneet]

Been hearing about CBR400R with same power as 500 to be launched in India. Based on bigger cousin 400 seems to be Asia specific but more frugal.

 

[Testiphony]

So Honda is making moves other than lowering the price of some of their bikes in order to compete. It doesn't sound like there is a little bit of shuffling going on in the market.

 

[Puneet]

CBR400R could be a serious competitor to upcoming BMW 350cc & 500cc bikes being developed jointly with TVS India. If priced sensibly it could obliterate both. Moreover it's a Twin as opposed to Singles on Beemer. More like a Jack.

 

[Desert Tortoise]

I doubt the Street and CRB400R will be cross shopped by the same customers. They are very different bikes aimed at completely different market segments. The customers for the Honda probably wouldn't be caught dead on a Harley, even the Street. The opposite is also likely, or at least not on anybody's sport bike.

 

[Puneet]

Honda has come up with CBR650F, only 4 Cylinder bike in its category priced around $8299 in USA. They also have CB650F but that I don't see listed on USA Website and would be cheaper being a naked. Honda is a pro! A 4 Cylinder at that price, Yummmmyyyyy.......!!!

 

[Livin On]

DT I think your comments are true for the NA market, but by the sounds of it Indians don't really shop like us. No one here would ever dream of cross shopping CBR and HD, yet Puneet is

 

[Puneet]

Just might think of a CBR650F if the price is right in India when launched, a 4 Cylinder would be a delight!

DT is also giving Street a second thought because of shared injector body. I think this time if DT became a Honda convert with CBR there is gonna be a new thread. Well if DT could provide some technical details about new 4 cylinder Honda from there. Bike seems interesting.

Don't have that fixity in mind about Harley.

 

[Livin On]

that's what I mean puneet, there is a fixed image here of who a Harley shopper is, what they look like how they dress etc. I'm not saying that its right but its there, which keeps people from cross shopping certain products because they don't fit the image of what someone who shops for that product looks like. Locked in boxes...

 

[Desert Tortoise]

In many shops if you walk in after stepping off a European or Japanese bike and ask to test ride a V-Rod the hostility is visceral. Not only do you not now ride what the annointed ride, but you have just walked past their chosen Milwaukee vibrators and asked to test ride a bike they dismiss with a wave as "not a real Harley", and some will even sniff it is "not American". They take this as an insult. It takes a thick hide to continue shopping for a V-Rod until you find a dealer that has some actual enthusiasm for the bike and acts like they want your business. I had previously ridden a couple of V-Rods, including a Street Rod demo at a very brisk clip and already knew that was the bike I wanted. But, if my first attempt at shopping for a V-Rod had been someplace like Anaheim/Fullerton Harley Davidson (and I hope one of you sobs is reading this you losers) I would have walked out and never set foot in a Harley dealership again. I hope for Harley's sake they have better trained and motivated dealers this time around. Perhaps the crash in motorcycle sales post 2008 will be the whip that forces them to sell enthusiastically to new customers.

 

[stude]

When I stopped in to my local stealer to ask about the Streets, the salesman had a bit of an attitude, stating that HD was targeting women with them. I didn't ask about the VRods, so I am not sure what they think about them. Considering that the new owners of said stealership also own many new/used car dealerships around the area, I find it hard to believe that they will put up with such attitudes. I mean, they want to sell everything they possibly can to everyone... it is a business.