It's what you like to have.
You get economy of scale. They pump out about a gazillion Honda Civics over a period of a year, over 500,000 the world over I am told. They make 40,000 BMW R-1200GS sold world wide, I am told. The Honda Civic is a cheap commuter car, no real performance there, everything is pretty vanilla. Honda gets it to drive amazingly well and last a long time, but if you dive into what's really there it's a pretty cheaply made car.
Over in Berlin our bikes are pretty much hand made one at a time. BMW uses jigs and limited robotics to get each one perfectly and uniformly assembled, but human hands touch each one as it's built. Looking at YouTube videos of BMW bikes and engines being built you can see that the workers there really pay attention to each step and BMW cares about the outcome. It's a well made motorcycle.
Cross company platform, a 7 series Bimmer would be a good analog to our GS bikes. It's an $80,000+ cage. Just like our GS's, when you get into a 7 series you know you are in a car of top quality. The feel, the finish the driving experience is hard to forget. Um, wait, swing you leg over a GS Beemer, you also know you are astride a motorcycle of the highest caliber too, also providing a top notch riding experience. Mind you, I am not dising Honda at all, in reality a much better value, try an Africa Twin. Nice. GS with the active suspension option? Much better. The Honda? It's not. But it cost only 50% of what the Beemer did. When I am on my GS I feel like I am on top of the world, the Africa Twin, well, I feel like I am on top of a motorcycle. A very good motorcycle, but not as good as a BMW.
Aircraft? I am also an aircraft owner and pilot. I fly a 2 place Bellanca Citabria, and aerobatic sport plane. Aircraft cost a lot of cash, especially if you go new. The technology in that engine is Jurassic. 6.5:1 compression ratio, magneto ignition (with points thank you), air cooled, splash and pressure oil lubricated and induction is with a single barrel carburetor, with a hand pump primer for easy cold starts. My aircraft has wooden spars, wooden formers and is is covered in fabric. Flying it is almost telepathic though, (The Pitts S1S is even more so) just like my GS is to ride. Point being there isn't much there. $175.000 will get you a new one, why so much? They don't make a lot, every one of these is hand built one at a time. There are something like 250,000 aircraft in the USA, spanning from the 20's to today. Not a lot are made every year. No wonder a Cessna 172 (The Chevy Impala of the air) new is a quarter of a million bucks. For those of you who don't know, 172 a four place aircraft (that can only take 4 150 lb people), a cursing speed of 120 Knots, really not too much more than a training platform or weekend toy. Why so expensive? They don't make too many of them. Comfortable? Luxurious? Quiet? NO! You get seats that try to break your butt, it's small, and so loud inside you need to wear hearing protection. Good? No, er well for a a light single engine aircraft, YES! Low volume production? Yes! Expensive! Yes.
In the end, it's not the cost, it's what you like to have.
- John.
