|
True, things come in cycles, but they aren't circular with same beginning and ending. More like waves of a stock-chart with each bottom and rise being in a different place. When things come back, it's a different arena that's driving it as products and their markets evolve.
Motorcycling seems to follow auto-industry by wave or two behind. It used to be engineering that was key to developing better more functional products. When motorcycling comes back, it will follow what happened in the auto-industry. Engineering and manufacturing is bygone specialty, can be done by any number of off-shore plants (look at how many GM jobs got moved abroad).
What will be hot ticket in motorcycles next is software. With more hybrid/electric vehicles appearing, software is key. Taking what is bleeding-edge brand-new technologies seen in top-of-line bikes and MotoGP prototypes and making it commodity feature available in all bikes. ABS is already here, can be more sophisticated. Direct-injection and variable valve-timing is all that's left to improve on ICE on bikes. Next up, it's all-electric 2-wheel-drive for motorcycles. Traction-control/DBW to make raw HP and torque easier to tame for new riders. Stability-control/auto-steering, cornering-assist, obstacle/intruder scanning & avoidance, auto-pilot/navigation, auto tyre-balancing/pressure-control, etc. will be features that lures in new buyers for the next wave.
|