Motorcycles still made in the United States

I'm not sure what the point of all that is so I will venture to say you are pointing out that some motorcycles ARE made in the US. I'm not against importing goods from other places I think trade needs to be fair and balanced as much as possible. What bothers me is when American brands are produced elsewhere. I'm happy Harley's are made in the USA, but I ride a Honda VFR because I like that particular model and America makes nothing similar. I would not be happy if Harley's were made outside of the US and I prefer my Honda's to made in Japan and not Taiwan. Nike's an American brand made overseas and their shoes are still very expensive. But back to motorcycles.

America does not make any motorcross bikes that I'm aware of. I can't think of any dual purpose bikes like the BMW GS. America and Canada cut as much or more timber than any other area of similar size and neither country makes a chainsaw that any professional would dare use. Stihls are German and Husqvarnas are Swedish. You'd think the US could engineer a two stroke motor and put a handle and sprocket on it and make it last, but no. There are no US motorcycles in World Superbike and certainly none in the premier class MotoGP. We don't make a car to drive on the F-1 circuits either. The Indy Racing League (American) uses Honda motors exclusively. There are four major snowmobile manufacturers: Ski Doo of Quebec owns Rotax or Austria for their motors, Yamaha is Yamaha, Arctic Cat motors are made by Suzuki and Polaris is switching back from inhouse motors to Fuji as they had a lot of problems with their larger 800 and 900 cc motors. We don't make cameras and most electronic devices are not made here either. My friend sells high quality dental equipment and it's made in Switzerland.

I think the biggest problem with American engineering is that the best engineers go into the military industrial complex and design weapons and weapons systems. These companies enjoy the benefits of a social structure that earmarks nearly 50 cents of every dollar for military spending. They go where the money is. Need a drone to remotely kill people, come shopping in the USA!

That is spot on. There's more to it, but that is a big part of it.

Polaris, btw, makes motorcycles. I am not sure where they are manufactured though. They're building an assembly factory in Monterry, Mx for their snow mobiles. Because snow mobiles are very popular in Mexico.

My son in law does the videos for ICON mortercycle protective gear, and he has not bought an American bike among the many he has worked his way through.  The Harley is a pile of crap, he and his buddies agree.  His videos are great, and you can go to ICON to see some specatular wipeouts as well as a series on drift racing where cars and bikes compete.  Lots of fun, and I really like his video and editing work.  Matt Sanders is his name.

"I'm not sure what the point of all that is..."  

That reminds me of talk shows that claim not to know what "Occupy Wall Street" is about.  Duh!  It's kind of IN THE NAME!

There are motorcycles made in America.  

On a side note, I live in Indiana and we still don't have a mandatory helmet law for motorcycles.  (They're mandatory if you are under 18)

I actually challenged my seat belt ticket once claiming that since my state doesn't make me wear a helmet while riding a motorcycle, why is it that they have the right to fine me while driving in my car.  Doesn't the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment make the seatbelt law invalid?

I was just curious as to how a court of law would respond.  I have never formally protested anything in my life (up to that point) and I had the day off from work, so "why not see what would happen."

The judge yelled at me that she had no tolerance for "people like me" and motioned to the bailiff.  The bailiff came over to me and gently escorted me out of the court room while the judge was finding me guilty.  I didn't get to say a word after my opening statement... 30 seconds, tops.

No explanation was given as to "why" I was wrong in my questioning of the application of a law that "seems" to violate one's right to privacy and ownership over one's physical body.

It was educational to see how the courts act when you actually participate in the judicial process.  I think everyone that has the monetary means should do it... whenever they feel that their rights have been violated.  It was kind of fun (in an odd way).  It's eye opening, that's for sure.

Be sure to wear a good one, no half shells will do the job.  What is your head worth?  Nice civics lesson.

If they only cleaned up their own mess we could just invoke Darwin.

Nurses I knew that worked the emergency room night shift called them 'donor cycles' ... they said those cases were some of the toughest to handle ... somehow, talking to the family of the deceased about the organ donor program (if the rider did not have a card) helped the family deal with the grief.

I'll stick to the kind of cycle with pedals.