Quote Originally Posted by druggr View Post
It is called marketing, and it's not for us to understand. Probably, if you were on the other side of the fence, the Honda side, it would make total sense. But from our viewpoint it does not.
It probably makes perfect sense from Honda's point of view. For a first year model with the unknowns of market reaction and total sales, it makes sense to keep it as simple as possible. Manage the complexities of supply chain issues, manufacturing and distribution. The fewer the options and variants, the simpler all that becomes. They want the "Goldwing" to make a certain price point (substantially cheaper than the "Tour") yet still provide their profit margin. Simple - strip it down a bit, market it the same way as they did the "B" - sportier, lighter etc, etc... and limit the options. Here in our smaller market (Canada), they limit it even more by not offering the DCT on the 'Wing. I don't think the majority of buyers go into a dealership and sit down, check a bunch of boxes and wait patiently for weeks or months for Honda to build, ship and deliver the bike. At least, I've never bought a bike that way. I don't even think people buy a car that way any more. Anyway, as sales are proven with the next model years, as somebody stated, the different options become available. Honda will react to the market and what buyers want. Slowly.