All kidding aside I find myself wondering more and more about the state of the sport (and industry). On the one side you have an increasing population and on the other urban sprawl, environmental issues and a world economy in a state of a recession. I know that here in North America the Chinese have taken 60% of the entry level market and this has huge consequences.
I know you only paid $799 for that quad and the people in China that built that quad were only paid dollars a day but I will not repair it for dollars a day. That Chinese quad will break down and will break down frequently. In my home town nobody will touch the Chinese products and I will only repair them if my neighbour bugs me enough. They are, for all practical purposes, disposable.
Meanwhile the Chinese product has disrupted the flow of beginners through the major dealerships and I know they are feeling it. It has been said that the central planners in China will target an industry, flood it with cheap product and kill off the established competitors leaving them in control of the market. Name one high volume consumer product that isn't made in China.
I'd be curious which, if any, of the major motorcycle manufacturers are actually making money. Right now the closest you can get to a new Maico is one built by Koestler and it could be argued that they trickle out of his factory for sentimental reasons only.
This isn't a rant against Chinese people but rather, an observation about a communist leading authoritarian regime that is hellbent on dominating western industry. Right now here in western Canada the Chinese central planners are negotiating to take control of parts of our natural resource sector and they have indicated that they would like to import their own workers to process these natural resources.
