Part of the attraction of owning a machine that is produced by a european country is the peace of mind that comes form knowing that the people who have produced it did so under human conditions and that regulations are in place that govern waste disposal etc.
Just out of curiosity how much of the BMW bike comes from countries other than Germany.
Oh, I am sure there are quite a few parts. Showa is Japanese if I am not mistaken, so is Bridgestone. The rest of the bike is assembled in Berlin (not part of Bavaria) by significant amount of Turkish guest workers. That is not an issue for me. I also understand the Taiwan is not the same as mainland China. Internationally the lines have blurred. However, there is more to buying a product than rational thought and there comes a point when the market may not accept it.I know that there are quality differences between , for example, Mercedes built in the US and those from Germany. The same applies to Hondas built in Spain compared to those from Japan. If I pay a premium price for a German product, I would prefer it to be made there. This is where I think they may hit some resistance.People don't like to be told by their friends that their Chinese BMW looks pretty good. Yes, the Wharehouse would struggle. Unless we learn to pay nearer to the true price of a product, we will continue on a downward spiral.
