hey don't point your finger at me friend. I never needed them till now, haha.
Quoted for truth and posterity. Twotired, I think that was a little harsh. No one else makes them BUT Honda, so I really don't know wtf you're trying to say.
I understand the profit vs. production argument, but why are only two discontinued and two still available? Just doesn't make sense.
No one said they made the same amount of each part. Or, that everyone ordered complete sets of boots. Or that a production run of a certain part was the same as other like parts.
Further, if you have X amount of raw material, and your molding machine screws up/breaks down during a portion of the molding run, your total amount of acceptable parts is not as great. Do you still sell the parts that did pop out of the mold and meet quality requirements, even though there were fewer than desired?
And lastly, molds do wear out and stop producing parts that meet requirements. Do you invest in another $75,000-$150,000 tool that only works in a 30 year old (or more) molding machine? Or, simply say enough is enough?
If your local grocery store is out of 2% milk, does that mean they run out of all milk products at the same time?
David Silver Spares has boots made for the CB550 and they aren't made by Honda. The demand was high enough that profit could be made by a third party.
There's a lot of whining on this forum about how expensive Honda parts are for their $100 junker they are trying to resurrect for free. These are often the same ones who shun the Honda parts in favor of some cheaper aftermarket parts. And then, further whine about how they can't find parts for a bike that has been out of production for 30 years. Maybe you aren't one of those.
But, try getting an OEM part for a 30 year old chevy or ford or nearly any vehicle 30 years old.
Fact is, parts availability or lack thereof makes a lot of sense. It may be inconvenient for you, but it makes perfect economic sense. At one time, you could get an entire replacement engine for the Honda. You still expect that today?
Again, whoever makes these parts for Honda, has the molds to make them. Installing the molds in a machine, buying the raw material in a quantity, for a production run of say 1000 costs money. They don't deserve a return on their investment?
On the other hand, if you march in to Honda a announce you are willing to prepay for a couple of thousand boots, I bet they wouldn't be discontinued anymore. But, there will likely still be a month or three lead time before you get them.
The point I was making is that parts for the old bikes get discontinued because people stop buying them or demanding them.
If you actually look into what it takes to make them profitably, you won't be surprised why they are hard to get without much demand for them. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't make them if you felt no one would pay you to do so.
Sorry, they are hard to get (really). But, it does make perfect sense.
Cheers,
