Riding a bike no one has ever heard of, Laverda

As for planned obsolescence .... neither a good thing or a bad thing ........surely just good business sense ...... As Jon mentioned earlier , you`re not much use to a company if you buy their product just the once ...... that`s not exactly helping them to survive in the longer term is it ... ? .... ........ Piero Laverda reckoned the service life of a twin or triple was expected to be about 14 years , not 40 or 50 years ........

......... Come the mid `eighties , the typical Laverda rider should have been rattling around on a 350 / 500 cc Lesmo two stroke , if things had gone to plan ............ ( planned obsolescence ) ......... ( or maybe riding around on a Laverda water cooled straight four ; or V6 / V4 / V 2 ......... or maybe that five valve water cooled 500 cc alloy framed 130 kg single that Massimo was supposed to have had in mind ........ certainly not on the old twins and triples from the late `sixties ... ) .......

You could argue that planned obsolescence is the driving force behind innovation , improvement , development ... and the continued survival of the company .... ( as opposed to stagnation ) ....... and anyway , it`s something that keeps the advertising department in business ......... Who doesn`t like a nice big glossy brochure ..... ? ........
 
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IOM Government loves big glossy brochures, but trouble is - there is no substance to back up the claims....
And who can ever forget the 'no lemons' Zane brochure?
 
rocketonarail said:
As for planned obsolescence .... neither a good thing or a bad thing ........surely just good business sense ...... As Jon mentioned earlier , you`re not much use to a company if you buy their product just the once ...... that`s not exactly helping them to survive in the longer term is it ... ? .... ........ Piero Laverda reckoned the service life of a twin or triple was expected to be about 14 years , not 40 or 50 years ........

......... Come the mid `eighties , the typical Laverda rider should have been rattling around on a 350 / 500 cc Lesmo two stroke , if things had gone to plan ............ ( planned obsolescence ) ......... ( or maybe riding around on a Laverda water cooled straight four ; or V6 / V4 / V 2 ......... or maybe that five valve water cooled 500 cc alloy framed 130 kg single that Massimo was supposed to have had in mind ........ certainly not on the old twins and triples from the late `sixties ... ) .......

You could argue that planned obsolescence is the driving force behind innovation , improvement , and development ( as opposed to stagnation ) ....... and anyway , it`s something that keeps the advertising department in business ......... Who doesn`t like a nice big glossy brochure ..... ? ........
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The only future for planned obsolescence is to develop new markets. We've had Russia, China on the move, maybe Africa still to go. And trying to have the less possible poor in our saturated markets or at least making sure that they can buy due to dirt cheap prices only possible by making our workers redundant and producing abroad and or mass immigration to have a cheap work force at home.
That is called running straight into a wall for two reasons, political and economical. Never mind stupid things like human values.

Our Laverda motorcycles, conceived 60 years ago, were so at a time when one big R hadn't completely replaced the other. Recycle rather than repair.

Surely as a group, we can do better than produce and sell?

Paul
 
Paul Marx said:
The only future for planned obsolescence is to develop new markets. We've had Russia, China on the move, maybe Africa still to go. And trying to have the less possible poor in our saturated markets or at least making sure that they can buy due to dirt cheap prices only possible by making our workers redundant and producing abroad and or mass immigration to have a cheap work force at home.
That is called running straight into a wall for two reasons, political and economical. Never mind stupid things like human values.

Our Laverda motorcycles, conceived 60 years ago, were so at a time when one big R hadn't completely replaced the other. Recycle rather than repair.

Surely as a group, we can do better than produce and sell?

Paul
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True ......... In the so called developed countries it seems to be growth , growth , growth at all costs ........... then a period of recession due to market downturns ( lack of confidence ? ) ; wars ; or someone catching a cold ......... then it`s back to growth , growth again at all costs .........

More growth ends up feeding the need for more growth ... it`s an endless cycle ........ and a situation that is difficult to address ..... an ageing population which needs more health care , meaning people living longer putting a greater strain on the provision of state pensions , which in turn needs the raising of more taxes to pay for all this , which means attracting more people into the workforce , ( or as care providers ) , thus bringing more people in from abroad if needs be ......... so they can provide the tax revenue the government needs to pay for more health care , state pensions ...... and so on and so on .........

Instead of continuing growth , wouldn`t it be nice to have a future dedicated to some form of stabilisation , managing and improving the situation as it exists at the moment ....... probably not possible without putting those in the current workforce at risk , and against the interests of the country`s economic standing in the world as it is today ..... shame really ..........

All this is easy to say from the viewpoint of someone living in a " developed " country ......... There are those living in the still developing parts of the world who are eager to aspire to the same living standards as we enjoy , ( for all of their population, not just the select few ) , and here lies our opportunity to provide more growth , for our benefit as much as theirs , as opposed to stabilisation .......... and anyway , why should those people be denied the things we have become accustomed to ?

All this may fly in the face ( a little ) of the idea of planned obsolescence , but there`s a difference between striding confidently forward , and running too fast and tripping up ......

Now then , what was the question again ? ....... Riding a bike no one has ever heard of ....... oh yes , that was it ...........
 
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rocketonarail said:
True ......... In the so called developed countries it seems to be growth , growth , growth at all costs ........... then a period of recession due to market downturns ( lack of confidence ? ) ; wars ; or someone catching a cold ......... then it`s back to growth , growth again at all costs .........

More growth ends up feeding the need for more growth ... it`s an endless cycle ........ and a situation that is difficult to address ..... an ageing population which needs more health care , meaning people living longer putting a greater strain on the provision of state pensions , which in turn needs the raising of more taxes to pay for all this , which means attracting more people into the workforce , ( or as care providers ) , thus bringing more people in from abroad if needs be ......... so they can provide the tax revenue the government needs to pay for more health care , state pensions ...... and so on and so on .........

Instead of continuing growth , wouldn`t it be nice to have a future dedicated to some form of stabilisation , managing and improving the situation as it exists at the moment ....... probably not possible without putting those in the current workforce at risk , and against the interests of the country`s economic standing in the world as it is today ..... shame really ..........
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What's economic standing?
Paul
 
David Suzuki argued that constant economic growth was destructive 20 years ago. The constant mindset is to achieve that magic 2 to 5% or your DOOMED. Economics having any Scientific method does my head in. It's akin to a Bloodsport and about as palatable. We desperately need a new model that doesn't include a race to the bottom of the pit, whatever that means. Now if only that could defy basic human nature's worst aspects as well. Gees I talk a lot of shit sometimes. Never happen.
 
Vince said:
David Suzuki argued that constant economic growth was destructive 20 years ago. The constant mindset is to achieve that magic 2 to 5% or your DOOMED. Economics having any Scientific method does my head in. It's akin to a Bloodsport and about as palatable. We desperately need a new model that doesn't include a race to the bottom of the pit, whatever that means. Now if only that could defy basic human nature's worst aspects as well. Gees I talk a lot of shit sometimes. Never happen.
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SOCIALISM (oh, the horror!!) could play a large role in giving humanity a chance... but you surely know what capitalists think of that.

Socialism is take a bit, give a bit. Capitalism is take everything, give nothing... the credo of most conservative governments world-wide.

piet
 
sfcpiet said:
SOCIALISM (oh, the horror!!) could play a large role in giving humanity a chance... but you surely know what capitalists think of that.

Socialism is take a bit, give a bit. Capitalism is take everything, give nothing... the credo of most conservative governments world-wide.

piet
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And there's more and more conservative governments about.
Sometimes in disguise.
Paul
 
That word has a way different meaning in some places. You know like those Commie Sweds with all that Socalism and such, I think it's the Saunas. Better not get political, it never ends well.
 
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