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[Richard230]

Companies like Curtiss Motorcycles are why I am usually not very excited when I hear about a new electric motorcycle startup on the internet. They are not the only company with this sort of business plan. Check this out: 
https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/curtiss-motorcycles-raising-money-and-talking-trash

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

Wow. Well, CEO's must put forth that "air of confidence" to market the company and get funding.

That video had no good energy in it whatsoever, and casts the staff in poor lighting.

People with that level of self-regard shouldn't be so mythologized as good business founders, because they rarely can deliver good products or foster team growth. Good products come from multidisciplinary teams and feedback, which this type of personality usually reacts against, sometimes violently.

I can't support Curtiss even in principle, having seen this. They're going to drag their partners down with them.

[wavelet]

Wow. Well, CEO's must put forth that "air of confidence" to market the company and get funding.

That video had no good energy in it whatsoever, and casts the staff in poor lighting.

People with that level of self-regard shouldn't be so mythologized as good business founders, because they rarely can deliver good products or foster team growth. Good products come from multidisciplinary teams and feedback, which this type of personality usually reacts against, sometimes violently.

I can't support Curtiss even in principle, having seen this. They're going to drag their partners down with them.

I don't even see a potential principle here. I'm not too surprised by the video -- the arrogance fits my mental image of whomever would come up with the ridiculous designs (as someone in the Revzilla comments said, only rideable by an Orangutan).
They did, apparently, manage to sell 1300 ICE bikes over 26 years, which is impressive given the prices (just goes to show how many wannabe posers there are among wealthy people); but it remains to be seen whether they can actually make an electric bike, and whether their customer demographic will buy any.
Chambers says in the video they switched to electric 8 years ago -- that seems a long time without (AFAICS) any actual running prototype.

The claim of "taking on H-D"  is of course completely ridiculous, and just for media coverage. Not primarily because of where they are in their product process, but because noone cross-shops a series-production bike (even lowish-volume), which the Livewire certainly is, with an exotic boutique bike. Not the same market.

And it's not like their designs have ultimate functionality in any motorcycle category or spec, like say Rimac does in their sportscar designs.

[Doug S]

Decades ago now, my father was friends with the owner of the old Nickelodeon theater in Santa Cruz. Business was great for him on the weekends, but he never could get people to come in on Tuesday evenings. He tried nickel admission (just to bring people in to buy popcorn and sodas), classic movie marathons, everything he could imagine, but nothing worked.

Until he jacked the prices UP on Tuesday night, started showing some hoity-toity "art films" (always subtitled from some foreign language), and served wine, brie and fancy finger foods for ridiculous prices.

Snob appeal is a real thing. People with money want to "make a statement", and Curtiss makes much more of a statement than yet another Honda.

[wavelet]

Decades ago now, my father was friends with the owner of the old Nickelodeon theater in Santa Cruz. Business was great for him on the weekends, but he never could get people to come in on Tuesday evenings. He tried nickel admission (just to bring people in to buy popcorn and sodas), classic movie marathons, everything he could imagine, but nothing worked.

Until he jacked the prices UP on Tuesday night, started showing some hoity-toity "art films" (always subtitled from some foreign language), and served wine, brie and fancy finger foods for ridiculous prices.

Snob appeal is a real thing. People with money want to "make a statement", and Curtiss makes much more of a statement than yet another Honda.

For sure, but say it was the 1990s, I had a lot of money to spend, and wanted to make a statement via a motorcycle purchase. It makes much more sense to me to have bought a Britten V1000 (even if it wasn't homologated for street use -- from ride impressions of Confederate bikes, they're not actually rideable, and I doubt their owners ride them on the street), or an MV Agusta F4CC; if it has to be an American V-twin cruiser (which is enough of a cliché that IMO it's no longer a statement), from my PoV it would be much more interesting to get a true one-off custom design that I'd have influence on.

[JaimeC]

There will ALWAYS be people with more money than brains out there.

[Doug S]

For sure, but....

Okay, but you and I are motorcycle guys, we know bikes and we know what we like. For myself, I'd probably just find myself a classic 750 Commando with clubman bars and ride it until the wheels fall off. My garage floor is epoxy coated, so leak all the oil you want.

Actually, that new Commando is pretty damn sweet, too.

I'm not talking about guys like us. Like JaimeC says, the market for rich/stupid products is pretty deep because of how many rich and stupid people there are.

[Richard230]

For sure, but....

Okay, but you and I are motorcycle guys, we know bikes and we know what we like. For myself, I'd probably just find myself a classic 750 Commando with clubman bars and ride it until the wheels fall off. My garage floor is epoxy coated, so leak all the oil you want.

Actually, that new Commando is pretty damn sweet, too.

I'm not talking about guys like us. Like JaimeC says, the market for rich/stupid products is pretty deep because of how many rich and stupid people there are.

Did someone mention classic Nortons?  How about a High-Rider, complete with a naked model with lots of hair sitting on the World's ugliest seat.   

[Say10 15FX 16FXS]

Until they come out with a full range of clothing, it's meaningless.