The incongruity of both the Venture and Eluder is their mix of high-tech features with an engine that screams “traditional,” the opposite of modern and technologically advanced. The Eluder is the Venture touring bike Yamaha introduced last year but without the top box, passenger backrest and a few other features, such as the electric assist for backing the motorcycle into parking spots. I suspect the Eluder will be the example of a bike a company builds because it’s what consumers say they want, but then those consumers refuse to buy it anyway. Let’s start with the Yamaha Star Eluder, which I wrote about over at RevZilla last week after attending the press launch. Both are touring bikes, but obviously the stakes are higher with Honda’s flagship, the Gold Wing than with the new Yamaha.

What if you build what people say they want and they still don’t buy it? What if you build what you know your company needs to build, but it doesn’t boost sales? I think the Yamaha Star Eluder and the new Honda Gold Wing may turn out to be examples of these conundrums. Spinning off of this idea, I’ve seen two new motorcycles introduced to the press in the last two weeks that represent two versions of the motorcycle manufacturers’ dilemma, when it comes to appealing to various kinds of consumers. Most people want something quite different from what I want. That’s because I’m also an atypical motorcycle consumer. Still, once again, I’d say that any motorcycle company that builds a perfect motorcycle for me is likely building a future sales flop. In that case, I like to have one for each specific riding task I do. Of course that doesn’t apply to motorcycles. Left to my own, I am a little eccentric about minimizing stuff rather than adding it. I’ve always said that any company that perfectly aims its marketing strategy at me is doomed to failure. What if you build a perfectly good motorcycle that’s just what people say they want, and then they refuse to buy it anyway? Photo by Drew Ruiz.

Honda goldwing vs yamaha star venture