Archive for July, 2008
Thursday, July 24th, 2008
Ford Motor Co. plans to revamp some U.S. plants and bring six small vehicles to the U.S. market from overseas to meet customers’ growing demand for more fuel-efficient options, a person briefed on the company’s plans said Tuesday.
Ford has no immediate plans to close U.S. plants despite overcapacity in a slumping market, the person said. Instead, the automaker will retool plants to increase production of smaller cars and engines. The person requested anonymity because Ford isn’t confirming details until Thursday, when it releases second-quarter earnings.
The moves will further accelerate Ford’s efforts to ease its dependence on trucks, sport utility vehicles and vans, which accounted for 45 percent of its sales in the first half of this year. Ford’s U.S. sales dropped 14 percent in the first six months of 2008 as consumers shocked by rising gas prices sought smaller vehicles.
The steep sales decline is expected to drag down Ford’s second-quarter results after a surprise $100 million profit in the first quarter. Ford had warned that the results were an anomaly, and in May it abandoned its long-stated goal of returning to profitability by 2009. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial predict a second-quarter loss of 27 cents per share.
The moves to be announced Thursday are Ford’s latest efforts to deal with plunging truck and SUV sales, which have also forced production cuts at General Motors Corp., Chrysler LLC, Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. In May, Ford announced it would slash truck and SUV production and cut several thousand salaried jobs on top of the 8,000 U.S. hourly jobs it is trying to cut this year.
On Monday, Ford said it plans to begin offering buyouts to workers at facilities in Michigan and Ohio, building on targeted buyouts offered in June at other plants in Kentucky and the Midwest.
Ford announced last month that it was cutting truck and SUV production for the rest of the year and increasing production of the Focus small car and Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner small SUVs. It also delayed the launch of its new F-150 pickup until fall.
Also in June, Ford revealed that it will build the global Fiesta subcompact at its factory in Cuautitlan, Mexico, which has been making trucks, and that it will build the European Focus small car in North America. Both cars are set to go on sale in the U.S. in 2010.
The company now plans to bring even more vehicles over from Europe and produce them in North America, according to the person briefed on the plans. They could include the Kuga small crossover vehicle, the Transit Connect and C-Max small vans and the next-generation Mondeo midsize car, which likely would replace the current Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan.
Some factories, the person said, will be retooled to produce more fuel-efficient four- and six-cylinder engines and more efficient transmissions for the new vehicles.
Also, to meet high demand for the current Focus small car, Ford will retool part of the Michigan Truck plant in the Detroit suburb of Wayne to build Focus bodies. The bodies would then be shipped next door to the Wayne Assembly plant, where the Focus is made, the person said. Ford has been trying to crank out more Focuses at the Wayne Assembly plant, but analysts have said its body shop can’t move as quickly as the rest of the factory, and that has slowed production.
Production of the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs, which are currently made at the Michigan Truck plant, would be moved to another location, likely the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, which builds Ford F-250 and F-550 Super Duty pickup trucks.
Rocky Comito, president of the UAW local in Louisville that represents workers at the plant, said Tuesday he hadn’t been told of any changes, although Ford promised new products for the truck plant and the Louisville Assembly plant in its national UAW contract reached last year.
“We tell them we’ll build whatever they bring us,” Comito said.
Greg Gardner, an analyst for the consulting firm Oliver Wyman, which publishes the annual Harbour Report on auto manufacturing, said converting an auto plant’s operations from trucks to cars is no easy feat and could easily cost tens of millions of dollars per factory. But the changeover is critical, he said, since Ford has lost small-car sales because it didn’t have enough inventory.
“You can’t use the same conveyor system for trucks as you can for cars,” Gardner said. “There’s some equipment, like torque wrenches and things like that … those are common to any vehicle. But really heavy-duty capital equipment has to be different.”
But it’s unclear if Wall Street will be satisfied with Ford’s latest plan. Brian Johnson, an analyst with Lehman Brothers, said Tuesday in a note to investors that Ford still has too much North American plant capacity and needs to close plants.
Ford shares rose 36 cents, or 6.6 percent, to $5.84 Tuesday.
Posted in Cars, Ford updates | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008
It’s true that every ATV enthusiast would dream of owning a top of the line Honda or Yamaha ATV, a Bombardier or Polaris – but, hey, not everyone will have that kind of money for such luxury. Yet, your enthusiasm to ride and your love for an ATV are good enough reasons for you to go on a hunt to buy a really affordable machine, or at least, one that fits your pocket size.
Used ATVs
If you are looking to buy a second hand machine, you must remember to find out why it is being sold and the condition of the machine. ATVs are not being used for light and easy types of activities, so you may want to really get detailed information of how the ATV was used. Perhaps the seller may be genuine when he or she tells you that they have only done some flat trails and sand riding and have never done airborne tricks with the machine or any other extreme activities with it – or perhaps not. If you are seriously considering a used ATV, you may be getting it at a really great deal but you also have to bear in mind that you may need to do some repair works on the machine after you buy it over.
Chinese ATVs
There is, however, an alternative option – the Chinese ATVs. Chinese manufactured ATVs are generally a lot cheaper compared to the “branded” ones. The great thing about these Chinese ATVs are the engines tend to be the cloned versions of the Japanese engines, hence, you only pay a fraction of price of a top of the line ATV when you go for a Chinese ATV. You have to, however, accept the fact that these Chinese manufactured ATVs may not be as well finished as the “branded” ones. It is not to say that they are of inferior quality, it’s just that the finishing of Chinese ATVs may not be as refined as those bigger names ATVs.
Be forewarned though, the quality control over Chinese ATVs could be quite an issue as some Chinese manufacturers are more concerned about production in quantity than quality. This is one reason why you have to check and be sure of the type of warranty that you are getting for the Chinese ATV that you intend to buy. Do check with the dealer to see if they have the ATV parts available in stock with them – in case you need a replacement for certain parts of the machine (you never know when you need one!). Some dealers will claim that they do have the parts available when, as a matter of fact, they will only place an order from the manufacturer as and when such parts are needed and they do not have the physical stocks with them. This can be quite frustrating if you have to wait for one part to be replaced in order to get your ATV working because your wait could be as long as months, if not weeks.
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Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008
Most people automatically think they can’t afford the luxury vehicle that they really want, but, with a little research, they might be pleasantly surprised. Used luxury cars, trucks, and SUVs are often well-taken care of by their owners, and often have the added benefit of being road-tested and already “broken-in.” Often, a used luxury car is more preferable to a shopper than a brand new one.
Luxury autos are built to provide greater comfort, a smoother ride, and offer more amenities than other cars. And did you know that luxury automobiles are often equipped with more comprehensive safety features?
If you are a parent, you obviously know the importance of ensuring your child or children have a safe and reliable means of transportation. Most luxury vehicles you examine will more than likely have a high safety rating–feel free to compare ratings between luxury and non-luxury autos to verify this fact.
Luxury autos typically depreciate more quickly than non-luxury vehicles, and this can make the purchase of a used luxury vehicle all the more attractive. With a little diligence, you’ll likely be able to find the luxury vehicle you desire at an affordable price. Repairs and maintenance, however, are more costly for luxury vehicles. And you must also take into consideration the higher cost of insurance as well.
It is also important to make sure you have the time to give your used luxury car the care and attention it deserves. It is important that you always change your oil at the correct times and that the oil is of a premium variety. You will probably need to pay a bit more for gasoline as well, since most luxury cars are designed to run on premium gas. Proper care and maintenance is essential to ensuring you are able to enjoy all your luxury vehicle has to offer for years to come.
To find the one that is most reasonable for you or your family, you should research all the different types of luxury vehicles. Find a vehicle you can afford, if you know you will be required to spend extra in maintenance and repairs.
Once you have located a luxury auto that you are interested in purchasing, the first thing you should acquire is a report of the car’s history. Just because it’s a luxury car, this does not always mean that it was well taken care of. Bad previous owners can be found within the luxury auto market as well. Whether or not the used auto you are examining was well looked after depends on the person who owned it before.
To find out how many people previously owned the vehicle and for how long, as well as repair and accident data, you should get a car history report. This can not only tell you whether the car has been involved in any accidents, but also whether any other catastrophic problems, such as flooding, have occurred. This is important because, even if the car has yet to show problems, you could experience some shortly after you buy it.
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Monday, July 14th, 2008
The storm battering Detroit intensified yesterday with Ford Motor Co. offering a bleak sales outlook and its second major production cut in less than a month, which will wipe out 300 jobs at its Canadian operations.
Ford said it will delay introduction of a new generation of its F-series pickup by two months, cut production of trucks and truck-based sport utility vehicles even further than it announced less than a month ago and will have difficulty meeting its previous target of breaking even on a company-wide basis next year.
It also reiterated earlier plans to boost output of smaller cars and crossover utilities, including the CUVs made in Oakville, Ont.
“We view the move to smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles as permanent and we are responding to customer demand,” Ford president Alan Mulally said in a statement.
Union officials said slashing output of trucks and SUVs means 300 jobs will be lost at the company’s Windsor, Ont., engine facility, which puts together V-8 and V-10 engines for pickups and SUVs.
There are about 2,500 Canadian Auto Workers members now at Ford’s engine plants and joint ventures in the city and 738 on layoff, Mike Vince, president of local 200 in Windsor, said yesterday.
The crisis in Detroit is spilling over to parts makers in Canada as well, with Magna International Inc. announcing this week that it will slash 400 jobs or one-quarter of the work force at a plant in St. Thomas, Ont., that makes frames for GM’s pickups. GM revealed in turn that it is delaying development of its next generation of pickup trucks to focus more of its resources on cars and other vehicles that use less gas.
Magna’s U.S. plants will take a hit with the Ford announcement because the parts giant makes many components for heavy-duty pickups assembled at one Ford plant in Kentucky and frames for the Explorer SUV built at another plant in that state. Output is being throttled back at both plants. It will trim a shift of Explorer production and cut the assembly line speed at the pickup plant.
Previous cuts by the Detroit Three are one of the causes of parts sector employment in Canada plunging by more than 20,000 jobs to 81,676 workers last month from a peak reached in 2001, industry analyst Dennis DesRosiers said in a report yesterday.
The parts sector will not disappear, said Mr. DesRosiers, president of DesRosiers Automotive Consultants Inc.
“The remaining parts sector should be able to recover as the cyclical downturn in the industry recovers,” Mr. DesRosiers said.
The Ford announcement capped a brutal week for the Detroit Three that included forecasts by several Wall Street analysts and the chairman of Chrysler LLC that sales in the U.S. market will plunge to their lowest level this month in more than a decade.
Underlining the growing danger to Detroit was Ford’s new statement that its perennially profitable credit arm will report a pretax loss this year and will not pay a dividend to its parent company.
Regulator filings show Ford Motor Credit Co. has posted a profit annually since 1989, which is as far back as Securities and Exchange Commission documents go.
Two influential U.S. ratings agencies added to the pressure, with Standard & Poor’s Corp. placing ratings for all three companies on credit watch with negative implications and Moody’s Investors Service Inc. cutting Ford’s outlook to negative from stable.
Both rating agencies are worried about the cash drain the severe slump in truck and SUV sales is causing.
“We have renewed concerns about all three auto makers’ future cash outflows in light of the prospects for U.S. sales for the rest of 2008 and into 2009,” said Standard & Poor’s credit analyst Robert Schulz.
Deteriorating fundamentals could reduce liquidity to undesirable levels by the second half of next year, Standard & Poor’s added.
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Monday, July 14th, 2008
In North America, the term RECREATIONAL VEHICLE (or RV, as they are commonly known), generally refers to a dual purpose vehicle that can also be used as a temporary or full time home - essentially, a MOTORHOME.
In Britain, on the other hand, common terms describing vehicles classified as RVs in the US are caravan, camper van and indeed, motorhome. In other parts of the English speaking world, such as Australia and New Zealand, the term RV may be used to describe a sport utility vehicle (SUV) or 4X4.
A minimal RV typically contains beds, a table, food preparation and storage areas. Larger models come with full bathrooms, refrigerators, living areas, master bedrooms and entertainment units. Some RVs are very elaborate, with satellite TV and Internet access, slide-out sections, and awnings; Most RVs can cost (new) from less than $10,000 to $500,000. Some of the more elaborate models can cost much more than that.
As their name suggests, RVs are mainly used for recreational purposes. RVs have varied uses - from short vacations and camping trips to full-time living at various levels of comfort. RV travel is a burgeoning segment of the international travel industry, and many RV rental firms - both large and small - rent vehicles in many cities around the world.
Several classes of vehicle are generally classified as RVs:
Truck Camper: Usually used on pickup trucks, a truck camper is a shell, usually made of fiberglass or aluminum, mounted atop the truck’s rear bed. It is generally large enough to be suitable for camping purposes.
Pop-up Camping Trailer: This type of RV is a lightweight trailer unit with collapsible sides, for quick setup at the campsite and easy storage. The unit is suitable for towing by most vehicle types.
Caravan (sometimes called Travel Trailer): This is a towable unit with rigid sides, designed to be towed by larger vehicles.
Fifth Wheel Travel Trailer: Designed to be towed by a pickup or medium duty truck with a special “Fifth Wheel” hitch.
Available in a range of comfort levels, this RV class usually has taller ceilings and slide-out walls. These are generally the most spacious of all RV models. Despite their size, however, they are quite easy to handle. Other great Fifth Wheel features include many home conveniences such as bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen and entertainment units.
One of the greatest features to me is the ability to detach the tow vehicle from the trailer. You can then park your trailer and use the truck for sightseeing, shopping or basically whatever you please.
Toy Hauler: Toy hauler trailers are one of the hottest trends in RVing, and a total hoot to boot. Going under several names, they are also known as Toy Box, Sport Utility Trailer (SUT), Sport Utility RV (SURV) and Ramp Trailer. Designed as part living space - usually located in the front end of the vehicle - and part storage compartment in the rear, they are great for taking motorcycles, snowmobiles, watercraft, bicycles and the like on the road, and are a big hit with travelers who want to take their active lifestyle with them on vacation.
Motorhome: The term originally referred to the vehicle manufactured by the Winnebago company almost 50 years ago and still serves as a synonym for vehicles produced by Winnebago Industries.
Now produced by many different manufacturers both in the US and abroad, the term “motorhome” has come to refer to single unit recreational vehicles, as opposed to the towable type.
Motorhomes are usually divided into three separate class types:
Class B Motorhomes
Class Bs are built using a conventional van which has had a raised roof added or the back replaced by a low-profile body. Modern Class B motorhomes have progressed far since the early days of van conversions.
You will find that today’s Class B motorhome can be as fully appointed as many a full-sized motorhome. They are also much easier to maneuver in urban settings, and are much easier to use, especially for drivers who are not accustomed to driving large vehicles.
Class B motorhomes are very popular as rental vehicles, especially in Europe. They are also popular with former full-time RV addicts who want to continue RVing on occasion but don’t want the upkeep and expense of owning a large Class A motorhome, or for families with older children who need a dual purpose vehicle that gets more than just weekend use.
Class C Motorhomes
Class Cs are built on a truck chassis with and attached cab section. Class C motorhomes are intermediate in size, being larger than the Class B’s, yet smaller than the Class A’s.
These midrange motorhomes offer many of the advantages of bigger motorhomes, yet generally take up less space and are easier to handle on some roads.They are easier to drive and maneuver than the average Class A, and are essentially a motorhome body stuck on a van chassis.
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Friday, July 11th, 2008
The 250,000th Russian-built Ford Focus has been built at the company’s plant in Vsevolozhsk, near St. Petersburg. The car, a silver 1.8-litre Ghia Wagon, will be delivered to a customer in Moscow.The Focus has been Russia’s best-selling foreign car for the past five consecutive years.“We were the very first foreign manufacturer to open our own production facility in Russia, and when the first locally-built Ford Focus was built at Vsevolozhsk in 2002, the plant has an annual production capacity of 25,000 cars,” said John Fleming, president and CEO, Ford of Europe. “In order to keep pace with demand from customers in Russia, that figure has risen today to 75,000, and will rise again to 125,000 in 2009, when the Ford Mondeo will also be produced at the plant.”The plant is currently recruiting 1,300 new employees for the extra production, raising the total number of people employed at the plant to 3,500 by the end of this year. Sales of Ford Focus in Russia are up by 25 per cent in the first six months of 2008, compared to the same period in 2007, with 46,335 vehicles sold. Tota Ford vehicle sales in Russia to the end of June were 97,626, an increase of 20 per cent over the same period in 2007. By contrast, the company sold just 1,363 vehicles in Russia in all of 2000.
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Friday, July 11th, 2008
Suzuki has various models like the King Quad 700, Twin Peaks 700, Vinson, Eiger and Ozark range of ATVs as utility vehicles. Its Racing range has the QuadRacer and the QuadSport models. It also has the QuadSport 80 and QuadSport Z50 in its kid’s range.The company has various SOHC and DOHC models. Single Over Head Cam models have an internal combustion engine design, with one camshaft located above the valves. A Dual Over Head Cam model has the camshafts which operate the intake and exhaust valves mounted above the camshafts. Also, there are separate camshafts for inlet and exhaust valves.
The ATVs have an option of four- or two- and front-differential-locked four-wheel drives. Suzuki ATVs have their own fuel-injection system, featuring technology tested through years of development. All Suzuki ATVs are built of high tensile steel and have hydraulic front-end brakes. They generally have a 695 cc engine.Honda has the TRX series, the TRX 250EX, TRX 300 EX, TRX 400 EX and the TRX 90 for kids. It also has the TRX 450R in electric start and kick-start mode. The TRX models are sports models, while the utility models are the FourTrax series, the Rincon, Rincon GPScape, Foreman Rubicon, Rancher and Recon models.
The Honda utility models have a 700 cc engine and electronic fuel injection. They also have fully independent fuel injection.Yamaha has the Grizzly, Kodiak, Big Bear and Bruin models of ATVs. It also has the Grizzly 80, the ATV aimed at kids. It has unveiled new models as a celebration of their fiftieth anniversary in the business of making transport. Yamaha ATVs have liquid-cooled, five-valve, 660cc four-stroke engines. It is also available in two-wheel-drive, four-wheel-drive and fully locked differential four-wheel-drives.Kawasaki has its own range of ATVs for Sport, Utility, Sport-Utility and Kids. They have the KFX 50, 80, 400, 700 IG and 700. The utility models are Brute Force, Prairie and Bayou.Kawasaki ATVs have a powerful V-twin engine and automatic transmission. They also have a racing-style chassis. The KFX 700 is now available in two new colors, meteor blue and galaxy silver.
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Friday, July 11th, 2008
Ford Motor Company is making further reductions to its North American truck production plan while adding more small cars, crossovers and fuel-efficient powertrains, as the company tries to respond to rising fuel costs and the shift away from large trucks and SUVs.”As gasoline prices average more than $4 a gallon and consumers worry about the weak U.S. economy, we see June industry-wide auto sales slowing further and demand for large trucks and SUVs at one of the lowest levels in decades,” said Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally.Ford is also delaying the introduction of the new 2009 Ford F-150 by two months to sell down dealer inventory of the current model.The new F-150 now will go on sale in late fall.Looks to EuropeFord will also tap into its European lineup and bring more of those vehicles to North America.In addition to hatchback and sedan versions of the European-engineered Ford Fiesta small car that goes on sale in North America in early 2010, the four- and five-door versions of the next-generation European Ford Focus small car will be produced in North America beginning in late 2010.The new Focus will be common with Europe, South America and Asia Pacific and represent the next generation of today’s successful European Focus. Excellent fuel economy will be achieved through new highly efficient direct-injection engine technology and a new advanced six-speed transmission.The new Focus and Fiesta— as well as other small cars and crossovers from Europe— will be part of an unprecedented period of new Ford product introductions that has only just begun in North America.The new Ford Flex crossover and Lincoln MKS sedan went on sale this month, and the new F-150 goes on sale in late fall.New versions of the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ mid-size cars debut late this year, as do all-new hybrid versions of the Fusion and Milan.Big upgradesBy the end of this year, 70 per cent of all Ford, Lincoln and Mercury products by volume in North America will be new or significantly upgraded compared with the 2006 models. By the end of 2010, 100 percent of the product lineup will be new, including in 2009 the next-generation Mustang, new fuel-saving EcoBoost engines and new European Transit Connect.”We remain absolutely committed to accelerating the development of the new products that customers want and value,” Mulally said. “We sell some of the best smaller cars and utility vehicles in the world in our profitable European and South American operations, and our plan is to introduce these same vehicles in North America as quickly as possible. This is an integral part of our plan to leverage our global assets and achieve our goal of profitable growth.”
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Friday, July 11th, 2008
There are many people who will swear that racing or riding on an ATV will let you experience racing and outdoor riding in a totally different way. These individuals will inform you that you can perform all of your outdoor activities with ease whilst you are driving an ATV. You will however need to find where you can buy inexpensive ATVs for sale.To gain an idea of the prices that are currently used for ATVs you should see what the Kelly Blue book has listed for ATVs. Once you know the current price range then you will be able to determine whether you can afford to buy an ATV. Having clarified your position with regards to ATVs you can start your investigation into the matter of buying either a new ATV or a used ATV.
The matter of a sports or utility ATV will naturally be solved based upon your personal preferences. Now after all of these decisions have been made you can decide how to go about the matter of looking for suitable ATVs for sale. The best place to start your ATV hunt will naturally be the classifieds. These advertisements will give brief descriptions of the various ATVs that are available for you to buy.You can also look on the internet classifieds to see not only descriptions of ATVs but also if they are available picture of the various makes and models of ATVs that are in stock. There are many sites on the internet that will give you many listings of ATVs – both new and used that you can buy. You can sometimes find ATVs for sale sites that give the prices of their stock.The places may be very well known to various people in the ATV world. Therefore if you are unsure of the legitimacy of these various internet ATV sale outlets you can always investigate their reputation for all aspects of ATVs and customer relations. When you have finally found an ATV outlet that has the type of ATV that you can afford then you can begin your negotiations with regards to the price and other legal matters.These places where you can find many different types of ATVs for sale will be able to help you to obtain the best possible ATV for your life. In addition you will be able to buy other items like aftermarket parts that will enhance how your newly brought ATV works.One of the other great things that you can find from places where there are ATVs for sale is great bargain on otherwise expensive ATVs. So take a chance and if out where you can get great bargains from ATVs for sale. You will never regret this choice.
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Thursday, July 10th, 2008
When you are looking for a great motorcycle, you may want to try the Honda motorcycle. You will get this good dependable and quality product many years from. There is not doubt that you will be happy with your choice for many years to come. You will feel good and look good when you are riding down the road on your cool ride.
For a lot of the riders, finding the right motorcycle is going to be a difficult decision. They will take their time and find the right motorcycle that will be right for them. It will take a long time to search and find the one that will fit your personality and your lifestyle. It is important to make the best decision that you will be happy with and be comfortable with as well.
Most bike riders will ask their buddies what is going to be the best bike for them. They will take their information and advice and try to make the best decision for them. A lot of times the bike riders will discuss their problems with the bikes and find out what they like most and least about the bikes. For most of the Honda motorcycles, you can almost guarantee that you are not going to hear anything bad about them.Most great Honda motorcycles can be found at a Honda dealership. There are lots of people that can find the right bike for them and not have to worry about getting a bad deal. For most people, they can get a good bike at a good price and be happy with that Honda Motorcycle for a long time to come.There are many colors and styles to choose from when it comes to Honda Motorcycles. You can find the right ones to fit your style and your body too. You do not have to worry about not getting exactly what you want when you choose a Honda. There are so many to choose from and so many place that you can look.Even used Honda motorcycles are a great bargain. There are many that you can find for a good price and ones that you can be happy with for a long time to come. Many times you can get a better deal with a used bike than you can get with a new one. It is all up to you and what you want to buy with your money.Year after year, you can trade in your Honda motorcycle for a new one. This is a great way to get a new bike and get a good deal on your old one. You will not have to worry about the value of your bike going down. You are going to be able to have a good investment in your Honda motorcycle for a long time to come
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