On Fri, 2 Oct 1998 17:49:36 +Simon, you wrote:
>You won't find many Jap bikes from before 1962 or so, which was when they
>started kicking complacent Brit bike arse at the TT (the Honda company
>wasn't even born until 1948). And they have continued to do so to this day.
>With cameras, cars and bikes, their only rivals in engineering and this kind
>of manufacturing are the Germans, IMHO. And I'm not complaining - I've got
>some great Japanese cameras, a solid German car, and great British hi-fi.
>
Largely agree Simon. As it happens, I've a German (BMW) bike (with
over 100,000 miles as did the previous BMW), British hi-fi and, of
course, Japanese cameras. But my darkroom is stocked with
all-European/Brit) stuff (Durst, Melico, Nova, Paterson).
When one considers that, in the 50's, we made almost everything we
used in the UK, what happened? As a graduate of 1962 I remember how
the "in" professions were finance, law or (for technology graduates
like me) defence and aerospace. The consumer sector was a very poor
second. The Japanese built their enviable reputation almost entirely
on consumer products, and the Japanese became synonymous with quality.
Meanwhile the UK consumer sector slumped to the Japanese and we now
have almost nothing of our own.
When you fly in an airliner, you barely notice whether it's powered by
Rolls Royce, P&W or GE. Therefore, in spite of the excellence of RR
engines, the average person doesn't know they are there and doesn't
relate the excellence of the engine to the UK. But almost every TV,
video, camera, or motorbike is immediately related to Japan and one
assumes that all Japanese products are excellent. Having said that, my
son's Japanese bikes haven't been nearly as durable as the BMW.
--
John Gruffydd (Mold, Wales, UK)
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