What Happened?

So do you want to know why it all happened? If not, you can skip to Chapter 20.

Who buys Japanese motorcycles? Men do. (Women are a growing market for motorcycles, especially Harley-Davidsons, but their overall numbers remain small compared with men.) How old are these men? They are sixteen to twenty-four years old. That’s it, period. At twenty-five, they’re not in the market anymore. Why? Because at twenty-six they get married. They often need to buy an expensive piece of jewelry called an engagement ring. Today’s brides expect at least a one-carat diamond. Where do these guys get the money? They sell their motorcycles. It is amazing how close in price a late-model high-end Japanese motorcycle is in price to a one-carat diamond ...

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