most people do not pay MSRP. Without tax I am figuring 4970 for my bike. So for retail value I haven't lost much other than tax's and tags. Trade in with bikes is always substantially less as turnover on used bikes can be very slow. The dealer can end up holding it for quite some time and usually has to offer it for quite a bit less than retail at the end of the day to sell it. This is a fact of life with bikes.
You also have to remember scooters are even more of a specialty in the USA than motorcycles. This makes it an even harder sell as there are fewer buyers out there. While personally I'd rather be on a scoot than a cycle any day, this is no where near the general train of thought for the two wheeling community. We here are definately a small minority of cyclists.
Now with gas being what it is and the mentality of people going to the green side we are gaining popularity as a mode of transportation but this is a slow change over. Americans love their over sized and powered machines, be it in a cage or in the open air................
