Some differences in manufacturing processes...

[Phil Tarman]

You may not have the time to watch these, but they show different levels of technology in manufacturing.

BMW Assembly: https://www.rideapart.com/news/610930/bmw-advanced-production-r1250r-s1000rr/?utm_source=msn.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=msn-feed

Galaxy Engine Assembly:

Galaxy Final Assembly:

 

[DirtFlier]

I've been lucky enough to have visited many Honda factories here and also in Japan plus Husqvarna in Italy when it was owned by BMW. Also got to visit boutique builder Husaberg when it was in a converted barn in a small Swedish village with only 3-4 workstations and bikes being assembled on rolling carts to ease movement to the next guy.

They all had to start somewhere and some survived and some didn't.

 

[ARKNT]

When I work on my bike it is a bit different than the videos. I'm pretty slow and getting slower I think.
Also I wouldn't trust myself to work barefoot or open sandles like one video had. I'd be missing toes, heck I almost lost the end of a toe and I was wearing work boots.

Arknt

 

[DirtFlier]

That Metro Galaxy engine was very "Honda-like" with interior details and it makes me think that long ago they were a Honda co-op company.

 

[Hondafan]

That Metro Galaxy engine was very "Honda-like" with interior details and it makes me think that long ago they were a Honda co-op company.

I noticed they seemed to use the same impact gun on different size fasteners. They also did not use a ring compressor when they put the cylinder barrel on. Maybe there was a big enough chamfer on the bottom of the cylinder. Quite a contrast between BMW's assembly and the Galaxy.

 

[mikesim]

That Metro Galaxy engine was very "Honda-like" with interior details and it makes me think that long ago they were a Honda co-op company.

Your note got me to thinking (dangerous, yes I know!). When I was a pup and worked at the Honda/Triumph/Royal Enfield dealership. I was amazed when I got to examine the innards of the Honda's vs the Brit bikes. The Honda's were like fine watches and the Brit bikes were quite crude. Even cruder I was soon to learn were the Harley's. I also found when I expanded my working to the other Japanese bikes, they too were very much like the Honda's in precision design and assembly. An old trope going around at the time (early/mid-sixties) was that the Japanese manufacturers were just "copy cats". If that was the case, then who did Honda, et al copy from? No one as far as I know could hold a candle to the Japanese motorcycles of the day. Even the German's were a second fiddle to the Japanese at the time. It's amazing when you look back at the huge paradigm shift in manufacturing that occured back then. Not only in motorcycles but cameras, electronics, etc.

Mike

 

[Phil Tarman]

In '59, I was working for a photographer. He used Speed Graphics, Rollieflexes, and Leicas. I bought (for $59.95) an Olympus 35mm camera -- rangefinder, f2.8 E. Zuico lens -- and started using it to shoot available light pix in school and that got me on the annual staff. My boss started noticing some of the pictures I took and did a lens test between his Leicas and my Olympus. The Olympus was sharper and more true colors. He was amazed.

 

[mikesim]

Yup, the Japanese optics were second to none as well. The Japanese and the Germans were axis partners during WWII and Germany shared their optics expertise with them. It wasn't long after this that the Japanese soon eclipsed their German mentors in optical technology. I remember purchasing a new Minolta 35mm SLR at the Marine Corps Exchange. It was a gem of a camera! I remember at the time a small gold foil oval sticker was on the lens that said "passed". The Japanese were so intent on making sure that every product for export was perfect in every way that the sticker verified that the camera had passed a strict government inspection. I remember in the early to mid fifties people referring to Japanese products as "junk", and in just over a decade, Japanese products were held in high esteem. A remarkable transformation!

Mike

 

[DirtFlier]

When I was in Japan in the early-80s, I saw lots of "junk" still being offered but it was mostly for local purchase or perhaps to ship to 3rdf world markets? The Japanese Export Dept did a lot to curb the exports of junk to the US where they badly wanted to cultivate a market.

 

[Warren]

Deming has been given much of the credit for helping the Japanese develop the processes that lead to the high quality of their manufactured products.

 

[DirtFlier]

Yes, Dr Deming was considered a "kook" over here but the Japanese took his lessons to heart.

 

[mikesim]

Deming deserves a lot of credit but I think that the Asian culture had a great deal to do with their success. They didn't settle for "good enough", it had to be "the best it can be".

Mike