Fear Of Missing Out – Question of the Day

Dennis Chung
by Dennis Chung

What motorcycle did you really want, but wasn’t available in your market?


Last week, American Honda announced a number of models returning for 2024 with no notable changes, save for new color options and some price adjustments. Of course, what caught our eye was the confirmation that the previous-generation CBR600RR was returning to the U.S. for 2024, despite the fact most other major markets are getting a new-and-improved version.


Judging from the comments on that article, we weren’t the only ones disappointed about the news. Younger generations, which I am loathed to admit no longer includes myself, have a term for this: the Fear Of Missing Out, or “FOMO”. It’s the feeling of disappointment and regret of not being able to experience something you see others doing. In this case, it’s about not getting Honda’s latest Supersport.


Like most feelings, it’s instinctual, and not necessarily logical. You don’t have to even be in the market for a 600-class sportbike to feel disappointed that you don’t even get the chance to buy it this year, if you’re in America.


The brutal truth is that not every model is going to be offered in every country, due to various market or regulatory reasons, and that remains true even with increased globalization and manufacturers moving production overseas.


The new Honda CBR600RR is one example, but it’s not alone. Yamaha Motor U.S.A. has the Tracer 9 GT+, but Europeans also get the Tracer 7, based on the MT-07 platform, as well as six different versions of the Ténéré 700. Even Harley-Davidson withholds some models from the U.S.; the base model Pan America 1250 and the Fat Bob 114 were recently dropped from its U.S. lineup for 2024, but they’ll still be available in other markets, along with the Sport Glide which hasn’t been available here for several years.


Those are just some current examples. In the 2010s, Aprilia produced an SRV 850 scooter with the 839cc V-Twin from the Mana, but that never made it Stateside. A decade earlier, Suzuki produced the GSX1400, a muscle bike powered by an air-cooled 1,402cc Inline-Four, and that too was never offered here. The Yamaha XJR1300 (pictured above) was a similar large-displacement roadster that was available in Europe in the late ’90s up until 2016 when Euro IV regulations finally killed it off.


Question of the Day: what motorcycle, past or present, would you like to buy that was never available for sale in your market? Let us know in the comments below.



Become a Motorcycle.com insider. Get the latest motorcycle news first by subscribing to our newsletter here.

Dennis Chung
Dennis Chung

Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.

More by Dennis Chung

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 13 comments
  • Eugene Costello Eugene Costello on Apr 18, 2024

    The new Honda 1084 1100 that's available in Europe but not the USA is the slam dunk unit I'd be looking to buy.

  • G. Thomas G. Thomas on Jul 06, 2024

    ST 1300. My GL 1800 just got to tall and heavy after I hit 70. Still wanted to take the ball and chain places but a top heavy bike started to get risky at low speeds. I guess they stopped making them after 2007. I don’t want to buy a 25 year old bike.

Next