Just a few comments concerning our website. We weren't ready to market our system until we were sure it is bullet proof. We watched many bring their product to the market and witnessed many, many, many, failures. Sadly the failures cost the end user a lot of money and time to fix problems that should have been eliminated via testing and quality control.
And I whole heartedly agree with that reasoning. That's why I'm doing my due diligence before I buy anything, and why I went to your site in the first place.
If the almightily dollar and marketing were our objectives, we could have sold hundreds if not thousands of systems last year.
I will agree that the quick buck should not be the way to go but the goal of any company is to provide a profit regardless of whether it is short or long term.
During our market research phase we noticed many were "unhappy" that we didn't pass all our information to everyone free of charge. We also noted many with broken kits & drive systems acted like it was our duty to offer a solution to the many problems that plagued our industry. I guess it is important to remember, we didn't make the problematic motorbikes & kits, therefore it isn't our duty to fix other's mistakes.
As far as my posts go; I don't know what to say, I have no idea where that came from. I don't own any MB stuff much less expect you to make it all better.
Because of pressure from our Authorized dealers we have agreed to offer the Q-Matic drive system as a stand along product, however even that decision brought forth complaints [just can't make some people happy, no matter what]. It appears everyone wants an American made product, sprinkled with a lot of quality, but wants to either have us give it away, provide all the details [free], or sell it below the price of the "junk' currently being offered.
OK, again I have no idea where that came from. I don't know what your "Q-Matic" system is much less want it as a stand (alone?) for any of my non-powered bicycles. But; if it were something that I thought I wanted, yes I would want the INFO for FREE before I decided to lay down my cash for it. To buy your sales brochure just to see if I wanted it would be stupid.
Although our website is being upgraded we don't want to sell product from the site, but rather from Authorized dealers. Our main goal from the website is to provide access to our dealer network, add new dealers, and provide minimum information. The reason we opted to use the Authorized dealer program is to provide much better service to the end user.
So EZM's goal in marketing is to keep the buyer in the dark? By "end user" you mean the potential buyer that is over 7 hours away from the nearest dealer? It doesn't take a genius to figure out how great that service is going to be. All it does is ad another layer of time, money and hassle to the buyer.
It is also important to note many, if not most, purchased their kit from Embay [box sellers] and bought it without any detailed information. Several purchased their kits from "one person" operations and often over loaded the system [some have had to wait months to get service]. Sorry but EZM isn't going to take the same failed path, but instead offer "real" service via our Authorized dealer network.
I haven't bought one at all so again I have no idea why you would even bring that up to me. By "real service" what exactly do you mean? Do you actually expect everyone who buys your product to be able to pop by the dealer when they need service?
I guess it is time to ask the following question.... Does Harley Davidson, GM, Ford, Chrysler, etc provide detailed assembly and expensive production information [trade secrets] on their web site, or do they offer service via a dealer network?
Quick reality check here; your target comparisons are skewed to say the very least. For an equal comparison why don't you try Trek, Gary Fischer (really also Trek) or Giant. For an even better comparison try Ellsworth, Foes, or Santa Cruz (small independents). What do they all have in common with you? Bicycles! So unless you're powering that puppy with a small Manhattan Project it sounds like someone needs to get a grip.
I guess many haven't noticed the current system isn't working, otherwise why would anyone be so concerned about EZM, our website, and detailed information about our drive system.
Yup, I'm sure the Chechnian military would love to crack that code.
Of course I know you aren't one of those mentioned above, so what do you want to know?
I want decent pictures of what I'd be buying, info on how it works, how it attaches and the quality of the pieces involved. And of course what it would cost to get it and get it to me. And I gotta be honest, I don't think that any of those are out of line and the mear suggestion that it is industrial espionage is so over the top that it's bordering on narcissistic.
Since it seems I need to be more clear on my desires, here is a little about me and my little family of 3. At this time we own 10 bicycles, it would be 12 if my oldest still live with us. To say that we are into it would be a massive understatement. I used to race cross country (sucked at it) and downhill, my oldest road for the Community Olympic Development Program team (CODP) out of San Antonio TX and now my youngest, who is the most motivated of all, even races in UCI (international) events. He wants to be a pro so bad he can taste it. But what the heck, it keeps him motivated in school as well because he knows that if he doesn't get the grades he doesn't ride the bike. So I do what I can to support him whenever I can. That is what brings me to motor bikes. As part of his training regimen he could use something called "motor pacing." This is where the rider being trained uses the draft if a motorcycle or motor bike to maintain a relatively high speed (30+) for an extended period of time thus simulating the riding in a peleton during a road race. Granted I could use my Buell for this but chugging around at 30mph is just no fun on that MC. So I brought up the idea of a MB and the whole family thinks it's a cool idea. My wife even hinted that she might like one. So I started researching and found a couple of forums and a lot of great info that I'd never even thought of which has allowed me to refine my requirements.
#1 Reliability
#2 Still "pedalable" with stock (quality, not Walmart) pedals (I use clipless) and cranks
#3 In frame mounting in one of my quality bikes
#4 No low quality Chinese 2 stroke doo doo
#5 No scrub drive
#6 Top speed over 35mph even with my fat butt on it and without goofy stuff like NO2
#7 I don't expect any"thing" for free but I don't want to feel like I went to prison either.
So how does that sound? Does it sound like stuff from your company or should I just move along?
Steve