"We would never use an innovation that is already in the public domain"
Toyota.
"We would never use an innovation not created in-house" Honda.
"We don't want to be first" BMW.
I hope this answers most questions about why motorised bicycles
manufactuerers are still making nineteenth century products. For them
what matters most of all is ownership of IP. If they don't own the
technology they don't know how to make money out of it. The next thing
that matters is not being first with a new product - it's risky and
expensive.
You can conclude, correctly, from this that these people are too scared
to compete on product performance or quality and rely on lawyers instead.
Toyota are simply lying. Honda have never done anything except use
other peoples technology (notably NSU) and BMW achieve coming second
usually by stealing someone else technology (Saxtrack, Hossack).
BMW do a damm fine lunch but you have to go to Munchen to get it.
