Originally Posted by cheshirecat

It's not "inflation" as much as it is a strong yen versus the dollar. Everything being exported out of Japan right now is pretty expensive. This is extremely apparent in the sportbike market, where bikes that were 8.5k 10 years ago now sell for closer to 13.5k.

Because of this, sportbikes coming out of Europe (Germany/Italy) while historically more expensive than their Japanese couterparts, are now in the same price range.

Japan is worried about the strong yen, and they have every right to be.

Here's an article about it.
Strong Yen Threatens Japan