False Advertising

Vehicle manufacturers of all kinds have been letting their marketing departments bestow their creations with overzealous names for years. I’m referring to the practice of manufacturers mouth's writing checks their machines can’t cash.

Think Suzuki Swift (it wasn’t). Or, as a newer example, the now-discontinued Ford EcoSport. The car was neither economical nor sporty, and consumers noticed.

On the moto side, let’s not let Harley-Davidson forget that, in the ‘60s, they gave us the Scat. Per the Merriam-Webster dictionary, “scat” means to “go away quickly.”

That’s great, but if you don’t know where I’m going with this, go ahead and look up the second definition.

Not only did the name have some unfortunate negative connotations, but the Scat also came equipped with a few different engines during its short life—all below 200cc. Needless to say, the bike wasn’t going to “scat” anywhere other than on your garage floor.