Interesting. For me it's just hearsay. I have never owned a Honda. Btw CB1100EX is a really beautiful bike IMHO.
Always thought the Japanese design aesthetics to be a bit weird and definitely not to my (european?) taste, same goes for their cars. Kiddies Transformer toys often comes to mind, particularly with Kawasakis.
My son has a red Honda CB500F as a A2 bike. We bought it for the good looks and second hand value. He had a KTM Duke 125 as A1. The Honda is so boring that he took it out once this summer, came back home after half an hour. With the Duke he was out a lot! I was out with the Honda twice and can only agree with him.
Same issue with my CBR650R, the paint collects scuffs way too easy. I believe TMF made a similar note about a recent Honda he had reviewed. No problems with my Triumphs or Kawasaki paint.
Before my Tiger I had a vstrom 650 Seeing the new one will be heavier, taller and with odd looks just reaffirms my choice for the the Tiger. Fit and finish is nowhere near Triumph
The Suzuki vstroms are awful especially the yellow and black ones.....if they'd look modern and a few more extras ,cruise control etc maybe I'd have a test ride. But yes some horrible designs.
Interesting comments you made on Honda paint. I had a 60 plate (2011) Honda CB1000R and the paint seemed very brittle and prone to chipping. Certainly not the quality and durability I was expecting although maybe partly down to h+s water based rubbish used for paint these days
I love the Caballero and saw the 700 yesterday at the NEC. My stepdaughter has the Fantic 500 Rally Explorer and loves it - they're certainly good looking bikes! Someone local has the Flat Track 500 and it is undeniably something that appeals to me; my favourite of the Fantic range.
Honda is now producing a 90 hp, 755 cc short-stroke twin to replace their mid-sized inline fours. Currently it's only used in the Hornet but expected to make its way into other models.
Beauty is in the eye.....etc. A bike that performs really well can get away with being fugly, to an extent. I rode one of these some years back at an open day at a local dealer. Suzuki B King, not the prettiest bike ever made to say the least. Ugly at both ends but in between is a Hayabusa engine which means it goes like a dog shot in the arse. Looks much bigger than it really is thanks to huge plastic bodywork but is an absolute blast to ride!
Love the look of that new Suzuki street bike although the position of the rear light would be getting changed pretty quick and the plastic out the back chopped. I have grown to like the Honda Rebel. The 1100 with the DCT must be a real sleeper. Unfortunately I need more than a baw hair of suspension travel for nearly every road up here. So these types of bikes have never been a consideration. (The Virago in my sig was hers...honest!) When I saw a pic of the new Hornet I was not impressed. Looks like any other modern jap naked. Then I saw the capacity and power. That will fly.
Not only is the Suzuki 8S down about 10hp compared to the Honda Hornet, the 8S is 11kg heavier, and the new Suzuki DE800 is a whopping 22kg heavier than the Honda Transalp. Not much to look at but I suspect the Hondas will be flying off the shelf.
