bbbbBut it's a Honda!

Oh yes - don't get me wrong. I am not interchanging what the new bikes look like with how they function. A couple of years ago I bought a new Suzuki SV650ABS and it was a spectacular bike and an awesome value for the money (and not too ugly either) but it wasn't nearly as pretty as an XS650 or the R-E or Kawi.

In fact, Honda would have been wise to have made an SV650-type twin cylinder road bike out the Africa Twin powertrain - rather than just another metric cruiser which will vanish into the crowd of other metric cruisers (which IMO are doomed to be ignored by the market).

If I may, I'd go even further and submit that if Honda doesn't build that sort of bike pretty soon, they risk losing out to R-E who, in some markets, are eating the lunch of many of the main-line companies as people vote with their wallets for the Interceptor 650 style of non-ugly bike.

Pete
 
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I find myself daydreaming about new bikes all the time and then I have to remind myself why I sold the new ones I had. I simply get bored with them after a while. They are terrific to ride, no doubt. But with all the modern complexities, they’re too hard for me to work on. And they are so reliable and automotive like, there isn’t much to do on them anyways. I start missing having something to work on, I have a garage all set up for tinkering and my tools just collected dust. I enjoy the interaction that older machinery demands, there is always something to do on an old bike. :)
 
I have my newer bike, but I also have my tinkering/project bikes. 2 XS650, CB400F, XL75, 73 T120R, and the current one on the bench(literally) CR80 getting a xr100 motor.

For commuting the newer stuff can't be beat. Reliable, quick, comfortable. But I need projects to stay busy and leave the commuters alone.
20201122_164853_HDR.jpg
 
MaxPete said:
The problem is that those two bikes (the Kawi W800 and R-E Interceptor) are simply not widely available in Canada. There are dealers, but not many and none in my area.

I guess its a darned good thing I have my 45 year old version of those bikes.....

As with Raymond - I am completely unmoved by the other offerings on the market. They are either:
  • too impractical (the Italian bikes);
  • too expensive (the German bikes);
  • too unreliable (the German and Italian bikes)
  • or not available or with only a few dealers here (the Kawasaki W800 and R-E Interceptor 650);
  • or just way TOO GD$%#@### fugly (nearly all the rest).
Oh well - it would be better if I were elected to be The Emperor of Motorcycles.

Pete
Click to expand...
I guess we could take up a vote on The Emperor of Motorcycles.
:bow2::bow:​
 
One of the reasons I sold my XS was that it was just too darn small. Not performance wise - it's a classic 650, you know what to expect. But physical size/riding position just didn't suit my decrepit old body. 30-50 miles and my hips and knees were bitching at me and I was scooting all over the seat trying to ease the discomfort.

The FJ is taller, the seat-to-footpegs distance is longer, and I ride with my thighs at a slight angle down from the hips to the knees. On the XS, my knees were higher than my hips.

It's highly unlikely there'll ever be a prettier bike to my eyes tho.
 
Downeaster said:
I'm not a fan of the way my FJ looks, but Oh, Momma! the way it runs!

On another board I hang out on (wait...what...there's another board on the innerwebz? Who knew?) they had an "Ugliest Car" thread. The Pontiac Aztec was the hands down winner based on frequency alone. And that's against some pretty tough competition from AMC (Gremlin, Matador) and Citroen (pretty much all of them).
Click to expand...
Don't pick on Gremlins or Pacers!
 
My minamalistic approach to the motorcycle is the naked the better. I want to see a big hunk of motor hung on a flowing frame with two wire spoked wheels mating the ground. My bike shouldn't become an appliance but something that puts me on the fringe of expression. Guess that's why I drive a 30 year old pickup. ... And then theres the big bucks I've conceded to never having to afford one. Oh well, each their own.

God I'm getting old.
 

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