My first Honda

[Tifa]

Are we/you saying reliable = souless?

My Guzzi has soul and to date has been very un-reliable, if it was reliable would it become souless? I think not.

Some hondas have soul, CB1300, fireblade, CBR600r others are built to do a job and do it well, the choice is ours/yours whether or not you but one..

windy

+1

Thank God for that...I thought I was the only one.

Because something does it's job really well, is not cause to knock it....I get the feeling that there are some that are 'bored' by reliability...? Personally, I get far more bored when my Aprilia is in bits...and every other bastard is out riding...

[Bayross66]

This is the irony with Honda they are considered by many to be "uncool' and are discriminated against yet are widely acknowledged to be superior in terms of dynamics and reliability... The Pan Euro i owned did 27k in 18months was simply awesome,, would i buy another No??? How can something be so good yet unable to endear?

[kevinb]

Yeah, I know exactly what you mean, I owned a Porche Carrera which performed flawlessly for 3 years....it became so un-interesting and un-inspiring that I sold it and bought a Fiat Panda....

Very funny.... No, I'm sure the the performance of your Carrera was something beyond serviceable and reliable, and I'm also pretty sure it wasn't perfectly practical.

[SF2DieHard]

This is the irony with Honda they are considered by many to be "uncool' and are discriminated against yet are widely acknowledged to be superior in terms of dynamics and reliability... The Pan Euro i owned did 27k in 18months was simply awesome,, would i buy another No??? How can something be so good yet unable to endear?

Excellent comment. You hit that one right on the head.

DM

[windy]

How can something be so good yet unable to endear?

Easy, if you have to get to the office in London and back home for tea/dinner in all weather and traffic conditions I suspect you'd be endeared to a bike that starts every time you thumb the starter and keeps going until you're at your destination...

If you want something to stimulate your senses, have a second bike or just one italian bike but be prepared to be late for work/tea/dinner a few times a year, hopefully not in the middle of winter.. :-)

windy

[Bayross66]

I did the "middle of winter" thing on the Futura earlier this year 2nd jan i went for a trash around mid- Wales came across some elderly hooligans on assorted jap stuff & a tuono, had some "flat out stupidity" over the black mountains in the pissing rain Mega. Stopped somewhere for tea and bragging, do you think my Italian shitbag would start afterwards Doh...
The thing that intrigues me about this whole HONDA thing is "what is it about bikers/human nature that doesn't embrace perfection?" In my professional and personnal life ive encountered Honda's many times,,, 1st bike was a 250superdream and ive owned ... 400superdream, nsr250, cb650, cb750, cb1100rc (awesome), pan st1100 (awesome) & a RRy Fireblade (bland as fuck).
In 2006 i was the business manager at a big dealer (shitty G. Whites) and remember using all the latest 600s one week, R6 yam (hooligan) , gsxr(loud hooligan), zx636(what an engine) & cbr600rr undoubtedly the bike i was quickest on but somehow uninvolving. The Fireblade is the superbike that 9 outa 10 ordinary everyday riders would be quickest on, so why aren't the streets awash with them? I reacon more middle age (just outa date) men have got "up close&personnal" with hedges or any other kind of roadside furniture on Fireblades than any other superbike,,,, that subtle, precise Honderness massaging their ego's and abilities until they arrive at that "cheeky left hand bend" carrying 20mph more speed then their imaginations would allow.
So i do ask the question " why arent we all riding Honda's?" Surely Honda happiness is what we all need, i remember years ago reading a American T.shirt logo... I'D RATHER MY SISTER IN A WHOREHOUSE THAN MY BROTHER ON A HONDA..........

[Harry H]

Breaking News

Honda's aren't perfect....... After the 1st 700 miles I can actually report a few issues.

1. The screen is shit. Mind you that can be said of virtually every motorcycle manufacturer and no doubt a 3rd party will sort it soon.
2. There's a little too much slack in the drive chain. Only notice it on and off throttle in slow traffic (bit of a clunck when the clutch engages) and probably no worse than any other motor cycle but pronounced as the rest of the bike is soooo goddam smooth.
3. Front suspension isn't perfect. Riding ripples in the road it feels like theres too much compression damping but slacken it off and theres too much dive under braking.

Hope that makes you all feel better about Honda. Maybe it's got character after all

[windy]

Breaking News

Honda's aren't perfect....... After the 1st 700 miles I can actually report a few issues.

1. The screen is shit. Mind you that can be said of virtually every motorcycle manufacturer and no doubt a 3rd party will sort it soon.
2. There's a little too much slack in the drive chain. Only notice it on and off throttle in slow traffic (bit of a clunck when the clutch engages) and probably no worse than any other motor cycle but pronounced as the rest of the bike is soooo goddam smooth.
3. Front suspension isn't perfect. Riding ripples in the road it feels like theres too much compression damping but slacken it off and theres too much dive under braking.

Hope that makes you all feel better about Honda. Maybe it's got character after all

Before this turns into a Honda appreciation thread can we just agree that Honda has it's place in the motorcycling world :-)

H, looking forward to seeing the beast in the skin. My bike is all done and sorted, at a price, so I'll be out and about once I've picked it up.

windy

[Harry H]

My bike is all done and sorted,

Excellent news Where shall we go ?

[windy]

Excellent news Where shall we go ?

Not too far, spent all my money getting the bike sorted. Thinking of going to Steve's for a friday evening then around Wales on the Saturday and stop at Steve again Saturday night, home Sunday, probably with Donna and our Steve's Deb, doesn't stop you joining us for the weekend does it?

windy

[kevinb]

"what is it about bikers/human nature that doesn't embrace perfection?"

I think the answer is in your choice of words. Perfection is greatly desired and admired, but it doesn't need to be embraced; giving it a hug will get you nowhere. We like to think that the care we give and the investments we make in our bikes - even when it's just time on the road - makes them better. When a bike is perfect to begin with, it doesn't need us to make it better.

[MilleR Time]

Personally I think Honda's get dubbed uninspiring because they do everything you ask of it. No more, no less. The Kawi for example has a great motor because the brakes are total shit. The motor gains honorable mention simply because, compared to how it stops, it's stellar.

With the Honda, the bike goes pretty well, stops well, turns well, etc.. It does nothing exceptional, just everything "well." Always a little conservative on power, usually not the class leader in light-weight, typically no stonking ground-breaking technology. Just an overall great bike that provides exactly what you want out of it and does everything you ask. Thus the whole bike from front to back feels "average," because it's what we've come to expect from a Honda.

[Bayross66]

Crikey... all this talk about Honda and ive just got a job selling Yamaha's... doh...

[MilleR Time]

Those run alright too.