[seruzawa]

What lap times? Of stock bikes? Honda loses.



Are you comparing factory racebikes? They bear little relation to the ones you buy in the showroom.



Anyhow lap times are more dependant on rider than machine.



It's all moot anyhow. Any of the Big4's literclass offerings are quite sufficient for any or our purposes.



And if you think that Honda, the 1200 pound gorilla of motorcycledom, doesn't get it's @$$-kissed by 90% of motojournalists then you haven't been paying attention to how the promotional world works. Most of the bike mags are to Honda like MotorTrend is to Detroit. They never found a vehicle that they didn't love.



Look at how Honda has tried to damage MO recently. All because MO wouldn't kowtow to them.



Screw Honda.

 

[f4ik9]

According to www.superbike.co.uk the Honda has 165bhp and weighs 178kg (391.6lbs). If this is true, Honda has just lost a fan. I'll keep riding my F4i but I'm tired of Honda presenting models that are below the specs of other manufacturers. It's as if Honda is saying, "Here is the bike we are making. Yeah, we know it is butt ugly and yeah we know it is heavier and down on power compared with the competition, but if you want a Honda, here it is. Take it or leave it." Sounds like Harley-Davidson. Maybe Honda has taken on the "You don't ride a spec sheet" tagline. I know they win races, but, why do they cheat the consumer? Also, why does Europe get a red, white and blue model, but USA doesn't? Electric damper? Can't wait for that fuse to blow during a spirited ride. Won't matter anyway cause the guy on the Buell will be too far ahead to see the Fireblade crash.

 

[BBD_Racing]

Engine: From what I have seen, the Honda redlines at 11.5K. The Yamaha reds at 13.5K and makes peak power at 12.5K. Both Kawi and Yamaha are more oversquare than the Honda. This ain't conclusive, but I am betting that Honda will be the lowest power bike again. Of course, all things are relative, since they will all be stunningly fast.



Then there is the aesthetics. Not only is the Honda the homeliest, but it has the dullest graphics. I had a red 99 F4 and a friend had a green 98 6R. I was totally invisible, whereas he couldn't have garnered more comments if he rode around naked.



I know, there is more to moto than stares, but admit it, we all want to look cool. The CBR1000RR does not look cool.



And once again, the Euros get the cool red/white/blue colors. Note to American Honda: Red, White and Blue are pretty popular here in the USA.

 

[tkarp]

Who let the Katana stylist into the CBR lab?

 

[wrecks]

The fireblade will only crash from all the oil leaking out of the POS Buell. 45 degree air-cooled 4 valve twin. WOW! May as well ride a dinosaur.

 

[gar_bau]

at least they didn't make it as ugly as the Ducati 999

 

[gar_bau]

The 1000RR should be better than the Gixxer and as good as the Kawasaki. Who would have known that Yamaha was going to pull out all the stops.

 

[gar_bau]

They're all as fast and light as race bikes from only a couple years ago, but we're complaining that one bike's not quite as fast as the other!?!


Knowing that these bikes will be outdone next year and the year after, I'm just trying to imagine what the future will bring. 190hp next year? 200hp for '06? In a just a few years, we'll have MotoGP caliber bikes for the street--and complain that they're not fast enough.



And I'll be first in line to buy one.

 

[34763]

I wouldn't be so quick to count the Gixxer out of the picture. Sure, the '02 Suzook made many friends by making huge motor, which may now be outclassed by the R1. But the '03 version stole the show by putting all that motor to the pavement in an unflappable and extremely ridable chassis. I'll be surprised if last year's bike of the year suddenly slips to #4 on the lite-bike depth chart.

 

[nomad76]

Re: Hayden replica

I'm sorry, maybe I'm being nostalgic, but that Hayden replica rc51 is the best thing Honda's got this year.

 

[1747]

Re: Hayden replica

i'm with you man, 2-cyl. Honda will be a rare bird one day now that race rules tilt back toward 4-banger. If i had a collection I'd collect that one. Also a blast to ride in the here and now.

 

[7583]

agreed.

 

[1747]

wow that was the 51st post how EERIE

 

[19616]

Re: Fugly paint...

And who decided that silver was the new flat black? Aprilia, Suzuki, Honda (the 919!), Ducati, Yamaha (one color for the FJR1300!), hell every manufacturer is building silver bikes.

I realize that I've been ranting about this for about a year, but silver is boring, boring, boring. Bikes are supposed to be fun!

 

[nomad76]

Uh, yeah ... planned it that way ... that's it.



Y'know, that li'l Dream replica ain't so bad, either ...

 

[111]

Uh, JB..?

Re: silver (natural aluminum) swingarm and a black frame... That sounded somewhat familiar, so I just went out to the garage to double-check, and sure enough... the '99 CBR1100XX meets that description.

 

[45474]

HONDA USA have Introduction to all 04

models and why should we go abroad?



BTW, R1 wins (well it is altogether a different

class of its own)

 

[SmokeU]

Sorry, I forgot to lock the CBR lab's door on my way out last year.

 

[gpzer]

Re: Uh, JB..?

My 02 954 meets it also JS

 

[bbreu]

But it's a really nice air filter. It's the only two-tone air filter with the bottom half painted flat black to match the bike.