From Yamaha to Honda

[Craphouserat]

Seriously thinking about my 2nd bike now and I fancy the Honda's, maybe this is because I done all my training on one and so have kept a soft spot for them. Anyway, I loved the Fazer, but just wondered If any of you guys had good/bad words to say about the Honda's? The fact that the place I done the training only had Honda's says a few things to me, cheap to buy/insure/maintain and reliable. They look quite good to. Are there any Honda riders out there with advice for when I go to view?

I quite like the look of
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/394613.htm

but, he doesn't say what he's looking for, any thoughts on what you think they might be worth? I am on a budget - still on half wages, only sold Fazer to make sure I had a few quid. I feel Im getting better all the time and the urge to jump on a bike is now very strong. This will get worse when i get to the bike show next week !

Any advice on the above questions is appreciated, if selling a Honda please feel free to email me pics etc ( pics of the bike that is..pics of you on bikes will not be tolerated ! ) Email address is on my profile.

Cheers guys.
Barry.

[robstvr]

Honda for the average (me and you) rider can't be faulted. Great range of bikes, something for everyone, ergonomically excellent, and work out of the box/garage/ditch. Cheap to run and maintain and worry-free.

Some say they lack character, but at the end of the day, a bike is a very personal choice. I bought my Hornet for the reasons above, and because every review of it, ever, said it was a great bike. It is, and i love it. My second bike was to be a 600RR or a Blade, but went with Triumph as it's British and a bit different, like me. Well, not exactly those reason, but it was a choice of the heart nonetheless.

Your's will be too. If your heart goes with a Honda, then you are a lucky man, as that's what you're head would do if emotion didn't get in the way. Which it will, unfortunately. TVR ownership taught me that!


My tuppence, hope it helps.

[Fire99]

Generally speaking (cause there is quite a diverse model range) Honda's tend to be extremely well finished and pretty tough. The last time i heard of an unreliable Honda was the old VF750 (not the VFR) and VF1000 back in the 80's with the 'chocolate cam' issue.

I'll second that to some they lack a bit of character.. Perhaps a touch too well rounded in their approach but thats all down to the individual. Personally i have a soft spot for Kawasaki's.. Don't ask me why.. Just do!
I guess thats what makes the difference between someone who buys a car/bike as its 'transport' and a true Petrolhead...

But what i would say is don't compromise what you buy and end up with 'Buyers Remorse'. Get what You want!!
Strangely i did that with my TVR and never regretted it.. (well not yet! :-) )

[black-k1]

Fire99 said:

Generally speaking (cause there is quite a diverse model range) Honda's tend to be extremely well finished and pretty tough. The last time i heard of an unreliable Honda was the old VF750 (not the VFR) and VF1000 back in the 80's with the 'chocolate cam' issue.

I'll second that to some they lack a bit of character.. Perhaps a touch too well rounded in their approach but thats all down to the individual.

I agree totally with all of the above.

Fire99 said:

Personally i have a soft spot for Kawasaki's.. Don't ask me why.. Just do!
I guess thats what makes the difference between someone who buys a car/bike as its 'transport' and a true Petrolhead...

I definitely don't agree with that. Too many people seem to equate efficiency with boring – for me, they are definitely not the same.

[Fire99]

black-k1 said:

Fire99 said:

Personally i have a soft spot for Kawasaki's.. Don't ask me why.. Just do!
I guess thats what makes the difference between someone who buys a car/bike as its 'transport' and a true Petrolhead...

I definitely don't agree with that. Too many people seem to equate efficiency with boring – for me, they are definitely not the same.

I think you misunderstand me.or im just lost.. im not saying people buy Honda's for 'Transport'..

What im saying is my chosen favourite (for me being Kawasaki) is not based on a tick sheet of facts n figures.. Its just a personal preference..

[H9LAD]

im considering buying my first road bike and havent decided what to get as i dont have much of a clue about them.ive thought about getting a 400cc honda CBR or suzuki bandit as in my opinion are nice looking bikes but ive no idea which is the better bike..any ideas or info would be appreciated.thanks

[dern]

Only had one honda and that's my fireblade. I've had it from new for 7 years and it's done about 35k miles. Some commutes I use it loads and some have been local and it didn't get used much. I've never looked after it apart from servicing and it's been brilliant and it's fantastic to ride. It's only broken down once because it chucked a spark plug out of the head but that was probably caused by cross threading the plugs at some point and apart from that it's been rock solid. It looks a bit of a state now and admittedly rattles a bit in places but I'll never chop it in. I recently bought a ducati 748s as a weekend toy but I'd rather ride the blade so will probably be selling the ducati come spring.

Edited by dern on Saturday 1st March 12:28