2 strokes yamaha 4 strokes kwak no suzuki or maybe kwak. Just worked out I have owned 4 Hondas 8 kawasakis 10 suzuki and yamaha respectively Yamaha make best 2 strokes period.
Back in the olden days I was well into Hondas, in fact I still have one in the garage for off roading. I've been through enough F series, and Blades; however two of the bikes that I look back on with the great fondness are both Kawasakis, and one of those was the ZX12R... Awesome power say no more.
Always like the blue and white colour scheme on the GSXRs so ive had two and currently still have 08 reg 750
Yamaha's for me, grew up with TZ's/RD's, raced 'em, crashed 'em and watched my heroes riding them. OGR
Honda is my favourite, having owned a few. Had a yam r1 last of the carb ones. I'd never own a suzi, the whole scene for those doesn't appeal to me.
Purely for nostalgia reasons, Suzuki, I have never owned a Kawazaki, but had quite a few offroad Suzuki's, Hondas, and 1 Yamaha.
I've had a ZX636R, ZX10R, CBR1000RR4, GSXR1000K5, and a yamaha R1 cross plane crank jobby. All blistering bikes but I think I'd have a kawasaki again. I like green.
"you meet the nicest people on a Honda" - YUCK ! You never met the nicest people on a Kawasaki ! Any company the can produce the Z1, the ZZR1100 and the GPZ900R is fine by me... Kawasaki always managed to make bikes that just looked "right". So, in case you hadn't already guessed, my vote goes to Kawasaki...
Only owned 1 jap bike which was a R6. It was my first bike and was ok for what it was. Honda have done some nice bikes in the past, and the current zx10r is an animal . Suzkik have never been on my radar. They always seem a bit ... chavvy?
well had bikes from most of the big 4 but think I have had more Suzuki than the others only had 1 Honda and 1 Kawasaki think the main of Yamaha was 2 strokes but even when younger had Italian 2 strokes think it was because I didn't want to be the same as my mates with bikes but still at the top of my jap list is a Suzuki katana sad isn't it lol
Hondas for me. Strange how I seem to be in the minority even though they're the best selling Japanese brand (or at least were for so many years). I've had one since passing my test (starting with a CB500 then VFRs and now I still have the 900 Hornet I bought in 2003). They just seem to be the easiest to live with and give plenty of real world performance. I'd happily have replaced the Hornet but no nakeds seem to have the same all round ability any more. They do seem to have lost their way now though (who needs VTEC on a bike?, why has the current CBR600F got 20hp less than a 1998 one? etc.). People say they're bland but if bland means more miles riding and less time fixing that'll do me.... Obviously these qualities don't 100% align with Ducatis, which to me means they're an excellent pair to have in the garage!
I recall a blue and white Suzuki near where I lived as a child and liked it. I had various bikes, AR50, NSR125, VFR400 etc.. RGV250 Then I became friends with an older guy... A bike mechanic. He lived and breathed bikes. Literally slept in his workshop. He knew racers, bike sales men, local lads and he had a lot to do with my decision making after that. He did actually drink some Pro2 recently which told me I may not have had the best role models. He was a Yamaha guy, had countless LC's RD motors, YPVS. He said I should try a 2 stroke MX and I loved my Kwak 250. Then he built me a road bike with a tuned ypvs350 motor, one of the most fun bikes I ever had. Broke some bones on that. I've had 3xR6's (one from new) and R1. Older blades, a blade engine car. I've rode suzuki gsxrs and been out with guys on Kwaks... all the good riders were fast regardless. I think they are all good bikes, certain years certain models are perhaps better than others depending on use but it's got to be more down to how comfortable you are on it than what the stats say unless you are a competitive rider. The old cbr600 carb steel frame (jelly mould) was a good bike in it's day, a bit sensible and then the zx6r was a bit more sexy and a good bike, then the R6 came out fast and a bit of a head shaker, had to use that gearbox (still popular in pre injection race class). I still have one. The old R1 moving things on again if I remember right. The old blades were reliable, I had an urban tiger, good stunt bike (in it's day) not so good for keeping up with more up to date bikes. I think I've had various blade engines in different things, up to the injection repsol colour under-seat exhaust model. I've never really favoured the old gsxr 600 srad as a stock model it felt a bit wooden on the brakes and a bit like a hair dryer but I have a GSXR1000 K6 race engine and it's solid.. most newer injection motors have weak points when abused, clutch baskets (03 r1) gearboxes, cranks (certain blades) but this motor has raced a whole season in a car tuned, with stock components and not gone pop. So I have no firm favourite but my roots are probably with Yamaha, just because the most radical changes occurred with these models when I was just getting into bikes with a full licence.
Had plenty of jap bikes.Lots of GT250s,RD 250s,GT750s.CB750,CB550s,CBR900,GPZ1100,FZR1000.All of them brilliant in their own way/time.Some of them in my earlier years werent so reliable.This was due to the non existent maintenance more than the bike.Had great fun on them all.
