I struggled with this, because all of them leave me cold. I went with Kawasaki, but it could have easily been Suzuki. I've had in the past ..... Honda - Fireblade RRW Kawasaki. A couple of KX250 motocross bikes. No road bikes. Suzuki. A couple of GSXR 1100s Yamaha An RD350LC I got into Into Italian bikes pretty early and I've owned many Ducatis, Aprilia, MC Agusta. I do fancy a couple of classic Japanes bikes (RD350LC, RC30, RC45, GPZ900 Turbo, z1000, Fireblade.) But nothing from the current range draws me to them, well maybe an H2 simply because it's off them map.
Hmmm, tricky one. I love the precision of Honda, the raw feel of Kawasaki, and Yamaha are a half way home between the two. Never owned a Suzuki, but my mate and my dad both have, both seemed to have had corners cut on both design and quality. If I had to choose it would be 1) Honda (owned CB125RS CBR600FL CBR600FN) 2) Kawasaki (owned Z250 scorpion GPz550A3) 3) Yamaha (owned RD350LC DT125LC FZR600) 4) Suzuki
Recently bought GL1000 Goldwing and an NS400R Honda, also got my GS1000 on the road a few weeks back as well. Still got the TZ350 Yam that I raced back in the '80s and they are all great to ride, not sure I could really choose any one of them as a "favourite".
Kawasaki Ever since I saw the pearl white 250 S1 two stroke triple. Bought a 1970 500 triple,(from Ken Kay Kawasaki in Stopsley , theres a name that suited the maker,wonder what happened to them?) Had all makes since but have always had a soft spot for the mighty K. Still got a 500 triple cafe racer and an old KDX250 buried at the back of my barn somewhere
Would love to ride a Yamaha GTS1000, as well as an FZR1000 exup - one of the last big bruiser 1000cc sports bikes. Given how it was always reviewed as a sporty 600, I'm surprised at how comfortable my FZR 600 is, it's a boarder line sports tourer (or perhaps the Ducati and Benelli have desensitised me to uncomfortable bikes!)
You have a point Steve, it was a hairy little beast to ride. What year did you pack it all in out of interest?
A few years before me then. I rode from 82 to 87. Like you I prayed for wet weather as it seemed to even things out a bit, I had a few placings in the dry but only once managed a win - in the wet! Only had three offs (apparently I wasn't trying hard enough) one on oil, another when I got taken out going round Corams and the third time I locked the front going into Riches trying to sneak into the lead from third place. happy days.
For me Honda. When I was growing up I always loved the original R1 though. Kwaks are great machines but I've never got on with any of the paint jobs they do. All just look to fiddly like they came out of a cereal box. The rear end of the last ZX-10 looked hideous in my opinion. I know they do them in black, but all the detail gets lost. Never liked black bikes. Suzukis, again are great bikes, but I've always seen them as being too common. They just lack that special something. If I was in the market for a Jap bike at the moment, I'd probably end up with a Fireblade. Perhaps, and this is a very big perhaps, I'd consider a ZX14. Again I don't like any of the colours, but they're a great bike. Reality is that I'm not.. and I'm very taken with my Panigale and if I didn't have the 899 I'd probably have either a 1199 or 1299. If the Panigale didn't exist I'd almost definitely be on a S1000RR.
Me? Suzuki .... solely for their 2-strokes. The first bike I owned at 16 was an AP50 and they were always faster than the more common Fizzys. These days I have a couple of RGV250SP VJ23s. Made only for the Japanese market, they were the last of the RGV line with a race-derived 70 degree V-twin and a dry clutch ... they are a race bike for the road just like a mini-996
Kawasaki for me.....Engines almost unburstable. Had an H1 (rocket propelled rubber band). Z400 commuter (reliable blind pig). Z750LTD & Z1000LTD (fairly crap cruisers that had too much power to be a cruiser). 1000RX (powerful but top heavy sports tourer....would not go round corners quickly) ZXR750 ('race replica' sort of with no steering lock and bloody hard seat). ZX10 (A better handling version of the RX, but didn't look as mean). ZZR1100 (The best combination of the 1000RX and ZX10.......wheelspin in 3rd gear, 0-60 in 2 seconds) Used the ZX10 and ZZR1100 engines in our outfits, too.
Did you ever know/race with John Judge,from Luton? He rode 500 Triumphs and then a,(what is now my), 500 triple in production class. I've got various pictures of him on the bike back in the Seventies,(I met up with him after I bought the bike a few years ago,and he gave me the pics and some original bits and pieces that he took off the bike when he bought it new) Apologies if I'm repeating myself,I'm pretty certain I have written about my 500/JJ on here before)
It's an interesting subject... The only Japanese bike I currently own is a Honda; a CRF250L. It is everything that Hondas are supposed to be - very well made and 100% reliable. It's great as a green lane bike, as a winter hack, or just for plodding about if I'm not in a hurry to get anywhere. The longer I have it, the more I'm getting to like it. It's a classic example of why Honda sell more bikes than anyone else. But still I say Honda aren't my favourite Japanese make - Kawasaki are... Surely bikes, at least to some extent, are supposed to be about having a laugh, having a good time, rebellion... ? And isn't that what Kawasaki have always embodied ?
Tough call. As a kid I raced Kawa KX-60 (-87 or so), then KX-80 1989 and my brother had a 1990 KX-80. Magic times! But the most exhilarating bike I have ever ridden is My Honda RS 250, so I gone with Honda. Sorry Kawasaki!
On the Yahoo Group for Ducati SS that I was a member of, someone innocently used the abbreviation Jap and there was the most enormous furore from American members. Apparently it is held to be a racist term in the States...
I did that ages ago on a Guzzi forum, it was totally by accident & I never knew it was gross insult. Anyway it fairly livened the debate with probably more coming out in favor of me. It also brought out a few of the Red Necks with allusions to a certain "Off White" Harbour and events that transpired there. It was because that was the hated name used by the US and all the propaganda in WWII and the draconian treatment dished out to Japanese in the US during the war, as I understood. It's just the same as the term "Paki" I suppose which is grossly insulting here. Funny though how Scottish get called Scots (among other things) and Australians, Aussies and think nowt of it. I guess its because there was no historically bad events around the usage of their fore shortening. Sorry Off Topic - Taxi for OJ
