Bikes you have been disappointed in

[ingobohn_imp]

"What the Italians call 'character', the Japanese consider 'design flaws' and the Germans deny to their graves."

Before I bought my CB 1100, I also did test rides with some other bikes of course.
1) Because everyone raves about the BMW boxer, I test rode the BMW R 1200 R (the former model not the 2015). I was totally disappointed about the engine, you can call it "character", I call it uncomfortable shaking buck. Additionally, the front suspension (Dual Lever) was never giving me a confident feedback of what the road is and what my front wheel does. When I tested several bikes, I always rode the same tour (just to be able to compare the bikes completely). On the Autobahn or fast country roades, the engine, the comfort and the stability of the bike was good, but on little curvy roads it was hard for me to drive. I remember some hair pins onto a hill close to Heidelberg. It was hard for me with the beamer to circle around that curves (stunned Dual Lever, stubborn engine). In that curves, I had to go along in 1st gear with slipping clutch (while I am able to ride it on my CB 1100 in 2nd gear without any probs). And the gear box was terrible. Every shift came with a loud and hard "clonc". It felt like a tractor's gearbox. Well, at my home town there is a big John Deere plant, maybe the BMW dealer took some parts for the gear box from there. When I came back to the dealer, the sales man came to me with a big smile and said "how did you love it?". After I said that I am disappointed, he looked at me indignantly. BMW blasphemy? Jehova, ...? The final killer argument was the price: he offered me a 6 month old used R 1200 R with 9.000 km for "only" 14.900 EUR!
2) I test rode also the Honda Crossrunner (former model, not current 2015). I agreed with the dealer for a 2 h test ride, but came back already after 30 min. The ergonomics of that bike was terrible. I felt like origami'ed on that bike. My knees started to ache already after some minutes. And the engine with the 2V/4V "switch" was also a bit weird. Below 6.500 rpm it just felt like a strangulated engine, and over 7.000 rpm suddenly the man with the hammer came and nearly kicked me off the bike. In one turn at the end of the curve I accelerated and came at 7.000 rpm and suddenly the engine turned into a beast. Not funny.

Another story:
3) I also tested the Guzzi V7 (nice bike, no complaints). But when I was there, a guy received his brand new Panigale (the dealer also sells other Italian bikes). When he fired up the engine on the dealer's yard, I got scared. It sounded like if you put some metal bolts into a big iron tin can and shake 'em. If my HONDA would sound like THIS, I would IMMEDIATELY bring it to the dealer for EMERGENCY service.