04-20-2017, 02:10 AM
(04-19-2017, 11:21 PM)The ferret_imp Wrote: Most riders of those other brands would tell you unequivocally, that NO Honda has character, (well maybe a GB 500), that they are boring (as Wisedrum said), and more closely resemble appliances than proper motorbikes. If I have heard/read that once, I have heard it 10,000 times.
I wonder if the notion that "NO Honda has character" simply stems from the perception that Honda engines generally produce a quiet, refined "hum" instead of an obvious "rumble". Stereotypes of motorcycles are that they are loud and rumble, have a "throaty voice" whatever you want to call it. And the limited Hondas I've owned and ridden are less so. If you were to take away all engine noise from all motorcycles, what would pass for "character" Looks? Performance? Reliability? I would say after the way they sound, character points would be given to these traits in that order: looks, performance and reliability. So what Honda perhaps is best known for, reliability (?), might be on the lower end of "what gives a bike character".
Much ado about nothing, really. Character, lack of it, other peoples' perceptions, etc. do not detract from my enjoyment of the CB1100. I know why I like it.