VLJ_imp said:
I've seen the Z900RS a few times now in the flesh. Both colors. I've tried to let it grow on me. To an extent, I've been successful, in that I no longer think it's ugly, as I did when I first saw the pictures. I still don't see a single graceful line anywhere, other than the headlight area, and I do like the cast spoke wheels, but at least I no longer find the bike ugly. The overly bulbous tank doesn't really seem that bad in most pictures, but if you look at the bike in person from the front or back it's very noticeable, and sitting on the bike really drives the point home.
Here's the thing, though. Park it beside a CB1100 EX. Then you'll know. Immediately, everything becomes crystal clear.
When I arrived at the dealership to pick up my new CB1100 EX, they had the Z900RS in both colors parked right beside my bike. It looked like James Bond standing next to Adam Sandler and Meatloaf.
Lol, you aren't just drinking the sake, you're downing it by the pot!
I see it quite differently, to start from your comparison of people to people, bikes to bikes, and bikes to people.
James Bond was a fiction of Ian Fleming, the name originating from an author of a book about bird-watching. The character, James Bond, is the epitome of fantasy and superficiality. Slick, smooth, urbane, always gets the girl, always wins in the end; the complete opposite of real life.
The Kawasaki, with all its fake finery, slick design, speed, svelte mass, and agile handling (which certainly outstrip -- pun intended -- the CB1100 in every measurable regard) seems much more like 007 to me. The Z900RS is an Aston-Martin; the CB1100 is a Morris Minor. And appeal is always in the eyes of the beholder anyway.
So I believe it's just the opposite, with the CB1100 being the yeoman workhorse, all its attributes plain to see, though I would not say that the Kawasaki is an Emperor with no clothes. Hirohito, however, was an emperor with no horse after General MacArthur arrived. Is that relevant? Yes, because the Japanese people actually believed Hirohito was immortal and would live forever. So, in a way, since new member ivanb already broached the topic of Japanese culture, perhaps in a way the CB1100 is a reincarnation of Hirohito? And the the Z900RS one of Tojo?
Clearly, the difference between the two Japanese machines runs much deeper than the discussion of a tea ceremony, just as any realistic discussion of Japanese culture inevitably runs to a discussion of the differences between Ichi-go ichi-e and Hakko Ichiu. The latter phrase was used in a speech by Japanese Prime Minister Konoe in 1940, and I think we all have a pretty fair idea of what kinds of policies were afoot in Greater East Asia at the time. (Jack London predicted what was to come after covering the Japanese-Russo War in 1905; he was only correspondent to get to Korea, where the real fighting was, and nearly froze to death in the process. He was later arrested by Japanese authorities, and was only released after the intervention of President Theodore Roosevelt).
But then again this is anthropomorphism and "turn the other cheek" run wild, comparing machinery to people.
Still waiting for your ride report!
Morris Minor - A Classic Beauty
Aston Martin - Over the Top
