Honda Love

[FJRider]

I may have to start a post on cruisers and Japans inability to break out of the HD immitations. I have a vision of a serious IL4 or triple cruiser as I fail to see why they have to be V twins. Shit Japan had great success with some (suspectly styled..) 80's 'cruisers'.

In my youth I saw and rode the Kawasaki LTD series inline fours ... and owned a Suzuki GS1000 L series ... (another IL4 series) ... Yamaha had the Midnight Express series (The XS based ones as I recall)... in black ... and beautiful.

[merv]

What ya mean by that??

Funny that, I never thought of how similar the engines looked until now seeing those pics side by side.

[dangerous]

Funny that, I never thought of how similar the engines looked until now seeing those pics side by side.

ever seen the Honda 500 four next to the Moto Guzzi 500 four?

I have a vision of a serious IL4 or triple cruiser as I fail to see why they have to be V twins.

COS... fours belong in cars man...
how bout the IL4 Kawa Eliminator? that was awesome.

[george formby]

If only Honda had bigger balls to go with their marketing & engineering savvy........

When the CRM active radical came out I thought it was the saviour of 2t's. The technology was / is amazing but they shelved it. Pants!

This thread has reminded me I have to start the Yammie up, battery will be getting a bit low.......

[nudemetalz]

ever seen the Honda 500 four next to the Moto Guzzi 500 four?


COS... fours belong in cars man...

Was the MG 500/4 a rebadged Benelli 500/4 or was it that the Benelli a rebadged MG 500/4 ?

Agreed both look like the Honda..

(yes the Guzzi is a 400..)

[merv]

So the Italians copied Honda, who'd Honda supposedly copy then according to those that say the Jap's are copiers not innovators?

[GrayWolf]

Was the MG 500/4 a rebadged Benelli 500/4 or was it that the Benelli a rebadged MG 500/4 ?

Agreed both look like the Honda..

(yes the Guzzi is a 400..)

The Nonda 500-4 Benelli did copy, it was also the basis for the 750/900 6cylinder.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benelli_Sei

[gammaguy]

DANGEROUS said:

I may have to start a post on cruisers and Japans inability to break out of the HD immitations. I have a vision of a serious IL4 or triple cruiser as I fail to see why they have to be V twins. Shit Japan had great success with some (suspectly styled..) 80's 'cruisers'.

even BMW are quoted as saying the reason they stopped making a cruiser was because it did not have a V Twin engine

The punters that ride them seem to think they are essential for street cred or whatever reason they have for riding them.

[dangerous]

DANGEROUS said:

even BMW are quoted as saying the reason they stopped making a cruiser was because it did not have a V Twin engine

The punters that ride them seem to think they are essential for street cred or whatever reason they have for riding them.

ok so a cruiser would be my very last choice... but a Vtwin is the very essance of a motor bike closely followed by the single and parallel twin, the sound the vibe the power delivery all represent the bike, meh muiltys smooth sewing machine sounding bland as...

*disclaimer, yes there are the ecptions like the RG5, honda 6, areil4, henderson etc

[ducatilover]

ok so a cruiser would be my very last choice... but a Vtwin is the very essance of a motor bike closely followed by the single and parallel twin, the sound the vibe the power delivery all represent the bike, meh muiltys smooth sewing machine sounding bland as...

*disclaimer, yes there are the ecptions like the RG5, honda 6, areil4, henderson etc

I've found I can have fun on a twin at far more sane speeds than my 600, if you enjoy the top end rush it has (It has a rather potent one of them) you'll be doing the double ton in an instant, it gives me the shits.
I need another twin!

[Fast Eddie]

200 mph from ur 600! crikey

i ike twins, they are lazier, sounds nice etc.. nice a ride.

Thanks Tadao Baba for the fireblade, my favourite 90s bike with the 2 strokers aside.
Love the NR too

and kawasaki from pre 90's thats just me tho.

can't think of any modern bike i'd actually want to fork out money for, certainly not a jap.. have to be a wanky ducati or mv or aprilia or i quite like the s1000rr these days but thats the german patriotism coming out.

flag it, spend it on racebikes and sidecars instead, blade and 2 strokes all i need on the public roads

[ducatilover]

200 mph from ur 600! crikey

My 600 is faster than you, your missus was well impressed.

[AllanB]

A IL4 can easily be designed to out grunt a V twin and could be styled low slung and mean looking. I struggle to understand why the HD and HD clones need to be so darn overweight! Surely a stripped down light weight bike with a big arse motor is the essence of a street cruiser. I'm thinking somewhere along the way the concept got bastardised (SP?) into the road trains presently in production.

Maybe I am thinking of a new caterogy - lets call it the hot rod as street rod has been taken by a overweight V twin .......

[FJRider]

A IL4 can easily be designed to out grunt a V twin and could be styled low slung and mean looking. I struggle to understand why the HD and HD clones need to be so darn overweight! Surely a stripped down light weight bike with a big arse motor is the essence of a street cruiser. I'm thinking somewhere along the way the concept got bastardised (SP?) into the road trains presently in production.

Maybe I am thinking of a new caterogy - lets call it the hot rod as street rod has been taken by a overweight V twin .......

Torque has more to do with the length of the stroke ... rather than engine configuration ...

[dangerous]

Maybe I am thinking of a new caterogy - lets call it the hot rod as street rod has been taken by a overweight V twin .......

Something like the HD Mussle (only HD Ill admit to wanting) but loaded with a 4 and lightened?
the CBR street fighter Hornet thing not do it for ya?