Why do some "idiots" bash on Honda riders?

[Drew]

Yeah, as I said, when you put it in Race mode, the brakes aren't linked. I guess it's to cater to the masses riding on the street with the option of turning it off for track racing. Options are good

I wonder how it's controlled. Has the potential to fuck out if it turns itself on and off, and lets face it, electrickery is not the strongest suit Ducati has to play.

[avgas]

No one should buy a thou as, just a road bike.

I used mine as a penis extension. It worked great except during intercourse.

[AllanB]

Some of the F800 BMW's had issues with the anti-lock brakes - sometimes it worked, some times not! No doubt a computer issue!

[Robert Taylor]

I dont understand it, no bike Ive ever owned has been better than the Hondas Ive had.
Yet there is about 30% of motorsport enthusiasts hating them, when I ask why, their reply is "cos they're gay"? Or they look at me blankly for a few seconds trying to spit something out.

While I was looking for my road bike, I mentioned to one seller that I really was looking for a cbr (got an fzr instead because of cheaper price), his reply - Dont get a Honda, theyre pieces of shit. I laughed at him (in my head) and decided that theres no point buying a bike off someone who doesnt know motorcycles.

Both Honda bikes and cars prove to have amazing build quality, and are extremely reliable, as well as being some of the quickest things out there.

I may have missed a joke or something a few years back? Someone care to explain..

There is no doubt that Honda has had over the years some pretty clever engineering and they are a pretty solid company. But I think their often self propagated reputation for being the most reliable bike on the planet can at times be a little over-justified. ''Hondas are very reliable'', just go and ask your nearest Honda dealer!
They have indeed over the years made some very reliable bikes but at times they have had their share of lemons, as does every brand.
In the first half of the 80s I worked for a large multi franchise dealer in London. During that period we had hundreds of CX500s to contend with ( premature cam chain and follower failure plus a modicum of other stupid things ) and also every VF750FD returned to their dealers for camshafts, followers, tensioner and cam chains almost as often as they needed oil filters.
Contrary to that I owned in succession 2 Honda CB250RSA's to commute across London to work and had a flawless run from them, as did many London despatch riders who purchased these as a preferred tool of trade.
In the automotive world arguably the two most reliable cars are Honda and Toyota ( who have many of their engine components made by Yamaha Motor Co )

[R1madness]

I think its because back in the 80s honda ran an advertising campein that was all about "you meet the nicest people on a HONDA". That was actually their campeign slogan and it has stuck but in the wrong way... back then biking was seen as antisocial and honda was trying to make it more mainstream, but in stead they alianated themselves from a large segment of the biking community... kind of like when the queenstown rally ran a TV ad saying "put your kids in the car and come along for a real family weekend..." some things just backfire...

[James Deuce]

I think its because back in the 80s honda ran an advertising campein that was all about "you meet the nicest people on a HONDA". That was actually their campeign slogan and it has stuck but in the wrong way... back then biking was seen as antisocial and honda was trying to make it more mainstream, but in stead they alianated themselves from a large segment of the biking community... kind of like when the queenstown rally ran a TV ad saying "put your kids in the car and come along for a real family weekend..." some things just backfire...

It was in the '60s that they ran that campaign. The short lived '80s reboot blew a reg/rec twice in 10,000kms and then the cam chain tensioner sheared off and lunched the big-end, while the cams, devoid of oil, grew more pits than Angelina Jolie.

[SMOKEU]

I'd like to see if any of you ABS haters can outbrake a CBR1000RR ABS on a non ABS bike. Try it on a slippery surface as well.

[FJRider]

I'd like to see if any of you ABS haters can outbrake a CBR1000RR ABS on a non ABS bike. Try it on a slippery surface as well.

I may be wrong ... (often am) The Superbike racers don't have ABS. They stop pretty quickly At consistantly higher speeds and in the wet too). I think it's more to do with rider skill/ability ... not the equipment aids the bike is fitted with.

[SMOKEU]

I may be wrong ... (often am) The Superbike racers don't have ABS. They stop pretty quickly At consistantly higher speeds and in the wet too). I think it's more to do with rider skill/ability ... not the equipment aids the bike is fitted with.

True, but how many road riders have that level of skill?

Braking hard on a race track is a lot different than panic braking at 100kmh on a bad surface when a cager cuts you off.

[FJRider]

True, but how many road riders have that level of skill?

Braking hard on a race track is a lot different than panic braking at 100kmh on a bad surface when a cager cuts you off.

For ANY motorcyclist ... emergency braking is the most important thing to learn. Few take the time to learn it on their bike .... At the speeds and conditions they travel at/in .... Whatever speeds that may be. If it's a bad road surface ... perhaps 100 kms/hr is too fast for the conditions, and is asking for trouble anyway.

If you KNOW you haven't the ability to stop fast ... why go fast.

[pritch]

The ABS haters are just going to be shit outa luck, because it will shortly be compulsory. The Euroo legislators are beavering away on that very thing as we speak. (So to speak.)
For a one-off "panic" stop ABS can't be beat. Some riders can stop faster after a couple of warm-ups, but in real life you don't get warm-ups.

I've never had it on a bike because it wasn't available on anything I've owned. I certainly wouldn't be upset if my next bike had it.

[SMOKEU]

For ANY motorcyclist ... emergency braking is the most important thing to learn. Few take the time to learn it on their bike .... At the speeds and conditions they travel at/in .... Whatever speeds that may be. If it's a bad road surface ... perhaps 100 kms/hr is too fast for the conditions, and is asking for trouble anyway.

If you KNOW you haven't the ability to stop fast ... why go fast.

I can't stop fast. Hard braking is something I've never been confident at, and I have managed to lock the front wheel twice on my old CBR250 so that has sort of put me off. I'm going for a rider training day at Ruapuna at the end of this month so it's something I'll have to learn. I've got good tires and powerful brakes on the gixxer so I've been told it's more likely to do a stoppie than lock the front on a good surface unless I snatch the front brake too quickly.

[steve_t]

I've never had it on a bike because it wasn't available on anything I've owned. I certainly wouldn't be upset if my next bike had it.

+1 to that

[FJRider]

I can't stop fast. Hard braking is something I've never been confident at, and I have managed to lock the front wheel twice on my old CBR250 so that has sort of put me off. I'm going for a rider training day at Ruapuna at the end of this month so it's something I'll have to learn. I've got good tires and powerful brakes on the gixxer so I've been told it's more likely to do a stoppie than lock the front on a good surface unless I snatch the front brake too quickly.

On a free day ... find a deserted long level (straight is good) road. And repeated practice, with slightly, ever increasing "vigour" .... on each stop. Pre-marked "stop points" with dazzle will help judge stopping distances (after you've practiced a bit) Try a measured stop at 50 and 100 kms first ... to check inprovement later. You may supprise yourself.

Warning ... don't try the higher speeds (above 50 kms) untill you can stop well under control at lower speeds. Enthusiasm to try may be your (down)fall

A full afternoon is not "wasted" ... nor out of the question. Practice on bad tyres will help when you really DO need to stop ...

Time spent will be repaid ... with an extended life. (yours)

[Drew]

I'd like to see if any of you ABS haters can outbrake a CBR1000RR ABS on a non ABS bike. Try it on a slippery surface as well.

A brake applied with constant force, stops faster than one that releases and grabs repeatedly. ABS is an idiot proofing, and I'll take your challenge in any conditions.

The ABS haters are just going to be shit outa luck, because it will shortly be compulsory. The Euroo legislators are beavering away on that very thing as we speak. (So to speak.)
For a one-off "panic" stop ABS can't be beat. Some riders can stop faster after a couple of warm-ups, but in real life you don't get warm-ups.

I've never had it on a bike because it wasn't available on anything I've owned. I certainly wouldn't be upset if my next bike had it.

They can make it compulsory if they like. I'll find a way to disconnect it. In fact, I bet there will be factory kits available to disable it for racing anyway.

It's really quite simple to stop quickly, Douglas Adams titled a good book, "DON'T PANIC".

ABS is not full proof, it has it's draw backs, and the more people that come to rely on such aids to their vehicle control, the less safe we will all be if they find themselves without for whatever reason.