Why the dislike for Honda?

[Edbear]

...goes like a train...

Must... resist...

(p/t)

I actually think the bagging is just 'cause it's fun and not serious! Somebody picked on Honda and it caught on...

I'm sure everyone really likes Honda's

[Zuki Bandit]

suuuuuuzuuuuuuuuukiiiiiiiiiiii

kaaaaaaawaaaaaaaaasaaaaaaaakiiiiiiiii

yaaaaamaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaa

Honda




Just dont have the same ring to it.

[merv]

On the world stage how many GP wins has Honda had?

Who comes next?

Oh OK, its not the cheap tarts then.

So if Hondas are sooooo sloooow, how come?

[McJim]

suuuuuuzuuuuuuuuukiiiiiiiiiiii

kaaaaaaawaaaaaaaaasaaaaaaaakiiiiiiiii

yaaaaamaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaa

Honda




Just dont have the same ring to it.

Ducaaaaaaatiiiiii!
Apriliaaaaaaaaaaah!
Bimotaaaaaaaaaa!
MV Augustaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Laverdaaaaaaaaaa!
Moto Guzziiiiiiiiii!
Cagivaaaaaaaaa!

Works for the Italians too

[swbarnett]

suuuuuuzuuuuuuuuukiiiiiiiiiiii

kaaaaaaawaaaaaaaaasaaaaaaaakiiiiiiiii

yaaaaamaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaa

Honda




Just dont have the same ring to it.

Hooooooondaaaaaaa

Kind of like the sound it makes as it passes you...

[Sully60]

As someone who has been in the industry and sold bits for all the big four jap brands and some euro stuff as well, I have to say the thing with Honda is that ther're kinda just plain old boring. They generally make fine machinery that is well engineered, well assembled and well supported by the importer.... but Yawn.
Old guys (sorry Merv) who have done the flat out thing and want solid reliable comfortable machines that don't have to go back to the dealer to be fully serviced every 10K. Good for them but motorcycling is about sensation, exhiliration, excitment (sometimes image) not service intervals, fuel consumption blah blah.

I'm not trying to offend anyone here but the majority of people who purchase bikes on the second set of criteria buy Hondas, maybe this is what this thread refers to?
In our little corner of the industry we recognised three distinct groups of riders.
Goldw(h)ingers, VFR riders and the rest.

James Toselands got the right idea!
Blue (yellow in his case)to the bitter end!

[swbarnett]

motorcycling is about sensation, exhiliration, excitment (sometimes image) not service intervals, fuel consumption blah blah.

I agree totally but who said reliable can't also be exiting? I'd rather be riding a "slightly" slower bike than sitting on the side of the road with a faster one that's broken down.

It seems to me that Honda doesn't come out with a lot of very fast bikes but every now and then they do and nothing else can touch it. For my money Honda is better at the overall package (or at least has been in the past), the combination of reliable, fast enough (for us road riders anyway) and pleasing to the eye.

[Zuki Bandit]

Hooooooondaaaaaaa

Kind of like the sound it makes as it passes you...

I know I know, I shouldnt disrespect the mighty Honda. Everyone who has ridden in my family has sworn by them (and at them).
I think the Honda's reputation of "being reliable" may have been twisted into "playing it safe.

Just my opinion though dude.

[jafar]

I've never actually came across any empirical evidence as to why some people don't like Honda. Are there any good reasons for the boycott?

What boycott ? The crap about Honda is from idiots. The same kind of bull as the Ford / Holden 'debate' . Those concerned with this are intellectual minnows that wouldn't have the intelligence to tie their own shoelaces.

[scumdog]

What boycott ? The crap about Honda is from idiots. The same kind of bull as the Ford / Holden 'debate' . Those concerned with this are intellectual minnows that wouldn't have the intelligence to tie their own shoelaces.

Yeah?
Well ya won't catch ME in a Holden............

[Deviant Esq]

Well ya won't catch ME in a Holden............

Nah, yours has had the work done to make sure you're the one doing the catching, not the other way around!!

[jafar]

Yeah?
Well ya won't catch ME in a Holden............

Wouldn't catch me DEAD in a holden

[popelli]

The crap about Honda is from idiots.

best call me an idiot then

last honda I had was nothing but trouble and the worst bike I have ever owned

[Sanx]

What boycott ? The crap about Honda is from idiots. The same kind of bull as the Ford / Holden 'debate' . Those concerned with this are intellectual minnows that wouldn't have the intelligence to tie their own shoelaces.

Yeah?
Well ya won't catch ME in a Holden............

But do you have trouble with your shoelaces, SD?

[El Dopa]

I reckon also partly because of the old Honda advertising ... something along the lines of "You meet the nicest people on a Honda". What self-respecting biker wants to be regarded as 'nice'?

At the time millions of Yanks did and that's where the money was made in the 60's.

Yes. From what I've read, bike sales in the US took a massive nosedive in the late '60's, at least part of the reason being all the unfavourable publicity Hells Angels etc were getting.

Well, all the outlaw bikers cultivated the perception (or at least did nothing to change it) that they rode big bad bikes that were always one step away from exploding or throwing the rider without warning - you had to be a real hard arse to even think about riding one, let alone mastering one.

So honda cunningly outflanked the lot of 'em, releasing bikes that were little more than scooters - harmless looking and harmless handling - aiming them at mom and pop america, with the infamous advertising strapline "You meet the nicest people on a Honda". Result: big publicity, big sales.

And naturally, it drove the real big bad bikers up the wall - their one defining macho characteristic (I ride a big bad bike, therefore I am big. And bad. Grrr) was being fatally underminded by something a bit....well...safe and poofy.

Looks like Honda's reputation is still somewhat defined by reliability and solid dependability, and being a bit sort of boring.

For myself, I ride what I can afford. If I had the money, there'd be a CBR600 sitting in the gargre next to all the other bikes.