What are your "feelings" on each brand?

Suzuki: same soft spot, I started on a hand-me-down, hand-me-down RM80. All other things being equal, I will root for the guy on a Suzuki. Unfortunately I can't ride a Suzuki anymore, they feel weird to me now.

Anyone else "see the world in yz?"

Gas Gas, had one for the woods 6 or 7 years ago and after owning Jap bikes forever it gave me a feeling of being unique and not like a sheep. Sort of like a special identity. What's strange is the engineering and design was so fundamentally different from Japanese that it was actually intriguing from that standpoint.

Suzuki - I like an underdog story and this team and or company is that. My son has a sweet RM85 now.
Kawasaki - I grew up on Kawis and have a KX450 now, I have always rooted for green.
Honda - I've had a few and they are great bikes. I wish I had a 95/96 CR250 right now.
Yamaha - I like them
KTM - factory edition bike is looking good.

Basically I like them all...

Yamaha = reliable and durable ,Best bike for the casual rider who isn't so into maintain his equiptment. I've owned a half dozen yz250f's over the years and they were all solid bikes.
Kawi= fast, but war out quickly. Had an 04 kx250f for a season. It was a worn out hunk of crap after 40hours.
Honda= overrated, The 06 and 07 CRF250R's I had and their shitty short lived valvetrain really soured me on the brand.
Suzuki= Underrated, Best out of the box 250f I've ridden was the 2013 rmz. Snappy powerband, sharp handling, faast! Owned an 05 450 dubbed the couch" Never had any problems. Cornered on rails, Showa suspenders were spot on and the four speed was like cheeting on our track. My bud had an 06 that he raced the crap out of for three seasons. Had a piston and first valve adjustment at 80 hours. Was on fourth valve adjustment when sold at 140 hours.
Oh I forgot about KTM. Borrowed an 09 250sxf for a couple months. No bottom end like a 125 smoker. Felt small like I was riding a supermini. Great brakes though. It promptly blew up on my returning it. That was the second time that bike had scattered itself. I know they have come along way since 09 so I'll reserve my judgement till I can get some time on a newer model.

Dig Every brand, hate delusional Honda fanboys that think they reinvented the wheel every year.

Ktm- seems to have gotten their bikes to the top level, big bonus points for really pushing moto products right now

Honda- lost their mojo years ago and didnt seem to care... The old honda was to own all three spots on the podium, the honda of the last decade was like "we got 5th and 8th place again? Guess that was the best we could do".... One more down note- they used to lead everyone for innovation, but havent for a very long time..

Suzi- some of the best handling bikes out there but seems like they would rather save big bucks on moto marketing instead of going full bore

Yameehammer- big props for still selling smokers, lose points for not having gone after the big names to secure major titles lately

Kawi- nice tv ads, seem to care more than the other japanese companies about moto racing

I dont get feelings about motorcycles, they are a tool that performs a task just like a torque wrench or any other tool I own. Some years the best tool is orange, some years its blue, some its yellow, some its green, some its white, some its red. I do not have any loyalty towards a brand because I bought their product, I only have brand loyalty when they are paying me to be brand loyal, which has not happened in over 25 years.

Yamaha-old reliable, can't go wrong with buying one, no bad points but in some cases can be better.
Suzuki-not a fan, seems to be built very poorly. Would only buy an 06-08 rm250
Kawasaki- among the top bikes few small problems.
Honda-terrible wouldn't have one unless it was a Cr250 project bike just to look cool.
KTM-the best.
Husqvarna-same as KTM with a little more cool factor. But I hate the front fender.

Overall classes who would get my money
1.KTM
2.Husqvarna
3.Yamaha
4.Kawasaki
5.Suzuki
6.Honda

Ktm, really trick, innovative big power, but always funky suspension. Expensive.

Honda, over rated, light, compact and they seem to have lost their way since the 2009 came out.

Kawi, strong engines, loud, work man like handling and suspension. Good value, but they always seem to be the bikes that rattle the side panels off!

Yamaha, everyone seems to like their suspension, average handling , somewhat reliable. But I cant get my head around the new engine layout.

Suzuki, under rated. Styling is classic, or dated depending how you feel. Expensive OEM parts, but otherwise good used or aftermarket chassis and engine parts(not aftermarket hop ups).
Also, they get a bad rap for reliability, but sometimes mess stuff up and.deserve it

Suzuki - love my rm250 but damn do i hate them as a company. Their oem prices are beyond rediculous, which makes it hard to own one of their bikes. Why do i have to like that rm so much!

Honda - Before I got my suzuki, every bike I had was a Honda, from my xr50 to my 04 cr125 I still ride pretty regularly. I feel like their bikes are very reliable and have a good track record of quality, so they seem pretty sound. I also race an 01 cr500 hillclimber, so Honda is great in my book. Plus their oem prices are reasonable and don't make me want to go to Japan and drop kick someone in the fricken head!

Yamaha - definately a Yamaha fan after we got a 11 yz450 back in 2012. That bike has been reliable as could be and has given me a pro class win at the hillclimbs, great trail bike as well. Fit and finish is great, so if their other bikes are anything like it they definately have their crap together.

KTM - Why does every KTM owner have to have KTM everything? My dad loves his 300 and the few times I have ridden it I liked it a lot as well, seems like they have really made a big push to improve in the last few years. Not to mention our local riding area is becoming a sea of orange rather than a sea of red. Only thing I noticed was how tall the bike felt, but considering I have almost zero hours an KTMs I'm sure I'm just not used to them.

Kawasaki - The only experience I have with them was riding a friends 06 kx250. I absolutely loved the way the bike felt on the track though, seemed like it was glued to the ground. I don't really have any opinion of them as a company.

Beta - Good lord do they make an incredible looking bike. Seriously, a friend of ours has one and it is absolutely a work of art.

TM - A new 300 might be my graduation present to myself after I get done with college, they look awesome!

Yamaha: Started on Yamaha. Fell in love and every time I go away to try something else I always come back. By far the best suspension. Handling is on point. With some little changes like triple clamp offset and whatnot they are absolutely amazing. Reliable as heck. A lot of potential in the motors. Stock brakes on every Yami I've had have been laughable, though. They could use improvement.

Honda: Really quality parts all around. I do not believe they are as reliable as some people make them out to be. I've had my fair share of engine failures and other little things going wrong as well as some of my friends. It's not a lack of maintenance as I'm pretty OCD about that. Good breaks, good suspension, good handling. Not sold on the dual pipes for the new models.

Suzuki: My RM-Z was an amazing machine. Put it in any line you want. Power was great. Suspension nothing to brag about, even revalved but that's preference. I had a 2012 which was before the SFF so I cannot comment on that. Brakes alright as well. I think the overall quality of the parts on the bike is lacking. Just little things that you compare to a KTM, Honda or Yamaha like a shift pedal, bolts, etc.

Kawasaki: Don't have a ton of experience with these bad boys. I know they can be a pretty mean bike, though. Fast motors from the factory but I don't think as reliable as the others. Clutch seems to go pretty quick on them from what I've seen/heard. I think these bikes have some of the most potential.

KTM: Come equipped with the best parts all around. Brembo brakes, can't beat them. Suspension seems to be a hit and miss. Some people are okay with it while others can't wait to get rid of it or get it revalved, etc. In my opinion this company is moving forward at a faster pace than the rest. Really like the simplistic design on these bikes. Don't really need any crazy tools to work on them.

Suzuki: Great handling, old history in mx, light weight, radical, the "handling above everything else" riders bike.

Kawasaki: Late starters in mx, strong grassroots support for the sport, every kids dream to be on teamgreen or pc kawi. The "I wish I was still young and part of team / pc green bike"

Honda: Well made, great, strong engineering, large budget for the best riders in the prime of their careers. The engineers choice.

Yamaha: Pioneers of the sport (?), innovative, good quality, strict uniform branding, Yami people are similar to honda people - they dont change brands often and will defend Yami's choices till the death.

KTM: Euro, bling-bling, on the edge of quality vs performance, innovative, handling average until recently, all look similar when done up with mods (orange frame, x trig clamps, fmf powerbomb, orange hubs) Complements the mercedes in the shed.

Husky: The guy who drives a bmw / audi etc to be different to his well off friends who drive mercedes.

TM: The guy who drives the Aerial atom when his friends drive mercedes, bmw, audi etc

Suzuki: Amazing contingency right now and good deals on bikes. Bikes handle amazingly and easy to find parts.

Yamaha: Decent contingency (amazing pro contingency last year, not sure if the same for this year.) Sweetest stock 250 on the market right now and finally a competitive 450 again.

Honda: Shit contingency and slow as hell stock. Handle good but too far down on power.

Kawasaki: Been riding KX450F's since 2009. Always great power but not the best handling. Contingency is poor at the moment.

KTM: Feel different than the Jap bikes but I would race one if given the opportunity. Contingency effort is good but they don't pay very much.

Husqvarna: See KTM.


If you couldn't tell, I'm just concerned about contingency. All the bikes are good so I just pick whatever is the cheapest and will make me the most money back. Then whatever that bike lacks can be fixed with aftermarket parts. I'm currently on Suzuki.

KTM - great bikes, rode them before switching to Honda, but too expensive, not too sure if I am a fan of the FE, they price them high then put same changes on the next years model and they are cheaper...just money making and seems unfair that they can circumvent the rules but hey they get away with it no way the Japs can do the same thing so good on them (but that is not why I am not riding them, just a passing observation)

Suzuki - to me very like a Honda, I like them and nearly went with them for 2015, great handing but slightly down on power out of all teh 450's

Honda - moved to them mid 2014, and started winning straight away, feel better to me than the previous KTM's, some bikes suit otehrs more. I love the twin pipes, love the suspension (on the 2015), love the handling, love the dealer support, love ease of maintenance and realiability. I love the map mode switch thing too.

Yamaha - sorry i just dont get on with the chassis or handling, love the power and not bothered by the intake noise like some are, also they have awesome suspension

Kawasaki - man this nearly got me for 2015 too, but I rated it just below the Suzuki, had better power but still feels heavy and different handling compared to Suzuki and Honda, suspension was tricky to setup too compared to other brands (esp. forks)

TM - i havent ridden one but would like to!!

One comment above cracked me up, I dont like Hondas because HRC guys beat my suzukis in the 80's(!!!) and they brought a lot of their championships (the riders still had to win!) , lmao...gee if you base what bike brand you buy on that thinking then thats real bizzarre

Honda: I like the engines, bikes seem to be an all-rounder which suits me. Perhaps not the best at one particular thing but jack of all trades. I think Honda is way more committed to motorcycles and racing than people think. IIRC someone from Honda said they have bikes designed up until 2020.

Yamaha: Next best thing for me. Ridden some pretty nice bikes. I like their novel ideas that they come up with every now and then like the crossplane crank on the R1 and backwards engine on the YZ range.

Suzuki: Like them but mostly because of TP. With that said, they always seem to have a solid bike every year.

Kawasaki: Not a big fan but the bikes seem alright. Can't see myself getting one unless it was an amazing deal.

KTM (and new Husky): Good enduro bikes and like them for developing 2 strokes but parts are too expensive and I think their MX bikes are overstated. I would buy a 150SX though in the future. Hoping they do DI 2 strokes.

Old Husky and Husaberg: I've been told they're good bikes but never been a huge fan.

TM and the rest of the euros: Indifferent but doubt the quality is there.

Honda: Fit and finish better than anyone else. Reliable and easy to ride
Kawasaki: Big, fast, and can't stop.
Suzuki: Awesome bike, seems outdated but still a solid choice. Fit and finish not up to par with Honda
Yamaha: Reliable tanks. 2-stroke is unchanged since forever ago.
KTM: Suspension woes hurt it for mx. Everyone has a KTM for off-road so I'd rather not drink from the same Kool-aid.
Husky: Same as KTM except they bring something extra to the table. It's new and yes it may be close to a KTM, but it's just different enough to make a difference and not drink from the same pitcher.

Honda: Hate, do not understand there 4 strokes, don't mind their two strokes
Kawasaki: owned a kx85-II, blew the big end bearing to bits, best production suspension I've ever ridden (2012 kx250f)
Suzuki: seems like they dont care about motorcycles
Yamaha: good old reliable, started on a yamaha and want to finish on one
KTM:lot of respect over the new models, the old ones copped a bit of flack, but i know people who have been and still are loyal to the brand

Honda - best of the best. It's the Mercedes of the dirt bikes. You can't go wrong with a Honda. For example, just look at the welds on the chassis. Honda's welds look much better then the others. The difference is in the small things.

Suzuki - Good quality but not as good as a Honda. It's cheaper though so that maybe makes up for the slightly lesser quality

Kawasaki - Owned 4 of them (2 dirtbikes, 2 roadbikes). All 4 were the same pos. Sorry. I really like looking at them. They are by far the prettiest bikes (both road and offroad) but i really had a lot of problems with all 4 of them.

Yamaha - I never owned a Yamaha. I did ride some dirtbikes a few times. They feel really wierd. Completely different then the other 3 Japanese bikes. Not saying they are bad. They just don't suit me lol.

KTM - I never owned a KTM either. A lot of my frieds however have them so i have riden them. The power is unbelievable. The chassis feels different, but not as wierd as a Yamaha. But when i see how often the KTM's of those mates of mine break down i feel sick to the stomach. My Honda's never break down. Put gas in them and they go. That's not the case with a KTM.

I would probably steer clear of the yz 450 if I had to choose a bike I wouldn't buy, only because they seem to misbehave a little in the whoops. They have come a long way with the new generation though. Next bike I wouldn't buy if I had to pick would be a Suzuki just because I'm pretty tall and they always felt a little awkward to me.

For me it would be a toss up between a KX, CR, or KTM. The adjustable pegs and bars on the KX are pretty inviting for a taller guy.

MX bike Ho

my first 5 bikes went like this

Honda
Yamaha
Honda
Suzuki
Kawasaki

my last 4 bikes (working backwards)
Yamaha
Suzuki
Suzuki
Kawasaki

when into vintage mx
i raced
Husqvarna
Maico
Montessa
Bultaco
Italjet

Just nearly bought a KTM 200 2011

I can make any bike work for me and can adapt to any "quirk" a certain bike may have

MX bike Ho

Honda- Rode this brand from 1995 to 2007, a total of 10 different bikes, only 1 bike never got comfortable with, a 1999 CR125. Best quality, best OEM parts prices, as well as parts availability. No contingency to speak of is a bummer.
Yamaha- Had a 08 250F. Solid equipment also. Wouldn't hesitate one bit to buy.
Suzuki- Only unit I ever had, a 07 250Z, was a lemon. Really soured me on the brand.
Kawasaki- Had an 11 250F, the construction of the bike just wasn't up to Honda & Yamaha quality.
KTM- Never owned one, but have rode a few. Just doesn't feel the same as a Jap bike and hard to get used to.

If I was in the market for a new bike, I would probably go in this order:
Honda
Kawasaki
Yamaha
KTM-Husqvarna
Suzuki

Suzuki: loved the RM85 bikes, as I rode them for 3 years in a row. Hated the 125 cc Suzuki's. Both my practice and race bikes blew up all the time.

Honda: I fell in love with my 250 honda. It was a 250r and the steering on it was awesome. It just lacked some HP compared to the guys who rode on KTM's and Kawi's. It's also the best looking bike IMO. One thing to add is that my subframe snapped in half 3 times.

Kawasaki: I never rode one. All I can say is that I don't really like the way it looks.

KTM: I rode a KTM 85cc in my last year of 85's. Never had any problems with it, only that the frame snapped once.
Now I ride a KTM 250 2 stroke which rides so damn good. It's easy to handle and it has a LOT of power. Unbelieveable.

Yamaha: in 2007 I rode a 85cc yamaha. It was my practice bike so I wasn't riding it alot. It had a lot of clutch problems. I do like the newer Yamaha's though. Also I rode a 144cc a couple times and it had a lot of power too.

Suzuki all the way!!

I think there is still a lingering perception about the Yamaha. I don't think it's a lack of going after a big name, but it's a difficult time nailing one of the top guys down with the bike for one reason or another. I can't see any other reason JGR hasn't been able to sign a championship rider. They have ALL of the resources.

I've been a yamaha guy for 3 bikes now. I had never wanted to try another bike because of how reliable my YZ's have been but lately KTM is looking very appealing at the moment.

All of my brand biases are based on my formative years and have no bearing whatsoever about modern reality.

Honda - I despised Honda in the 80s and early 90s. They were so dominant and even now when someone says "1986" I think of 86 CRs, Top Gun, and 3rd grade school lunches where we figured out the spaghetti would bounce off the table and up into the rafters. The CR80 back then hauled ass and had the worst forks in the world.

Suzuki - I never liked the 93-95 RM125, it had a weird feel like the rear end was always up in the air. Years later I rode a 97 or so RM125 and dug it. I felt like Suzuki had the poorest quality, like cheap pot metal perches and levers. Am I misremembering things?

Kawi - first motorcycle I ever rode was a KV75. Soft spot and really liked the 94-98 KX125. Hated the 86-87 KX80. Thought it was terribly overrated.

Yamaha - I rode YZ80s, leftover YZ80s, at a time when almost nobody did. I think it was Ryan Huffman who was winning by like 20 seconds on one til he broke the rear wheel and DNFd at Lorettas around 89 or 90. You have to understand this was a 1983 motorcycle going up against the power valve RM80 and perimeter frame KX80s. Then I had early 90s YZ125s. I should hate Yamaha, I suppose but I don't. They will always be my favorite.

KTM - mysterious and exotic. Dad briefly had a new 91 250 EXC that was stolen and thrown into the river.
Oh and a local kid had one of the first KTM 80s. Everyone thought it was bitchin until they spun a few laps on it. SLOW

Huskie - not sure I ever even saw one growing up.

I've never ridden or owned a Suzuki or Kawasaki dirtbike. As far as the racing teams go, I think the Yosh Suzukis are the best looking bikes out there and I like to see them up front. I own a Kawi Ninja streetbike and I love it.

I've not owned or ridden a newer (Post-Dungey/Decoster) KTM but I used to have an older 300exc. Decent woods bike, rode kinda funky compared to my Hondas. I like what KTM does these days and the effort they put into their new bikes and racing program.

Ridden several Yamahas over the years as my bro is full-Yamaha and has never owned anything else. Decent bikes, really wish the mfgr would bring back a true Team Yamaha. I can't help but think that's part of the reason they've struggled to find 450cc success lately.

I grew up riding Honda dirtbikes and have two of them still. Great bikes, durable as hell, easy to work on. Doubt I'd ever buy another brand of dirtbike if it was my money. To you guys bashing brand-loyal customers, let me ask you this: If you've had great luck with a certain company's products after having owned several different ones; if price and availability were equal across brands...why wouldn't you buy another of the same? Some of us only get a new bike every 6-7 years (or more). If I'm dropping $$ on a dirtbike, I guess I wanna know that it's gonna hold up to the abuse. With the Hondas I do.

As a side note, I miss the heyday of Team Honda during the MC and RC eras. Really stoked with Trey, Eli and Cole bringing back the success and hope it results in a championship. Been over 10 years since Honda has won a premier class championship and the CRF450 has never won the SX title.

I could see myself buying any one of the brands. It would depend on the condition of the bike more.

Between me and Pops bikes, over the years only brands I haven't ridden a newer bike are Suzuki and KTM's. Be interested to see if RMZ's corner "night and days better" or if KTM's "just feel different". I never rode enough bikes to know differences between brands. I went from a YZ250F to a CRF450 because I liked the power and the handling/ egros of the Honda better.

Yamaha - (96 yz125) (07yz250) Great bikes for the money fit and finish is top notch bike may not make the most power, but it is very well rounded in everything. Power bands are smoother and broader than most other 2 strokes I've rode.

Honda - (07 crf250r) My favorite ergonomics on all the bikes I have been on. Decent power not anything crazy have had issues setting up the accelerator pump never happy with it. It is either too responsive or sluggish. Fit and finish is up there with Yamaha.

Kawasaki - (06 kx250) My review is slightly biased I was riding four strokes and went to try it out. Nice stable chassis barely any low end power all of it is at mid to top. Seemed to be taller peg to seat/wider chassis than my Honda. I went back it felt like my Honda was a 150! Front brake seemed a little weak so does the one on the YZ250 though. Compared to YZ250 I felt more vibration in the bars and pegs.

I have never been on a Suzuki or KTM I really want to see how good these Zook's handle.

Yamaha: Feel sorry for them: In the 80's coming up as a racer they weren't that good and they haven't been good for years lately (save for this year it seems ,which I'm happy about) They take chances (brought out the four stroke, reverse engine, mass centralization etc.) I'd like to see them do well.


Yamaha did quite well in the 80's...RJ, LaPorte...Bradshaw...

And they made some really excellent bikes. They brought water-cooling in with the early release of the '81 YZ125. As the bikes turned White & Red they made some fast 250s, too.

So, I disagree, good sir.

I think we forget how good soooo many of the bikes were; because, Honda was Killing It!

Most Significant bike of the '80s? Probably the 1st a Full-Floaters: AMAZING SUSPENSION & Handling.