Posts
35722
Joined
7/10/2006
Location
Aliso Viejo, CA, USA
Edited Date/Time
1/25/2012 11:48am
Hey guys inquiring minds want to know, and here's your chance to weigh-in. Honest answers are appreciated, And as usual, I'm sure you won't pull any punches. 
1. How would you rank the brands of bikes out there?
2. Who makes the best bikes?
3. What separates them from the competition?
4. What makes your favorite brand cool?
5. How important is racing to your brand's efforts?
6. Are your favorite brand's street bikes good?
1. How would you rank the brands of bikes out there?
2. Who makes the best bikes?
3. What separates them from the competition?
4. What makes your favorite brand cool?
5. How important is racing to your brand's efforts?
6. Are your favorite brand's street bikes good?
1. Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda, Kawi, KTM
2. All bikes are different for there own reasons. Suiting each individual for there own liking
3. Every bike has its stand out points, and then follows suite. With that said pick a color.
4. I have been a hardcore Yamaha fan. However, i recently rode a yellow machine and it handled so well i fell in love.
5. Zero, what works for me does not work for the factory riders, unless you are talking locally, in which case the brand with the most contingency wins.
6. Who cares... haha
2. KTM IMO.
3. THe quality of the bikes, and reliability of the bikes. Other than a couple of one of projects like their sports car, they focus primarily on motorcycles.
4. KTM will try stuff before the big four will, i.e.; electric start, no-linkage, aftermarket parts on stock bikes, electric motorcycles, etc.
5. Pretty important. They do pretty well except in the SX class.
6. Not too sure about the street bikes, but the new KTM sportbike looks pretty badass, and they have a couple other street bikes I wouldn't mind owning.
The Shop
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
DeCal Works Huge Plastic Inventory of UFO and Polisport kits.
1st. KTM, Kawasaki, Honda
2nd Suzuki, Yamaha
3rd Husaberg, Husquavarna
B. Who makes the best bikes?
KTM innovation and build quality with technology
C. What separates them from the competition?
The red headed step child, outsider, black sheep, dark horse appeal.
Rear linkage, so what if its different, we will make it work better attitude.
In deep sand I believe the no-linkage system is better.
D. What makes your favorite brand cool?
KTM, Good Looking, euro design (I like the smaller meaner number boards and aggro front fender) good advertising appeal
E. How important is racing to your brand's efforts?
Very important. Every win is another nail in the coffin of the japanese counterparts
F. Are your favorite brand's street bikes good?
KTM, Oh yeah !! I would cut off a limb for one.
Kawasaki\Honda\Yamaha\Suzuki\KTM
2. Who makes the best bikes?
Kawasaki
3. What separates them from the competition?
Racing efforts with ProCurcuit
4. What makes your favorite brand cool?
Kawasaki - Race efforts with Pro Curcuit
5. How important is racing to your brand's efforts?
Very important
6. Are your favorite brand's street bikes good?
Not really
i think growing up with mcgrath being the king, and then ending his career on a honda has alot to do with why i like them today.
You guys are doing awesome so far...keep it going.
Suzuki - All about the handling in the corners, light feeling too.
Yamaha - Versatile bikes with good forks.
KTM - Don't know,never owned one, but I wouldn't count one out.
Honda - Pure hype. The only 2 I had (87 CR125,88 CR250 brand new at the time) were the most unreliable bikes I ever had.
2. Probably Yamaha all around,although I love my new Suzuki RMZ450. The RMZ450 is the trickest looking bike I've seen since the works Honda's of 1985, that aluminum tank is pure moto art.
3. Suzuki- you can buy more power, you'll never make a Kawi or Yamaha turn like a Zook.
4. Suzuki-History of champs, from Roger D. to RC to CR
5. Very important, was glad to hear my contingency is still in force.
6. I guess. I don't ride street, but the Gixxer seems to be legendary.
2 Kawasaki
3 Suzuki
4 Yamaha
5 Honda.
Best bike? KTM imo
attention to detail and innovative.
very important....just not mx
yes
1. How would you rank the brands of bikes out there?
The only recent models I've ridden are a CRF450 and an RM250. I like Honda for it's overall quality. Last I went to the local bike show and looked at all of the brands. Honda's fit and finish is superior to anyone else based on visual inspection.
I think Suzuki is making some of the best performing bikes. Never ridden anything close to a current KTM, but I do respect their innovation and that they build bikes that last.
2. Who makes the best bikes?
See #1. Honda best fit and finish. Performance is hard to say right now. All are very good and it's a pick what works best for you time.
3. What separates them from the competition?
User preferences.
4. What makes your favorite brand cool?
Answered above.
5. How important is racing to your brand's efforts?
I think it's important to all of the brands.
6. Are your favorite brand's street bikes good?
Yes.
For me a bike purchase is driven by:
Price
Local Dealer Support
Resale Value
Honda has the largest dealer network and the best resale value. That pretty much sums up why my last two bikes have been Hondas. Although I've also ridden Suzuki and Kawi over the years. Never been a fan of the ergonomics of the Yamaha, but I haven't ridden one in years either. I'm sure much has changed. When I cared about racing and where I'd finish I would usually balance the cost of ownership against how the bikes were rated in the different magazine tests to make a decision.
If I were to buy another new MX bike for off road use it would be a KTM SX150. I've about had it with the four stroke motors and their total cost of ownership. I don't need the performance of a 450 in the dirt, or the maintenance of a stressed out 250F. Love the sound, but even more I love the ability to change a spark plug without taking off the tank and doing a top end job in half an hour.
Supermoto is a different story. It's a horsepower game, pure and simple. My next supermoto is looking like a toss up between the Husky 510RR or the Aprilia SXV550. Both run about 15K+ up here though. Still, you couldn't build a Japanese 450 to compete with either of them for less than that.
Kawasaki
Yamaha
Honda
KTM
Suzuki
I went with a new Yamaha this year Because it had a carb, I wasn't sure about the Fuel injected Kawi yet. I figured, Give it a year just incase there are any bugs, then I will probably get one.
My Opinion for Street bike are just about identical to my opinion of dirt bikes....
Kawasaki (is and would be my first choice again)
Yamaha is definetly my second choice of street bikes
Honda, find them ugly, but they are a good 3rd place performing bike
Suzuki, good bike but no one but squids own them...wouldnt be caught dead on one.
As for the others..(ktm ducati etc...) i wouldnt own a 2 cylinder street bike if you paid me.
Honda, Kawasaki/Suzuki, KTM, Yamaha (450's) never been on a 250F for more than 2 laps
2. Who makes the best bikes?
I like Honda, cant say they are the best since I don't have enough time on anything else.
3. What separates them from the competition?
Fit/Finish, ergos, reputation, resale....Its a Honda
4. What makes your favorite brand cool?
Grew up watching O'Show, Johnson, Bailey, MC...even after the "No Works Bikes" rule they were still the shit.
5. How important is racing to your brand's efforts?
Factory Honda...nuff said. Not winning right now but they are the sweetest bikes in the pro pits
6. Are your favorite brand's street bikes good?
Yes, have had CBR 6's and 1000's, Gixxer 1000 and R1's but I am on to Ducati's now.... Would like to get my hands on a Aprillia SXV for the sidewalk...errr street!!
2. Who makes the best bikes?
3. What separates them from the competition?
4. What makes your favorite brand cool?
5. How important is racing to your brand's efforts?
6. Are your favorite brand's street bikes good?
1. Yamaha, Kawasaki, Honda, Suzuki, KTM (Performance wise)
2. Yamaha, Honda/KTM, Kawasaki/Suzuki (Build quality, however ranking doesn't seem fair as they all seem very close these days)
3. Yamaha is the most durable to me, and that is important to anyone on a budget.
4. I dont really have a favourite brand, i just stay away from the Hondas because of reliability concerns.
5. Fairly important
6. Absolutely
Pit Row
Also: shifting, braking,clutch & ergonomics have always been superior on the red bikes for me.
-Honda
-KTM/Yami
-Everything else.
Kawi, Yami, Honda, Zook.
the 09 CRF450 is killing Honda this year, Zook has no parts available
(2) Kawi
(3) Best contingency, Parts are available, bikes rock
(4) they are just cool
(5) not too important
(6) the new Ninja's are AWESOME for 09. for 2008 the 250 Ninja was the most popular bike on the market.
Hard one. I could care less about a 4 stroke so my choices are KTM and Yamaha (Does a Service Honda AF500 count?). I'd take the KTM simply cause Yamaha is a bunch of AMA ass kissing whiners. I'd ride a Kawasaki before I'd ride a Yamaha and I've never owned a Suzuki MX bike.
2. Who makes the best bikes?
KTM.
3. What separates them from the competition?
I like "niche" market brands
4. What makes your favorite brand cool?
My favorite brand became uncool when they decided to drop 2 strokes. I ride Hondas.
5. How important is racing to your brand's efforts?
Important
6. Are your favorite brand's street bikes good?
Yep
1. How would you rank the brands of bikes out there?
KTM > Honda > Yamaha > Kawasaki > Suzuki
2. Who makes the best bikes?
KTM
3. What separates them from the competition?
Attention to detail, those things are full of trick parts from the factory.
they were the first to offer wave rotors and oversize bars but the biggest thing is the hydraulic clutch, that thing is amazing.
4. What makes your favorite brand cool?
The factory team is sponsored by Jagermeister!! and the no linkage.
5. How important is racing to your brand's efforts?
no clue
6. Are your favorite brand's street bikes good?
don't know never ridden a street bike before, but... if i was to buy one it would be a KTM duke 690.
Yamaha
KTM
Kawasaki
Suzuki
Honda
2. Who makes the best bikes?
Yamaha
3. What separates them from the competition?
Yamaha innovates. First MX bike with reed-valves, first single-shocker, first in water cooling, first with power valves, first competitive 4 strokes. At the same time, they won’t put something out just to be trendy. They will wait until there is value to it. Ie, aluminum frames, EFI. KTM is close in this regard, smart innovation.
4. What makes your favorite brand cool?
They still make 2-strokes! (Yamaha and KTM)
5. How important is racing to your brand's efforts?
Very important. Racing has made Yamaha what it is.
6. Are your favorite brand's street bikes good?
Absolutely! If I was going to buy a new streetbike, it would be a Yamaha FZ-1
Suzuki
Honda
Yamaha
Kawi
KTM
2. Historically, I say Honda and Yamaha have been pretty close. They've had fewer bad model years than Kawi and Suzuki.
3. performance, reliability, dealer network, innovation
4. Yamaha is my brand, so, in a word-Bob Hannah
5. When I started riding, Team Yamaha was the shit. I got YZ's because of that (and a good local dealer) so I'd say racing is very important.
6. Never ridden a street bike before, so I don't know. I'd say this, the brand I perceive as having the best street bikes is Honda. Back in 79 you couldn't find a CR in the Honda dealers floor for all the Gold Wings
Ran the Cobra for 2 seasons and never replace anything but piston/rings. Same with the Kawi's and Zooks.
Got a '07 RMZ250 with 120 hours on it and never adjusted the valves.
I think they're all pretty good now. Maintenance is the key!
Quality
Ease of use
Extras
Cost vs value
2. Who makes the best bikes?
Honda
KTM
Yamaha
Suzuki
Kawasaki
3. What separates them from the competition?
Quality
Ease of use
4. What makes your favorite brand cool?
Fan following. No wing, no prayer
5. How important is racing to your brand's efforts?
Very. Honda is known for being the best. To beat them means a lot to the other brands. It is the standard that everyone uses.
6. Are your favorite brand's street bikes good?
Excellent. You meet the nicest people on a Honda.
2. Honda-
3. Quality- build, engineering, part quality all better than others
4. Cool? not sure although I am partial to the color red.
5. Very
6. Yes
2) Honda, overall.
3) Build quality. Its not just on simple replaceable parts, but more like 2 years down the line, Hondas tend to be in so much better shape and hold up better than other brands. Frames don't break, bearings last longer, etc.
They also seem to speed a lot of R&D time on things like ergonomics. They are a very comfortable chassis, and they have a very predictable handling feel.
Honda also has an excellent dealer network, parts availability, and their resale value is superior.
4) Its not so much about being cool, its more about which brand allows me to race competitively, holds up solidly, and doesn't nickel and dime me to death all year. I don't like having to invest $$ right off the hop to make the bike up to snuff. Honda actually slipped a bit in this area for the '09 CRF450, and that's why I'm not buying one.
5) Racing is important, but not just at the top tier level. Everyone is good there. Check out what the privateers are using. You've got to look at amateur stuff and local races too. Contrary to what a lot of people believe, I think the bike performance is a big factor in motocross, and of course racing is the only way to truly judge that. It doesn't necessarily mean that because someone is winning that their stuff is the best. If you know what to look for, as a racer, its easy to identify who's got great equipment.
6) They are.
Honda, Yamaha, Kaw, KTM, Suzuki.
2. Who makes the best bikes?
Honda.
3. What separates them from the competition?
Fit & Finish, attention to detail.
4. What makes your favorite brand cool?
Honda has a great line of products, and quality has always been a high priority with the brand.
5. How important is racing to your brand's efforts?
When I was a kid, I respected the brand more when they dominated racing, but as an adult, the racing efforts mean very little.
6. Are your favorite brand's street bikes good?
I assume so, however I ride a Harley...so...??
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