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Obtuse? Perhaps. Looking to start trouble? Just an opinion search, if you will.I apologize, 4th with. Anyone care to compare the Japanese vehicle industry to those in Germany? DAR, R3~
If I ever got the right balance, handling and feel of a Japanese bike, I'd never put up with the aggravation of owning Italian ones.
For an interesting perspective read "Stealing Speed" by Matt Oxley.
What I find interesting about the Japanese industry is that while they were growing, they became known for high quality engineering in terms of performance, but with little focus on long term supportability. Meanwhile the Europeans were building bikes built to be maintained for decades as a major priority. Nowadays the Japanese industry seems to have grown into maturity, making design decisions very carefully and with some level of conservatism: for example they never got caught up in the warping plastic fuel tank debacle and their electronics seem to made reliable before release to the public. Meanwhile, shockingly to me, the European industry has gone headlong into consumer throwaway mentality with poor implementation of new technology, poor reliability, complex dealer centered maintenance and low resale value. The bikes (e.g. BMW and Ducati) sell mostly based on brand status. The tables have turned completely and I’m left wondering if my ‘core values’ should lead me to Japanese bikes now, for the same reason they once led me to European bikes.The V85TT is the first new European bike for a while that seems to me to be reversing the trend. That’s encouraging to me.
I think guzzi is a unique animal. But if we are talking sport bikes of any variety im sure we can agree they are a pain to work on. I don't find Japanese bikes any better in these situations. You make your choice and ride what you like. As far as cruisers i find bmw, Guzzi far easier to work on. Just one perspective among many.
I've owned a couple Japanese bikes, from Suzuki, Kawasaki, and currently have a Honda Goldwing. Japanese bikes are great in terms of ease of living with them... but they have made them so reliable, so intuitive, and so smooth (Goldwing reference) that they have lost the "feel" of being on a motorcycle. They "feel" like a kitchen appliance. Simple, reliable, and they do the job.... but who wants to ride their blender to work every day? No, I own and ride my Guzzi because it's not a perfectly balanced, homogenized, mass-marketed appliance. She has character, and makes any ride, even just across town, an adventure.
Honda Super Cub (the original one) is a thing of beauty