Have you seen any of the brand's model lineups recently? The industry is going through some major uglies right now in the styling departments. Just about every model from every major company has gone extremely ugly. HD seems to be about the same as they always have been as far as looks, but just about every model from the other companies look like they were designed by aliens. Everything is almost all blacked out, and the bikes have really weird shapes. I looked at Honda's most recent model lineup and sat and shook my head in disbelief. It's no wonder MCs aren't selling like they used to...
What is going on with the MC styling these days?
- Thread starter grampi
- Start date
well, based on your user name you're probably not the target market for a lot of those insect styled bikes! I agree with some of the crazier designs but we're also in a golden age of bikes, from modern to retro styled. Look at Honda's mini moto offerings, what a throwback! How about Triumph or even Royal Enfield, if you want classic British style. You can get just about any style of bike you want nowdays. Sport bikes, cruisers, ADV, standards...
Here is another reason why motorcycles might not be selling well. Motorcycle sales did well during the time of the baby boomers. Now half of them are dead and the average age of the current boomers is 60. The market will adjust.
Just about all of Royal Enfield's line up is absolutely beautiful. Kawasaki W800 is the most beautiful bike on the market IMO. Moto Guzzi's V7's are nice and in particular my 2023 V7 special is beautiful. Some of the adventure bikes look okay to me.
To my eye the spiderman stuff is a huge turn off. All that plastic. I don't care for anything with a lot of plastic. The rockets have never interested me.
To my eye the spiderman stuff is a huge turn off. All that plastic. I don't care for anything with a lot of plastic. The rockets have never interested me.
I'm not into the parallel twin British throwbacks. That design just doesn't do anything for me...to me, the nicest looking bikes are the Japanese retros like the Z1, and the Honda CBs, with the chrome fenders, the original paint schemes, etc...
The current Wing has been almost unchanged since it came out in 2018. The generation before that was in production for almost 20 years. Honda had somehow been able to ugly up this model as well...matte paint, all blacked out everything else, yuck...they need to offer a model with chrome...not everyone wants blacked out everything...Honda Goldwing looks the same that it has for almost 10 years now. And it was the same for almost 20 years before that.
I'm clearly looking at the wrong motorcycles.
Yeah, I don't get why MC companies are trying so hard to appeal to the 20 somethings. Us old geezers are the ones with the money, the 20 somethings are too busy raising families and trying to make ends meet...they don't have the extra $$$ for expensive two wheeled toys...
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2024
- Messages
- 171
The Honda Dax is one of the bikes that grabs my attention style wise. Others in the running, Kaw Z900RS, Triumph Bonneville, Honda Monkey before they started putting on plaid seats, Honda CT125....etc. I expect there are others but like the OP I'm over the whole insect inspired bikes thing Add to that tall "ADV" bikes that weigh north of 500 pounds, anything else north of 700 pounds and last but not least, for cripes sake make a motorcycle seat FLAT fore to aft. I've done my last nut sack pullup and ain't paying for that.
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
Are you buying or yelling at clouds? We incorrectly assume everyone shares our likes and dislikes. The Yamaha XSR700 is close to a BITD standard bike with a fairly flat seat.
I've owned a number of bikes including a GoldWing, a rocket and everything in between. Now a big factor for me is simplicity. Don't care for anything water cooled which narrows the choices by a lot. I really don't even like the looks of an oil cooler which is the only issue I have with Royal Enfield. Harley's are a little too big for me now. Just don't care for the huge motorbikes anymore.
I still love my Sportbikes and Dirtbikes. My intention is to ride them as long as I can. The reason they make so many styles, is everyone is different. Buy and ride what you like, and let others do the same.
Pick up a nice used ZRX 1100 (1054 cc), go high comp overbore 1109 pistons and used ZX11 cams. Fast as any new bike and looks a whole hell of a lot better.
Or a used ZRX 1200 (1164 cc), stock bore high compression pistons and find a used set of cams from the head of a ZZR 1200 on eBay for 500 bucks. Pretty much have to buy the whole head with cams, but you also get double valve springs that you can install and also adapt a ZX 11 ECU to gain a more aggressive timing advance curve and an 11,500 RPM Red Line. It'll smoke the overbore 1100 described above and about anything else until aerodynamics take over. From experience.
Or a used ZRX 1200 (1164 cc), stock bore high compression pistons and find a used set of cams from the head of a ZZR 1200 on eBay for 500 bucks. Pretty much have to buy the whole head with cams, but you also get double valve springs that you can install and also adapt a ZX 11 ECU to gain a more aggressive timing advance curve and an 11,500 RPM Red Line. It'll smoke the overbore 1100 described above and about anything else until aerodynamics take over. From experience.
Yes I agree. Not only most look ugly, but they took a page from the auto industry and made almost all models look the same. There is very little diversity in each segment. A CBR600 looks almost identical to the CBR1000. It’s like they’re not even trying.
Same can be said about engine choices, very little diversity.
And them bringing back retro just proves they can’t come up with anything new.
Same can be said about engine choices, very little diversity.
And them bringing back retro just proves they can’t come up with anything new.
I loved the look of the BMW R90S 1974 or 75 in Daytona Orange...
The lack of different engine choices from Honda really surprises me. Form a company that's developed more engine designs than any other company, it's shocking that most of these engines are no longer offered by Honda. They definitely need to bring back the V-4, at least in some form...
Agree grampi. In my estimation it's not going to happen and I think we all can agree on that.
A lot of it has to do with the World Market not just the United states. Read an interesting article about inline 4 cylinder engines versus parallel twins of the same displacement. 16 smaller valves versus eight larger valves creates a lot more unburned hydrocarbons or pollutants that escape and must be dealt with to meet much stricter emission standards especially in europe. As well, fewer engine designs ( with parallel twins being much more economical to produce than any V configuration whether two or four cylinders) is more economically streamlined for manufacturer to use across different model lines.
A lot of it has to do with the World Market not just the United states. Read an interesting article about inline 4 cylinder engines versus parallel twins of the same displacement. 16 smaller valves versus eight larger valves creates a lot more unburned hydrocarbons or pollutants that escape and must be dealt with to meet much stricter emission standards especially in europe. As well, fewer engine designs ( with parallel twins being much more economical to produce than any V configuration whether two or four cylinders) is more economically streamlined for manufacturer to use across different model lines.
Don't know if this is the particular article I had read, but if you read through all of it, it helps explain what I was sharing above. There is an element of hydrocarbons being trapped in the cylinders around ring gaps as well.
https://www.topspeed.com/why-inline-4-motorcycles-are-getting-phased-out/
https://www.topspeed.com/why-inline-4-motorcycles-are-getting-phased-out/
I guess I'd better hang onto my Sportbikes. Four Inline4's, and one V4. The newest, a 3rd gen Hayabusa, does meet Euro 5 emissions standards.
Similar threads
