You contradicted yourself before you got to the bit where you were admitting to contradicting yourself :Wideyed:
Life is a contradiction. No-one is rational all the time and we are never consistent. We are all slaves to the admen, our sociology and our hormones.
When you look down and see the level of flair in the styling on for example a Ducati 1098 S or R and the quality components on the bike it just makes you feel like your riding something special. From the forged wheels, to the Ohlins suspension and Brembo brakes, the dash / clocks. When I looked down or at my ZX6R for example, yes it was a great bike but it had nothing in the way of extra's or bling it felt regular and not at all special. I and many other owners then spend a bloody fortune adding the bits we wanted in the first place lol For me I got the Duke and asides from a few carbon bits have bought nothing to improve the styling or function of the machine, and have no desire to do so. I guess it depends what someone is looking for from their bike and what their tastes are ultimately. But I agree all bikes are ace, even Harley's despite not wanting one myself! they still have the correct amount of wheels on the road
I agree from the practical point of view as they constantly ground out on roundabouts and sharp bends, well they seem to all the time down here in Wales Having said that I can see what the attraction is, bike's for most of us are simply toys, possessions that we cream over - If someone's thing is Harely's then that's cool with me. I still talk to those guys just the same as guys on sports bikes, they are still human And as I said still have 2 wheels instead of 4
But it's styled on an R1 FFS! And how can you compare premium model S & R's to a base model middleweight ZX6R, I just cannot comprehend this. If you were comparing to an R1 SP then your opinion may well be valid to yourself, as Boots says, it's personal - but your comparable argument is not comparable
The 1098/1198 (and i own an 1198) is just a modern interpretation of the 916. Its nice but no 916. (I also own an 916). The original slab sided gixxer, to me, is a perfect example of brutalist architecture on 2 wheels. The Katana, which to my mind is the 2nd most beautiful bike in the world, was designed by German designers, Target designs. Japanese style is just different.
I quite like the look of an R1 maybe that's why, although the front end on the YAM looks a bit weird at certain angles Maybe the 1098 would look the same if it hit a wall and flattened the front out a bit flaring it's nostrils I'm not comparing the Duke with the Kwaka for the reason that you seem to think - I'm just saying that all of the Jap bikes I have owned (maybe I needed to find something a bit more special) had nothing on them that made me feel I was riding something special. It's the same with HRC Blade I posted in an earlier post, I sat on that and looked down at the clocks the fork tops etc..and it just felt bland, same on a ZZR1400 the Jap bikes have a certain feel about them that makes them a little less special to me. It's all personal opinion it's most definitely not a witch hunt against jap bikes or the people that own them. I'll probably own plenty more in the years to come.
I find the japanese draw a lot of their design from birds. The R1 has a very bird like look to it. They also have a deep manga and robot design methodology which weaves its way through the fabric of japanese society. Hence why they can have that 'look'. No-one, well I am not, is on a witch hunt. Japanese design innovation is usually hidden deep within the engine casings where you cannot see it. Take an IL4 apart and they are beautifully designed and made. The classic example is the R1 gearbox. Almost Gremmy. Thats a modded Kat. Below...ive just come. Ive owned one. Bugger to ride mind. Only bike that you need to 3 point turn even on a dual carraigeway. 19" front and the rake and also quite a stretch to the bars. If you think a 1198 is a long stretch, try one of those for size. Sexy fucker tho.
I never said they were pretty but they do make their own unlike the others. Regardless of who does the manufacturing (like many other companies these days) it is a Suzuki. As Gremlyng says its only a cage for commuting to work, getting the shopping etc so who cares what it looks like as I know what ive got in my garage?
I kinda like it, it's not what I normally go for but can see the attraction. It's kinda retro and not having any knowledge on these it reminds me of a Bandit frame and at some angles it kinda looks like a GSF1200F but with quite a bit more flair than the Bandit. The engine head reminds me of a '70s Kawasaki Z1100
The GSX is an evolution of the GS which was a pretty blatant copy of the Z1 engine. Although improved. So bang on.
No but theres a reason for the similarity between the looks of the engines. Suzuki copied Kawasaki and you could see a familiarity between the 2 manufacturers of the day. Hence why he saw that engine in the kat and saw a something he recognised as a z11 looks which looks very similar to older kwaker engines etc. see.
