Best bikes (for each manufacturer) to date

[Hoblick]

i was just thinking about what are some of the best bikes for each manufacturer..  Road bikes by the way, not race bikes

 

Ducati - Multistrada

Triumph - Tiger

Honda -  VFR 

Suzuki - Vstrom 1000

Harley -  Street Glide

Kawasaki - ?

Yamaha - FJR

Aprillia - Tuno

 

[JackFlash]

Kawasaki's 2014 Ninja 1000 seems to have great reviews.

[Heagachongoose]

Original h2

[Helmutt]

Guess it would depend on application aspects. If Yamaha's best bike is considered the FJR over their other models, then wouldn't you pick Kaws best the C14? I imagine most everyone has different opinions on the best of each mfg with some general concensus here and there on particular models.

And if it's best do-all models, there's some contention on opinions there too.

Personally, I think most every model bike, of every mfg, ever built would have been deemed a worthy vote of best bike by someone, somewhere, everyday

It's all personal preference of the choices given within the market

[magley64]

I prefer the blackbird to the viffer. Same capability, just way more powerful.

[Helmutt]

But I get what you're doing Hob, just your favs and not a "These are the best bikes ever, period"

Are you choosing your favs by how easily wrenched they are compared to what they do? Or style vs performance? I've got reasons to love most every bike for what it is, but my best-bike lists would vary a lot through their respective catagories. Power vs speed vs comfort vs terrain vs price etc.

I know..... I'm over thinking the idea

[whaler]

i was just thinking about what are some of the best bikes for each manufacturer.. Road bikes by the way, not race bikes

Ducati - Multistrada

Triumph - Tiger

Honda - VFR

Suzuki - Vstrom 1000

Harley - Street Glide

Kawasaki - ?

Yamaha - FJR

Aprillia - Tuno

I would change the following on your list...

Yamaha - FZ1

Kawasaki - Ninja 1000 (Z1000SX)

Aprillia - Futura (although short lived)

[Wojo72]

Yamaha - Vmax. 

Harley Davidson - Vrod

[Pokey]

I prefer the blackbird to the viffer. Same capability, just way more powerful.

 

And they stopped making it years ago.

[Pokey]

Honda: Goldwing

Suzuki: V-Strom

Yamaha: FJR

Ducati: Mutistrada

BMW: R1200GS

Triumph: Tiger 800

Kawasaki: Concours 14

Aprilia: Capnocord 1200

Harley: Street Glide

Indian: Chieftan

[2talltim]

Honda: Goldwing

Suzuki: V-Strom

Yamaha: FJR

Ducati: Mutistrada

BMW: R1200GS

Triumph: Tiger 800

Kawasaki: Concours 14

Aprilia: Capnocord 1200

Harley: Street Glide

Indian: Chieftan

I'm going to agree to most of these except for the Yamaha, it would have to be the Super T and Suzuki would be the M109R Edited March 16, 2015 by 2talltim

[rollnhot]

I'm going to agree to most of these except for the Yamaha, it would have to be the Super T and Suzuki would be the M109R

Tim,I now own both Super T and FJR and I'm still on the fence.I guess if I could only have 1 I'd choose Tenere simply because of off road capability. A long run all blacktop FJR hands down.

[smccrory]

Honda: Goldwing

Suzuki: V-Strom

Yamaha: FJR

Ducati: Mutistrada

BMW: R1200GS

Triumph: Tiger 800

Kawasaki: Concours 14

Aprilia: Capnocord 1200

Harley: Street Glide

Indian: Chieftan

 

I agree with most of those, though I'd rather have a Bonneville than a Tiger since I already love my V-Strom.  And I respect Goldwings but I'd rather have a CB1100DLX for vintage styling or a CRF250L FI enduro as an upgrade to my carbed 230L since I don't require super-long-distance 2-up.

 

Personally, I think most every model bike, of every mfg, ever built would have been deemed a worthy vote of best bike by someone, somewhere, everyday  It's all personal preference of the choices given within the market

 

Absolutely!  Wojo72's FZ07 was nice to see yesterday.  I'd also be happy with that or a Scrambler Ducati or an SV650 or a Zero SR with the extended battery pack if I was spending someone else's money.

 

There should be a vintage version of this question...

[Gixxus Christ!]

Vintage:

Honda: cbx. Love that 6 cyl

kaw: h2. Easy choice.

yamaha: vmax

suzuki: t 350

triumph: pre-unit bonny 650

ducati: 900ss

[Pokey]

I'm going to agree to most of these except for the Yamaha, it would have to be the Super T and Suzuki would be the M109R

 

I was going back and forth between the FJR and the Super 10, but the FJR is very established and even better with the latest model. I have to highly disagree with the M109R for the Suzuki, what a total myopic machine that's really not good at anything "just my honest opinion". I know you have a burr up your ass for some reason about the Stroms, but their latest model 650 and 1000 are 2 of the best all around machines out there.

[gsxkat1100]

Vintage:

Honda: cbx. Love that 6 cyl

kaw: h2. Easy choice.

yamaha: vmax

suzuki: t 350

triumph: pre-unit bonny 650

ducati: 900ss

 

 

I'm biased, but I would put the GS850 in that zook category, or the t500 titan, or the gt750.....fuck, nevermind. I can't decide.

[2talltim]

I was going back and forth between the FJR and the Super 10, but the FJR is very established and even better with the latest model. I have to highly disagree with the M109R for the Suzuki, what a total myopic machine that's really not good at anything "just my honest opinion". I know you have a burr up your ass for some reason about the Stroms, but their latest model 650 and 1000 are 2 of the best all around machines out there.

I think the Strom is a great machine, just didn't have soul for me. The M109R is just a muscle bike and had no true practicality but it still intrigues the hell out of me. And the one I rode at the gap a few years ago still has me giggling like a school girl.[emoji12]

[Pokey]

I think the Strom is a great machine, just didn't have soul for me. The M109R is just a muscle bike and had no true practicality but it still intrigues the hell out of me. And the one I rode at the gap a few years ago still has me giggling like a school girl.[emoji12]

 

Oh the M109R is for sure a hoot to ride in a straight line I bet "like a Vrod", and you should take a new 1000 V-Strom out for a ride if you ever get the chance, it is apples to oranges now compared to the original.

[smccrory]

I think the Strom is a great machine, just didn't have soul for me.

 

I actually get this.  The older V-Strom styling had too many sharp angles for my tastes (the new curves are great!) and although the V-Strom has a V-twin, not even the 1000 has the lumbering, big-iron rumble of a cruiser or the raw power of a sport bike or the insane suspension travel of a dirt bike or the penultimate comfort of a Goldwing.  It's not the best bike to be "seen" on, not the best to smoke your friends on, get tickets and flirt with death on and not the best to scare grandmas with.  Frankly it doesn't have the best curb-appeal, even with the new styling.  But to me its character, its soul, opened up once I started using the bike for everything from commuting to errands to bombing along country roads to 2-up weekenders to camp-and-rides to mild off-road exploring.  It is that multi-role competence which has a soul all its own, to me anyway.  It's the experiences that bike allows me to have.

 

I'd probably feel similarly about the Versys, FJ-09, Tiger 800 and F700GS (anything bigger is just too tall for me), but I don't fault anyone for not appreciating the same aspects.  Heck, I'll freely admit that my '66 CB77 project isn't at all about utility - it's for the satisfaction of rescuing an old bike and sharing its vintage style.  Some hipster vanity too I suppose.

 

You should take a new 1000 V-Strom out for a ride if you ever get the chance, it is apples to oranges now compared to the original.

 

If I were looking all over again, I'd seriously consider the new DL1000 in red or tan, but not without riding the FJ-09 first.  The F700GS is still too expensive for what you get, I think.

[redkow97]

impossible to answer...  If I was told "you can have 1 bike from every manufacturer out there," I would still pick and choose a sportbike from one, a cruiser from another, a tourer from a third, etc.

 

I can understand almost all of the selections above, but we're dealing with endless combinations here.

[Pokey]

 

impossible to answer...  If I was told "you can have 1 bike from every manufacturer out there," I would still pick and choose a sportbike from one, a cruiser from another, a tourer from a third, etc.

 

I can understand almost all of the selections above, but we're dealing with endless combinations here.

 

 

Yup and that is a great point, and why I tend to gravitate towards machines that are like Swiss army knives.

[3.504]

I've always found a bike that claims it can do it all, tends to be crappy or half assed at everything.

I prefer the multi-bike approach.

I will say: I'll probably never own another super sport for street riding ever again. There is no reason to be that uncomfortable, when I can get a sport naked that handled street performance the same, but in comfort.

[zx3vfr]

Here's a secret. All Japanese bikes,....

..

..

....

......

Are exactly the same.

[HeavyDuty]

Having owned about 15 different Harleys in the last 40 years for some reason I like the FLSTC models the best. ( Heritage Softtail Classic ) They have the lowest center of gravity enough ground clearance that I can run almost any road at 25mph to 30mph over plenty good enough for me. It has the best handling at very slow speeds of any bike I have ever ridden. It’s a good around town bike and not too bad on 1000 mile a day trips. The only go fast bike I have ridden in the last 39 years is my 77 KZ1000 so I can’t say anything about the others.

Edited March 16, 2015 by HeavyDuty

[2talltim]

I actually get this.  The older V-Strom styling had too many sharp angles for my tastes (the new curves are great!) and although the V-Strom has a V-twin, not even the 1000 has the lumbering, big-iron rumble of a cruiser or the raw power of a sport bike or the insane suspension travel of a dirt bike or the penultimate comfort of a Goldwing.  It's not the best bike to be "seen" on, not the best to smoke your friends on, get tickets and flirt with death on and not the best to scare grandmas with.  Frankly it doesn't have the best curb-appeal, even with the new styling.  But to me its character, its soul, opened up once I started using the bike for everything from commuting to errands to bombing along country roads to 2-up weekenders to camp-and-rides to mild off-road exploring.  It is that multi-role competence which has a soul all its own, to me anyway.  It's the experiences that bike allows me to have.

 

I'd probably feel similarly about the Versys, FJ-09, Tiger 800 and F700GS (anything bigger is just too tall for me), but I don't fault anyone for not appreciating the same aspects.  Heck, I'll freely admit that my '66 CB77 project isn't at all about utility - it's for the satisfaction of rescuing an old bike and sharing its vintage style.  Some hipster vanity too I suppose.

 

 

If I were looking all over again, I'd seriously consider the new DL1000 in red or tan, but not without riding the FJ-09 first.  The F700GS is still too expensive for what you get, I think.

Nope looks had nothing to do with it, i usually gravitate to ugly bikes (TL1000S, Vstrom, now the C14). The ride did nothing for me on the Vee. I could rail it, i could drag peg, i could keep a pretty good pace with it but i did not thrill me. Sometimes i felt like i was just commuting on it while i was on some of the best roads in the country. Just didn't feel the thrill or the desire to ride it most of the time. The best time i ever had on it was during the GAP trip a couple years ago. They were working on the bridge down the hill from Fontana at night and there was a back woods detour to get around it. Everyone else hatted it but i had a blast running it. Super tight switch backs with gravel bookoo elevation changes. I loved that road on the Vee, took it on the C14 last year and hated it.