Empty your wallet

[CINDERS]

Yes there are only about 6 employees that hand build the RC - 213 Honda's and by hand build it is literally that welding up the frames & swing arms etc etc hand crafting the panels to blue printing the engine a very dedicated crew hence the enormous price tag.
I am a go fast around corners rider within reason and I never knock a persons ride or whatever they own personally I have owned 6 Honda's 3 dirt and 3 road and if you cast you mind back to the 80's early to mid when Honda introduced the 1100R series up the the 1100RD model then the VF1000R what exquisite machines they were stunning to look at and go like heck.
I drag raced my mates 1100RD against my VF1000R who ever got the start won as whatever lead you got neither could draw away nor close the gap I think top end the VF1000R may have had it but you cannot beat cubic capacity.

Honda's have always had a good finished product whilst my Z900's and my ZIR MkI had brilliant engines that rubber frame that bucked and weaved when cornering made ones constitution a bit wary so its horses for courses, I will stop and help almost any stranded riders except the 1%'ers as they want to be in that category so I guess I will pass them by.

I am glad I got my Ducatis as the F4 MV I almost brought well apparently are a nightmare to work on.........

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[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

I will stop and help almost any stranded riders except the 1%'ers as they want to be in that category so I guess I will pass them by

Good to see motorcycle folks are the same world wide.
Kind of like firearms folks.

[JimF4M1s (Deceased)]

Honda has been making very reliable motorcycles for decades.
Back in "my" day the British bikes were desired. I wanted a BSA Lightning. Loved the look of the Star on the tank, and the history of BSA. My friends liked the Triumph Bonneville. These were $1,300 in 1964 when I was fifteen and more than I could afford. I wound up with a Honda 305 Superhawk at $699. This is the bike I feel got the US crowd going for Honda. It could break 100 mph. Over the next two years my bike was always on the road. The British bikes were not. And I didn't have a puddle of oil on my garage floor. But they were a little, and I mean only a little faster than my 305 bored out. In 1969 I bought a Honda 750K, it smoked the British bikes. A couple years later I did feed my British yearning with a new Norton 850 Commando. Great look and ride. Same 58 HP as my four year older Honda 750, but I felt cooler riding it. After that I went to Harley's. Their oil piddling had not yet been corrected. So I tried a Honda GL 1000 Goldwing when they came in 1975. For me it was too bulky and stayed in my garage less than a year. Back to Harley's (puddling fixed) where I have stayed, the wife did have a 1985 Honda 750 Magna for a while.
I like going fast, but have stayed more in the upright riding position. I haven't gone crazy fast on a bike, 124 mph being my tops. My lay down CBR friends have gone much faster.
But I did reach the winter of my life in one piece. Riding continuously for 52 years now, and noticeably slowing down. There is something to be said about the air on your face.

You riders keep them upright and enjoy your experiences.

[oldpaul]

Jim, I suspect we are of similar vintage as our riding experiences are comparable. Although my first bike was a 1945 WL Harley Davidson I have always preferred British machines. My first bike post military in 1972 was a Triumph T100C 500cc twin that I rode consistently hard for a decade or more, an absolutely bullet proof bike and one of the best cornering (quick and stable) machines I've owned. Remember English made K70 Dunlops? My daughter owns and is restoring it now. In '77 or '78 I traded some work for a 1969 BSA Rocket III that had been used for riding power line trails. Yeah, a 500 lb. three cylinder dirt bike. After sorting it out mechanically and back into road trim it was a regular ride to classes at Ft Steilacoom Community College. A fellow student had an early CB 750 Honda and we often had friendly races between the south Tacoma College on the winding road behind Ft. Lewis through some small burgs to home in Olympia. Both bikes were box stock and and had similar weight and horsepower but my BSA was always first to the Oly city limit sign. He subsequently traded for a Kawasaki Z1 and my winning days were gone. Other than the first HD I have never owned another Harley. I worked for the Olympia dealer off and on as a mechanic up until just after the evolution engine came out in I think 1984. Unbreakable roller bearing bottom ends combined with with poorly cooled top ends produced an engine that would usually only go 20 or 30,000 miles before needing serious attention. They billed their bikes as American made but the forks were Nagoya or maybe Showa and the carbs were Keihin. Harley has always seemed a little too agricultural for me but I have read they are much better now. Anyway, it is nice to hear someone else with vintage bike experience. Best Tom

[Gil Boyd]

Jim,
Now that took me back. If I remember correctly it was an English guy living in Belfast who took his 4 stroke technology to Honda first hand.
I remember it because we were stationed in Belfast at the time, and thought as I read the article, "lucky old bugger".
Well it was this guy who couldn't get any motor cycle manufacturers in the UK to take it on board at the time, wish I could remember his name!

[CINDERS]

The Honda 750 4 cyl was one of the best kept industrial secrets ever it blind sided Kawasaki which had a wooden mock up of the Z1 and it took them back a bit it also made the release date of the 900 Z1 stagnate for a bit whilst they digested the Honda I should imagine they had an employee buy one so they could evaluate it.
As the 500 Mach III's and the 750 H2's were lethal in a straight line not so good with cornering, in late 1976 I rode a fully worked H2 with the view of racing it after looking at the beam of the headlight pointing skywards I took it back. And proceeded to shelve the boy racer as I rode my 1976 Z900 home.

As a footer Kawasaki have announced they have a fire breather for the street next year 2019 a 243Hp monster which will probably smoke the Panigale V4's and maybe the BMW HP4's it is getting to the stage where the rider is the limiting factor for these bikes even with all their electronic aids and believe me they have plenty.
With my new bike my physical capabilities of hanging on at full power acceleration is the limiting factor as thats what allot of the test riders have said about Ducati's V4 your struggling to hold onto the grips under full dynamic power. Gad's have to give it a go once or twice just to see what its all about I just had a medical with a grip test so at 63Kg's & 62Kg's respectively I should be right..........

[JimF4M1s (Deceased)]

Next thing might be stirrups on the grips to keep your hands on.

I thought 243 HP on two wheels was a lot.

Then I saw this:
Kawasaki Ninja H2R is the fastest production superbike to date. Though a track only motorcycle. With a whopping 300 H.P, 326 H.P. with ram air the supercharged Ninja H2R can hit over 249 miles per hour. From a 998 cc supercharged DOHC inline-4 engine. The motorcycle screams all the way up to 249 mph – an indicated 400 km/h – in roughly 26 seconds.

Watch a Kawasaki H2R race bike hit 249 mph on a public road - Autoblog

[CINDERS]

I think they have a $60,000/Au price tag and cannot be licensed for the road although I priced a Ducati V4 "Speciale" that was $65,000/Au +ORC of which I graciously passed on and purchased the V4 "S".

[Gil Boyd]

All great but after my experience give me a shaft drive anytime, especially at that speed

[JimF4M1s (Deceased)]

My Ultra is a shaft drive. And you are correct, very nice and smooth.