Blogsky and Hutch

Alvin Long - 2010 VFR1200F  October 28, 2009 07:22 AM
I have been driving a 1984 V65 Sabre for a long time waiting, now I can trade for a improved version of what I have

Thanks Honda a lot of us waited a long time for this.

Ryan - Not shabby...  October 25, 2009 04:50 AM
I like that Honda is stepping up with certain Euro makers. I'm a big fan of the K1300S and it's nice to see something else in the same ball park. Not a fan of the automatic option but I can see where it would be benificial. Like to see a base price...

Ken Hutchison - Re: Chris - vfr1200f  October 23, 2009 04:44 PM
I wish we could. But we are testing pre-production bikes in Japan right now so we won't be able to test them in the US for a few months still. In the meantime we just completed the latest sport touring test with those bikes plus the Sprint ST so I hope that will keep you entertained for a while. I can say it will shake things up a bit in 2010 though.

Chris - vfr1200f  October 23, 2009 03:00 PM
Hutch, please tell me that immediately after your "full report" you'll snare either the zx-14 or hayabusa AND either the k1300gt or concourse 14 for the ultimate open class, supersport touring shootout. Can't wait to see how the new Honda stacks up! Thanks.

Farcuss - Get'n old  October 23, 2009 12:34 PM
“The fit and finish is as tidy as you would expect from Honda” Or from any of the other major manufacturers. I sold Hondas and yes they are a good bike but please the “typical Hinda fit and finish” comment was old 10 yrs. ago. ALL of the major players have good fit and finish otherwise they would not be in business. The switch gear on ALL the Japanese bikes are identical and the plastics come out of the same types of molds using the same compounds and same goes for the paint. There isn’t a special Honda tree out there where Honda picks its special parts and materials from. Global manufacturing means there are a few major materials suppliers (plastic, steel, aluminum etc.) who provide the materials that are built to a particular spec for or by the OEM. The processes used to transform these materials into usable parts are very similar if not identical from one manufacturer to another. They all have high quality standards otherwise again they would not be in business.

I’ve owned most all brands and nobody can quantitatively show or prove the fit and finish difference from say a Honda VTX1300 and a Kawasaki Vulcan 1600 because there is none. What ever Honda wants to do to their bikes to improve their fit&finish so can the other major OEMs. Just like when one OEM puts a slipper clutch in their sport bikes the following year everyone else does too.

Keeping up with the competition does not just mean the amount of HP the bike makes or the price. Its smart marketing by Honda to drum the “superior fit and finish” message. It’s smart because it isn’t as discernible as say the HP power measured or the weight or price of the bike. This way if a particular Honda model does not stack up too well against its competition in a certain category on paper; they can fall back on the well although the Honda maybe a little more pricier and not come with said equipment or has more weight and less power output than its rivals, it does have “better fit and finish”. For what ever that is worth. We have all seen this tactic used in comparison articles or reviews. Sometimes the line “this make has more character” than the others. Again, how do you measure “character”? This line is usually saved for bikes from Moto Guzzi, Ducati, and sometimes Harley because Honda’s niche is fit&finish and of course “typical Honda refinement”. Usually the line used for Harley is “the bike just feels and looks cooler”, what ever that amounts to.