“It’s finally here, your dream ride.”  The words flashed across a banner on a favorite motorcycle site of mine.  Another Honda ad, this time promoting its new 2008 line up.  Over the past few years such an ad would only have bothered me in that it would get my hopes up, only to be dashed by another lackluster update of the same old machines.  But this ad offends me.  This ad sums up the arrogance of a once great company, relegated to a has-been, but intent on squeezing out of its reputation every last drop of income.

 It is the way in which Honda stakes their claim, that my “dream ride” has arrived.  As if, by the virtue of being Honda, they dictate what a dream bike is, or should be.  Why do I take particular offense at that?

Honda used to make “dream” machines.  I remember when I started riding, Honda made them all.  My first street going motorcycle was a Honda NX 250, a beautiful fusion of dirt-bike ergonomics and street style.  Then Two Brothers Racing turned the Honda Hawk GT into a racing work of art.  I acquired one within months.  Honda was always producing amazing motorcycles.  The RC30 was incredible, the RC45 that much more.  Honda gave us the CBR 900, which, in one fell swoop, blew aside the standard practice of letting race-tech trickle down a little at a time, and put all other manufacturers on notice that the sport-bike wars had truly arrived.  And, though never produced, or produced in numbers guaranting their absence from any true discussion of production bikes, the NR750 and North American Sport (NAS) concepts led us to believe the trend was to continue.

Then……..Nothing.

We’ve been treated to lame, and unsuccessful, attempts by Honda to place themselves atop the ranks of conventional motorcycle design wisdom.  They develop inline fours, with conventional suspensions and derivative styling.  They always seem to be steps behind the competition, in performance, technology, and style.  Responding to clear market signals, they join each new craze a year or two late, with bloated, underpowered, and ugly motorcycles that scream that Honda just doesn’t get it.

Case in point – At the late ’90s the market was ripe for a mid-sized two cylinder standard with updated style and components.  Suzuki gave us the SV650.  Honda gave us the Super Hawk.  Sorry Honda, not even close.  I bought the Suzuki.

 Others are joining the Honda Defection.  Markus over at PittedChrome.com recently published his own open letter of frustration with Honda.

I still have dreams when it comes to the future of motorcycling.  I simply no longer look to Honda to fulfill them.

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