Who Builds the best bikes?

[jstark47]

I completely forgot about the chinese!!
They just didn't register as motorcycle manufacturers!

That's because the majority of their production is for internal consumption. That will change radically in the next few years as they figure out how to increase quality or as they purchase interest in established brands. E.g. Qianjiang Group has owned Benelli since 2005.

[HYPERR]

I completely forgot about the chinese!!
They just didn't register as motorcycle manufacturers!

That's because the majority of their production is for internal consumption.

Not by design but by default. Nobody on the planet living in a free capitalist society is going to buy the absolute pieces of sh!ts from that country.

[HYPERR]

Best sounding - Italian/British
Worst sounding - Japanese/American

The funny thing is if had to rank my bikes in order of best sounding, I would rank them

1. 1996 Ducati 900SS
2. 2004 Honda CBR600RR
3. 2008 Ducati Hypermotard 1100
4. 2006 Kawasaki KLX250S
5. 2002 BMW R1150R

The 900 engine in the SS and the 1100 engine in the Hyper sounds like two totally different engines despite both being air cooled 2V Ducati engines. The 900SS (actually a 944 now with the big bore hi comp pistons) has a sound very similar to a V4 and has a much sportier high performance sound. The 1100 engine has a sound much closer to a V-Twin with the lumpity lump lump sound complete with the obligatory V-Twin Blaaaap when downshifting. It sounds far less sporty and less high performance despite in reality it is the far more high performance, smoother, and more refined engine. I don't know why this is so but I believe High Side explained it once.

The 900SS also makes all sorts of defective sounds such as groan, grunt, snort, buzz, rattle, squeal, and gunk which will either annoy you or add to the appeal.

[mogster]

Hey Hyperr have you never listened to a Norton? My Speed Triple sounds cool too

[HYPERR]

Hey Hyperr have you never listened to a Norton? My Speed Triple sounds cool too

Yes of course! The old Brit bikes made some of the best sounds I have evern heard on a motorcycle. That being said, I thought this was about current bikes....

I have not yet heard a new "Norton" live. Yes the Triumph Triple is an amazing sounding engine. The parallel twin from the new Triumph corp, not so much.

[jstark47]

Yes the Triumph Triple is an amazing sounding engine. The parallel twin from the new Triumph corp, not so much.

You have to hear them with proper pipes, the stock exhaust strangles them.

[fireguzzi]

Yes the Triumph Triple is an amazing sounding engine. The parallel twin from the new Triumph corp, not so much.

You have to hear them with proper pipes, the stock exhaust strangles them.

The last trophy I heard sounded like a diesel truck.

I loved it.

[mogster]

I have not yet heard a new "Norton" live

You will not be disappointed when you do!

I have thought of another category for this thread.........which bike sound make you turn & look?

1) Ducati
2)Any old Brit (only seen/heard new Norton at a show, but I sure will look)

Sub category........bikes that make you turn away

1) Most. H-D's
2) Anything with "in your face pipes)

Sub sub category.........bikes you don't even notice

1) Chinese

[ceemes]

I completely forgot about the chinese!!
They just didn't register as motorcycle manufacturers!

That's because the majority of their production is for internal consumption.

Not by design but by default. Nobody on the planet living in a free capitalist society is going to buy the absolute pieces of sh!ts from that country.

Ahem.....back in the 60's and early 70's Japanese Imports were the by-word for cheap and nasty and disposable cars and electronics. By the mid 80's they had been transformed into the benchmarks for quality and reliability. So much so in our world of motorcycles, the UK all but stopped competing against them and H.D. had to go crying to Congress to get some Protective Tariffs placed against them.

Same thing for Korean auto's such as the Kia line, back in the late 90's to early 200? they were considered with good reason to be cheap and poorly built, today their quality is starting to rival that off both Japanese and European makers, the North American Big 3 as still stuck in the 60's.

Given time and I doubt it will take long, Chinese builders will crack the quality issues and no doubt will start exporting some quality products. Could be interesting.

As for living in a so-called "free capitalist society", it hasn't been working all that great for many of us has it? Europe is in the middle of financial crisis, the US economy is still stalled with the official unemployment rate siting at 9.1%. Sometime I can't help but wonder if the Chinese haven't gotten it right with their odd mixture of Marxism and Capitalism.

[BRUMBEAR]

I have given this some thought. This list is probably not what you thought but consider the many variables in this. Tech of machine versus current tech in the era they were built, lenghth of service of the machine, a huge amount and remember that years ago there were no real road systems and things get a bit different.

1.) Harley Davidson served in 2 world wars reliable compared to it's contemps for a lot longer than AMF erra machines. I being a Buell guy hated to do this BTW
2.) Triumph for the same reasons as H-D
3.) BMW for the same reason as above 2 and mimicked by 3 different countries in Dnieper,the Chinese, and Ural
4.) Indian,Norton,Nsu tie for 4th
5.) Brough Superior The most beautiful MC ever made
6.) Honda truly innovative the toyota of reliable manufacturing
7.) MV Augusta defined high speed road racing
8.) Ducati just sexy bikes
9.) Yamaha somebody had to be ninth
10.) Kawasaki they outpower and outpower the competition handling not so much