I wonder what Mr. Soichiro Honda...
 

... would have said about this... "thing on two wheels":

http://www.topspeed.com/motorcycles/...-ar171048.html

http://pictures.topspeed.com/IMG/cro...4-3_800x0w.jpg

From what the article reads, it seems to be "more show than actual go", which I guess is not surprising for a motorcycle designed by "comic book enthusiasts".

Um.....um.....um.....

:crazy::crazy::crazy:

The star wars kids will love it! If it came in physcodellickey and puke colors it would be perfect for the Halloween parade.

It's not my style, but that doesn't matter at all. To me, what matters is that we haven't reached the end of creativity and design (both of which are quite subjective), and that fresh ideas like this will draw in new riders. If that furthers the sport, it's a good thing. The more riders we have out there, the greater the overall acceptance, the more motorcycle parking stalls, etc.

i bet there already is a 250cc rip off somewhere. challenge someone to find it and post it here.

Did they start with a Rune?

For good or bad, my priorities are functionality first, design and looks second. In this case, it seems that it was all about the looks. According to the article the side panniers are practically fake for example, and the two "horns" next to the headlight serve no purpose at all (I even suspect they even handicap the aerodynamics!).

The chassis and the engine apparently are from the NC750 series, which are quite far from a "performance" bundle, AFAIK. The looks on the other hand suggests "brutal" speed and performance (at least to me). And it's just not there.

So, I guess in this case we have a sheep in a wolf's skin, or some kind of a movie prop, sans the guns and blasters :D

I understand Honda are trying to appeal to totally non-biker crowd, but one has to keep his reputation after all...

Heck, create a daughter company/brand and let them sell these "non-motorcycle motorcycles"!

That does make good sense. Much like Toyota did with Scion.

Not my style (by a long shot) either but it's cool enough for what it is.

HD's are not my style, and style is basically all they have, but they sell by the zillion for an princely sum.

I also see the spiritual connection to a Rune.

I'll not be buying one though, I prefer motorcycles ;-)

Excellent idea!

Another example in the motorcycle world would be Yamaha/Star.

At least it takes normal type handlebars, on that aspect can be changed to suit the rider. Some don't give you that flexibility.

Why does the NM4 cost $11,000 and a CTX motorcycle with the same engine costs about $7,000? I can't figure out how Honda prices these things.

You're not taking into account the supposed "Wow!" and "Show off" factors.

These "intangible features" cost a lot (these days) :D