Peter,a bit hard to comment as We purchased a gtr1000 after reading your review in arr, (have the full set)very happy with the bike, no need to look at anything else, completed tassy to qland and return oct 08 not a problem, wife and i dont like the new 1400, looks unbalanced, (one pipe)must be a bit old fashioned??so will miss out on offered goodies, will still sub to arr, when does my sub expire? as I have been caught once with unnotified expiry, regards Leo & Faye Leith Tas.

Triumph, thriumph triumph for 1 - 10

Cant beat em! Great range, great build quality, great dealer in Perth (JCS - G'day boys!)

Bear, I think you would have to say Honda has got it all covered except for the advertising. Whoever has the best deal going at the time probably wins that one but overall Honda are always there near the top with good deals for everyone, on or off road.
Cheers
Ross

Hi Bear,
My last three bikes have been Goldwing 1200, Goldwing 1500 and currently Goldwing 1800. I'm not big in the finance department, but at 6' 5" tall, it fits a tad better than most others. I would have to say Honda for Q's 1,2,3,6,7,8,9 and 10.
The q

Hi Bear, just purchased a Road King Classic in Feb of this year, havent ridden for 25 years. love the bike and cant fault it. Service was great so all I can say is for 1 to 10 its all up there as excellent

1. Technical quality YAMAHA
2. Build quality HONDA
3. Spares and accessories supply BMW
4. Dealer quality ALL POOR
5. Customer relations ALL POOR
6. Customer benefits U/K
7. Warranty support Wide & Varied U/K
8. Model range SUZUKI
9. Advertising BMW
10. Technology HONDA
11. What is the air speed of a swallow?
Difficult after 240 KMH.

Cheers Arbee

Harley is the all-rounder for me, although Honda is pretty good for Tech.

Hard to say who's the best over all, we deal with most of the brands. Triumph is great and so is BMW.

1._Triumph Overall Quality 2._Honda Build Quality 3._BMW spares
4._Harley-Davidson Dealer quality 5._Harley-Davidson Customer Relations 6._Honda Customer benefits 7._BMW warranty support 8._Suzuki Model Range 9._Suzuki Advertising - Ride the winds of change. 10._Honda Technology. 11._An african or a European Swallow? Did you also know Swallows import bikes as well as coconuts. =D

for questions 1 through to 10 I say Croaker.
question 11 who is chasen the swallow..
Note:
Since I can't afford a Croaker I settle for something that is bullet prove and easy to get parts for and that is the power of dreams HONDA

I can only answer based on what I ride so, in a word,Triumph. Great bike, excellent service from Ride Motorcycles Tamworth.

I would have to say Suzuki, particularly the cruiser range. (I cant comment on the fast stuff, I dont fit them, cant bend my neck far enough to see, and my back wont make the correct angle aaaargh !!!)They would probably have to be one of the most underated brands in the country. Reliable,comfortable, does the job without any fuss, Cruiser cruisers, power cruisers, big cruisers, little cruisers...enough to make a swallow take notice... what more could you ask for ??

C'mon Bear, you know Honda takes the cake home in every area except marketing.......maybe that's why I have a Gold Wing and a Road King.......tragic really, isn't it?

1. Technical quality (the bike brand that works best and gives the least trouble)
Hard one: all the major players have a model or two that embody all that is good and reliable. Overall, however, I think the two-wheel taxis -- HONDA -- probably edge the field in reliability/least trouble.

2. Build quality (paint, welds, panel fit, comfort and durability of seat etc)
BMW

3. Spares and accessories supply (who has the best stock and supplies fastest)
Any of the UJM manufacturers have it sewn up

4. Dealer quality (how well dealers look after customers, have the best staff etc)
BMW

5. Customer relations (how well does the company look after its customers)
BMW

6. Customer benefits (free road service, membership of club etc)
HONDA, HARLEY, BMW

7. Warranty support (pretty self-explanatory)
BMW

8. Model range (not necessarily the biggest range, but the best – of road bikes)
BMW

9. Advertising (whose ads do you reckon actually work)
BMW -- "It's not parked; it's waiting"; "Yes, I have a hair stylist. His name is helmet."; and for sheer brilliance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGK76jbaxC4

10. Technology (who offers the most advanced but still useful technology)
BMW

11. What is the air speed of a swallow? No, no, I told you…
Roughly 11 metres per second in straight flight

1. Technical quality: Japanese generally
2. Build quality: BMW
3. Spares and accessories supply: H-D
4. Dealer quality: H-D
5. Customer relations H-D
6. Customer benefits: H-D
7. Warranty support: Never claimed? BMW?
8. Model range: Kawasaki
9. Advertising: McDonalds!!! OK,OK ... Honda
10. Technology: BMW
11. What is the air speed of a swallow? I had a lady tell me never to swallow .......

Mr Bear My experiance is only with Ducati and HD I found both dealers in SA excellent in all aspects.The Ducati product is now very good [I started with a 82 Darmah! then St2 then St3] although expensive to service [desmodromics]and now sadly have dropped the St series,what where they thinking?its the only comfy Ducati.HD do it all very well,got a new 08 Ultra in oct 07 have since covered over 26000km mostly 2up and towing a Elite camper including 3500km around Tassie and yes remembered the map!Took it over a weighbridge recently on the way to a rally total was 940kg with rider and pillion,beer,ice etc!It has become a trusted friend, build quality is very good and technology beyond its looks,brilliant security system,throttle/cruise system,self cancelling indicators etc.HD probably wins the advertising award with their high quality clever ads.It seems these days its hard to buy a bad motorcycle perhaps its more about your experiance with the dealer.Take the road less travelled.Cheers

I haven't a huge amount of experience, and I guess you are going to get a large amount of 'brand' loyalty too. In my limited experience:

1. Triumph
2. Triumph
3. I've only ordered stuff from Triumph, so will have to say Triumph again
4. I don't think I've really found one that stands out yet. Most dealers I've visited sell several brands so can't really single out one.
5. Does anyone look after their customers any more?
6. Triumph (RAT etc)
7. Only had to use warranty once, it was the dealers suggestion too. I'd gone expecting to pay, and they said they'd try and claim under warranty. So Triumph again!! :^)
8. I'm back to Triumph again. I don't think there's a model I wouldn't want to own!
9. Even before I bought my first Triumph, I have to say their ads stood out for me. Actually, it WAS their ad for the 2007 Sprint ST that I remember seeing in ARR that hooked me. And now I have one!
10. In my experience of my Yamaha, Kawasaki & Triumph bikes, I'll say Triumph!
11. Roughly a third of a spit!