Poor Circulation .. the motorcycle misadventures of Blue88: Post 319: Beauty is in the Eye ....Ugly is in the Showrooms

Is it just me getting old, or are the Japanese manufacturers sending us some dam ugly bikes these days? Don’t get me wrong, there are some absolute stunners out there, but these three ugly ducklings recently caught my eye.

The Suzuki Hayabusa was designed to slip through the air with minimum drag. It probably still holds the record as the fastest ever mass produced motorcycle so the design clearly worked, but it certainly isn’t pretty. The photograph shows the 2009 model, but for 2010 things haven’t changed a great deal. Come to think of it, the Hayabusa was launched back in the 1990’s and aesthetically speaking it looks pretty much the same as it did ten years ago. I’m trying to think of another bike that’s been around on the showroom floors for that amount of time, and I’m struggling to think of one. Answers on a post card please ……

Ok, due to its longevity I’ll forgive the Hayabusa its ugliness, but what excuse do Kawasaki have? The ZZR1400 might be a great new bike, but why did Kawasaki have to make it look like a stretched bug? From any angle it’s just plain ugly. And why of why does the exhaust pipe look like it was made by Matrix-Churchill ? Don’t give me all that crap about ‘Emission’ and ’Noise’ regulation, have you ever heard a brand new Harley or Ducati on full chat? As for Honda’s new VFR1200 ….. don’t get me started.

For the past six years, I’ve had the pleasure of writing for TRD magazine (The Riders Digest). Aside from giggling at the size of the cheques that they sometimes remember to send me, the other fun part about writing for TRD is their editorial policy. They don’t have one. If something’s good then I can call it "Good", but if I think that something is just a little bit crap, then I can be honest without worrying about Honda or Yamaha pulling their future advertising campaigns. If you’re more interested in how a bike makes you feel than you are about the weight saving of Yamasaki’s latest titanium exhaust flanges, then you might like to get your hands on a copy of TRD.

To get a ‘Free’ copy, simply eMail "MKT1" to distribution@theridersdigest.co.uk with your address, and a copy of the magazine will be in the mail before you can say "0-60 in who gives a flying-toss, it looks bloody gorgeous and I want one". Happy reading folks ……

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