Manufacturer you're most impressed with lately

[sammyseaman]

Hmmmm???......

[bomber]

Triumph, for damn near every reason possible.

Refusing to be steeped in nostalgia only, roaring back into the market place after having damn near the entire factory burn to the ground, buy, mostly, for having a very impressive and wide-ranging line-up.

Factor in the small size and short history of the brand (this time around), these accomplishment become more impressive.

[chornbe]

Triumph, with Harley and Aprilia as a close seconds.

If the Guzzi refresh stuff comes to fruition, it'll be Guzzi in 2013.

[MadOzodi]

Triumph...especially after attending their demo day this past weekend.

Although, if there's some bike-washing by bikini clad females at the Ducati demo days this upcoming weekend, I may have to change my vote.

 

[Galo]

I voted Triumph....no doubt about it.....
KTM would be a close second....

[garry]

Triumph for sure. Look at all the really well-done new models that have come out in the last 5 years. BMW has been revamping their line, but I don't find myself drawn to them for some reason. Of the Japanese brands, I'd vote Kawasaki because they have been putting out good new models too (ZX-14, C14, Versys, 650R/ER6N, etc).

[sammyseaman]

Triumph for sure. Look at all the really well-done new models that have come out in the last 5 years. BMW has been revamping their line, but I don't find myself drawn to them for some reason. Of the Japanese brands, I'd vote Kawasaki because they have been putting out good new models too (ZX-14, C14, Versys, 650R/ER6N, etc).

I'm with you on all these. Triumph is doing a good job of putting out new or nicely updated models that are very interesting. Something the big 4 should look at and take notice.

[JReazor]

Triumph. They're stepping up in a big way. No one else is even close but I would put Yamaha in the number 2 spot for having the balls to bring the Super Tenere to the States.

[Orson]

How bout Benelli and Moto Morini for surviving the economic slow down...so far  

[squeezer]

Triumph, easily. They keep going their own way, cranking out one cool bike after another. I should own one.

I hadn't thought much about Kawasaki until reading garry's comment, but I think he has a good point. They've been bringing some nice stuff to the table. Who woulda thunk it?

And I still think Duc hit a home run with the new multi.

[MadOzodi]

I totally agree that Duc hit a home run with the MTS 12, but seeing it in person didn't make me drool as much as I did when I first saw pictures of it.  For some reason, because of the pictures and/or its reported weight, I wasn't expecting the bike to be as large as it is in person.

Still, if my inseam were adequate enough, I'd own one.  

[Frankienuckles]

I like when bike makers think outside of the box. So, I applaud Aprilia, BMW and Piagggio. Mostly for trying new stuff that offer funtional improvement over existing products.

[stevent]

Triumph fer sure, excellent mix of bikes. I only wish they'd resurrect my beloved Trophy.....snatched from my hands and crushed by the cruel hand of fate, helped along by a bunch of assholes in a pile o' shit Accord.

BMW and Honda seems to be going out of their way to over complicate things and Christ knows what Harley is up to. Supposedly reaching out to a younger clientele while simultaneously dropping the Buell line which might actually appeal to them. Oh well there's always the 356th version of the Sportster.....

 

[MadOzodi]

Ok, I think I need to give both Soozy and Kawi some kind of honorable mention...particularly with the Bandit 1200FA and  Ninja 1000 coming to the states along with the updates to the GSX-R600/750 and ZX-10R.

 

[maddjack]

Triumph, they seem very tuned into the motorcycling world and have a set of balls to try new models,directions , and the sense to carve out thier own nich

[KodiakRS]

Kawasaki.  The Versys, z1000 and the new ninja 1000 are all bikes that I would LOVE to have in my garage.  They're also the first of the big 4 to try and knock BMW off the liter bike throne.  

Suzuki is still sleeping after not importing anything in 2010, Yamaha has the FZ8 but everything else is bold new graphics.  As far as Honda is concerned: "Shamu" 'nuff said.

As far as Triumph is concerned, they discontinued the ST here in the states so I'm pissed at them and this is my form of revenge.  Take THAT you bloody brits!

[SilverHound]

Suzuki for just saying "screw it" for 2010 instead of pretending to ship new models that are just repainted '09s or sad excuses for "new and innovative" bikes.  

[caddydaddy]

As far as Triumph is concerned, they discontinued the ST here in the states so I'm pissed at them and this is my form of revenge.  Take THAT you bloody brits!

I just rode the new Sprint GT, and trust me, it's every bit as good as the ST, just more refined!  

[evilted]

Voted for BMW.  Mostly because I'm impressed at the execution of the S1000RR -- first year out, and they hit a home run in the most competitive segment in terms of annual R&D investment.  But also for the K1600GT(L); the ongoing refinement of their signature boxer twin; their creation and domination of the adventure touring category for the past decade; putting Christan Pfeiffer on the payroll; and blazing their own trail when it comes to things like suspension design.

Curiously, I've never owned a BMW and probably won't next year either, unless I lose interest in the two or three bikes I'm currently interested in.

Sadly, Honda has been the biggest disappointment.  The CBRs are still fantastic machines and Honda's investment shows, but the rest of the product range seems dated (e.g., ST1300, Goldwing (a great bike to be sure, but getting long in the tooth), XR650L), or just not terribly interesting (VTX1300, Fury -- Yamaha does cruisers too, but the Stratoliner/Roadliner & Raider look and feel like high dollar machines rather than metric copies of an American standard), and the VFR clearly didn't live up to the hype we'd heard.   But Big Red could still redeem itself in 2011 with a VFR1200-based ST1300 replacement, and a new & sportier 'Wing in 2012.

[evilted]

Yeah, I was disappointed to learn that the new GT is down in terms of power to weight ratio.  The GT also strikes me as an obvious stop-gap given that Triumph stuck with the conventional Showa forks instead of switching to an inverted cartridge design & radial front brakes like the Tiger has had for years.

That said, I love my ST.  It's been super reliable, fairly cheap to run, offers rougly the same power/weight ratio as the FJR or C14 with a very wide powerband, and is a blast to ride on twisty roads.  The GT is probably very much similar in this regard, but with better pillion accommodations and panniers that fit a size large full face helmet.

I just rode the new Sprint GT, and trust me, it's every bit as good as the ST, just more refined!