The CBR looks bloody awesome! The others look fine enough, but for some reason the CBR is the one that speaks to me aesthetically.And I generally don’t much care for sport bike looks, preferring nakeds/standards (Street Triple over Daytona for example.) Perhaps that is why I like this particular “softie” sportbike :)

By the looks of these photos, Honda “cheapened out” on the X, and simply lifted it a bit in it’s suspenders vs the others. They should have lowered the pegs a bit as well. The X seems intended to be the tourer of the bunch. As such, Honda should have used the taller seat to give riders more legroom. It’s not like the average touring buyer needs higher pegs and more lean than the stereotypical CBR buyer.

As it is, despite lower weight, probably equal range, lower price and exhaust placement that is not plain silly for a street based bike for luggage intenders, I’d still likely spring for the Vstrom if multi hour trips were on the menu. But what do I know, maybe Honda figured there’s not many adventure bikes out there for people with shorter legs (I’ve got 32.5″ inseams)

Now we can just hope these bikes are “dull” enough to fly under the radar of the “badasses” who are so desperate to show off what cool bikes their lowlife selves can afford, that they create a strong market for stolen ones. No matter how light, fast and trick, a bike that is to be used for daily transportation, is pretty handicapped if one can park it anywhere for fear of thieves.

I ride a 25 year old CBR 600F (Hurricane) which I love dearly, so I was frustrated when the new “F” model didn’t come stateside. The RRs just have never been comfortable like the Fs.

When you guys first scooped these 500s I held out hope they would come in in the 65-70hp range (my bike being 85ish from the factory).

I fully understand (respect, love, and agree with) the logic behind the bike they’re releasing… but if I can’t squeak out just a little bit more oomph I’ll be back in the market for the right F4I.

The Tiger has more engine but doesn’t feel or perform like it does. It does sound better though.

The Tiger has a bit more controlled, sportier suspension. Brakes, accessories, comfort, features, all pretty much a tie.

SV and DL twins easily last past 100,000 miles. Never seen a Triumph go into six figures.

Suzuki service rates are significantly cheaper, and service shops are easier to find.

In short, the Tiger is a little sportier and is the better motorcycle by a very small margin, but not nearly enough to justify the purchase price or running costs.

Okay, maybe you are right, maybe it is just the DL’s value… but i think if you have two apples, and one costs 25% more, it had better be a damn good apple.