Which 'retro' naked?

[Breezin]

I'm fantasising about a new (or newish) bike. Opinions please? I don't think the Honda or the Yamaha are actually retro, but they are sort of in the same bracket, and often come up in the comparisons. I understand that the prices are different, and that probably would rule of the BMW, but apart from that...

I have a non-confirmed favourite but won't say it yet.

 

Edit: I've added pictures of the bikes (Tiggie)

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

If you want retro naked then of those four I'd say there's only one front runner.

[Trooper74]

I had a test ride on a BMW R nine T .. loved the engine hated the bike ....

[Steve_M]

2 hours ago, Trooper74 said:

I had a test ride on a BMW R nine T .. loved the engine hated the bike ....

I had a loaner while my bike was in for warranty work. I liked the whole package. 
 

A mate’s got the Honda and is chuffed with it. I wasn’t so keen when I took one for a test ride.

[Breezin]

Wow. BMW is way out in front. Hadn't expected that strong a preference.

[Stu]

5 minutes ago, Breezin said:

Wow. BMW is way out in front. Hadn't expected that strong a preference.

 

But it is a nice bike  

 

I think if I was in the market for something like that then that would be my preference 

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

To me the BMW looks the least retro of all of them. It depends if you really want retro or just a naked bike.

 

To me the Kwak is the only one to capture the right look. 

 

But beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

[Tiggie]

Kwak for me as well 

[Six30]

think the bmw is the worst looking one.

[Bender]

3 minutes ago, Six30 said:

think the bmw is the worst looking one.

Me too, no accounting for some folks taste  

[Pie man]

Z900RS all day long for me 

 

 

[Gerontious]

only one of the 4 is what I would describe as a naked Retro. and thats the Kawasaki, which at least has some pretence of looking the part. the other 3. there is absolutely nothing retro about them at all.. its just meaningless. At least the Kawasaki takes at least some cues from the 1970s. The others have zero antecedents. except perhaps in name only, and even thats pushing it.

 

This is a modern retro... with style cues that go way back 90 years, more or less. Tank shape is wrong so are the front forks.. but everything else pretty much could have come out of a 1930s catalogue. If i had the space (and wasn't so stupidly tall)... then one of these for me.

 

 

.

 

 

Edited May 7, 2021 by Gerontious

[Fish]

Needs to be multiple choice, but either BMW or XSR for me.

 

Fish

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

1 hour ago, Gerontious said:

only one of the 4 is what I would describe as a naked Retro. and thats the Kawasaki, which at least has some pretence of looking the part. the other 3. there is absolutely nothing retro about them at all.. its just meaningless. At least the Kawasaki takes at least some cues from the 1970s. The others have zero antecedents. except perhaps in name only, and even thats pushing it.

 

This is a modern retro... with style cues that go way back 90 years, more or less. Tank shape is wrong so are the front forks.. but everything else pretty much could have come out of a 1930s catalogue. If i had the space (and wasn't so stupidly tall)... then one of these for me.

 

 

.

 

 

Or one of these

 

 

[James in Brum]

Z900rs for me. I am not a fan of Nakeds gift riding) but that is a good looking bike

[JackieOWheels]

1 hour ago, Mississippi Bullfrog said:

Or one of these

 

 

 

Are both not the same bike?? Lol.

 

But of the 4 though, Kawasaki looks the parts.

 

 

Edited May 7, 2021 by JackieOWheels

[Ian_1986]

It would have to be the xsr900 or the z900rs for me, although the z900rs would have to be in green.

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

3 minutes ago, JackieOWheels said:

 

Are both not the same bike?? Lol.

 

But of the 4 though, Kawasaki looks the parts.

 

 

Not the same. The original Bobber has slimmer front forks, a larger diameter and slimmer front wheel, single disc. The Bobber Black has the heavier front end which is why it doesn't flow round bends as sweetly.

 

The 2021 Bobber is basically the Black with different colour options and a larger tank off the Speedmaster.

 

 

[JackieOWheels]

Just now, Mississippi Bullfrog said:

Not the same. The original Bobber has slimmer front forks, a larger diameter and slimmer front wheel, single disc. The Bobber Black has the heavier front end which is why it doesn't flow round bends as sweetly.

 

The 2021 Bobber is basically the Black with different colour options and a larger tank off the Speedmaster.

 

 

 

oooo, I did not know that, learnt something new today.

[bonio]

The Bobber is beautiful.

It might be a modernist monster, I'm also partial to the Thruxton.

 

[Gromit]

The Kawasaki strikes me as the most retro, if that matters to you.  It didn’t matter to me, so I bought a CB1000R.

 

But ride them all and buy the one that gives you the widest grin!

[skyrider]

5 hours ago, Gromit said:

The Kawasaki strikes me as the most retro, if that matters to you.  It didn’t matter to me, so I bought a CB1000R.

 

But ride them all and buy the one that gives you the widest grin!

and i still think the xjr's look the business 

[fastbob]

If you want retro there's only one choice in my opinion . 

[Mr Fro]

38 minutes ago, fastbob said:

If you want retro there's only one choice in my opinion . 

Ripe for a bit of a restomod there Bob.

[Breezin]

1 hour ago, fastbob said:

If you want retro there's only one choice in my opinion . 

That would be a no for me.