B-King TEST RIDE

[China Greg]

"I honestly believe that the B-king in stock form will whoop any naked bike out there.  That is unless the other bike has been serverely modified."

Yeaaaahhh,... well, I'm sure it WILL.. if DOMINATION is what you're really into.

Me, I finally decided that I just don't care about being THE FASTEST around town anymore. Okay; call me OLD if you must, I call it realistic. A lot of bikes these days are simply  TOO FAST for public roads, and Japan knows it. The guys in my local shop all know it. But that's what the younger guys think is the coolest thing, and that's what they want to buy: Ultimate Speed. 

I don't know where you guys live, but we have things around called STATE TROOPERS, who aren't always very nice. I zipped past two of them a couple of years ago on my Gixxer, doing about 160.. (with more to go, I might add).. and the high-speed chase that ensued eventually convinced me to sell the "race bike" and put more effort into massaging my "USEABLE"  B12. (hell, it'll do 155 mph, anyway, with a tailwind).

Here in China, I own a Japanese-domestic-market-only 1997 Honda CB400F "Super Four" (they call it an NC31). Looks a lot like the 1980 CB750F, with the ducktail.. but more modern. I have it modified and it SHRIEKS. Anyway, the cool thing about that bike is that YOU CAN FULLY USE THE MOTOR. Big HP bikes like the 'Busa, ZX14, R1, etc can't be fully USED.. more than for a momentary burst anyway, or on super-long, super empty highways in Wyoming. And even THEN you'll be staring in your mirrors endlessly, waiting for that far-off twinkling.
That makes them end up as rather BORING in the same way my GSXR Thou was: Couldn't wring it out anywhere.

If I see you at a stoplight on your B King, and you start to make drag-strip noises.. go ahead. Light 'em up.You WIN. I'll see you down in the Burger King parking lot later.
I'LL be there, anyway, on my trusty, friendly B12. Who knows what happened to YOU.

[solman]

For me, wanting the B-king isn't about being the fastest.  If I wanted that, I would've bought a Gixxer instead of the B-12.  The B-king is just an awesome bike to ride.  Like I have said before, you just have to ride it to understand.

[Have Blue]

Performance and handling my be great, but I cant get past the looks.  Its ugly from the front, ugly from the back, and an eyesore from the sides.  LOL  About the only way I could live with it would be to buy one, pull the engine out of it and install in in my B12.  LOL

Blue

[China Greg]

Yeah, I gotta agree. Much as I am impressed by the power, etc.. the B(urger) K(ing) bike just looks too damn weird.
 
One of the Brit magazines just had a shoot-out with the latest naked bikes (I think they were all, like, 600-Class bikes).. and you never saw a more horrid pile of twisted metal. Weird robotic-looking headlights... up-swept tailfin-asses with long, spindly license-plate stalks.. endlesssly-swirling bolt-head patterns.. awkwardly-mounted plastic tank-scoops... and Bizzar-O, convoluted exhausts capped by trumpet-shaped vacuum-cleaner mufflers.

Maybe I'm getting OLD, but c'mon .. REALLY...
Whatever happened to LINES on a bike?

KIDS today... !

[Red01]

I sat on one at the IMS show in Seattle yesterday... I don't fit it.  The indentations for your legs created by the rad scoop fairings are too low and uncomfortable.  IMHO, it did look better in person than in pics, but my son didn't like it, he was in love with the new Hayabusa though.

[solman]

The indentations for your legs created by the rad scoop fairings are too low and uncomfortable

I just read an article and they said that those scops are non functional.  Basically they are not scoops as originally thought.

[Red01]

Non-functional is an even bigger reason to hate them for restricting who will fit the bike and who won't. 

[solman]

I am 6' 1" and had no problems with where the scoops are located.  I am also considered long legged.  the only bike that I have come across that I can not literally fit into is the SV650.

[Red01]

I like to put the arches of my feet on the pegs unless I'm really carving the twisties, then I'll put the balls of my feet on the pegs.  With the BK, I didn't have any issue fitting, but when my arches were on the pegs, it moved my knees up so they were right against the crease of the faux scoops.

[PitterB4]

OK... other than the price, I like pretty much everything about the BK but... non-functional anything bugs me.  I thought it was supposed to (in it's own way) be a streetfighter kinda thing which means it should be minimalist - everything having a purpose.  Ugh!

[China Greg]

I dunno.. looks like Suzuki blew it to me.. just off target by a 'snivas' again; took a fantastic concept and mucked-it-up in the delivery.

Chalk it up to Spikey-haired Japanese junior engineers who read too much Rocket-Boy Manga and don't get out enough.

[CWO4GUNNER]

Well when the first new members that own them start showing up looks like I won't be the only one who will have to stifle up.

[vwkaferman]

The indentations for your legs created by the rad scoop fairings are too low and uncomfortable

I just read an article and they said that those scops are non functional.  Basically they are not scoops as originally thought.

Yamaha V-Max anyone? It's got non functional scoops, since what, 1987? I've always wondered why they didn't make them functional, reckon they didn't have to. Sure would love to ride a V-max someday, but not sure if I'd want to own one (just doesn't fit what I want to do).

James

[China Greg]

V Max.. ohmigod what a lump. Break your leg slipping off the kickstand.
Rode a friend's Max one night.. thing started shaking uncontrollably at 100mph.. scared the bejeezus out of me. 600 pounds wobbling dangerously. Wouldn't get on one again.. unless pointed West on Rte 80 with no curves until Pacific Ocean.

[rkfire]

I dunno.. looks like Suzuki blew it to me.. just off target by a 'snivas' again; took a fantastic concept and mucked-it-up in the delivery.

It looks faithful to the concept bike to me, except missing the blower.