20+ hp, 120kg
At the time this felt plenty fast enough for me, since I've only recently passed my test. Had a great power delivery that only a 2 stroke can produce. Totally reliable, which is surprising since Honda made some really duff bikes around that time. Stolen from my garage, whilst in the process of selling it, but the insurance paid up.
Good points: power, easy to ride, light
Bad points: oil mix, comfort on longer trips
Summary: great bike, I'd buy another or similar
60+ hp, 200kg
After the MTX this felt seriously quick and I was lucky not to be caught out by it's power. I bought it rebuilt from a friend, who'd crashed it at a roundabout. By modern standards it was pretty evil handling with a 16" front wheel which tended to "tuck under" if you weren't careful.
Good points: power, looks (honest for it's time it was!)
Bad points: front wheel, state of tune, fuel consumption
Summary: good bike. I've owned or ridden at least a dozen other straight fours, many handled much better but few had as much character. But I wouldn't buy another one, they're just too unreliable - you rarely see them on the road these days, so they must have all ended up in the scrap-yard!
80+ hp, 180kg
This bike got me back into biking after a few years break. I took forever to choose this particular model, being very keen to stick with Honda. The testride gave a false impression of how good (ie. bad) it was.
Good points: handling, build quality
Bad points: peaky power, windblast, size
Summary: let down by terrible power delivery around town, too small too, tiring in and out of town
50 hp, 190kg
Seemingly mint condition bike bought very cheaply whilst I was considering buying a Honda Africa Twin. Rode to Switzerland and back on it. Nice V-twin engine, good handling, terrible oil consumption.
Good points: size, build quality, steering
Bad points: low power, seat, oil consumption
Summary: I'd buy another in an instant but the new ones are too small. Bad example of a great bike.
100+ hp, 200kg
Bought this cheap from a friend. Great condition. Superb engine but far too fast for me. I had to sell it before I crashed it or lost my license.
Good points: power, build quality
Bad points: comfort around town, insurance costs.
Summary: A great bike but just too fast
70+ hp, 205kg
My heaviest bike to date, bought at a very good price. Totally unsuited to the farmtrack like road surfaces of Edinburgh. Sold virtually unused. My last bike? No!
Good points: price, size, looks
Bad points: weight, handling
Summary: Not for me, my last roadbike, next time a trail-bike!
I've to the conclusion that the important thing about biking is location, location, location. It doesn't really matter if you own a VFR800 (or Ducati 999 for that matter), if you've not got the roads and climate to ride them on. I had great fun riding the unbreakable Honda XR400 (left) in Andorra and Morocco, which is not a modern superbike by any standards, but the right bike in the right place. Equally other holiday bikes like the 100cc Yamaha scooter (Raratonga), Honda Vision 50 (Austria), Honda 125 (Bali), Suzuki 250 Dirtbike (NZ) and Vespa 200 (Spain) were all more fun than some bikes I've ridden in the UK. So perhaps I'll stick to riding bikes abroad or buy a bike more suited to where I live. The closest so far have been my two Honda trail-bikes. Now back to those holiday and bike brochures ... ;o)