It’s time for a new bike - the old Honda 750 has had it. I’m thinking about a Sportster 1200, but have never owned an HD. Opinions are welcome from all doper 2-wheelers on what your experience has been with various brands.
What do you mean “best brand”? If you’re talking about reliability, I’d have to vote for Honda.
Personally, I’d rather get another Yamaha than a Harley. But then, I’d rather get another Yamaha instead of any other bike. 
(Yeah, even a Ducati comes in after an R1.)
The true question is not “What is the best brand of motorcycle?”; but what is the best brand for you.
Are you looking to do long trips (Big Harleys, BMWs, Goldwings) or are you looking to go fast (Ducati, Yamaha, Honda, ect). Will you be traveling on nice smooth highways? Mountain passes, Manhattan streets, offroad? Are you riding for fun or for transportation?
Personally I ride a Heritage Softail great for long Texas highways but kind of impractical (theft and potholes) for Manhattan where I live now.
IMHO.
Harley is now producing a much better bike then they used to, but buying a Harley is still as much about the feeling as it is about the bike. Harley big bikes historically hold their value very well. You will take more of a depreciation hit on a Sportster. Also a lot of people who buy Sportsters end up trading up for a big bike in a few years.
I have friends who ride BMWs and BMW makes some of the best performing machines on the street, both cars and bikes, but are priced accordingly and just don’t have the same level of soul.
Ducatis are fast, but I wouldn’t want to ride one on a long trip.
There are a lot of are great bikes for different reasons. The three I named are great bikes but can get expensive with parts and maintenance. It is hard to beat a Honda for affordable, reliable transportation.
I should have said favorite brand, not best.
All around, I’d say Honda. From the Goldwing, Valkarie and Shadows, through the VF750 and CBR models, I say they are consistent in quality in the respective categories. What model 750 is gone kaput? I had the '84 VT750C, ran like a scalded dog.
My favourite brand? Yamaha! 
Coldfire waves to his Divvy, parked outside the office
Well, in all honesty, I’d have to answer Ducati. But there are tons of practical reasons for me not to buy one yet, one being money, and another being the fact that I’ll certainly kill myself on the first day I own one. If I survive two to three seasons on my Yammie, I might reconsider that notion, though.
Oh, and having riden the Sportster: I don’t like it. Too sluggish, too unwilling to negotiate a corner, and the seating position is 100% the opposite of what I prefer on a bike. But that’s all personal, so go give it a try. I only rode it for a day, so I can’t speak about reliability, but… it’s a Harley.
I agree with zig about the Sportster, it’s pretty much a starter Harley. I’m currently on a Heritage Softail myself, and will probably be buried with it. In the past I’ve had several Goldwings, which are probably the best cruisers around in terms of dependabilty, an FJ1200 Yamaha, (WAY too fast for an old guy like me) and a couple old Kaws. I’ve been lucky with all of 'em, no major breakdowns or problems. IMO, I’d pass on the Sportster and go with something you’re more likely to keep for a while. If you’re not into the big cruisers, you might look into a Lowrider or Dyna instead of the Sportster.
IMO, the reason Harleys “hold their value” so well it by being overpriced by about 100% to begin with.
I’ll admit it: I drool over Ducs. But they’re overpriced by about 50%. A Yamaha R1 costs about $11,000. I think the “hottest” Ducati costs about $16,000 or so. But the two bikes are closely matched, performance-wise. And the Yamaha is more comfortable to ride. I would very much like to have a Ducati, but if I could only have one bike I’d go Japanese.
True. For long trips I think a Goldwing is “the best” – if you’re not very adventurous. I mean, the things have heaters! For me, the Goldwing’s advantages are disadvantages. The windscreen does its job well – but I like feeling the wind. The heavy bike is nice and stable – but I like light and maneuverable. The GW is very comfortable, like a sedan. But I want to ride a bike. But you also get the legendary Honda reliability. And it is a bike. I’d have to call it “the best touring bike”. But I’m not into touring bikes.
Do you want a cruiser? Harley Davidson. The Japanese bikes are better mechanically than the Harley, but cruising is about parading in front of people and being seen. If you ride a Japanese cruiser, people are going to point and say, “He wishes he was on a Harley!” If cruising is your thing, get a Harley. (Unless you want to cruise on a “muscle bike” – then get the Yamaha V-Max. “The Camero of Motorcycles.” )
How about a “Standard”? Again, I’d go for a Japanese ride. Coldie’s and my Yamaha Seca IIs (his is called the “Diversion”) are in the standard class, and I find mine to be perfect for commuting in L.A. Great mileage, small frame, inexpensive. Honda makes its 750cc Nighthawk, which has been an excellent ride since the CB750 was introduced in 1969. BMWs are great, reliable bikes; but I think they’re too expensive for what you get.
Sportbikes. Think “HYKS” – Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki. It seems that these four bikes, plus Ducati, trade titles every year. This year the best racebike is a Yamaha, next year it’s a Honda, and so on. I think they’re pretty much interchangeable. (There used to be the term “UJM” – “Universal Japanese Motorcycle” – because the Japanese tended to make similar bikes.) Ducati, as I said, is something to love. If you have the money and are mechanically inclined, that’s the bike to have. Ducs have the most beautiful engines. I find the seating on Suzukis to be less comfortable than on Yamahas. It seems that Yamahas tend to get the votes for “best overall package”. BMW also makes sportbikes which are familiar to fans of James Bond and Lara Croft.
Unlike a lot of people who ask about motorcycles, you have experience. You should compare several rides to what you know (your Honda). Then buy what you like.
It seems most of the manufacturers are making at least a couple models of bikes each that are definitely worth considering, depending on what type of riding you are interested in.
I just finished borrowing a 2002 CBR 954 RR (Honda). It is pretty unbelievable just how good that bike is. I suspect I would have a similar reaction to the current R1 or GSXR-1100.
With my skinny butt on the CBR a second gear run from 50 to about 105 takes less than 2 seconds. Handling wise, the bike is as light and flickable as any 600 I’ve been on in the past.
I’ve had a number of Honda’s in the past, they have been pretty much bullet proof. No complaints there. The new seem to be as good as or better than their older models.
I’ll probably be picking up a new CBR for my self soon now. That was the point of letting me borrow one for a couple days, to plant the bug that I wanted one too. Seems to have worked, guess my friend will have a riding partner pretty soon.
One scarey thing about that CBR, I put about 200 miles on over three days. My mind still wasn’t calibrated to the performance of that bike yet. I’ve done alot of open class riding, but this bike was still spooky fast to me.
Oh, and if you want a sportsbike, AND you want to be different, AND money is no object whatsoever: MV Agusta F4.
Drool.
Well, with the new Triumph TT600, this years model, this is right on par with all the Japs in possibly the most competitive sector of the bike industry.
The Triumph mimics the Honda CBR600 in that it does everything well and adds up to a package better than the sum of the parts.
Other Triumphs are coming online in the next year or so and you can expect them to be just as close to the competition, it has taken ten years of development to get there, but look at the charisma and history behind them.
I like the sporty Guzzi V11 but the suspension has to be set up very carefully, and a sporty Guzzi is not quite the same animal as a true sportsbike, but they turn heads.
BMW’s are lots of bike but no charisma.
Another option would be to take a bike like the Bandit as a starting point and customise it, join the Bandit owners club and see just what can be done with them, I saw one at the BMF show last week and it was incredible, the guy must have put at least three time the value of the original machine into mirror finishing, custom paint job, reworked suspension and brakes and the engine was modified too. One good thing about that engine is that it can be tweaked no end and it will still be reliable.
Ah, the TT 600! Last year while on holiday in Scotland, I spoke to a guy who worked for Triumph. Designed fuel injectors or something. He loved his TT 600, said it was the best 600 he’d ever riden. The only downside was somewhat inferior reliability, if he was to be believed. He may have been a tad biased.
Having never riden a CBR 600, the thing I always hear about them is that they’re good, but incredibly dull to ride compared to other 600 CC sports bikes. But take it with a grain of salt, I’ve riden maybe 5 different bikes in my life. 