What's happening to Hondas?

[butchdiamond]

I had the chance to ride a new CRF450X the other day. This is said to be the new XR400 which is a bold claim. I used to have an XR400 - great bike.

Don't get me wrong the CRF was very nice - it's a bit more powerful, has more suspension travel and is a bit lighter (which is impressive considering it's water cooled) but it's no XR.

For some reason it just didn't feel right, and it didn't handle as well as my old XR and I felt much less confident with it (being spanking new didn't help).

Honda don't make XR's (apart from the 125) anymore, or the great old XRL. Also - no Africa Twin. Now I've never ridden an AT, but I know people who have them and they swear by them. Honda is doing a new Transalp instead. I had a quick ride on a 2004 TA a while back and it was ok, but not much good for rugged overlanding methinks.

All these new computer controlled, fuel injected, liquid cooled, alloy this, alloy that bikes are said to be so much better - but are they? What's wrong with a good old boot start, air cooled thumper?

Maybe I'm missing something here and I should just get a grip and move with the times, but it seems to me that Honda has binned a lot of the good old proven bikes in favour of more complicated newer "better" technology. Why?:confused1: