Next Honda – To Go With Your S2000
We often like to tell others that our car revs motorcycle-like to a giddy 9,000 RPM (slightly less for the AP2) and it is a an attribute that has endeared the car to us. There is an inexplicable thrill that comes from keeping the revs close to or at 5,500 RPM and stepping on the gas as you come out of a corner, the F20C/F22C wailing banshee-like as you point the nose forward to the next braking zone. We have become attuned to shunning straight roads and salivating at the very sight of a corner, even if it is a gently sloping off-ramp. The S2000 has indeed set our standards high for what we come to expect in a vehicle. What then would you pick as a replacement or as a stable-mate from the current Honda lineup?
The CR-Z and the 2012 Civic Si appear to be the only “sporty” choices, but those could be considered a giant leap backwards if you held them up and compared them to the S2000. Needless to say, the Accord Aardvark (Crosstour) and the other vehicles carrying a Honda badge don’t quite match up. We will leave the current Acura lineup out of the picture as it is very hard to get past that power plenum (maybe Acura went with that design hoping to make the cars unattractive to thieves and chop shops).
Honda has several products ranging from engines to power equipment, snow blowers and household generators and has even entered the aerospace industry with the Honda Jet. Something tells us that this may not be what most of us seek to provide thrills on par with the S2000. For some of us the answer to the question of what other Honda to buy may lie in going back to the roots of the company. Soichiro-san started out building motorcycles and racing them. It is one area of the company that continues to participate in motorsports primarily because of how much it meant to Soichiro Honda.
Chances are that, being enthusiasts, many of us have at some point had a brush with motorcycles, whether it be brief, prolonged or continuing. Our two-wheeled cousins, by virtue of their high-revving nature and love for curves, would appear to be the only brand new Hondas you can buy that could come close to matching the joy of driving the S2000. One could also purchase a Honda ATV or a watercraft, but in terms of having fun on the same stomping grounds as the S2000, it is only the Honda motorcycle that will match up.
While the oval-pistoned, virtual V8 Honda NR 750 will only be a pipe dream for us, the VFR, the CBRs, Gold Wing and other two-wheeled delights are readily available should you feel inclined to ride. What do you think? Will a motorcycle be your next Honda or do you think the lawn mower would be just right?
Images courtesy of JulieU, Mrivera78 and yours truly
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