Honda's new Moto Hauler.

Not really trying to prove anything just saying if you want a truck to use as a truck then buy a true 1/2 ton or better. If you're buying a truck because it the current trend then fine buy whatever.

 

Most of the harleydoods have little knowledge that "Daytona" is a race meet. Same thing with Sturgis. Not a clue most of them.

Some of the HD clothing from the CA Bay Area botiques runs a strong second to the Chinese stuff. It has a certain appeal to some folks.

Talked to a guy one time that had the HD Dealership in Palm Springs. He told me the margins were good on the bikes but the real money was on the farkles and the duds.. Matching outfits for Ma and Pa for each day of the week.

 

All that picture you posted proves means you need a dual axle flatbed trailer, instead of unsafely overloading the vehicle in question. You do realize people have varying degrees of what they need a truck for right? From a dually for towing construction equipment around or a simple Mazda B-series for auto parts runs. I could take your blanket statement of "if you need a truck to use as a truck get a 1/2 ton or better" and turn that into "well, a F-150 isn't enough. What if you need to haul 20 tons of mining equipment. If you need a true truck to use as a truck you should get an International or better"

I've driven every make of domestic made pickup for the work fleet up to a F-450 Dually. I've owned traditional body-on frame offerings from Nissan and Toyota.

so if you Don't need to A: rock crawl, B: Tow a skid steer C: Bro Pose, but a want a truck that A: Has great road manners and handling that you'll actually want to daily B: Has more interior room than a Tacoma or Frontier C: Can still fit in your garage yet has a payload capacity of more than 1500 lbs, D: gets good gas mileage. E: can load up drywall, an ATV or dirt bikes etc.. Than the new Ridgeline will most likely suit your needs.

 

The question arises. Are you selling these rigs or do you work for a Honda dealership? You responses seem a little touchy.. Not making your quota maybe?

Maybe Honda should rig up one of those to do the monster trucks thing or lift one aboot 3' and not re-adjust the headlights to attract attention.

 

I can get an SUV for hauling my drumset and that is actually my preference. But I could not stuff the VFR in there. Thus a pickup becomes the vehicle with the most versatility. Even though I'm not a heavy-duty user. About American vs. Japanese...

One of my employees talks about buying an early 2000s Ford truck, sorry not sure which one. Brand new. He drove down the road and a brake was locked so it was steering hard to the side! Nothing but trouble with that vehicle. He ditched it for a Toyota SUV. That's just one anecdote I know so...

When I recently lamented to my mechanic about my 2000 Celica GTS repairs he said, "But you didn't do much to it early on did you?" "No, nothing for the first 8 or 10 years." "The repairs I'm doing to your vehicle I do to Fords and Chevy's that have 30,000 miles on them."

This guy is one of the biggest mechanics in the region, he does massive amounts of work on any vehicle. (As a former biker he even told me he'd be happy to work on my VFR. I was thinking wow!)

I would like to buy a Ford, who is known for trucks, but I get constant reminders everyday that tell me not to go back to them and to stick with Japan. I was going to write dealer service stories of dealing with Ford back when our family had loads of Fords, but truth be known, every dealer I have dealt with has done many unethical things. That does not seem to be brand related.

 

I work for Honda in the same way you work for Polaris. If I did I certainly wouldn't have let their PR department release that horrendous super bowl ad they made for the new fakeTruck. They actually do have a Baja "Ridgeline" that supposedly won some stuff (it's not a ridgeline though)



My "touchiness" as you put is mere mild annoyance with the USA "I NEED detroit lockers and a V8 to haul air in traffic" attitude that has effectively killed off the small truck market here. The ridgeline is really the last survivor of the simple utility vehicle, which are widely available in other markets. Honda's large Ute.

 

The Superbowl ad is no less an ad than the header on this thread. A parallel would be using a Honda (or other) Moto-GP bike to sell streetbikes. That Baja rig is no more a genuine Honda than me working for Polaris. Not much need for a snowmobile here anyway, now or in future.

Honda products are in the main great! This includes my lawnmower and a little generator I bought my dad about 700 years ago that is still running. If I were to go oot and buy a bike tomorrow it would be another Honda hands down. This crap about them being perfect or close to, is crap.

Where the differentiation lies is the rig shown ain't worth spit to haul a bike of any size.

If ya do hear if somebody wants to do a straight across trade for my 2004 Impala that is really nice... Let me know. That baja rig likely gets shitty mileage anyway..

 

You might not like the Ridgeline, but you gotta love Honda's advertising. go to www.honda.com and click on Ridgeline video!

 

That's why I retired the first time around in 2003. Company sold off my 99 Camaro with the baddass corvette power-train and gave me a brand new tinker toy Impala. Fuck that! I'm gone! Fuggem.

 

What a poor attitude .... With a little creativity you could have had this along with your cool flashing lights

 

SOW being a flasher I can accept. Randy? OMG!

 

Ya bailed oot too early. Some of the 2004 Impalas had blowers.

 

I'm a Dodge guy. Like my Ram. Hemi engine, ordered with the tow package and 3.96 rear (believe standard is 3.55). AWD, or obviously 4 hi or low. Can fit my grill, bike or snowblower in the bed. Can haul lumber. Can store my 7' or longer fishing poles in on (on an angle). But mostly I "need" a truck to haul my boat (or, since I sold my boat, hauling my business partner's boat since his GMC took a crap on him at 210,000 miles). Most of the boats I am hauling are 4,000# plus. While the Honda or those other little trucks out there (Nissan Frontier, Toyota Tacoma) have the rating to haul, I like having a larger truck, brakes, etc. Just feels more comfortable.

At least we know who won Ford vs. Chevy. NSFW

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfHtcUZXljw

 

I'm on my 3rd 4Runner, all 4x4 SR5's. Last one I had I gave to my daughter when she was in high school, sold it when she went to collage with 305k miles on it and running fine. Some kid around town is still driving it. The one I have now has 220k and runs like a top. These are not babied suv's, they have towed my boat and bike trailers all over the country and been in many mountains and swamps. When I need a pick up truck I just borrow a friends, seems like everyone has one. I do my own maintenance and the only repairs have been a new AC evaporator and brake MC.

 

Yes. Absolutely. An unmarked car would have made the difference. Actually we had many of that vintage Caprice with tbe Corvette drive train on them. They moved along quite nice and handled surprisingly well for a car that size. When those went out of production and we were left with Crown Vics and Impalas, both crap, HQ authorized total over haul front to back and top to bottom of the Caprices. That didn't work out though. Now they are driving fucking Tauruses. Don't know why they haven't gone to the Charger like other police forces. Even the Charger 6 cylinder is a peppy car. I managed a fleet of those with the police package when I worked with Transit Security. Liked those cars.

 

Did you have those nifty wheels and lift package too?

Seattle had some Mustangs that were kind of a blue/gray-grey hue that were unmarked. CHP at one time had some Dodges fitted with race suspension or close to it, roll cages, real bucket seats and bigass engines.

Then ya got cop cars in Dubai..

 

We had Mustangs back in the 80's and 90's. But they were not as good as the Camaros, performance or holding the road. I was going across a bridge that was a little uneven surfaced at an undisclosed speed code 3. By time I reached the other side of the 150 foot long bridge, the car was about 45 degrees to the roadway. Those Mustangs wheel base was far to short for me.

The Dodges came with a police package. The prisoner screen, also called silent partners, had the roll bar built in. Never tested their capabilities out. Well so did the rest of them which included beefed up alternators, brakes and suspension and cooling systems. That's why the hacks would buy them after we were done with them. For 7 years I worked out in the back country so had a Suburban that was just a normal 4X4 1500 chassis. But you could make one of those dance nicely too when you learned the capabilities of the truck.

Loved working out in the mountains in the wilderness. All I had to worry about was the odd Grizzly who would wander into our area from the interior and falling down embankments and no one knowing where I was.
The city bitches would never be able to find me even if I was able to tell them. I was definitely on my own out there. The bastards drew me back into the city though so I went to the Freeway Patrol. Fewer ever complaining bitches there.

 

Working in the back country must have been cool Randy. Like getting paid to be on vacation. Did you pack a fishing rod with you?

 

Nah. Here, Mounties actually have all authorities any enforcement agency has, So in fact, we were also Forrest Rangers, Park Rangers and Fish and Wildlife Officers to name just a few of hundreds. I am sure you know how many people we would tend to run into out there and to be seen with a rod and reel would be kinda...unprofessional. Besides. As much as I like fishing I really suck at it. Had all the boats and gear when in Campbell River and couldn't catch salmon if my life depended on it. The basic prerequisite in Campbell River to be a successful salmon fisherman was to breath. But i did know the back country very well. Still have all my Military prepared topographical maps.

This is bringing back really fond memories. I think I am going to cry.......

 

I'm the opposite when it comes to fishing. I'm a fish magnet. lol Been addicted to it since I was 2.