I have to vote with Derek on this one, though perhaps with slightly less vehemence (I wouldn't have wanted anyone to "put a bullet on me" yesterday, when I sat on a Roadliner in the showroom).
I was in my local HonYam dealer yesterday to buy a pair of gloves, and they had a new Roadliner. My impression was that Yam's design department had gone berserk. Art deco is one thing; but this monstrosity was encrusted with every design element ever invented. Any part that could be fussed with was  to the max.
About the Star identity: The history of japanese products in the U.S. is that first they're ignored; then they're laughed at; then they're despised; then they're accepted; and finally, they're lauded. The first Hondas in the US went through that, as did the first Subarus and Nissans. Last I heard, they were doing quite well.
I think the same thing will happen with the Star brand, for the Japanese are nothing if not persistent.
And just as today there are those who would rather drive the worst European or American car than the best Japanese car, there will always be those who won't drive a Japanese bike. But their intrinsic quality and value will win over a huge chunk of American bike buyers, and guess what? The Japanese won't care one bit about the others. They know no one who rides a H-D will ever ride a HonYam, but so what? And as for HonYams charging H-D prices...they're not quite there yet, but when they are, they'll do it because they can. They did the same thing with their cars, when they brought out the Lexus brand and priced it right up there with Mercedes and BMW.
For myself, I'll stick with the American and European brands. But the Star brand is a genius move on their part, and like it or not, it will succeed, and in a big way.
