It is not all roses. I'm on my 2nd BA. Triumph took the first one back (a red 03) after many months in the shop in less than a year for leaks, severe knocks, and assorted other crap and ended up having to give me another one (a green 04, not a pretty story).
If you want something a little different with the odds of getting a problem bike a bit higher, get a Triumph.
1 Meriden Triumph and 2 of 3 Hinckley Triumphs have served me well.
But you have to do the numbers. If you want bulletproof, the odds are better with a Jap bike. There are a zillion of them so you'll get a good one for sure.
So get a Jap bike. I've had a few, they're great.
But don't expect strangers to regale you with stories of "Back in the 60's I had a Honda just like that"... and just this past weekend, true story, after riding 3500 miles, and taking a lunch break at a rest stop near Philly, a French (I think French) tourist chick walked past my buddy's Connie and asked if she could take a picture of my grubby, dirty, loaded Triumph. That's worth something. Well, I think so anyway.
