A lot of that still proves my point that there are more differences than common traits.

There are nits that could be picked about some of those commonalities as well, for example if you want to say they're both air cooled then that is true, however one bike has a cylinder that obstructs air flow to the other while the other bike gets equal air flow to both (granted oil flow routes help the obstruction issue, but it's still a significant difference). Even the five speed comparo is subject to differences, considering how the Iron head era Sporties had the shifter on the other side of the engine.

They're both motorcycles, and that's what makes them both great.

All P-47 Thunderbolts were also air-cooled, but they're just a tad different than Rebels as well. 😊

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Point taken..

Might have been a different story comparing the Rebel 450 to the 250..
Then again, the 450 can also be argued as being quite a bit different..
Found one local and the owner was surprised I knew anything about the 450.

The differences between the different models must be why we buy multiple bikes..

The Honda Nighthawk 250 has more power, torque, speed and handles quite different..
Kinda beat this subject to death..

Has anyone heard from BuickGuy, FliteControl and Fridge?

They don't seem to be active on any of the forums.
Hope all is well.

I wish they still made Nighthawk and Rebel 450's..one of those would be my next purchase. But since they don't, I may stick with my Rebel 250.

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Don't worry, there are plenty of the replacement VTX1800s available to compensate for the lack of Nighthawks. That's what happens when you replace something that sells with something that doesn't.

Ha...no kidding!

For a guy my size (5'7" if I stretch, and 155 lbs.), I sure as heck don't need or want an 1,800 cc bike. Heck, a 500 cc is PLENTY big and powerful enough for me. They must just not make enough on them to be happy! Maybe I'll have to look at a KTM 390 Duke or Ducati Scrambler Sixty2 (but so expensive!)!

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They made plenty of them, the problem is nobody WANTED them. Honda pulled every plug they could to force that stellar sales turd onto an unwanting market, up to and including the discontinuation of any bike that out performed and/or outsold it just to try and get buyers attracted to it by default. Naturally it backfired in every possible negative way it could...from losing significant market share to the other four major marks and dealers getting stuck with unwanted stock. The latter was so severe that dealers marked their leftover models down to $8K (from their original $15K new MSRP) since they were stuck with numerous 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 models. I kid you not, they actually had multiple selections of multiple model years, all at a super savings half price for a brand new bike.

Care to take a stab at what that did to used bike values? Never mind the usual value drop of a new bike when it rolls off the lot, if a leftover new one with no miles is $8K what does that make the poor slob's $15K new one he bought last year worth? What does it make the $10K "good used deal" worth? People would have rather blown $6K on a new 600 Shadow or 750 Magna before a used 1800 when it came to resale value. Naturally Honda solved that problem as well by discontinuing the 600 Shadow & 750 Magna, since they impeded on their new and used 1800 sales. Might I mention they discontinued those bikes on the very year they ballyhooed a great anniversary recognition of the Shadow and Magna families? "We have something REALLY special planned for 2008 as it hails the 25th anniversary of the Shadows and Magnas! Care to guess what that will be? WE'RE KILLING BOTH LINES OFF!!!" After all why bother selling an extra 2K units of anniversary editions (on top of the typical 5-10K annual sales of each model) when they can't even move half of their 2K unit per year model?

Not to spin off towards anything political --- Trump has tagged NAFTA as the "worst possible deal ever", he would probably tag Honda's 1800 marketing strategy as the "second worst deal ever".

Ironically the VTX died in a similar celebratory fashion. When Honda announced the closure of the Marysville plant (where the Gold Wings & VTXes were produced) they promised those models could be more efficiently produced at a significant savings in their home market. At least this time they were telling the truth, because the 2010+ VTX ended up costing $0 per unit to (not) manufacture.

Yeah, I know the basics of the story (but certainly not the details)...but it doesn't change the fact that I am one of the very small market of consumers who would nevertheless actually love to buy one, if they still made them. 😊 But I'm not interested in used, extinct models of that vintage. Like I said, the market for 350-500 cc bikes (other than sport or dual sport) seems limited. I realize WHY, but I wish there were a broader selection.

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That's the problem, the VTX ushered in the cubic inch wars. In doing so people lost sight of the former mid-sized models (which are now considered small models, because someone came along that was much bigger than Mike Tyson thus making Tyson a middle weight...it makes perfect sense when you don't think about it).

Just to show how far Honda's ignorance stretched, the 750 Nighthawk died shortly after the debut of the 1800. Meanwhile the 250 soldiered on, however due to the Rebel's "more bang for the buck" lower MSRP the 250 Nighthawk became a showroom pariah. Dealers had a difficult time moving a more expensive bike that lacked the popular cruiser styling while at the same time was boasting a less efficient drum brake up front (meanwhile European CB250 models had made the switch to a disc brake up front a decade earlier). It got to the point that dealers simply would not order a CB250 unless someone put a deposit down for one, it actually became the only model that the VTX outsold (if only because there was nothing to sell).

So this is where Honda really gets a brilliant idea. Hot on the heels of several MC magazine articles that ran fuel economy comparisons hailing the CB250 with upwards of 80mpg at a time when gas was fetching north of $4 per gallon --- mind you, this was all free and positive advertising for Honda's product --- Honda does what they did best during the reign of the VTX: they nixed the model everyone who read the articles came in asking about.

While I never took a single marketing class in college, I marvel at how these decisions could ever possibly be above my pay grade...

On a side note, you have any suggestions for a NEW 300-450 cc bike that is not a sport or dual sport (I prefer a cruiser or good-looking standard/classic)? The Yamaha R3 looks interesting, but they don't make a naked version. The CB300F seems a bit weak on power (and is actually only a 286 cc or whatever). As I said, the Duke and Sixty2 look interesting, but $$$$$$$$.

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