As much as I hate to say it (having been a Honda man all my life), there are a lot of (i.e. most) market segments where I think Honda has really dropped the ball.
For example:
Supersports: The CBR600RR hasn't been updated since Noah got off the ark. Yes, there's an argument about the validity of the Supersport class, but still...
Touring: The new (2018+) Gold Wing is a nice bike, but I think it really missed the mark as a flagship tourer. Smaller tank, WAY smaller luggage (I mean, it's not even close), less luxurious seating accommodations... it's no longer a touring bike designed for the way that the Gold Wing used to be designed to tour. It's for that reason that I bought a leftover dealer stock 2016 GL1800. I've personally met owners of the 2018+ who have complained about the less comfortable seating and lack of storage, and who have actually traded in their bikes to go back a generation.
Superbike: The new CBR1000RR-RRR-R is nice, but to get the full-on maximum performance, you have to pay an incredibly stupid amount of money. To have a bike at the same price level as its competition, you have to buy the "old" CBR (still available), which is a significant step down in performance compared to the competition.
Adventure: The Africa Twin is either underpowered and under-spec'd compared to the mega ADV's, or under-spec'd and overpriced compared to the middleweights. No electronic cruise, no shaft drive offerings, heavily biased toward off-road... where's the Honda for people who like the GS or Super Tenere style of ADV/long-distance tourer?
Middleweight standards: Honda's 500cc parallel twin is well engineered and reliable, but as dull as ditch water. Nothing Honda puts it in is anything that lights anyone's fire. The CBR650 is nice, but way overpriced compared to Yamaha and Kawasaki offerings in the same segment.
Sportbikes: The only offering is the VFR800, which is expensive, underpowered, poorly marketed, and little more than a refresh of the design that's been around ever since the VTEC version was first released.
I could go on, but my basic point is that Honda used to be the performance and excitement leader. Bikes like the original CB750, CBX, Interceptor, Gold Wing, CBR600's (originally)... these all used to be forward-thinking leaders in their segments. Honda used to create bikes that set the tone that the other manufacturers followed. Nowadays, "Honda" has become practically synonymous with "boring" and "several years late to the party". In the grand scheme of things, it feels like Honda is more interested in selling hundreds of thousands of stamped-out small bikes to southeast Asia, and only gives enough passing thought to larger bikes in Western markets to not completely concede those markets to the competition. The last bike Honda made that excited me - honestly - was the ST1300 (which is why I own one). I recently bought a GL1800, but not because it *excited* me, as much as I bought it for it's reputation for durability, being well-sorted, highly competent as a tourer, and because I wanted something that my wife would enjoy with me. My ST1300 was an emotional purchase, my GL1800 was a rational one. Honda just doesn't make lustworthy bikes anymore.
(BTW, I realize that I got derailed. Congrats on the new bike! The Tracer 900GT is a nice ride,one that I considered myself!)
