Interesting comments in this thread, also.
I've been known to blast Honda on Honda forums, Harley Davidson on HD forums, and Royal Enfield on RE forums, and to defend each of them on other forums. It just comes with the first amendment idea. It also doesn't seem fair to do otherwise, there's no one ready to defend the brand on an opposite forum, which almost always happens on the home forum.
I just know that whenever a person has the feeling that there is a "cool" factor about any product, especially with motorcycles, that factor is almost always subjective, and has a dollar value than transcends objectivity. Harley Davidson has made a living out of that idea, and so does Royal Enfield.
It's a debate that can NEVER be reconciled, and depending upon perspectives, what is cool about two different machines can be viewed as outdated or glitzy, silly or rogueish, genuine or primitive, soulless or noisy, fast without purpose or slow without purpose, excessive feel or insufficient feel, overpriced or not enough for the money..........
I have no doubts at all concerning the reasons why the Japanese can make a product that is less expensive than what other companies charge, and I also understand the importance of tradition.
But I'd bet my last dollar than none of the Japanese companies have any disrespect for other companies' traditions, it's just that they are convinced they can build an objectively better machine for less money, which is a tradition in itself. Mr Honda's company has a slogan that states "performance first", and it tries mightily to stick to it.
The brand that comes to mind is Ferrari, which has as passionate a following as any in the world of internal combustion engined machines. That obsession also commands a dear price, often far more than other, objectively similar products. However, the price is tempered by the fact that Ferrari is often at the cutting edge of technology, which balances the cost differential.
I also have no doubt that it would be a very straightforward task for a Japanese manufacturer to build a bike that had all the right cues to give it a vintage Brit bike look and feel, but why would they want to do that, since the end result would still be a very low (relatively) volume machine? Remember, Honda once built a 45 degree V that kicked a lot of long entrenched (HD) rear ends on AMA dirt tacks for several years, until it decided it should do something else, and that Honda recently celebrated its 50 millionth Cub, which is barely distinguishable from a 1964 model.
I guess small volume machines are best (from an economics point of view) built by smaller companies and not by big companies. But as far as Japanese machines being "commuter-econo bikes", keep in mind that for someone who truly loves that machine for its own form of individuality, that there is nothing like it.
And although I am proud of the unique factor of my RE and sidecar, and the smiles and waves from other bikers, motorists, and even pedestrians when I drive it, I also understand the position of a young man I recently met and talked to, who had a Suzuki S40 that was old enough to be called a Savage; it was obvious he thought his machine was the best thing since sliced bread. And let's don't forget the line from the movie "The Long Hot Summer" in which the comment is made, "one man's tonic is another man's poison."
I like my RE, I like my Honda, I like my Harley, I just wish they would all read each others' books more often; if they did, all their products would be improved, and we'd all be the better off for it.