One thing about opinions - everyone has one. My friends usually say "Wow, what a great looking bike!" when they see mine. I think you will find most people on this forum think the VN 750 is a very cool bike. Part of it's charm for some is that early 1980's look. What's really important is what you think about the bike, not what your friends think. As for updating - what does that really mean? For some, updating means to make it look like a custom chopper. For others it may mean to make it look like a speedy crotch rocket. And still others may simply opt for a new paint job or some extra chrome accessories. The VN750 doesn't have as many ready-made accessories on the market as a lot of other bikes, so you may have to use your imagination a bit to "update" it.