With my CPE units, my biggest problem is also power factor. As described the unit sometimes doesn't seem to try and spool up the engine, and instead just overloads and trips. With loads of a more resistive nature, I find the gas engine is the biggest limiting factor, primarily because I'm generally at altitude. Last weekend we spent 4 days at the campground in Cedar breaks NM, which is somewhere in the neighborhood of 10300 feet or so. Both generators took several pulls to get started, and wouldn't start if I choked them at all. The yellow one would bog down engine wise and trip after 10 seconds or so when I tried to run the microwave. The red (Newer) unit wouldn't trip, the engine would bog down bad and the voltage output dropped down to about 92 volts and stayed there until I shut off the microwave after 15 seconds.
So far, with my current TT I've never had the 55 amp convertor output more than 13.6 volts, so I don't know if I can power it in boost. Either generator has so far been able to charge my batteries on it's own, even at altitude.
Regarding the Honda generators, most of the ones I've seen in use seem to struggle engine wise at altitude as well, much more than the Yamaha units I've seen seem to do. You can get altitude jets for both however which helps, and they don't seem to be as fussy in actual use.
