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K, so having spent the last 20ish years away playing other games the new edition has me digging out my old 40K stuff again. Having read a little bit it seems that in 7th ed it was all about the Scatter bikes. Having looked over the new index though it seems like (for craftworld at least, Ynnead may still be better with scatterbikes) shuriken cannons are the way to go. Battle focus allows you to move 6" extra negating half the range difference, and then shoot with no penalty meaning both should average 2 hits (1/2 of 4 shots bs 2/3 of 3 shots). With otherwise identical profiles the potential for extra AP on some of the shuriken cannons' shots means they should average more damage against any target, no?

Advancing has no drawback here unless you are planning on charging (and why would you tie up the bikes like that unless you were certain to destroy the enemy unit?) and you have sufficient range that being charged back shouldn't be a concern most of the time. I guess you are more likely to be caught it range of the enemies return fire, but most heavy weapons is just as likely to hit you at 36" as 24" (assuming you are even at max range) and most assault/rapid fire weapons can close the gap easily enough anyway.

Does this seem accurate, or is everyone off jetbikes now anyway?

Your assessment seems pretty solid. Jetbikes have fallen out of favour for 3 reasons. Firstly, they are no longer Troops but this matters less in 8th edition. Secondly they no longer have a 3+ save but this is balanced by an extra wound. Thirdly Scatter bikes are no longer the vehicle-killers they were in 7th edition.

Having said that they are still a solid choice in 8th. One reason why you might want to charge is in order to tie up an enemy shooty unit. If they do not have the "Fly" keyword, they will be unable to shoot if they withdraw from combat whereas you will be able to withdraw the jetbikes in your turn and shoot quite happily. Of course Jetbikes are nothing special in combat so make sure you do not assault anything too dangerous.

Yep, Windriders are definitely more balanced now, thank goodness. I've played at least 12 in almost every army list for the past 8 years and got tired of being "TFG" just for playing the models that made me love the army in the first place

That said, they are much harder to use now. I am thrilled that the Shuricannon is the better option now. Even in 7E, the Shuricannon had a higher damage average against high T models with at least a 3+ armour. But since stripping Hull points was a thing and you needed more shots in general, the Scatter laser was the better overall choice.
Now that all vehicles are high T and decent saves, the Shuricannon now outshines the Scatter, which is great for bike since the Shuricannon is more of their signature weapon

I wouldn't put too much stock in Battle Focus though. It is great for sure and I thought is was awesome at first too, but with Fortune Seers and Autarchs nearby, taking -1 to hit isn't that big a deal on the RARE occasion that you absolutely need to Advance. 16" move is usually enough to get in range of what you want to shoot.
Taking Ynnari Bikes to get Soulburst is more effective. Run the bikes in pairs, or neat chaff units like Razorwing Flocks, and you can trigger a Soulburst to punish your opponent for killing your units.

I am also holding my breath for the Craftworld codex to make <Saim-Han> bikes Troops again, or to give them some special bonus.

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