Great points, and your other post too. However, while Motley was certainly not the band to try to be like at that point, that kind of rock/metal/pop (whatever you call it) was slowly making its mark. Quiet Riot were big then, Ozzy was making a mark, at least on the road, and of course Van Halen were in the midst of their classic era. For me, Bon Jovi's music is much closer to those bands at that time than it was to anything Motley Crue or indeed Journey was doing.

Anyway, seeing you describe it as near powermetal is somethng I had never considered, but am certainly doing so now. I haven't listened to 7800 for sometime, but will have to get back to it because now I am hearing it all power metal and stuff. Of course, that was before powermetal was really a thing.