sup. bum; 311500001mo40130 'llllllllilllllllllllllllllll'llllll Ill! !||||!!|il|||\|ll|l|' 51W“ FM) End Johnslown- Monroe HS 01399 L .l V . I ' NES OF THE ’605, ’705, éflsandm tRBIKE “ms THE 3053705. ‘805 and ’90: axOLAND BROWN ()1. it pm I‘ul superbike you )ut on your own. hattling against both the marhin and th . ' the wind at our body; , ' perhaps even the knees ofyourl ' ' '. touel the r 'td sut at on tight bends. You feel the sun and the rain, and i ‘you‘re ln( yyou smell the diesel up ahead hel‘ore it tip you off. 'l‘hese eeling. of fear and exhilaration (‘an only he felt on the world‘s leading motor tel Stl/Il’l‘th ii a stunning full-color tribute to over 50 l' the gr I motort dneed from the 1960s to the l ‘e Ea in it: own unique x leap forward in the history of motor engineering. '1 1e hi es featured here are part of a seler‘t hand of machines built by companies det ated to high te superb performance and innovative de- of ‘anking manu- ,tur l , n ar 1 Vt, ‘ld, both big and small, are u .luded in th' la\' 1 volun Harley-David on and Buell in the United States lrinmph and Harris in '3 11 Britain; BhIVV in German Benelli, Bimota and Moto Gu' the Japanese firms ofllonda. Kau Suzuki and Yamaha. liaeh ol‘the supe il\,s t profiled in detail with an informative and lively text written hy a motor .( ngjoui‘nali,t and 4. r2 lle r ount each mot re} . origin . its handling (‘hararteristi hoth g 0d and had 7 and subsequent modifications and dcvelt )ments. A handy reference ho. recordin the hike s spe 1t 1ions (engine. pow vei ht.top speed and so on) a ' )mpani' ea ‘11 entry Stunning photographs ofthe snperhikes, hot h posed and in action, captui e the Sty - i ', beauty and power of these dream motor yele. t\ll in all, this hook s a fit, ' 4 modern ured by \Iany of the phn . aphs in this book ' tttkt-n b David Goldman. who has wtahhshed a r putation ' one of the r" "s lt-ading A'YPIHHEIIIS ol' the art of il‘ga ntotoit t lt‘ on film A number , "\Ps were pholOU'I‘aphE‘d on lora- ll. \ing llll" book a un qne ‘ I Digitized by the Intern rchiv in 2018 with funding om KahIe/Austin Foundation https://archive.org/detaiIs/superbikesroad SUPERBIKES. ROAD MACHINES OF THE ’608, ’708, ’805 and ’905 I Publhlxcd b} (IUAKIWLLL BOOKS‘ 1M. \ Diumm ”mom; SALLS» INC. 110 l‘ “'11) ' Avenue k w x '07094 J . (i l’rodnccd by Sct'zuu: Brampton Book: Corp 13 Sherwood Place Greenwich. C’I 068140 (:opyxagm © 1993 Btomplon Books Corp. \ll righ s tesen’fll. )0 part of this publication may he repmduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, . , photocopying or otherwise, / ‘ without first obtaining the written permission ofthe cop} xighllowner. ISBN 1-55521-36fll Printed in Italy Page 1: The beautiful lines of the Buell RSI200, a stylish and innovative machine. Pages 2-3: The Kawasaki ZXR750 captured taking a corner, These pages: The Magni Sfida, capable ofa top speed of 140mph‘ Contents Triumph Trident 750 8 Honda CB750 10 Kawasaki Z1 12 Kawasaki 750 H2 14 BMW R905 15 Benelli 750 Sci 16 MV Agusta 7508 America 18 Ducati 90058 20 Laverda Jota 1000’ 22 Moto Guzzi 850 Le Mans 24 Harley-Davidson XLCR1000 26 Suzuki GS1000 28 Yamaha X51100 30 Honda CBX1000 32 Harris Magnum 34 Moto Martin 35 Kawasaki Z1300 36 Honda CB1100R 38 Honda CX500 Turbo 40 Suzuki GSXllOOS Katana 42 Kawasaki GP2900R 44 Yamaha FJ1100 46 Yamaha F2750 47 Suzuki GSX-R750 48 Yamaha VMX1200 V-Max 50 Suzuki GSX-R1100 52 Honda VFR750F 54 Bimota DB1 56 Honda CBR1000F 58 ’ Introduction 6 Yamaha FZR1000 60 Honda CBR600F 62 Honda RC30 64 Ducati 851 65 BMW K1 66 Kawasaki ZXR750 68 Buell RSI200 70 Yamaha FZR600 72 Kawasaki ZZ-R1100 74 Norton F1 76 Honda VFR750FL 78 Magni Sfida 1100 79 Bimota Bellaria 80 Suzuki GSX-R1100L 82 Yamaha FZR1000RU 83 Triumph Trophy 1200 84 Ducati 90088 86 Goodman HDS 1200 88 Bimota Tesi 1D 90 Triumph Trident 900 92 Storz Harley-Davidson XR883 94 Moto Guzzi Daytona 1000 96 Honda NR750 98 Barigo 600 Supermotard 100 Ducati 888SPS 102 Suzuki GSX-R7 50W 104 Laverda 650 106 Bimota Furano 108 Honda CBR900RR FireBlade 110 Index and Acknowledgments 112 INTRODUCTION Right: The power and the glory. xiv Agustn’s mighty foureeylinder 7505 engine of the Seventies was ( veloped from the Italian iirm s all- conquering raring machines. ‘Super’ is a word that is too often usetl to describe the mediocre, but it rings true when put in front of ‘bike’ to give superbik in e the Seventies, when the tertn became popu- lar, superhtke has been used to define a select hand of machines dedicated to high technology, high performance and the high excitement ofbiking at the redline. No other roadrgoing vehicle has come close to providing the exhil- aration that superbike riders have enjoyed over the years. 'I he top bikes’ awesome power-to—weight ratios give acceler- ation that makes even the best contemporary sportscars seem sluggish. Ilonda’s C3750 ruled the roads in its day, and the modern (JBRQOORR I“ireBla(Ie screams from 0 to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds 7 twice as fast as a Lamborghini. ()n a superhike you’re out there in the elements, too, not (:ossetetl behind steel and glass. The wind tears at your shoulders. Your boots, perhaps even the knees ofyour leath- ers. iourh asphalt through the bends. You feel the .sun or the rain 7 and ifyou‘rt' lurk), you smell the diesel on the road up ahead before it tips you off. Danger is never far away on a superhike, and for man} riders that‘s part ofthe thrill. These sensations are not remotely new, because superbikes existed long before the term was coined. You could argue that the lirst ever motorbike, n QGrlcc single built by German engineer Hottlieh Daimler in 1885, was pretty ‘super’ itself. Only two at! s later the British lirnt Holden produced a hike with four ‘. 'c rs and a capacity of 104- :(3. , :l ‘Iilyyt‘ztrs ofthis rentury, Curopean manufacturers a at t it and IN were tzompeting with American firms Right: Ducati’s watereonled, eight-valve 851 V-twin heralded a new era for the once-troubled Bologna factory, laying the foundation for huge road and track success in the Nineties. Below right: Suzuki’s GSX- R750 race-replica dominated the late Eighties and i in popular now, thanks to its thrilling blend of power, light weight and singleminded sporting intent. Indian and Henderson to build singles, fours and big-bore V-twins, 'l'hose machines must have provided serious ex- citement in the days ofunmade roads, bicycle-style tires and no suspension — not to mention the absence ofcrash-helmets and leathers. The definitive early roadster was Britain’s Brough Superior, a thundering V-twin that was capable ofa genuine 100 mph in the Thirties. In subsequent years many of the best bikes were 500cc single machines mimicking the trend in road-racing like the Manx Norton, BSA Gold Star and Velocette Venom. In the Forties and Fifties, the dominant British manu- facturers" best-loved design was the parallel twin. Most suc- cessful were Triumph’s 500cc Speed Twin and its legendary derivative. the Bonneville, and Norton’s Dominator, which grew into the famous Commando. More impressive still was the Vincent Black Shadow, a powerful and hugely expensive 99811: V-Iwin with a top speed of over I20 mph. These are the bikes that set the scene for the machines covered in the following pag While the British manu- facturers stagnated in the Sixties, theJapanese were waiting in the wings refining their small bikes in preparation to take over the main event. They arrived at full throttle in the Seventi sparking a spirited response from older manu- f' irers, particularly tht 'e in Italy. The result was a wide variety ofstunning hikes displaying spiraling sophistication and performance. ’l'here’s that word performance again. More than anything else, that’s what all of the superbikcs in this book are about. TRIUMPH TRIDEN T 750 l'he threwrylinrler l'rident epitomized motorcycling shil‘t olpnw‘cr in the late Sixties away from oldvstyle British paral~ lel twins toward the tie in 1968 the Trident was l‘ast7 line-handling and arguably the er superhike. But it lacked the r ' _ the re- liability and the sheer glamor of Honda (33730 which arrived a year later to take the wind out 01' the British htke’s sail. — and its silk . Typically. BSA rittmph (formed by a merger between the two mmpan u) did not rapitalize quickly enough on the three-cylinder lormat, w illL‘ll had been mooted b) engineers liert llopwood and Doug Hele several years earlier. By the time the hike was put into production, its pushrod Val\e operation. drum brakes and lack ofelect ric start were on the \erge olbecorning old fashioned, The 60hhp triple, hott'eter, was certainly no slouch. The laetnry initially produced two separate models, the Triumph Trident 1150 and the BSA Rock near~identical apart from the Rorkt. i ’s angled-Forward engine. Both were capable of close to lZOmph, with acceleration to match and a tlirillingly hi‘ 'h»pitched exhaust wail. world olilapanese Fours, Launched first I which were Triples dominated tlte racetraeks in the early Seventiesi The Meriden factory’s hikes Iinished first. second and third at Daytona in 1971 (Dick Mann winning, as he had the year before on a Honda), and in the follmting seasons notched up dozens of tictories at the hands of riders such as john Cooper. Ray l’iekrell and Percy ait. The most famous triple was the production racer nicknamed ‘Slippery Sam,’ which “on consecutive isle of Man TTs from 1971 to 1975. Roadster development did not always benefit from the fac- tory’ acting commitments, and was further hampered by the firm’s growing financial problems. One Variation, the X-75 Hurricane, was a custom bike with high bars, a sleek one- piece seat-tank unit and three mufflers aligned up its right side. Stylish, yes ~ but expensive, impractical and years ahead ofils time in 1973. The 'l'rident’s first serious revision did not come until 1975 with the T160, which combined handsome new looks of its own with m'erdue relinements such as an electric start and disc brakes. The 125mph T160 was the definitive British superbike, but it still lacked the speed and sophistication] of oftlte currentjapanese opposition. And, to make i we ., it could do nothing to reverse Triumph’s headlong slide Inward financial disaster. Engine Atrcooled 6»va1ve pushrod transverse triple Capacity 740cc Claimed power Weight 60bhp at USO-rpm 2091€Lr 100m9h (ISOkm/h) Right' Despite the liner 1—160 Iideu hmdamné looks and thn ling performance, Iva triple rould do nothing 10 p1 rvrul 'Ixiumplfs flmm n] dvclima Below ri ht: Adding an vlodrh .xrler ,me 1 ne- T160 Tliden mom; a no“ lump ol'lill' uixhoux It it distinct e [hier- Chmaclrr or I‘thml mm. . lvm' ' \n, A fit ~hmidlingmd n'm' bu! lu ed the (237:; refined {991. HONDA CB750 Honda’s 750rl'our was the original superbike; the machine that redeiined the limits ol'motoreyele pert‘ormanee almost overnight. Actually born in tlte Sixtit‘siit was unveiled at the 'l okyo Show in October 1968. and released in limited num- bers the following yeat 7 the (78750 dominated tlte early Seventies and had a hugt‘ inlluenee on tlte maehines that l'olr lowed it. Until the arrival ol'the Hon da, with its broad bank or aiteooled eylittders and four shitting mul‘llt‘rs, tn' rpror dtteed lour' sitnply did not exist. The UB7.)0 changed all that and went further, ('ombining its basie appeal with a com- petitive priee tltat included refinements such as a disc front brake and electrie starter. It was the Honda’s engine that created all the impaet. The angled-forward 736m: unitis de during Honda’s days or racing tnultire) linder machines in , lthough the roadster relied on a single overhead Camshaft and two valves per eylinde' in eotttrast to the racers with their twin cams and Four valves per pot. The (:15 . s output oft57bhp was mighty impre thottg as were the smoothness and teliabihty with whieh it was delivered. The CB was designed as an all-rounder, with a View to sales in tlte important American market. but was good for over l20mph despite its high, wide handlebars. Handling, however,was only adequate, with the lif‘X’f)! one steel Frame and harsh suspension later eoming in for eriti- eismi liut in tht‘ excitement of the (Ili‘s arrival Few riders sign used many lessons learnt the Sixtie ve at the time, were put offb) that A espeeially afterveteran l)iek Mann had proved the loo ’s sporting potential by winning at Day tona in 1970. Honda sat on their laurel: a little. bat el} updating the saki lauttehed the faster 900 'e Zl Four 750 even when KHW years later. In faet, the CB was detunt‘d slightly ovrr the years to rcdur with tht‘ sorealled Super Spotts (3375017 7 Complete with flat handlebars, bright yellow paint and a l'our-into-one exhaust emissions. \Vhert Honda tinally revamped it in 1976 ,7 the new bike’s top speed was only llfitnph. 'l'hr‘ single-ram CB750 soldiered on fora lull decade. {inal- ly being replaced by the IG-valve (IB750K7 a dis that combined poor handling with a series of meehanieal rotts bike problems. But the memory or that lirst great superbike re— mains with the faithful. Engine Capacity Claimed power Weight Top speed in 'tph (worm/m Standing quenepmtte . needles, 'tph (team/m Left: The original (‘li730‘s Inset: This intnmeulztte unpteet‘dt‘nted eonthination email was photographed ol'power, I‘L i.tl)ilily and for Honda‘s hrot’httr-‘s when sophistieaiion led lo the new. It still runs petl‘eeth term ‘supetbike" being and turns pleat} ol heads, coined in its honor. UH‘I ZII )(‘rll‘s latet. KAWASAKI Zl [lone maehine summed up the spirit othexenties superhik— ing, it \t as Kawasakik /17 which burst on to the srene in 1973 and dominated the deeade with a performance that put it streets ahead ~ often literallyi ol‘tlie opposition. The lirst big ‘Xed’ was a landmark tiiotorcyelg raising the speed stakes to new heights and establishing a reputation for brute power and reliability that Kawasaki has retained to this day. The [1‘s earl) story is one oiitritimph ox er near disaster. In the tall 011968, lx'attasaki's engineers ttere dismayed “11C“; \iith their own plans for a radical iourreylintler 750 well adxaneed‘ they were suddenly confronted by Honda's (7875 . naiiied '\e\\ York Steak' 7 hut, instead, they learnt all they iki considered scrapping their project, code- coult’l horn the Honda, enlarged their own twinwamshaft engine to litifii (1‘ and returned four )ears later with the Z1. ‘1 lie \\£“il and the e\tra work were nortlitthile, because the tx'imitsaki ,i {is it better hike in almost every wavi [ts hig motor put otit It‘ll” p m Honda, and \r‘ it top speed of IZOinph. It was smooth, it was tractable and it \\(t\ almost tinhtirstahle. 'l'uners arid racers 7 li'ilthp more than the single enough to '4 adopted it in dunes, and llrliiist‘d bikes were soon Com- peting successfully at eyer) level li‘oni eltih—raeing to the international enthtritntit- events. lint there was nint it more to the [1 than simply an engine. illtt) hike's rounded styling was striking, its handling was “(71501131116 (though when ptisherl hard the Kawa could get t. Winslt out of shape)7 and it was e\ en fairly comfortable fit tlte high handlebars. lhe inescapable conclusion unipzn in: ( $7.30 with Z1wns:"1heKingis dead. Long 1» ingf Such was the perlorinanre of the Kawasaki Above: it looked right and it was right. 'l'he Z1 matehed slick styling trith a 903cc twin0«pn Wetght 2 i 5kg (47%;) wet Top speed ‘ i 25mph (zoom/n) Standing quartenmiic i 'a ZSer/thmph ( i 68km/b) Above: A set otpantiiers \«as the natural add 'on to BNH‘VK l‘l‘lil](‘(l t pxniw. \tliit‘hjlislilit‘tl its ‘titite high price \\ilh pt‘t‘l‘lt'ss [All— nnind performance. Le l'lie REMJS‘s t’tlt’kpil (hiring and distiiit'tit e P.\i1|t\\t)t‘l\umtlL‘lllL‘ Buyiiriun timer one ol the most hiintlstinie bikes on the road, .is well as ont- ol the best. Far left: l\tt\\£).~itl\| s Hz “as thi- dctinitixe ltigllr perl’oimaiiw l\\()<\|l\)l\(' ol' tht- |Hitl-t\t'\(‘nlit‘5i lean. Ioiitl. smelly. tllltst} and i|l7()\(‘ .ill nintagmusly fast. BENELLI 750 SEI Beuclli’s 730 Sei was the bike ihal seemed In have ii alli Back- ing up its unique ailraclion ol'six c) linders wiih sharp sl) ling and ilic lialian manufaeiurer’s world pedigree, the Sci lmasied a specificaiinn as impressive as its shiny mufllers. 'lhe Sci was an inieresiing [mass of coniradiciinns. hs 748cc engine was lhe world’s first modern roadrgoing six, hui ii coniaincd liulc ilLlV‘dllCL‘d enginc 'ing 'and produced a fairl) vnndcsi 71 blip. A common criticism was ihal lhc SOHC lump was simply one‘and-a-halfHonda CBSOOefour momrs, lhough ilial was I101 imall)‘ fair. l'he ltalian facimy had plcniy ofengineei ing pedigree oflheir own, having won a 230cc world mad-race Iitle as recenil)‘ as 1969. l'or a six. Il‘lC engine was commendably narrow, measuring jusi an inch wider across the crankcascs than Honda’s (115750. ‘lhc trio of dualrmanifold DelliOrlo carbs lefl lhe rider plenl} nfknee-room. as well as providing crisp ihrntile response and plL‘J’H} ()fsvnoolll vnidrange torque. But iis mp speed was anniher maiter. \Vith a large fromal area, ihc sufilyiuned Benelli could hart-,1) whee ~ pasi llimph. The Sei’s chassis slinwed theJapane usi whai could he done with an in~1ine muhi, for despite us big momr ihe Benelli was remarkably nimble. The frame was a slrongcr- thanravcragc sicel cradle, and held higthuality Italian Below and left: The Bcnclli 7:30 Sci shows otl‘ils clcgani lincs. 16 c) ClC—pal‘ls‘. The Marzocchi suspension was \ypically firm and well—damped, the l’irelli Iires gripped well and lhe twin Brenibo front discs gaie powerful braking. Benelli had hoped that Ihe exotic engine layout would make the six hugely popular. But, despite all the flash and the {am ihat ll was klcluklll) a very good bike, the Sci never sold well. Other, more doun-to-carth figures 7 pariicularly its high price and performance — proved more relevant. NeieriheleSs, the Sei stayed in produclion Virtually un- changed unlil the end oflhe decade. The motor was then en- larged to produce the 900 Sei, which had an extra fibhp and a ncal headlamp fairing but only twin mufflers. The 900, 100, Engine Aircooled I2-valve SOHC transverse SlX Capacity 748cc Claimed power 7 l cm: at 890(3er Welght 220g (485Ibs) dry ||8mph< 89mm) | 4SCC/95f‘1pl" ( l 52km/h) Top speed Standing quarter-mile MV AGUSTA 7508 AMERICA l' xl.lu|l(l nrl might four» ihvm vnml rm (vii Pll( .| u marl "nina’umsiuu ufihu lvgvmlzu ‘(mllurulc nrx‘ Ihm wun v\'(:r\ _ Iflm’ Wm LlL'lldIX]l)ll\n,\l|lP{[1111] nul r I} mmnl fmv mount)- ;uld urtr hupv m Inn our 7 but thc [Lw who (lirl k11('\\' ' mvnm’l 1hr ( )cl m n gu-nninv lnululL , "Lind ln‘ix ninncr. had lin‘x in .hut \xhun thv Imlinn mh mu ll“ .\l\' mnrqu , mx \quuri Il‘ml rand r1 ning uhum n rrzplu factor ii '1 prudu 14 fun lindvrm elm in 1907. i1 “(is n [rm and ugl} )0rl(’(’l(1|ll'(‘l‘. 'l‘hL 7 US, rulrtnscd fmlr yum Inn-r, was faster. I) clliur and \l\ ‘5 hr. sporting four, [1 mm thin men Llnunchcd in ll)7'-‘llt)V\'€VCl‘, thulhroughtlhr full Aflfllxlil glor) w the street. Built spumll) m lhc US market nilhm‘cqucsiofihc I‘flpOHCL ('hvn .cthcniimc),in dawned :mrl 51)]sz In r nihlc the machine on which Phil Read had just won _\l\"s ’471h and final world [him I) mimic lines were thun\: ‘(l h} factor '91:: led tnd-bllVCl‘ paintwork, a suede S\ at And. ifrbqu d, in full ll mg. Al the l MV‘s jewel of an engine, it. ideast 21an ir-driwn cumshufl providing ml unm ikablc ng sound from the shiny slmighl-lhml qh pipes (b Jck mufflers offered a quieter ulturnntivyh 'l'hr ilil'(1)0l('(l. 79 cc four \ l, lumpy at low :nlcr nppcixrnm in nnilch \hc u ”VAN/51A £59" 1/ muuth and re musive whrn 1' ing hardJISL nsen 31hLoutputnl'75hhp amt (In: MVrnzumg to over 13I)n1ph. TheAmerica‘s chassis u ' m matt‘} forlt' top—notch -part includiuu ( uni for q and Sm disc bmk ‘ . and in fast h 1d the bike‘s 5) Stem to produce , i 5 faults, the: MV' was a memombl ' bi e to rule. Both [h Amt Ca and ita su Munzu, \ nflop, for flnmu'mll motors \\ . Cnslly in product, pectatinn . B the and ufthc demc abanduncd bike Ln concentrate its resources on hi. 1 'npmr manufactu ug. and a gr ' ' ' ' 4 n}; histrmg had finally cm Cd. Erjgirwe Capacity C‘avmerl pgwcr nghL TOR speed , Sanding quarter-mHe s ”f H wflguu , 9, 1mm“ Hdnrram rnginc lm lhrrl Ihruugh unfihcrcd In-llonu ”bun-Inns : mu". DUCATI 90088 Not so mueh a tare-replica as a genuine raeerwith lights and a speedometer, Dueati‘x 9005.8 nth rolling prool‘ of the beauty that eottld result from a IHUIUIL'} ele designed putelt for speed. Singletninded to the point oflJeing starkl} tuner tional, the booming \'-t\\in hlended traek heritage with a complete altsenr‘e oldiills to ptovide a uniquely intoVieating ride. 'l'lte 90055 was lannr‘hed in 1973 £15 a dmelopmenl oflhe 75055, W itth had been ptodueed to eash itt on Paul Satan’s victor) in the prestigious 1972 ltttola 2001'aee.'l'he Bologna l‘aetonl' had intended to make a small numher of‘street—legal hikes closel} modeled on Smart‘s 730 \‘-t\\ in‘ but the 711055 was so sut shit that they built more1 then holed out the engine to 804cc to produce the 90055. l'ahio Taglioni‘s 907degree \V—tuin had already beeome illt‘ l)ncati tradmttark, \\ilh cylinders set along the line oi' the hike1 bevel gear (hive to the o\ethead moist and dextnor e operation (valves elosed by rams, instead of springs). Sucking itt through huge, unfiltered J:0ntm Del- Iv through Conti pipes, the 900 thundered out torque all the \m} to 8000mm. dromie va I’Orto earl)» and exhalingi Maximum power “as a healthy 79bhp, attd the Dueati‘s lack ofsize and weight \«as a hig help to performance. Cut lean. and lat-king even the luxunj oi'indieatots or an t‘leelrir‘ starter, the 90055 hCfllCd a competitive ti-tlbs. \\it1t its rider gripping elip-ons hehind the silve randrblue hallilaitingr the 55 would runthle to o\ er l30mph. olid handling pro\ ided by (i .\lat7.oer‘hi suspension EJ©© :» . lion-ally importantly, the 2:: SPURT gt ' . llS rigid steel lrame and 5 tneant that tlte 900 could he held flat out through heads that forced rivals to shut olT. And \\ hen the - tidet did need to slow. there were no lJettet lJIHkt‘g \ in motoreyeling than the l)\1(‘,i\llS trio oi’BrentlJo di llte 90055 remained in PIOdULIlUI! t‘m alntoxt a deeade, although matn later tnodelx lost [llt‘il‘ edge \\itlt the fitment of liltrred 32mm (‘Ettlis and restrictive liililEIIIKTOHl mulllers. 'l he hlaeL» attdrgold Sb itlll'oflut‘t‘d in 1978 retained the otigittal’s uneomprotnisingI nature. though. i\nd that re ‘Mike Haihtood tode a l)llt‘t|ll to an etntr hil Mike airing in tional 'l"l victor}. \ihieh led to a sum Haihtood Replica 000 nith a lull ll;|ll\\n(7(l-\ L’Ilt‘t‘t‘l-Hllfl’l'tll Lt)lt)t\. Left: l'ht‘ {MUSSK ptn’ptnt'litl zippl‘t’lt‘élnee mt hat kt‘tlrttl) l)} dim-am perfmtttaut‘t hunt the \ r[\\llt engine (inwt). Engine Capacity Claimed power Weight Top speed Standing quartetvtnilc LAVERDA JOTA 1000 mugnilu, _ ‘M s [11:7 flPlllllLlVP su} mull l'umil} lirm (h big. brutal ’l‘H (ed ltaliau Astigiu uidwuilii of the l. prodi Hntlé‘s. lluill lw a and l)linr lcc a i rcrmlurl triples I chd from a collaboration between ihc Br gauze lirm and their Bri sh impuru 5‘1llicimpurler'snqu£st,l¢werda fil- [Cd lli " ' ' 3C triple with [llt‘ llOl cam and l‘g‘h- in, uscdbyl‘actmycndumnc ( .Free- 111mg plpe‘. camp (I a ling 90th beast that stormed lo a top Sp ‘d ol‘ck e to l-l-Omph. 'l'lic Luwrda “us a tall, hen 'v bike that required 2| firm hand to maln- il change din lion, and was prone to occa— onal high~spced instahilitv But for th‘. moat part it handled well, with the help of typically lirm (Jer mi uspen 'nn. Roadholdingm excellentgthe l) 'tng poweriromthrccbig Brembo CllSL§ immense. 'l'thota “as the work 8 last st pin- duction roadster in 1976, and \tent (III to prove in supc (n ly with numerous production-race ictorie The triple s; a uniquely demandingbike tn rid its thrill- ing acceleration combining with the unlait‘cd riditt position. numbing engine. Vibration and a wttst-punishingly heavy clutch to make. crcryjourne an event, In other respects the. Laverda was well-equipped, as helmet] i ' premium 1:: ic . with finish and chClrl b that were t cllent. In 1973 Laverdzt enl: 0ed the motor tn pt‘ntlut‘t‘ a 1200 that midrangc filll] ugh no mo In 1980 we the Jr, . tlICd the linder engine by rcrlenuning it \ttth equal, 1907 . nnl Him-degree pc k pi)“ and in 1‘ '32 >11 in" intermls. in place of the on (twn pi Inns up‘ one. t'ltmn) arrangement. But the \\‘ll(l t bodywork, a lower tame and hedu ilenced exhaust. 'l'ht‘ ROS. and the tuned , , antl SI (: 000 model, that {ol- e litst‘ liue mum hut tl It |\\'("( ' Y lacked the raw1 animal appeal that had made theJma so . Engine C-apacity Claimed 572%, Weight Top speed Standing quarterrmile ; ch . mmmm in; im a’u muxculz n mntm‘c) 1 x c look um' t'nnld match the tllt‘ Summit‘s ttlnt ltig l.£\\. I‘tl'd in 1h he) (l' ' Itncltang ‘(L thnpm’l sent thnnlu p nmril) [U Ihl‘ and reai m footie c chow lll\|H(|fIUll\llll\\('l'1illl~' (thhp th 1mm engimj. this DlN‘ nl'tht' last 180- twin- un. (IK :t‘ mmlt-lw. Engme Capamty Claimed power Top speed Standmg quarter—mile 1 Almvt G11 s trmlemnrk ‘W—rll‘mcc \th111 1-11 111" ,. Mans 11:1 dunnntned 1 :1. 1Vli111lm\ 1)].1tt-(l; m \1>11111I§~1u\ 1151111111 llyxcret’n Ihwl11ncul‘tl1u-hi LL— 1\l:1 1a rl 1111111 We 11w :1111lhig. 1111- My mure unnfurtnhh- .11 but Luke-d ch; isnm. mum-um ,1 1.111: 11nd (any 1111-11 ,W1..~..1ai1.g 3 EV? (H Jill ul'thc lute bevem Moll) xik if 1 1 1 . 1n1111'1111151mugit'nlnl' 1h: ., 1 l 1mm 11‘. ms :1’)llr(l(-"rrcc \‘rmin hum-(l 011 unorerl 1l11 prrfnrmana: with punchy midrnngc zu‘m‘lrrulinn and :1 smooth, lo A strong . u l fi‘znnc and Matanl'rthuzu‘l suspension ‘ gum liblc handling (1 umcnllng‘ cfl’cct ol the shafi final (Inn. Braking “as pmnl ul ul , big Brnnhn diva |inkcd IN ‘ legged ccl ublc, thanks [4) Ih unique 5) n], Tlu‘ hundlulmr In v wpcralcd nxu- (rnnl din: th foot pedal Iluc other plux lhr rcar. 'Hu, 1" Manx nus h-s» lmrd algal [Inn in | nix {rum Lm' ‘du uud Ducali. kh-lntring ~(‘l'illll\ \pn‘d nil I1 :1 luv-(l quality [hut mudv it urguulvly 1hr nhinmn Inglhp‘ (1 null» burnrr. Hut lln- fucun‘) umld nnl pl‘liLlllL‘L’ u \Vnrlhy Mu x | v an Th“ MI ‘7 gmc in ridu IhL’ bcm'fil n! .\n u qulur l'ull Luring. I'lu- WILL rrsinn “("1079 “as shmcr. lhnugll iI :u lt'.l\l nmdcl \Ik 311-;in Ll wnn- 1mm 11 (m J‘s incrtusilmly (1('\])I'1'Illl' (l|'\r14v|mn ni I‘m’lutl ‘I unrl'n' thn-v yum. lutvr with Hu- 514‘)“; ML l, \\}|I\ l: sum-Md l‘rnm L’lulnx) \t}lin" and .u “Pinch Imnl nhul vlml «:itl mulling m imprm handling. II \\:|~ all A {m (H mm: Ilu- clmmncc nl'llu (I lsillill 830 14 \hn», HARLEY- DAVIDSON XLCRIOOO 'l‘liere have been Few more unlikely superbikes than llarlt3y~ Davidson’s XLCR Cale Racer. the big blaek Vltwin relea. d in 19 . Many years earlier, the Milwaukee firm had built some ofthe fastest lJikL‘s in the world. But as the sole model with sporting pretensions in I larle,y’s long list ofcruisers and tourers, the (rate Racer stood Very much alone. 'l'he newcomer was based on llarley‘s famous Sportster, which had been a high»perforniance model itself when rer leased in 15132 but had long since abandoned ideas about living up to its name. Holding the familiar 43-degree motor in a slightly re-engineered and heavily restyled rolling chasr sis, the (Tate Racer wt. motorcycling customer. intended to attract a new breed of 0n looks alone, it would have sur yed and styled by Harley design director \Villie (} David- son himself, the (late Racer was long, lean and dressed elei gantly in black from top to toe. Its engine was stock Sportster, which meant a 998 c lump with pushrod valve operation, Four-speed gearbox and a claimed peak output of hlhhp at 6200!‘pm. The V-twin motor was mounted solidly in a hybrid t‘rame ing of a Sportster front-end plus parts from Harley’s XR730 racebike. Forks and shocks were borrowed from the Sportster, though the Cafe Racer was at least treated to a second t'Iont disc brake and Goodyear tires. The (late Rat ley’s ageiold engine and chassis technology was okay for a laidrback cruiser, it‘just didn’t Work for a bike with flat bars, eeded. Reputedly con» con, r"s basic problem was that although Harr rearset t<)<)tp(:gs and thoughts of serious speed. 'l'he big Vrtwin kickedrout lots or lowrdown torque, and would send the ‘l lawg’ thundering up to 120mph. Ever-present Vibration made such speeds impossible for long, though, and even much slower use resulted in a numb rider and in bits ()fthe bike eoming loose. (lrude suspension and lack oi'ground elearance made last cornering hairy, espe» cially on bumpy roa . At the time the XLCR did not appeal either to sporting riders or to the traditional Harley bunch, hut history has treated it kindly. In retrospect, the Cafe Racer’s looks, noise and eharisma more than make up for its lack ot‘perrormance. Atvrooler. ’trvave ’tidegree pusher! . Vim/tn Capw ‘t 51L ‘ \is:‘ H MD at CZOU'pm Njgti )wet ‘ «trier! V‘r tUlll l92‘ tT/l) LI. u :v .m a ‘umph ’t {Zion/h) n of UM llzu'tey-I);<\idson XLURIOOO were ’| ti styled h) the ronipany’s design 4 -. tzwuwn, -? 4:13 ~ AK ."3. 28 '29 SUZUKI GSlOOO 'l'u appreciate the impact ofSuzuki’s 681000it’s necessary to put yourself in the place of a speed-hungry motorcyclist at the beginning of 1978. Back then; the Japanese produeed several powerful. sophisticated bikes, from Honda’s CB750 and Cold “'ng to Kawasaki‘s Z1000. But if you named a machine that really handled, it had to be liuropean, preferably Ducati. l.avet‘da or even BM‘V. The 051000 changed all that at a stroke. Combining a typical fourrcylinder engine with a chassis whose lay out was from Gulf equally Conventional, it heralded a second generation of Japanese superbikc design. Not only u as the GS faster than anything that had come out ofthe liast before, but more im- portantly its stability and cornering ability allowed that engine performance to be used to the full. for such a star: the GS had an unspeetaeular appearanee, with restrained styling, slightly raised bars and an aireooled, 997cc twin—cam engine that resembled those ofSuzuki's own (38750 — launched a year earlier 7 anti Kawasak [1000. But what an engine! Not only did the newcomer make 4-bhp more power than the benchmark Kawa, with a peak of 87bhp. It also developed more torque throughout the range, and was lighter and equally reliable. A strong: t\\in-downtul)e frante hcld suspension more sophisticated than anything previously seen on a tnassrpror dueed roadster. Front forks were airrassisted. and the shocks rould be adjusted for rebound damping as u ell s forthe nor- mal preload. Powerful triple dist‘ brakes were marred only by a slight wetrweather delay typical ofthe time. It addedrup to a stunning new superbike. as happy scurclr ing smoothly to its l35mph top speed as it was cruising elfortr may or being hustled along a twisty eountry' road. Kawasa , 7.1000, for so long the ‘King‘ by a bike that was superior in virtually every respect. In 1980 Suzuki produced the (VJSl0008 by adding a neat Iop-halflairing. The GSl000Ll tourer that at rix ed tt year lat er was less successful. its shaft—drive and soft suspt‘n’yion ruinr lessly on the he was deposed ing the handling and by then the basic tnodel had been re placed by the lbrvalve (ZSX1100. But the original (181000 will long be remembered us the bike with \\hit‘h the Japanese finally got everything right. Engine Art 10 ed 8 . [I’ll'lC l'»l“'v’rji'8(‘ ‘oui' Capacity , t Claimed power Weight Top speed Standing quartcrrmllc Left: Styling ol'the original Inset: 'I ln- (}\'s itit‘eouletl. (151000 was pleasant but i\\ inrmtn (‘Itgitit' nits snnilttr Iuis‘pemttt‘ltlarr a phrase in layout to Ilmt of that ttet‘lttiltly tuultl not be Iiitnasttlti‘s /ittt|ll, but [lit used to describe the fotn- Zi7bhp Mt/ulo’ ”mm-tin- ut. (1 cylinder Suzuki's shuttering its Iii-mum) dominant perfurnian , . mat in most nspt-i ls. luhnmwn - Monroe Schools lohnstown, Ohio “1’. VXMAHA ’ ’ . X81100 11“1.1111on11f\'am111111‘s X51100 was basie and unforgeb 1..17l(,. \I about 50mph in top gear, the rider op1n t111 threotll - and 1111 n 111111 on tight as llte Yam rev spon11e 11 instantly with arm wrenching acceleration t111; lik1, 111 w 1111 11 had not beLn know n be for1*,\\ith11011:1: ol1:apa1:ity gi ing 11 p12 1111 output 1119511111) and ma sive low 11:1 urge the big 111111: 11 lotlr Lylinrle r XS motor was one altogether mighty imply erac ked poleplant. Unfortunately, the Yamahais weight v some 6001bs with a full tank of fuel v was an equally relevant statistic. ’1 he XS, launehed in 19711, was aljapancse superbike 11ftl1e old school: a big. powerful engine in a big, heaxy 1:11ass' ‘. Not so mu1:11 XS as exe1 s1lls arrival coincided with that ofSuzuki‘s 65lbs lighter and much more nimble (181000. After riding both bikes, the Yam’s straightrline stomp seemed of somewhat limited appeal. This was still some engine, though. T12 'hni1:ally unre- markable, with twin cams opening two valves per cylinder, it followed Yamahais earlier X5750 triple in using shaft final drive. The 1100 motor was tuned for maximum mirlrange r12— spon , producing usable torque as low as 2000 rpm and a class-leading peak of66.5ft.|b at 65001‘pm. Yamaha’s engin s hatl obvioush been worrie 11 about 1gtl1, 11 use the XS s stLel duplux- -L'rad1e lrame avily hra1:e.11 This a1111e 11 to the weight and although suspension w as reasonable, the Yam could not 1111112, its bulk on the road. In slow bends it felt ponderous; at higher speed, stability was marginal in anything other than a straight line. The X81100 was at least fairly comfortable, despite, its high handlebars, thanks mainly to the engine’s smoothness and the generous seat. With useful touches such as self—canceling indt ,ators, a big tank and 11111121 gauge, it was well equipped, 100.1111) XS was at its best a ntle tourur, loaded with lugv gage and fitted with a big fairing. Yamaha apparently 11111 not think so, though, and in 1981 introduced the X31100 Sport, L'ompletL‘ with handlebar fairs ing, smaller petrol tank and black paintwork. The Sport was a potent and mean-looking machine, with similar Visual appeal to liarleyi’s Cafe Racer. Unfortunately, for sports riding it was equally out ofits depth. u- Righl: '11112 Yamaha ,,pl) oi couldn’t disguise its size 1 even in front 111'11 mountain, ’10 Capacity Claimed power Weight Top speed Standmg quarter-mile HONDA CBXIOOO Unique in its performance, its looks ‘ ‘ engineering and its Splllk‘rtlllgllllg‘ exhaust sound, the six .ylinder CBXIOOO was both a striking corporate statement and a magnificent sports hike. Introduced in 1978 to boost a tired Honda range, the CBX was in aclass ofits own amongjapancsc bikes for sheer glamor and singleminded sporting intent. lts aircoolcd, DOHC, 24—valve motor Was inspired by Honda’s huge] ' successful racing multis ofthe Sixties, (The roadster’s ch‘ designer, Shoichiro lrimajiri, had been re- sponsible for se .ral of the racebikes too.) With its angled- forward cylinders fed by a bank of six carburetors, the lO47cc unit produced a maximum oflOSbhp at 9000rpm. Its alterna- tor’s position on a secondary shaft above the gearbox meant the six was barely wider than most fours. Designed from the outset as a iiOvcompromise sportster, the CBX used its engine as a stressed member ofa tubular frame Neat, understated bodywork and the frame’s lack of downlubes emphasized the bare-chested bravado of the shiny six-pot powerplant. Using twin mufflers kept down weight, as did the alloy fork yokes, plastic mudguards and even magnesium engine covers. Performance was shattering, combining ease of use with the hardest acceleration yet produced by a streetbike. At low revs, the six was docile and supremely smooth, responding crisply without great urgency below about 5000rpm. Above that figure the CBX came alive, leaping toward its l35mph top speed with unmatched ferocity and a memorable, high- a 32 pitched whistle from its exhaust. Despite Honda’s efforts the CBX was no lightweight, scal- ing 5721bs with ofgallon a gas, But its frame was stiff, suspen- sion pretty good, and ground clearance generous. The Honda was easy to steer, it was stable (at least provided its tires were not too worn), and its triple disc brakes gave plenty of power and feel. Sadly for Honda, the CBXIOOO’S brilliance was not matched by sales success, especially in the American market. In 1981 the bike was softened with a big fairing, slightly detuned engine and air—assisted suspension. The CBXIOOQ-B was a competent bike, and it sold quite well in the States. But it had neither the performance nor the raw appeal of the original, sensational Six. Engine A rcooled 24-vaive DOHC :ransverse six Capacity , L047cc |05bhp at 9000mm, 260Kg (572Ibs) wet i35mph (2 | 6mm) Claimed power V‘lfight Top speed Standlng quarter-mile ilsedl |5m3h (l84km/h) Left: The original CBX was a singleminded sports bike, its looks and personality dominated totally by that magnificent six-cylinder powerplant. Right: The softer, fully— faired CBX—B sold quite well in America, but it had neither the performance nor the purity ofdesign that had made Honda’s first Six so special. HARRIS MAGNUM l)t'\|)ltt‘ I he, collapse ol'tht- British 1notort‘,_\ele industty, some ol’ the fastest and linnst bikes on the roads in the late fimt‘ntitts wetr' Created in tht~ Country ont’L‘ famous for Broughs and llSAs. Based on tptutese [our-r} linderengines, l|st17|ll) from Kawasaki U)‘ llnntltL these w re the specials: I‘aet‘rdewloped machines l)llill by small firms such as Rickr ntfllL Dresda and l’et’ktrtt 1i McNal). l\lost lumotts and popular \\L\s the Magnum, the single-r sent spet’ittl Ctlll\ll'llt‘lt'(l by Ht-t‘tlordrlmsed brothers Steve and Lester I [In v is. t llnsely based on the, firm’s sutees i'ul Forr ntultt One and rndtnanue rnu-rs‘ thL‘ Magnum provided a package ol‘sleek styling light weight and line handlingr that surpassed atnthing lion] the major manufacture, s, T l1|‘ lxe') to the Magnum was its chassis, most importantly the lranw 0| Ru} nnlds 331 steel tubing. Almost identical to It‘ames huilt liu‘ lJiLt’s Competing in races such as the Bnl d’Or 3-1 llOtH‘x tht: hand-uelrled Mmtnum trellis brought 11C“ le\els Hil’igitlily to tht: street. Runr suspension comprised .1 rant ilmw swinmarm with single De (lttrlmn shock absorber. I‘mnt lurk rhn' c utts leli to tilt: Customer, who Usualh spee- iln-d lop-quality aftermarket items from Marzocehi or Betnr. Likeuise the luaktts and u heel» \s hirh \\ ere genorall) racing Cntnponcnts from specialists such as Lockheed and D! 'l he engine u lut’fllltlnq llmvis loin-into-one exhaust. Many mvnc nag. s often tuned uith rziring carbs and ti freer \\'(‘l]l litrthet; \tith racing Camshafts. higrlmt‘e kits and highrcomr pression [)Istnlls that took a Kauasnki [1000’s output to liShhp 01‘ more. Adding low clip-on bars, a thinly padded single seal and a twin-headlamp fairing completed a fearsome machine that brought a new dimension to road-going nmtnrcy 'ling. A well set up Magnum was good for MOmph, with handling and braking to match '1 he aggressive riding position made that performance usable, too, though at the expense ofcomfurt at slower speeds, Limitless choice nf‘engine tune and cycle-parts meant no two Magnums were identical. But early models can be divided into two Versions: the angular original and the smoother Mk II styled byJan Fellst mm (famous forwork on Suzukils Katana). The look was different: but the Harris Magnum sensation remained the . me: speed, noise and racetrack handling, From thL‘ definitive British special. Engme Atmooed Sivalve OO—C t'ansverse four (Kawasad) Capaclty C 5:: t lehp at 8500mm Clatmed power Weight Zl 5kg (480lbs) wet ‘ _ Top speed l MCmpr (ZZ‘km/h) 7' ' _ l Standing quarterrmllc l ‘7sec/ ZOmar (l92km/h) ‘unlnt vs Irlrit’tl lm U | tglllt'lltltttl [\tnmsnlxi ntolot MOTO MARTIN Endurance racing is a particularly French event= so it’s natural that over the years man) cafe—racers should l)L' built there, inspiredb) the machines raced at the Le Mans and Bol d’Or 24 hours. Fram best-known brand in the latt‘ Seventies and early Eighties was Moto Martin, the Brittany- based iirm that built endurance-style specials based on engines as varied as Suzuki‘s GT750 triple, Kawasaki’s XlOUU four and even Honda’s CBXIOOO six. Georges \lartin’s earl) Frames were based on a tubular spine running horizontall) above the motor, but the later der signs for which he became known user] thinner chrome, molybdenum tubes that cneirclttd the engine. Ilikt: man) special builders at the time, he used a cantilever swingrarrn with DC Carbon monoshock. Forks and wheels were to Mar tin’s own specification, generally fitted with Brembo brakes and Michelin tit )Iuch of Molo \lartin’s appeal was based on futuristic, curvaceous styling, often finished with a Factory race-team paint scheme accurate to the smallest sponsor’s sticke . The classic, design featurcd a twin-litt’adlamp fairing, plus a liber- glass tank-seat unit with no room for a passenger. Handle bars were low; foolv'ttsts high. Between tht‘ bulging frame tubes was a highlyituncd Kawasaki 7,1000 lump. Spet‘d was never in question with a Martin, and a genuine l40mph was \\ t‘ll wit hin the ('apabiltt) oi'a Kaw asakiecngined special. The rac) riding posttion and efficient fairing made that performance temptingl) usable, too. And no matter what the speed, the Martin ridt‘r could always rel) on the rigid chassis for complete stability. The French machines had less gun uinc racctrack do clop- ment than rivals fi‘otn firms such as Hattis, though. That somt‘times showed when their long w heelbasc and eonseiyzk live, road-biased steering gfi()D‘lL'i]') made tht‘ rider-work hat-(l through a series oi'httnrls. Martins required commitment 7 but ridden forct‘fi11h these bikes were among the \‘eiy quiekr est on the roads. Martin went on to produce bikes based on Suzuki's lli- xalxt‘ GSXllOU and llonrla’ (H.900, but perhaps best ofall was the hiartin (lileOOU tntrorlurerl in early 1980. (‘omr bining Honda’s hugt' sixfc) linder motor w ith a Martin frame, swoop) half-fairing and tuneful exhaust 5) Sit"! produced a bike that was unbeatable for outrageous cai'erract‘r suit. Engine Arcoslcc Z-l wave DOl lC immerse )lX Capacity Claimed power t 9303mm ngm mt; (578mg) wel Top speed womb (mar/m Standingquarterrmilc l /ser/l20mph(l92ll\.llIL‘ [1300’smust1:0111ro1'ersial feature was not tltt‘ pom-1' or its engine but the sheer hulk ofthe slab-sided monster 1111ilt to early it. ' 111'/1.’5\1e' 1e111011111s1110re thanllnnda's (IBXIOOO, and itttnit 11||\ 1111' kautlsttki’s large radiator obseurt‘d its engine WM 1111-‘Zerl'11i1|1111t1eoithe visual impart 01" Honda’s Mime, twinrr'ant powerplant had unusually long,- 1 * ions 01‘ 02 X 71111111 (the CBX,11101‘etypi111111y, 1. '1 > . ‘4111111). This 1(t‘pl uidth down bill rt» ' . . 111'11'\\1111M‘\1eight was ine st-(l further 1)) t V attic 111111 well-chosen suspension at least Isll‘lglyg0()(‘1.‘lllsl 11s 1‘1 ”1; lrikt 1111s quick 7 dispatching the stand- "a handling “as surp , 11 111 just 12 seconds. It whistletl up to its 1 ‘11 \\11 1111111 a wobble, was reassuringly stable \, 111111 \111s tun-11111111 huth ellieit-nt hrakcs tllt’ 7,1111)” 11 t1s11’t 11111111 11111 to ride. '1 he . \1 it nonltlel‘uise at |(J(hnph (brew-1311111 its 36 Above: Despite the Z1300’s .e and weight, stunt star Arto Nyqvisl makes it My (right), 111a. , high bars and forward-set footpegs meant the rider couldn’t keep that up 1hr long. 'l'he twin-barrel carburetors and heavily damped transmission conspired to give snatchy throttle response. Although the Six 1» s111oot11,ithada busy feel that did not make for particularly relaxed cruising. '1'l1e mighty K1111 asaki was not a bad 1111mm le — but nor was it an outstandingly good one. 1'or all its sue, the Z1300 was visually7 technically and dynamicall) unremarkable; simply no faster, more practical or more exciting to ride than several lighter and cheaper alternatites. lts claim to motor- cy ling fame is that it marked the end of the spiral of in- cicasing site and weight. ' WASAKI 21300 (19.79) WaLereooled DOHC 'Z-valve transverse SIX Capacnty 1 128m Claimed power ‘0an at BOOO'DW Weight 305kg (670 35} wet Top speed 35W3h (2 | ka/H‘ Standing quartermile IZSCC/I 15mph (184k'11/n) HONDA CBllOOR .1. -r uumbw x \\il)'|lilllé‘l‘l’gill‘(1[‘HI‘L'thJhC supvr- ; “UR \m» [nunt'nfwlml IIonda\ m'lgine'ers' voulrl m \q-l out mlumlure‘he11mmnmmrqcleinthe ‘ In - HOUR \ u \lmelnped from I] , . _\ m r-{ulnuing pujxdmliun rare» >u('h ( 441ml N'ix-hunr in r\u,\truliu. For [he uv rend ridle who 4.mhlulhu'dil‘lheRpram-(1a>ln‘i]1iummnlle street , it Wm on Ihv Haul» 115 motor was based on (he CBQUOK’ uircmxled‘ [6—min- momr bored-nut to 1062 and running a higher compres- sion rzuiu Peak powenms increased by 21 pew nt 10 llehp, an unpr .(lcmed titrure for ,sporlalen Numerous >11‘t'llgllleluug mmliih‘alinm throughout the Engine included replacement oflhe connecting mds that had been a weakness ofthe 9L ). l'he chamix ul, > based on the 900's. with a streng- a prot lion thened sledqubr‘ frame huldiug \llllilill‘ ‘dll'n’hxiulx‘d 1hrk~. The R’s min shock absorhen were new and mphisuculcd, ii‘aiuringr rcmmo reservoirs in cmnhnl 111C (omnmn problem ()fm'crhcaling dumping fluid. '1 he {mm 11rnko 501 up “m 8150 inum'arivc1 wilh twin-piston cnlipcrs 1)”ng on [11C big doubli- disrs. Toppcd with n strcmnlincd113111I‘airlugundsingluwau.lnt‘ 1100K was in u c 5()[il5()\\11i111981.Ilt‘nl‘nhihi‘dil1451“]111 lop spccd \\ 1111 (110111 I155 cruixiug, |‘\CL‘1|CIJ[ handling, pun try {111 braking Lind plunl} of ground l‘lr‘fli'élllr‘fi. 1T w s alsu SmUUlh,don'lIQII‘BCInthBHdI61131)1[“. as happy c m1iug in traffic as iT “(LS scorching round u rucelrzirk. 1110 mm“ numlwr dupilc llicir high priu 111,11 ui‘w mu m. MW 1 \ null mm 30 pm « n liim‘x l1vsul1‘i (189001—1.{111(11174‘1100mnnm'n’h 1'51nf1l'1141\4‘ mun Jhc 1i \um (111 mu' [he \mlld. olivn m umxmvinqh M in I170 Bl‘iTiNll Sii‘t'elhikc «rim illlilll‘lUUthl'IhULlL‘l1111L111t’héll‘1t’1‘ ngniusL ii, Huntlu mudc wmt r'll‘dl‘igtx vu-n so Inlmg 1. |u11 lim 111;: in 15182 In Cllli‘ a slight high—spcfll \icm in 111.111 uqu nmdcl. [11¢ llUURJi, zilm 17ml n pil1imv war, mm 117nm .lllfi wider \i'hm‘ls; 1116 R41 01' 151113 gained nu-mlliv [mini (1.1!. .‘ 1)th- 4111011 11110} w, nrm. in thing that didn't r‘hungi- u:l« ilie JIOUR'K position (11 The hmrl (liiilh‘ IL’H‘1C. Left: I.1\1\l{\_ lmun, n:m(11inq mid ruinlml mm1v 11w( 13l11]l).’m ||l‘l)'i‘1(’1111‘ mudmm \mmg \uxufiizm HW“\J\I1U(\r.|l(111|'l iuixm‘ u»(l« 1hr 111mm. m mmwmm uim Engine H CapflUty i Chimcd POE, Neiglvi 10p space bumdmg {111411101 mm: AIMHCZ\lHS1(’\(‘.’|lnH(1 “mm. mm ‘\:>H \lmi‘hx >Hi‘»1Li\i/x'('l'iy 110111111 in ‘ mm” x ”pin-m” ”a . pm“ m ,_ HONDA CX5OO TURBO 'I urhmthnrging \\7IS {1l.\\’()-\\’h(‘(‘,l(‘(‘l[ll‘t'HUHH'HtHIlllllll‘llfthIP i all the mge in the curl) liighti hellne being hhmn :ntztt \\l‘|L‘ll the IIIOlOl‘C}(‘,llng1)L1l)ll( 7 and e'sentnttll} the Inullll7 hacturers 7 realized thttt talk olieztst t‘.\ll‘;| petltnntuttt L‘ Hm merely hm ull‘. No hike summed up the lolly ttl‘lttrtrd in- duction better than the first of the hreed: Huntlzt‘s L'.\3l)l| anho. 'l he \‘L‘J)' l(lL‘2| oftltc (‘X lttrht) \ttts penerse. 'l'ttrlmtiltatrg ing is best suited to large. multitylinder engines |)l'()lill(,lllg small. regular p0\\(‘!' impulses. The (1X engine. A l5l7m \s'BtCICKMJlL‘d 8lJ7dc-gtec- \ 7min. was \llllldll} th‘ leztst snit7 zthle ptmerplnttt Htmdn could have (‘hus‘en 7 \thitth suggested the Turlm “as intended more ns 2: statement ulturpomtt- pmttess than as a sensible n]t)lt)lL}(l('. The humhle (71X motor. \tilh its pushrud \211\ e nperzttiun mid shaft linnl drive. required the \wrlrl's stnztllest turlm- chztrger. htilt h} specialists ll ll tn lItttttln's spec. its hlztdes measured less than two incht‘s in (llan‘lL‘l tnul sptnt tn 200.0(Jllt'pm to rttise the (' X‘s untpnt from 50 HI 82hhp 2H 80001‘pm. Needless to say. many engine tttmpttnents \t'err ttprttted to cup . Honda’s \t'tn did not stop \\l[l| the tntttut. {m the ltnlm ntts intended us zt rollit r shown tst: {or teehtmlttgt including ,t d' glital ignition and lite ittjet tinn s} stem. 'I‘RAC ttttti7di\ L‘ . tntd l’rttrlinlx single-shutk t nr suspension. ,\lt)st strtlxing of ttll nns the enm’mutts pettrl- l\\lllepi§l()ll lnnlw tliper . nhite httrittg, (ionlplL‘lP \\ith intt‘gtul intlieztttn s and (:tnnpt (7 hensive instruments. 'l he lititing nus snperh, ttlltmin‘gr lllgllespe‘t‘tl r nisiug in ttnpreet‘tlentL‘tl etnnlurt. and the (‘X handled remarkathlt \t'ell LUHKltlL‘I‘ng tts fueled-up \trig'ht ml ;tlnmst lllllllhs. But the l'luutltt \ttmt‘t put-tituIm-tt {.m. \\llll sluggish .teeelt‘t- utitm .tnd :t mp speed nl 1251mm. .\ntl it >\ll(t'l‘L‘(l {tutti lllll)()7 lug. the delay hettteen [lil‘Ulllt‘ “petting .tntl engtne resprtnse, .\s It grunthttntrt‘t the lttt‘htt t\.ts impresshe. httt it tttttltl lit)! 4)\(‘l‘( tune lllL‘ ittt‘titnhle penalties ttleumplexitt. \H‘lL'lll .ntd e\pettse. \ yenr l.ttt r HUIKld ttpttttt ll it In prutlnt itru the (X051! ‘l ttrhtt. (:mttplete \tith mint plihl’l. less lieu. stttrnting tittelt'rzttitnt illld tt lUI) speed ul‘ldfimph. But [or All its Ilt‘\\eltllllltl llnir. thr 'l Ulljtl nits still tm qu' e1 thttnmtutt situplet nttd t hmpt'r(\llt‘t'nntiuw. lartelt ml the 'iig rum" antmm- nmntlhtt‘lttlt‘ls ltnd ;. m tutu-.- ddhllllll tleh‘ I, mid llltttllt the ttn'hm‘lmtqittg t‘et‘ttlntluti tinnit- to (\ll etttl, Engine Capacity 1 . t1 Claimed power Wetgln Top speed l t, .t L‘ Stand t'tlg quat’temnt le ‘ Left: Drttmutit'nllv sltttpetl ' s fttitingltelped |1|.Il\t‘|l|l’ I [Ill‘lm n tmnl‘urtnhlt liils’l. l | TZUKI W’LSXIIOOS KATAN A “flu.-|,mn:hr1linli'llifil \ xmnnivvu Jurl, 4 Mr lilu- nl'uhirh 11ml w-\\ r \u ”1 M'l n In m- IA ,nm, 3nd .m-r It) \ -u~ Lu: r us \‘Hmllv ~Tll I u 7 III «, ‘ mum wnlhu‘ ' ' ' Alhpll‘ ul' Iww . AI‘I‘I‘~.“".. - ,Imlh} \u/uldwiwhwhwir w- , uilh in Izu‘i4 4] 101 1mm ‘4 ulnprumi‘lv *A} lhr \l v -]m,d uul m- Imu- pl riuvlllul nwfluy Ihwu], \[uluwm h‘ ‘yll/IILiKIm .inflll' (“\XHUO. ~ mm mm x ‘1'] ll» MM l‘ ul ”w: Lmi .m AIII,‘ \i:,|:] ‘ r A\“\I1|ll]l um‘mr'x 4 :11.» law-r (IA) \lmrp nilwr m .le .l‘ HI-\,A|\I mumn \Iyydvr- ‘;.Hlld‘4 lur-z wd mlu ‘ ‘1'? w ‘ 2AM .1 III,A‘\ivHHlII nl am] MIL: K wwl l' ll. ‘ 41 'm mu )u . m lmlr . ‘Hlm I‘wrlx‘x [Mal “itll , _ ,4», Mr.“ «W New,“ hydraulic killlirllivt, Suvulu’s iuU’Nl gmmi-plix developed cxlm; (hr min shocks u-cuivrrl wlii'i'rr \prmgfi. Slmighl-linr permrmunct mu similzn‘ to tilt (HXR. \\ III\ M mp spend of (net 140nm]; and Silullgi mmnlh midlzmgi: acceleration. At high xpuerls the Kuizmu had 1114' edge. Its Flip-OHS and reurst‘l {oollu‘g‘s combined Milli (he Iin§ fly scrccn lo Impmu- aerodynamic» and “Hit" proleclion l'he frame and firm \llspumion \er‘ \wii up to Imrd colm v‘Ing‘, and !he lrlpil‘ rlixr bmkux \wrr po\\ml11|. ()niy it» imrd ‘IflllilllL‘sL‘ [nus let the Suvuki (1mm. Naturallyt time “we romlmmxi ['iir 1mg} ”(ling poxi» (ion was imprueiicul in (own, and the n: TOM L‘lilirnl‘h and conscr'vmivc geometry mudt Fox heavy \lecrlng. The will mu uncomfortable: ’SPCL‘iH”) {or :I [)liiilni‘ aunt] in almost .3301)» 1hr ‘Kaft' has no lightweight. 'llu‘ Numiki‘s loblm rind xlwul combined with 2| Ieusonuhle prim [o L‘HNlll'C ii Hus a h' In” cussi The Kmann bridged [he guy) httween huhl: Iliuliim sportswrs and bland U_]M§. pmving‘ 11ml Ii\(‘,JiII).’|1](‘\C Ion could provide perihrrmmre Wilil origiimlil} mid ml) in Almvc: Immm \I}lmg lvmm‘ gm gm: 'mndlihg. unsmxllngtulixin19242, Holt)“ '0“: mmh .idm wind. i. mm ml [i Mi” ul Above lcfl: i'i rm \mpcnsion and a \(mn: \iuim \\ m m Engmc i ' ‘ Ii ,4,“ m. Capacity in Cimmezi power ii , . Weight Top speed i Standing quartcrrimic KAWASAKI GPZQOOR Nu \pm'ts hike ”Hulk“ :1 mort- luxtinpI impart nu rhe- Eiglitira llmn tho (lP/IJOUR. liau'mliki'a lirst mttm'cnulcrl llvur sttn'mr-(l on In) the went in lflfi I. ht-tmning'nn inxtunt hit with its hlmnl ol' pawn" tunipurt \ilr‘ untl sharp handling. Th: .\in_ju. us the 900R \ms knnun (ll’lit ially in [110% countries, IDIKliilt‘Ll. well intu ll‘lt‘ Nineticx. Annmlt-(llhln‘x.:Illwitht\\(1\‘ul\‘c,spt-r um srill \(tllirvg‘ lhm Kuumuki's mu llc-u cvlinrlm'. hsnl (*\l[tl)li,\ll(‘(l Ll lhrmidahlt‘ reputation but the Nni ll lbnlnrvd :1 lli"\'£\l\(‘ L‘ylintlt'r llk'utl plttx tlt‘vclupmcntx in- , 903cc nunru'tmlml lump prmwl it \mrtliy sticcesxor. (hiding it llLll‘JHCt‘I‘ \lmlL “\mt‘hnin tit thr- (*an ul'tlie trunk‘ lmtl Jllfl'l‘lflllll' uhuw lllt‘ sixxpt‘ml gcurlmx. It “ax small. light and [mum lull though in l lTlhlip peak was \liglnly helm» ran Ulilllr‘ nlrl (rl‘zllUU. l'lln‘ rut nl'tht- (,P/, cmninnml rhr (home ul‘high pcrl‘ormr JHCQ‘ n ilh minimum size um] wright. lts l'rume llar‘fl the «'ngint‘ it\ it \lv‘t‘~\t‘ll mrmht-I: (’nllibininq \‘t't'l inuin tubes \\lll1 AH Alla} I‘mr \tthl'rtunt'. lUJl‘lo \wn‘ 319mm units uirh untirrliw‘; t‘t‘ur \thpt‘tlsiliu [\tm'usuki‘x L nir [111k nwnuxlmt k with .'|ll"1|s~l\'ill|ct‘ and :nlinxmhh- I‘A‘IHHHHI tlznnping. [lll‘>l1t’\l‘pl} ~I}lmlll1lllltiring (Iirl u lliit' jnh ulkliielding Illt‘ ritlt-Ix \xlm lmnt lmuzml tn lltitll\ll bun. with lt‘L‘l nn slightly H'Illst‘l p . ['hv \inin \ms hm and rmpucmhly light 7 Alkl tnml ul «tll ll \ms lltxt. l'up \Im‘tl \Hh 4J\t‘l‘ l3U1nplL \\illl {Im— Indtlr ilCtJ‘lt‘ltlllUll ulmw (illll‘lv‘llln 1tlltl \rlu‘inu, sin-ml hmn llllllllrpm m mt. Imam-pm mum. ”m “1m 91W pt nut-lulu” .1, ‘{ artl \\ m wmlml, 10L \ l,»w‘|t;ll|t {WWI .. 11m» \tllt \\1r| m KJHHHt’tkl ~ linr , < ylhluwlml lHl|I‘\. liquull) unpm‘mml). i1 mu (lnult m Inm xpn‘nl and snprcmcl) Lommllablc, Flue rigid ll‘umc, lllm nuprnsiun uml 167incl1 {mm \vlu‘cl gmc slnljilily \\'ill1 liglIL lm‘ciwc flooring. Brakes “cu- superbly pmwvf‘ul‘ will] lllu only {null a sllglxl lmvslmcss in \llc I'm‘ks. '1 ha Kawasaki was also vcly prnt‘lit'ul for :1 spmlslm‘ rum- , “ilh snrpridng L‘Unlllnl and himng u grncmus fut] m ncnl (lclnils surh as luggage moles mul n .slmng grullimil, ll vcxnuinul unchanged until I‘l‘JO‘ when il “AH uprlau‘nl “3111 ll]l('l((‘r forks, widm “hurls‘ ln‘lH'I' Innkos and n I7-im'l1l’mm wlu'cl, .\n(l as its sporting rivals lA‘L‘zmw lhslcr uml liglnm‘ lhr UIIL'L'illling) Vinjn muwd gmt‘clully inln) n nt-w mlv 1n n l)u(lgrt»prit'ul spmls-tmlrmx Engme Capamty Claimed power WCIghE Tupspecd s . l S YAMAHA FjllOO Yamaha's big F] models have been among the world’s best sportsetourers for so long that it‘s e original UllOO forged a reputation as a peerless long-dis- tnnee rontiburncr almost by accident. When launched in 1984 ll \t' 'nclt'erttzed as an ‘out—and—out high performance sports machine.. but was outshone by the simultaneous arrival of Kawnsnki‘s faster GPZ900R. Only then was the softer T] re- cast in a gum nuiwm role to which it proved perfectly suited, llie l’llltlth appearance in 1984 was remarkable because ' to forget that the \ Hahn's prewous attempts to produce a superbike httd 'i.nil<*d to uncompetitive machines such as the X51100 :t ‘(l XIW‘U. 'l he F] ehnnged all that instantly in any previous ‘. Id lune been outstanding even as a sportster, with vet i z , ite't'miyntunic looks= high-profile chassis and t ‘t,. t tgtine. There was little new technology in |\I development of Yamaha’s long line of , l , livt‘ tls performance was breathtaking: not i , . w l‘lQthpztt 90001‘p1nbut also forthc wt rl seamless torque virtually from r, with rertuttgular—section steel l he E‘Vlllf‘lnll'lll pixot, around the '1 around the forks hefort'joining 1 werltetl superbly wellt and the flu or 7 top speed and glorious engine w '(l slaltility nntl pleasantly neutral t Suspension was slightly soft for hard riding: conspiring with the 16-inch wheels to reduce ground clearance, but potent brakes helped ensure that few bikes were quicker on the road. The Yamaha’s combination ofeffieient fairing, re« laxed riding position, broad sent, generous fuel range and effortless power delivery meant that nothingr could match the F] on a fast long-distance blastt In subsequent years Yamaha made numerous refinements to keep the F] competitive. In 1986 its motor was bored out to ll88ec to produce the even torquier FJIZOO; two years later saw the introduction of a 17-inch front wheel. in 1991 the Yamaha gained the rubber-mounted engine and antHock brakes that made it a more competent all-rounder than ever, A‘ifitod (I984) Avrcooted ‘e-valve DOHC transverse tour “W Capacity l097CC Claimed power IZSChp a; 9000er Weight 243 < l5in rear tire. (lrnckthe thtottle at 50mph in top gear, and the Yamaha wrenched you! shoulders from their sockets as it accelerated harder than anything on the road. That performance was remarkable because at almost [5001bs the l\1ax wa' far heavier than most superbiL s 7 aItd far more clumsy. Adding the \'\lX‘s power and weight to a chassis containing heavily raked forks and unsophisticated twin shocks produced an ungainly. sloxt-steering bike that could ea il} become a real handful in bends. t\ll ofwhich made it douhly ironic that the Yamaha was eventually sold in some legislatiotrconscious European countries, including Britain and France, with its engine detuned to a mer Sbhp. Remove the magnificent ('Act‘ss of its motor, and there wasn’t much left ofthe \‘Alax. Left: \n awesome \'-t\t in engine \\ as the centerpiece ol'tlte \erlax in (WCIN' respect. .\it'scoops alongside the petrol tank were take, but the Yamaha’s menacing look me Very genuine. 1'1“ x". lrtt cnu .tl i‘ (lugs ‘u t In , ltt \ t SUZUKI GSX-RllOO lhv tinntat nus ulniuus, thllnning tltt‘ introduction ut‘ the (ESXVK730 a )t‘al‘ earlier, but IhL‘ l)l'illiflllt‘(‘ ofSttzuki’s GSX- RI IOU still took the breath away. '10 thr 750‘s t'tmsirlt‘rablo .ttttibutos nt'spet‘tl. lightness, handling and braking: the 1100 ttdtlt'd the nlitll'nngc punch that only n lfll'nt-(‘Ilpflt’ltv engine the fastest anti simply the but t‘()|ll(l ptm'itlt‘. l‘hc t‘t‘sult \ sptnts biLt- irt IU'tKlllt‘t‘Ll. [n hunks and intcnt there was nothing new about the lzlt‘t't‘n.' \\ hitih >l1£11‘t‘(l the smaller mmlt onrlnt'mttx‘q'ntx'r - tiinm plus iis t;ilt‘()()lt‘(l engine and alloy t't'utut‘ tt‘t'hnolng}. H v 'v Ht‘\\. bikr‘s ltlfiZtt unitrn, :t (lt-wlnptneut ot'Sumtki‘s ‘.\ ‘. tlt‘t‘UHlt‘Ll‘ lti-t'nbt‘ (iSXIIUO cngint; cmnbinul n . ..t t ‘Htliptll ul’l23l)hp \iith an rntn'tuouslyuirlo sprourl t ,tt'\' 't t s - , vi; similar t0 that nl'tht 1980 CSX-R750, \« .i . axing arm: the bigger lrikt‘ was also l’illt‘fl \ i' i v int i xtru stability. lurks \wro lflt‘llll- y. t I» urn‘ Illt‘ [Erint'lt uht’t‘ls and tires n . ‘ ‘sv ‘angn, lutnl “tight \\as lfilhs up H v slill nmn/ingly light for an open- , . i tut/[ling engine l)t‘(‘ll coupled ‘t i i - .t h n ttl|]]|)t‘lt‘nl Chassis. l'ht- - t titling titttu‘tt‘i‘quilt' in |lllflt‘l‘ ll « hv titstt‘st t'\t‘l , (in tht' may to :t \ ‘ mil [m‘u't‘t‘ t-xtwjuht-nu in nnu‘kt'd l m, lln’ | lt'U‘H pullt‘tl crisply (mm as ltm as 3UOUt'pm. and nas thrilliugh fast L‘\ erywherc frum SOOilt‘pm to the rt'rllint‘ at 107500rpm. 1"int‘ handling also contributed to the case with which the USX-R could he ridden fastl Steering \ neutral and pre- (tist‘7 Stability impeccable, tires and hmkcs excellent, The min-ht‘arllamp fairing combined with the t (melted-forward riding pasition t0 giw gond nind protectmn chn at the ,spet‘d~ the GSX-R encouraged. 'l'ht‘, Suzuki‘s uncompromising "(“1er made it uncmnfort- ablt‘ for lllt‘ rirlt‘r at slow speed, and for a pillion at any speed. and handling had not been appmauht‘rl before. As an ont-and-oul sporlslm‘, the 08X- Kl lOO was in at class of'its own. But its hlcnd of'powt‘rt lightn Engine 0 10:: r-t; larvaw DOHC t'ansversc four Capacity lOEch Claimed power lZSpr at 8500rpm Weight l97kg (433 :5) dry Top Speed liimpn (palm/j). Standing quartcrrmilc l0‘9set/l26mpn (ZOZlrame. Air-a sisted forks held a lB-ineh front wheel, while the single. shock benefited from a remote preload adjuster. Riding posi— tion was roomy. and the full fairing was finished in soberdark blue or white to emphasi7e the V] R’s position as an all- rounder. l’ew who rode the llonda needed much convincing that it thoroughly des 'ved the description. The VliR was quick, with a top speed of around ISOmph. But more importantly7 its instant midrange response and smooth free»flowing power delivery gave a wonderfully relaxed ride. Handling backed it up. Combining easy steering with re- assuring stability. Suspension was slightly soft for ultraahard riding, and the seat \\ as not soft enottgh. But the ellieient fair- ing helped make the llonda romfortable enough to take long distances in its stridei 'l wo ') ears later the V] R was subtly updated with a I7-incli front wheel, more proteetive fairing and new suspensiont By then Honda‘s problems were over. The \'1 R750 had become tegarded as the best all-round motorbike money could buy, and the new model did nothing to change that view: Right: llmttla‘s great allrroundt‘r was equally at home wltelli~ touring. triekling‘ through traffic or v as here 7 serum. round a raeetraek bend. l Engine g; i 7. J , Capacity Ciainied power iflLLhr r.t iOoOO’Drn Weigh HEM; i lRéilJa) dry 3,) .o :a l 3 u BIMOTA DB1 Ltterly gorgeous from the tip oi'its screen to the tailpiece of its ('ul ous fairing/tank/seat unit, Bimota’s DBI mould deniand inclusion in any list ol'the world’s most handsome mot ore ‘eles. That it was not only an exciting bike but also a hugely important one seems almost a bonus7 but the DB] is the machine on which Bitnotn‘s enrrent prosper' is based. “hen the URI \\ as relez 'ed in 1986, the little firm from the Italian resort ofRiniini \n sin deep finaneial trouble. Despite an unmatched reputation l'ur exotic sportsters built around Japanese engines and their own highequality sales had been hit by advanees in Japanese chassis tech- anies, Bimota nolog). ( hit‘i' engineer lederieo Martini’s response was to com- him: Hinittta's thassis expertise with a 750m \»twin engine l'roni nearly} Dutati. The resultant all-Italian image. gave the DUI instant appeal. So too did Martini's shinning body“ ork, thlitli u tapped almost the entire bike in a streamlined liber- glass shell. l)ut ati‘s ‘nuine was the familiar 907degree aircooled \ -t\\ in, .t\ inn \l to the Bologna lirtu’s l’l model. That meant belt driw to smart t)\t‘Y‘l1L‘£\(l LEtiYISlifll—ls‘, with desmodronnic Valveqeur, J he ltlltttt‘ a: ted as‘ a stressed member of a steel latldty linnto similt r in t\l)t‘ to the standard production Ducali trellis. Natttrztll) tht‘ li'atnt “as innnneulatt‘lvconstrue-ted and fit- ted \xilh prtinitnn Italian e} tlt- parts. Marzoeehi supplied the shotgk and litt'li‘i‘ the latter ineorporating unusual remote tesenoirs oi dubious benelit but undoubted appeal, Brakes \‘\ ere litt‘tnbo‘s lniest. bolted to lfieinch wheels wearing I’irelli‘s Ht \t ' Fhe tiny Binmtzt’s weight ol'only 354lbs helped give rapid ouuprolile radial tires. 36 Above: 0151’s eompaet l)u('ali \’-twin engine and minimalist kept frame weight to a minimumi Right: Seulpted fairing/ petrol tank/seat assembly made the Bimota a beautiful motorbike. aeceleration. although the Ducati engine’s 76bhp output did not let the DB] matchjapanese sportsters in a straight line. With its rider lucked tight behind the low screen, the free- breathing Bimota roared to about lSOmph Handling was predietalfly nimble and pre( so despite suspension that was too still to work well on anything other than a smooth sur— face. Given the right road, the DBl’s ag ty and brilliant brakes meant it could mateh bikes with for tnore power, Ultimately. however, the DBl’s most important success was not on road or track but in the showroom. Its instant worlduide popularity solved Bilnota’s financial problems and laid the foundation for many great bikes to come. BIMOTA DBI (I986) Engine Areoo e0 Arw‘ve SOHC cesmodromtc 90 degree V twin Capacity 748cc 76bh3 at 9000r3m Is I kg (354.05) cry |30mDh (ZOBkm/h) Claimed power Weight Top speed Standing quarter-mile Ilsed | 05mph ( l 68km/h) a in ‘ . »— .ra. . . . a ‘xgw HONDA CBRlOOOF The CliRlOOO represented a triumph for tile pragmati mer the romantics in the ollires ofthe world’s largest motor- ti) cle manufacturer. Honda‘s new superhike could have heen a bigger version ol‘tht- \'l-'l{73 4 HI ultimate expression ()ftl‘tC alloyeframed V4 (*oneept the} so admired. But tlte hean- rnunters (levreed that things should he kept simple antl t‘llL‘HI) t\itlt a steelrli :tmed in-line four, and tile CBR was the resttlt. its 998“ engine was unremarkable in design: a twin-cam, lti-x al\t' unit hill) a central rarnrhain, gearwlriven halancer shaft and alternator ahove the li\ , ,peed gearlmx. lts per- lltt'tttanc, though. “as an_\thing hut. 'lhc inaxiinum power output oli ihhp was matched hr equally strong torque throughout the range. '1 his mighty motor li\ tl heneath hulr bous, alleelneloping hudyuurk that resulted in the CUR being duhhetl motorc)cling’s Ford Sierra The plastic also hid the ho\—seetion steel frame. wltirh heltl air-assisted forks and a preloadeadjustahle inonoshock. l'he pat’lx'age “as far from a demonstration of Hontla's terhnieal expertise. but the prusuit, (lllR was ne\erthelcss hugel} impre, site as a fast, Comfortable and practical sporte ster. Its engine was supremel} smooth. had plent} of tnidrange grant and kicked again at the top end to send the slipper} CISR to a genuine ltiOniplt top speetl. Handling ttas respt ahle. with no real vn ‘s although the Honda's nea etn' 'fl\t' it a ptmdermts feel in sloxt hentls. The screen was UUllys \tetght and ronsen' tire, steering geom- too loxt tn he oftrtuch use at speed. littt the generous seat was some rompensation. in most resperts the ( HR ontperlormed Kawasaki‘s popue lar GJ’XIUOURX. its rlosest rival eittst as Honda had in- tended. ll soltl \tt‘ll ftn two years helore ltcinu superseded in lililfl h} the ltltlflll-K. txhose, most ohxtous di )lt‘d lmtl} \mrk \\lll| a more pointed. aggt , The netx I‘; In a host ol detail rhanges l'he engine, renre was rest- six e front sertion. ing gme hetter prote tion. antl “as haeketirup trattkshaft and alternator were lightened, and the lump was lowered in an othertxise ttnrhangerl frame. \t‘\\ forks were haelietleup h) wider l7etnrh uheels and tires. The improvements were small, hat the} made the (. Hthlllll slighnlt more responshe. ntnthle antl (omfortahle an txen lit l‘t‘l‘ long-distnnre rorketship than exer. . Inst-I. l'ltr ltig (‘lilt \\:Is 1 ,mt Ht at: and rather a . tl (ttl pomlt mus. out It Ulllltl still . . . ht Iltltlt‘ltH‘spt't‘tttlfl} . minim tam required. YAMAHA FZRIOOO Yamaha‘s entry in the bigrbore supct sports battle arrived late, but it did so at speed and in st)le. 'l he lt'ZRlUOO was launched in 1987. a yearaitev Suzuki’s GSX—Rlltw. In almost every respect, the two bikes were so closely matched that splitting them was no easy task. The l ZR had been eagerly anaited for some time, and con- 50111010! in a chassis based on that of Yamaha’s ‘Get ' s factory racebike Its centerpiece was the Deltabox frame 1 rigid aluminum structure whose thick main beams ran almost directly From steering head to swing- arm pivot. The angled-forward (7} linders oFYamaha’s 20—valve engine were ideally suited to the layout. The watercooled motor was enlarged to 989cc= but (7 er design meant the cylinder block was no wider than the 750’s. and the pistons and conrods were lightev. Claimed output 0(125bhp neatly matched that oi'the (lSXrRllUU. C) ele parts were Conventional. with the 4|mm forks and rear iitotit)sltotk adjustable only forpreload. Front wheel was sisted ofan enlarged 17 inches in diameter and. like the lBainch 117' r, wore low— pvoiile radial rubbet. The ridev, crouched behind a tnitr headlamp full fairing, had a Very long reach forward to low clip-ons. The Yamaha was a singleminded motorbike with a gem of an engine. Smooth and torque) . itwould pull ham as little as 2000rpm in top gear. Power grew ferociously. with just a slight hesitation around 5000rpm. until the FZR was screanr ing toward the redline at close to ltSllmph. The chassis was equally good. combining unevring stability \xitlt remarkable agility for a liter bike. Brakes were eyeballepoppingly power fut; the fat radials stieky. Predictable sportsbike drawbacks regarding comfort and practicality applied, but for hard riding the FZR was magnificent. Whether it was better than the GSX-RllOO was another matter. The slightly lighter Suzuki perhaps had the edge on acceleration; the smaller Yamaha on top speed. The FZR, with its racier Chas ometry and smaller front wheel, was more ntaneuverable, w iich perhapsj ust gave it the edge. The battle was very close, but one thing was for sure. The FZRIOOO had brought Yamaha to the forefront ofsuperbike design. WdterLOO ec 20 valve DOl—lC transverse iour Engtne Capacity 989:: Claimed power 25b"p at l0.000rpm Welght 204kg ’448lbs) dry tssmpt (253mm; ' I scc/ l 26mph (ZOZK'n/h) Top speed Standing quarter—mile Below: Rear View was all that most got ol'the FZRIOUO. when onl) Suzu ' Right: Light steering, near- flan'lcss stability and grippy x. tires meant the Yamaha’s R1100 was in the same league. handling was impressive. Tin; icun \ 1})(‘1‘lnkc “1H i'oincd m rle limes! h Figlilim [nought a new (1le {mo ilie pit iuru l‘UlH- \‘lim'lcr inidi’llcw u, mzinu Hand. ‘ on [he run HONDA CBR600F ml cngn nuiiw pack 1 rock its 18; l40mph‘ il mu u a m r lUmph ar-old prcdc '0': With 2L mp spccd «if ncirly ' comfort- .md [in . In I'L‘Lllll)‘ the (inn loHondn 1975- morlel (EB-MIG," . ' ’ and . n a I) union in 198' 'l he (‘ERNN like its iuld scored u direct hit. nhlo, and had i‘ mm'c m KLm . seller since i ctcd Kuwzisii Visually and technically similar 10 [hr CliRlUUUF, the smaller model houzcd a 598cc \vrttercooled, 16»Vrtl\e in-Iine [our in a steel frame. Its rtlrtssdeading output of 8.3th) arrin-cl at lLUUOrpm, I‘mcaling a rttvrhapp) nature. C) le parts w are simple in :pecificrtlion but adequate in prartt giving the little CBR pois . as well as p; .e. The 600 had little ofthc 1000’: low and midrangc torque, but went like a bullet provided the trtelin needle WM kept above about 7000rpm by frequent Hal: oldie :ixwpttcd gear box Smaller dimensiom, lea: weight and similar 17—inch wheels made the 600 much more agile. To the CBRIOOO’s drawback ofa low :crucn llk‘ [300 added Engine ‘ (our Watertzm ed a small 3.7-gallon petrol tank, |§nl in mm! H‘\‘)l'l,|s it mm a to pro- at the right price. l‘rmlin‘mbl}, it mt» soon :upcrbl) capable allwoundm, and met Honda \ aim Vith perlonnan ‘ ‘, mp nfllie sales (:Iians. Two year: later till: CHR mm lUYHJLl allulill} to gluj 93l7lll), , y rom- ponenl was modified to make the (‘BR sharper and more Pl wl'ful. lL now produced 100blip at n ski—high l2.l)l)0v|inL ing a top speed ol‘vcy'y nearly l5UmplL llic ligtn‘m had but the major re'sision CILHK‘ in 1991\xlicn almost e (.hange l; the conclusion hadn’ti Middleweight or not, the Honda CliRGOOl" was still even" inch ol'a truly first-rare and dynamic superbikci "§ Above, 111.- mamlwd twat mam-H 15R Hm hem-w looking mm» agile and «NEW DO (7 Wm, tam-v man «\u‘ on}: a to)» \[de :tppkullillg 130mm, Capacity Claimed power Weight Top speed Standing quarrcrrmile Iicl' 'I'lm ~mallev'( BR luml ~imilai Slilinq m it.» liiggt‘i, 1000a: luhlllljr , not to mention ' 'I'r‘spt't‘ 'll)ll‘ all—round putrlorm.’|net' mm on n. HONDA R030 Above: llundal‘s ln'illmmly mil-mm Rwo; mun" strums “WNW-xx ullinmic minds}. l‘m‘ ymu'x il lnul lwvn lln‘ sm'mus Sil'(‘(‘l*l‘£u‘('l“s Lillinnilc link l£l\)'1lllL ClidnL‘L’ m IlLlL' a {AL-um H1L‘('l)il{k'v)l‘l 11n- mud. hen llomln v'vh'nswl Iho \V ‘R7 UK (‘nrh‘nninwl RUM}. and ~.u(l- tlrnl) lln: impossible Llrozlm lle CUHIL‘ lrnc 7 prmidctl you hurl thw mung. \[nrh more llnni simph u num-rrplim. Illl‘ R( 30 was only .iigumxl} leL in Ming a cenhun unpy ol‘ Honda's \mrks l{\ 1773‘). Ilw \4 lhnl hml (lominnlml Formula 0110 And on- LlUl'dHU‘ raring Iln'nngliuul llll‘ niiLlrliinliliv» ll;liirl-l>iiili in ‘imiw-Ll Immhmx nml mmnmml will] lighlwrighl Crunlmr n : I‘- Ih< l{( ‘5“ mix Ihw mml mmii‘ Hunrlzl rmulsirryrl. WW" lilillllK‘ki‘il llll‘ RVJ' l'min ils tiny Llinn‘nxiuns‘ w w- .urllzimn lEIiving‘nml \lngh- wnl In lllL alloy min-hymn 112w \lnrlv u-x l‘HHIHI‘Wl1(Il)l‘(i\~.l in llll‘NlUllI‘dit‘thIlli‘ mi ‘ 4 l ‘n .m win-Ll mm In id lay llunilu's singlwxiilul 1’ u i ‘ v .um-(l In ‘l1Lll]|]U\2\ll\\ lill‘rm ms md Iillcrl u i 14- 1C » r 'iilu x ll) xmv iimv an Lirorrlningm. \Izm . , ‘ w w ll Ilmnlnk vluiin [hm ll1L I‘m Arni Am um i“ i i,:.i“:]1i\)l12ll \ninq—inms nl‘ 1hr \nmv it Iqin Uni Ill‘ f l - \uu ml iln l\'( IEIIK «lIJlJRHTIHh my ,Lm‘n'llllul 4 . \m l ‘mlvnmhlx slrihing Nlhpl'll‘lflll H’\\ r mm-nnun ll 1 . -., mrlmm [in‘tli ummlmlingI In H piiu uliitli um ., Hum mulrlv ilml ul‘ lln- xlunrlurd l l H , 7U] ‘Iu N ulln m .mmidl} ,u Hlnml ‘lml dimmed-(10ml w v! iiuirliml \ l R - 7 Win \ l lump, ll ll>L(l iii SUV ‘ r» vwllwlmli (Inmx ml [!l\IHH\ vixmq :mrl l‘alliw‘T [tr hr l<\l £||l(l I hc mrlii-r\ l 730 rmrlwwr. l)\‘L‘1||l\(' M bl lhi~ gave licllcr driw Ulll oi (‘OI‘HCB than Il‘lc lilll-(lcgrcc V'FR7301" svl-np. Biggt‘i‘ curbs lildllillfll conmds llL‘lpK‘d 1hr Honda pmrlucn ll2l)hp at a rmiswl \‘nlx r-lmin, mm‘c compression and s mmhinmion of hm size and \uzighL razor-sharp handling, ln'illidnl lmikcs 21ml growling \"l loi‘quv llizn made the RC30 \ii‘lnally unbeatablc in productionrlmsul mg. i\~. ii x1rrolhikr llll‘ l{( Wm. Linmpmmiscd by its radical ridingI position. lhiul} pmhlul single Wm zinrl lln‘ dose-ratio gom‘lmV‘s high first I‘IlIlU 7 good lin‘ 8lhnpl1.‘ But on the riglil maul il mu \wmlcrl'ul: liglnning I‘m-1‘ snprumcly rcsponsivc :mrl‘ nlnm: nll. lhi'illingl) mncnliu' of llll‘ lcgmldaiy RVF iliul it w Lilosrl) rosomhlml. ll,IJ()ll1‘pm. Bin morc than shL‘L‘r pnwcr, it was the poetic Engine Capacity Claimed power Weight l M 7b“ Top Speed nah [Hek my; Standing quartepmue lLL‘CQlZL‘np (mm/h; DUCATI 851 Above: The sophisticated, eight-valve 851. leading Uuuttl toward an exciting future. Dueati’, reputation for building high-clas gained a new dimension with the arrival of the 851. The sporting V-twitts italifm factory’s bikes had traditionally been thundering air- cooled dev high on handling and cha ,ma but short on sophistication. The watercooled 851 with Cylinder heads and advanced fuel-inj ‘tion system. signalled a new era for the famous old firm from Bologna. Chief engineer Ma. . no Bordi was determined to create an eight—Valve desmo twin, something his legendar) pre- its fourwalve dec ssor Fabio Taglioui had always resisted. Thc resultant design retained the trademark {to-degree cylinder angle. But watercooling, Weher-Klarelli injection and the new cylinder heads’ improved breathing allowed a lOOhlip output that made this the most powerful Ducati yet. The 83lcc motor w: 21 st sed member ofthe traditional Ducati ladder frame of narrow steel tubes, which held cycle parts including top-notch Marzocclti suspension and Brembo brakes The rounded full fairing and single seat were finished in a patriotic paint scheme of red, white and grt n. Crisp, smooth and relined, the engine combined Dueati s famous V-twin torque with an exhilarating top-end rush. giving a top speed ofalmost 1.30mph, But problems ofsupply meant the original, ’RS-model 851 was fitted with 16-inch wheels, instead of the l7-inchers it should have worn. Handr ling was decidedly strange, and the 851’s reception was mixed. All that changed a year later, when a revamped bike, clad in Italian racing red= emerged to reveal the full brilliance of the 831’s basic design. Engine chair included a n‘VlM d fueliinjection system, new cams and in ased compression. giting a total of 104bhp. More importantly. the frame, was slightly modit‘ d, the shock was new 7 and the 83] wore the I7-inch wheels it should have had all along. 'lhe result t breathtaking performance and the lowly. that only a big V-t win can protide. The neu 83] was snpcl‘r ‘eous looks. t transformed bike with ree-t‘lmt ing feel fast, impeccably balanced and wonderfullt surefooted: its rigid; lavishly equipped chassis now a perferl match for the potent eight-valve engine. On top ofall that. l'i\t' Fiji's neat tinishand aura ofsheerclt .. L’Unill‘llit‘(l t‘t '1 this ttas the bike that would lead Ducati toward an exciting I‘tttttrt: in lllt' motorcycling business. Engine Capacity Clatmed powcr Weight Top speed Standing quarterrmilc 01' all IlHZ‘ \mrltl's tnnnu . clui', ', man Irmlirinnalisls BMwmre . l'mm Iliel 1~tlikeh m} mince- u superspnrls with I'utu . ' ' ,t) '11:! and QC: tchins g" llJlll Bin 1) \Vl 'H 1hr?) (lid in lgllll‘ will] [here-16's, of [he- hig. l ‘15 11 and (’xr‘eplionalh l'mld Kl. limit I him that s1 ' |i/. d in consrn'arive lmn'e lhe- nmu'mnrr'x ~l2Ullll Btll l‘xM\\ had decided thul Ihcir Ill «go. no lilr. :Inrl Ihr Kl ,1 unmiti- inuu (-ugmt m a ncw ch: ermhn mir‘ line-s and hardiedgcd nLtth tiring n mnrd version of the l'nnrr ' was the u ult. In. ~ Iprury 3l1.’|})L‘.\Vlll(‘l] sl 11-1:th from the semi—enriosed l'rnnt \xlurl tn lllr‘ sn‘angel) hulging lailpiu,. \ as a result (if “\I \" (ltr ~.iun ln builtL 1hr \mr lHldL‘ cnnsumfiinn spni'tswr mrrnw'l h) Urrman) , lUl‘thhp power limit. When tinn, tln:- 1!)“ U n ilntmrlnnl pt‘t'lbrmam‘r l( 'nq .H‘m} JIM”, (tr ulnh‘ in lhc uppu u ml (ll :n ‘n 'l hm r llrltlurws (.11114‘ [[1111] a ll5*\ill\‘l‘ Vet inn r)l'l’l\l\\' 'lll'll uuh M, 'H‘Fr- mmm HlllL‘ll. with its hurt/.nnlnl r_\li1Itlrr -t t ‘ ‘VH‘: m linr ul llh' l'nkr. had heen inlrmlured ll\l inns 'lelK I lll llli 1411i“. ,\ nfls ' gii ULUILU \)\lf‘lll‘ im i'r'nswl “""l" vinn mul lighuncd Cl.lnl\>l]l|fi l'lUtMli'Ll pmur h} llt I,wu:r1lt..tiir'l turqtie h)‘ more. l'lw Kl um: hlm/nuhl “MN and llrcmlm l) slh,\ l‘rnm Iml} . will] nplinnal .tntilu k, l'hrn inU‘h’ rear >l101 khenelited 01ml nn mm ' ‘i\‘r Allflth! 'Irlitionnl advot lllrll] l’arnlmr’r is} slt-In ml ltlklx‘ dm, Inih .llinl n-duu-rl 1h: nu hamllin H\I\\"~ hlnswrlmdlcn ('Lll Ils lm trav inglnng‘distant lJl was (low In lanmph, with l~l> l'up isp rc mns‘t- tln'uughuut the rung, l'hr- c-Hirient fairing. comfortable I cmnomy made rapid cruis- 1 'hngpnsitinn ndc ucllcnll’t ' ' too, And although 1hr Kl was long and its [inn busp‘ubiOIL slahlc handling and pom1 'ful hmkes were. a revelation. The German hike. lacked the. speed and up, ily ufn truc- ing lemplingl ' e. in" v ' spm'tslcr. and for touring “as marred by its ; mying ahilhv m rarnj n pilliun and luggag simultaneously . though paint . u ,rt hclzitt' lly made available in l! 2 Bul the K1 was quick, tomiln'lnhlc and lr'king. lls fulu st 'mnge w good for BMW. and so w: its up-to-(lnlc cngineci‘ing— espe- t' ill)' in la _\ irs‘. when much Kl technolo‘ " filtm‘sd down to other model Alums: Sulinu \\J\ 11ml n! a [Hm \purmmJ llhr' M ' mild |\'l (- Ll 11 ~|uyrls41 .nrrr. CI med power Weigh! 7 Top speed Standing quartervmile KAWASAKI ZXR750 Kan asaki opted for the straightibrwarrl approach when the) belatedly decided to build a 750cc Iaeeereplit'a. 'l'hey modi- iied their existing four )lintlt‘i‘ engine. put it in an alloy. twin-beam frame and attached some serious (')'('lt‘ parts. Then the} added a full fairing nith a manning, raeetrark- inspired paint scheme, and named their Creation the ZXR750. The motor was a niut‘hereuorked version ofthe Gl’X7JO‘s watereooled. lG-Valve unit, with bigger Valves, hi her (‘oni- pression ratio and a lightened Crankshaft. Snrp ingly. its pea k output of 105bhp at 10 3001'pmxras barely up on that of the GPX. Despite the ZXR s alloy frame and rae ' look. at 452lbs it was also slightly heavier than the steeleii amed GI‘X roadster. let alone lightweight rivals such as Suzuki’s GSX-K But the K \rasaki‘s li‘aine \ra backed-up by big dise brak wheels. St) ling “as inspired. l’uttnistie air-ducts swept back from the nose of the neat twin-headlamp l mug, with its hold stripes of either red/black or hlue/white/green. The AXR was undoubtedly built to a price. but it looked a million dollars. As a roadster it was quite quick enough, too. 'ombining a genuine l50mph top speed with an aggressive riding position and a chassis that was as happy on the racetrack as on the street. The engine made good top-end ponei. brakes were superb and handling was taut and stable, though marred by slow steering and a firm rear shock. The ZXR was not the fas~ test ofthe super sports 7505, and it wasn't the lightest or most agile. But its instant popularity proved that lacking the last few percent of performance didn’t matter if the style and price were right. A year later, in 1990, the ZXK was r unped with slightl} more power and less weight. [991 saw a comprehensive rede— sign featuring a shorter-stroke engine with its eaniehain on the end of the block. Chassis mods included a lighter frame with shorter wheelbase, steeper steering geometry and upside-down fork ' The changes worked, giving the Kawasaki a crisper engine response (although power output was back down to 100blip) and much lighter, more pi‘e( 'se handling, At last. the ZXR75O was as fast and as furious as it looked. hugel) strong; ' and \ride. radialvtired 17-inch Engine VVaictco ed dvalvc DOHC t'awsvcrse for Capacity 748c: Claimed power lQSbl'o at lC.‘ SQOi‘pm Weight 205k 45%.; dry Top speed liC‘mpl‘ l240lix1: 1111111 111115115 :11111 1111171111,“ 1111111 15. Enlrrl‘. 11111,: «:1 up 11 11111111111111 1n l\1111<\1:111;1g0‘ \\ 111 111, 111111117 1'1111'1‘ 11 1111111: 1111: R1<111|11L 1, _|i111'11=1' 1111'1g‘111111111zw \11111111\ Rb]‘)111|.1112111'$111,1|1111 111111111111. I'nl '1-1111-111111 1.111111 :11'111 111111131'11111111}1111,11“ looking RR, 1111131111111111119111111 :11 c '1111111111' ,\ 1311:4111; 1' 1111(11'n11r1‘111r1‘111'l11wm'n. 111x111‘\\ 131‘ 1111: 111a] 111111'11 1111111'1w1 .1111'1\1';1 s111’1‘ev1111 in r1111! mg 1111: n” \ 11.113; w“) 1111» R5 111111 21 11311111111111}; 111111 1161“ Hur )3 dialincliw >157 1C1: \'»1\1'in 11101111 - in 11115 (2151-11 120011 Spurtsler 111111 ~in M11111 211.51) reveulod 11111(|1 mow (111 11c 111110\':.111v(~,111gh- (1115111) ' 1112111112111c 1111, {5 special. Enellk 11' 11s 11D111'u11- [1'1 11(1c11‘1‘u1‘111111stool tubes, which 11, 1,1 111(' engim 1111 1111 ingeninm rubber-mounting (em. Furl“ were 11:1111111 M; c11i unils nwdificd with ' ' stun: reursuspensiun1111 unusual de- 511111’1‘ placed 1111112111111111)‘ below 11111111,». 1_.\'111 1111“ 17-111111 1111‘ ‘15 11nd 1‘0111'»pi. 1111 1mm 1)1 zlke cali- 91311191 8 11\1'n work 21> \1'115111 (1141111111110 fiberglass brud)\\(u‘k. 'l'hr nrm {ailing/mnklruilpimL unil imtulcd it scat hump \\hi(:h was hilw d to bucmnc a buck r>t for (In: pillinn‘ Numcmus Inning pan, “cu m‘ailublc fin Hzn'h‘v cnginm 3pp L‘X» motor mudL mul but in standard ibrnL nmdiflrd only by u Sup haus‘r, Thc IZOI 7Ubhp. 'lluu mu rnuugh m push [hr Bmll m urmmrl lr‘lxnluTion 5pm 'lmph. with plrmy ofV-n n grum m lmv n; : liulc ul‘ lhc Mundnrd Sport ‘il Thr RSIQOOK shun \th‘l‘NLiM and strap sTx-rring gcum» clry muxnt i1 hundlcd like In), Mind Hm ' (Irliglufully rusy and pr 3". mzu‘rrd nnly I ‘ Control from (In: undrtrslnng slim‘k. Thr‘ RS mun, lhun liwd-up ln Bucll‘s slogan ol“An| lnrvimhl}. [hr RSIZOO was . twice as much as a standard 5pm 15ch. It was 211w styliah. ilk (inn. l Momrvyvlr.‘ Ting mow Than Engine Capacity C‘aimcd power We Top speed Standmg quartcnmuc nm'uuvc and bruulifull} » lrnr Harlry spnm hm. Lof ' Sh :md hx-nulHuHV «'nLginI-urd. m.- lhmm IYI'HHfd {11.11 ix .wm 1m ' u: Muld A wri‘mx ~1mru hikk' mmml HAMM- 1mn1muxl mm \ *lh'in lmm-xplml, on, i1l"“\|1'1l'> MAN'- [Jim Ind [hunulhmmu‘ 4-(' lmuu: flu rlv'xmn HU' I“NIH-nuHmlwil \‘w u . II|4rl<'l,AIIA]‘1II hm -. q.- \hml‘ flmrrln : n: ‘ ‘ In'lmx H, un >1. ' YAMAHA FZR600 Yamaha didn’t have Far to look for inspiration when the) deelded to build a nets Gtttlee spottstt-r For Wit!) ['he) alread) had a sharp-handling titltl, the 17[, whose aiteooled engine \\I|\ becoming increasinglv uncompetitive. .\nd the) had a range of modern watercooled tours in sizes oli 1000, 750 and 4tl0ee. l‘lqttipping tlu» l'/.tit)t} with a new uatereooled engine would hate made quite a bike. but \ amaha went further: the |’/Rb'0tl‘s hame uas a min-spar Deltabox design and the trout wheel si7e was increased to I7 inches. But not many ltn the I'XR was built strictly to a price. [ts iil2|il1(‘ was steel instead 01 the l'XthJOO's aluminum. its forks uere skinny; non-adjustable units and the shock “as tuner ahle only [or preload. lhe lean: mean (in both senses) l'/R incorporated lew ot'tht: neat touches ofsonie rivals. [ts .399ce engine eontained 16 \ahes, instead ol‘ 20 like the b gger Above: iuilt [or linden-I» \.tntaha"s l"Zl([(ttt(t tlagshipi but the titll) lacked the new hit: prired guilt-ants. aunts, mt- FZRUtlt) enr‘olnagx it . tggtessitetidiugstyle “at ‘s midrange nntsrle. .tllt)) liante and its chassis mm normallv sophisticated eyele parts. good enough to ht ton get .un \iith n, Right: Light weighL racy riding position and a well- .rthove right: Stxhng was balaueed chassis meant the t {tins/d) sinuhn to that oli li'7R tonld eompete well. lumps, because Yamaha claimed livervalxe technology was ssarv Willi small cylinders. The 600 lacked the FZRIUOO’s new liXUl’ exhaust valve, too, although its high |2:| compression ratio helped give a competitive 90hhp4 u nnee 'l he FZRGOO was a charger, built for high-speed: luwr budget thrills with little thought given to comfort. It was small and spltrst‘l) furnished. with l0“ bars: high pegs and a thinly padded seat. 111 best middlett'eight tradition it re- quired plenty of rider involvement to produce its best. PL‘I formanee was lay) below 7000rpm but above that figure the FIR took of crouched behind the, excellent fairing, and kept stirring the 'mooth and the l5/R’s raw, revn" nature added to the excitement. Sus» pension was slightly (,1 ude but the Yamaha’s frame was ltgtd, the geometry wasjust right and the FZR went round corners with all but the most a'le. It was light, its brakes were good and on a twisty road it was arguably the best of the middle- “ eights. . screaming to 14-0111ph provided the rider sixwpeed gearbox. [‘he motor was reasonablv 1th i1 “m implmcd xliulnl) \xilh (I xlmrpor 11g” m'd .u'xslusrl (md rad «1 lynx Hy llh'n ‘Iw mm— pclilmn had mm (1 on. and Huudn\ f { \m: in mus! rr- mg. 1110 Flkhlm Engine Capaclty Owed powcr nght Top speed KAWASAKI ZZ-RllOO AL lht‘ awn nl'Ihr Niuelir-a‘ Kmuhnki'x vaululimu lm' Imuvr lul lnms slH‘lClN‘Ill)nl‘l<.llllll)\1zllvf‘fll'hll‘lllv’xlilhll v'u‘n NO: lhc 511ch lnulc l‘mcc ml llH' XZ-RIlOU 11ml IlH‘, lnrflll] mm). Tht‘ wmerrrmlrrl. IOBZLC cugim: um 1| nmnxm 0le pounplanl uhuw l13bhp gmr lhe ZZrR lbl‘m‘imlk lu‘x‘v’lcl‘r uliun [U :I gcnulw: Lop ~pm-(l n] I75mph, I‘lu' Z/-l\l[ullrm m .n rnmlmlulrlv .lml «:lflcicm ull-rmlmlcr, Um: (“‘01) (ltmn, IlH zmmulmv um lilezu'. Above :1”. [hr ZZVRllOU \\ :15 smuingh lllnl‘ Englnc Capacity 7 ll A l Claimed pm 7 l u ‘ Wclght Top speed 7 SLflfldlllg qum [Cl 1: l c l l V Left lllv [A-lx'l‘ \ x m l 11h: .- l mm 1mm.” .ml 1., w ‘UHl‘lLlI‘LL (U|l\\'l\m\ \ (l x, mm |w(h\\url\ w w n ‘ lu‘ml ulllw hum \II‘ “ml. \ lmllml lwlw 'n lhu allu} i’mnw ~pm~ ul'llw \wxlxll mml lunu'vllll ~Im~llul< . l NORTON F1 [1 tttts the howl that stated in llll‘ memory; a smooth, high pitched stream that tipped front twin II|L1HlCYS As the Norton l-‘l‘s rotary motor ltit fiOUlh'pm and surged toward the redlinc \xith renewed llu‘lh‘l. 'l he l‘l‘s tlistinctixe exhaust note entphttsi7erl that this hike was different not only from pier \ious Norlons but also from every other sportstet’ ever built. The launch ofthe [7] in 15190 was remarkahle in itself Novr ton‘s comeback had begun a few )enrs earlier with the re- nfter 13 tears of tome} de\elopment, of the (V ' roadster. The touring Commander followed, and public in- terest in Norton snottlmlled when eutlut. ;tn alloy-fronted t‘ot‘an racer that won two national cham— letts tie workers built pionslnps in l‘JS‘J. .\ I(LngUilIng‘I'KlUH was the obxious next step. The H was powered h) a( ()Hllllklndft' engintx turned hank-to-front, lit— tetl w itlt \likuni carburetors and uprated with the li\ crspced gearhox from Yamaha‘s l’lRlUOU. Enlarged ports and re- \ ist-d ti tning helped lift output from 85 to 93hltp at 9300rpm. The trume built 1)} local specialists Spondon Engineering, was similar to the rnt‘ehike’s hut . t’onger and had slightly more conservative steering geomuttj. Dutch lirm \\ hite Power prtnided the multiwtdiustnble upside—down forks and \hifl’ls. litemho hmkes and Michelin radials completed an upmarket package. Styling incorporated smooth bodywork that hid ntueh ofthe technology but left space For the ciga- rette-packet logos of race-retttn sponsors Jl’S. Riding posi tion was sport); with wide eliprons and a single seat. 'l'hc l-‘l’s power and weight figures were similar to those of n typicaljnpnnese 600, and so V ’15 its l45mph top speed. On the road the rotary fell totally different, though, thanks to its smoothne ‘, generous midrange punch and spine-tingling higlrrcv how For a sportsler, the Fl was fairly comfortable, and its rigid Frame and excellent suspension gave precise, surefootcd handling. But lltere were rough edges: the Norton was thirstyi its engine snatched at low [‘0\ s and was prone to overheating, and ground Clearance \Vii§ POUI". The hand-built H was also extremely expensive, a prob- lem Norton addres‘ed 3 year later with the slightly Cheaper [‘1 Sport, which used simpler bodywork and lower-spec cycle port . Fhe ‘pot't was .1 little less sleek and sophisticated. But like the Pl, it was quick, agile and distinctive. Engine T Vt/AZL‘I’LOO ec :wm warmer rotary 5882c Clztt med power vsty-p “37;; (47mg) dry Top speed t45rrt+ (WNW/1‘; Standing quarter-mile I2 SseL'I IZWDM Filer/r) Above l'lu- mudan'r “an derned [1(1111Vux'lulx'> phrnumennll} pxmfi 1m and h [“le Mrw m mu nulimml (llnmpimmhips m mo. Farlcft:'1'ln~l l‘~ mlhrv‘ H:-mlu(1l‘~|{-Iilu >nlin: Ma» plr. 'in 1} \Imk m1 mum I. llmnull ml(|l\ it hid xlw ,\m1un’- uniqm' rnlnr} angina from \iru, Left: SmulL urn! and n Illlv. lln' mm 11::th Immuml Hymn} ”I m“- ‘mrl 1w {nu-mmu-w wnm.‘ I‘lx nivh llml u x mm w unth- Ibur, .y 1M1“ pvmhlwlinn m \mluu » prm Jim-1mm ‘1“ L: HONDA VFR750FL Suntetintes e\en being brilliant isn’t enough. in the years after its introduction tlte original Vl’R750 tt'nnslertned Honda’s repttttttiau for V ind established itsell a ' arguably the, best bnlnured sttperlnke an the road. But by 1990 it was losing sales to the raceweplien 730s from Kawasaki and $u7ul\i. sn llondn veplrteetl it with the \TR7501’L. 'lhe \‘l’R naute vettmined the same, but so much was changed that the L was \iitualh it new bike. It was sharper and more liveuwd than the original tuiddle-nl-the-rund model. The nen \'l R was still no race-replica, but its body work was Slt‘t‘hl‘l and its image had been shifted subtly in that direction. lts w ,mled. ‘lllrdegree engine l‘L’Ct‘th‘d runny new com- ponents. \ahe train was re\ise,d. rntnshalt gears altered, te earl,» enlarged. and the eranhshal't ntade heaxier. The result \lilSitwl\1)t’lt‘l.\llllllllt‘l mutor with a peak output of lllllbhp. That \M’Is rt hm horses down 011 the old model, but midrartge response was itupmx ed. Equally importantl). the more eontpttct motur was moved inward and down in tlte frame 7 n thieker twin-spar alumi- num design lil\e tlte R(‘3l)"s. The steering geometry was steei pened. \theelbase shortened, fork internals firmed-up and front tire \tidened. .\rtd tlte mast obviaus aha the adoption (71' an RCIlUrstfle single sided swing-arm. The l. luoked great. but whether it “RS better than the old tnndel depended on what )nu wanted. l’or the ttllrt‘ound riding at which the \TR750 had always excelled tltere were lar. the Inn er handlebars, is mad was (leliuite disadvantages. In part , shutter streen and smaller l’ut‘l tank detracted from the Honda's {mired ability to handle trmn riding and touring. But the netwutnet’was better sullt‘d to a fast price. Although the 1. mm slightly hea\ ier and less powerful, its tnentier mitlrange enenurttged plent) 01' throttle abuse. And the new biL stiller t’mm», raciergemttmr) and better eyele parts made {or sharper handling. l5) no lllt‘ill‘tx everyone thnught the l. model an improve» ment. but ill some, respeets Honda earned universal praise. Above right: Sharper \H line and a l’varm \mgtr-qttxtt mugnu-m, lerTtHH‘tl from the RGh’ll, ~hil'tt d the VFRK itnagt‘ suhth l1)t‘lht‘\itteli(‘s. flight, \. ma 1m lléum. w l .I,writrguuunem r4 Itlt‘rl.t.l uh with \l 'u» rum la .IKlth'tl .. tr. Instead Of getting bigger and sorter over the years, like so many bikes, the VFR was more lithe and handsome than ever \nd for all its new muscles, the L was still far more VOY- satile than its 75(lce ' Engine Wate'cooled lérvalve DOr-tC 90 degree V4 Capact‘ty l 748cc Claimed powcr ‘ mom a 9500mm Weight Top speed i lEOTlph (240kmb) l Standing quarter-mile l l 7ser/l lémph (I86l Below: A Comfortable dual- seat showed this was no typir‘al lSimota. Right: Middleweight engine and pillion seat or not, the Bellai‘ia was a sporty bike. SUZUKI GSX-RIIOOL nit/ultik se‘Utntlrgt‘llt‘l'lllitll) (v‘SX~R1100 illustrated how it was possililt- lt) take a brilliant niotme) ele Lind come close to spoiling it eoiiipletel}. i he original. lflflfieiiiodel (JSXrR combined power and lightness with stable, Forgiving hand- ling. its 1989 replaeement, the eompreliensii el) redesigned llUUKL w as intended to he sharper and sportier , but instead turned out to he an ex il-handling monster. .\ } eLir later the [i \\ as replLu’ed b) the (7}S\-Rllllt)li. whieh was a much betterhilte‘ and \\l)lTl]_\'()i its position Lis Suzuki's llLigsliip. litit e\ en the L was a highl} rsti ting head that strug- gled to regain the (7 \-R‘s reputation as the supreme Japanese sportster. l'ew lll't‘i’h \\ ere left untouched when the original nileooled warrior was merhauled to heroine the Faster and theoretieall) nioie, iiiLineuveralJle llllle'i 'l he new hilw's engine “(is the 750C bigger, llfl7re liitnp from the (vt\\ll(ll sports—toiiiei. developed Lin lllhhp ui itJterm. But it was in the (*liassis that the HI‘.|j()I‘(’lILlI]gL'h lookplaee. lheie was little wrong wilh the new allo_\ frame. which was Lind awesome ‘ s well as shorter ieli wheels. But there was plenty wrongn ith liidieroush stiii'suspension that made, the 1100K dangerousl} livel) on Lnnthing hut Li perr ti‘etl} smlmlll road. similar to the old and l'l imed to he stille‘ in the wheelbase Lind rewinked to suit l Suzuki aeted fairly (Illil'l(l_\ to sort things out. 'I he lflfltl- model 1100]. held an unehanged engine in anew eliassis eone iaining upside-down forks and a new rear shoek. as well as a longer swing»arm plus wider w'heels Lind tires 7 the rear an enormoits lSO—seetion Michelin radial. Suspension at both ends w'Lis inulti—Lidjustahle, with a bewildering total of literally millions of settings, of which onl) a niininity were worth having. 'l‘he Suzuki w as far less forgiving than Yamaha’s rival FZRlOOO, and many ride . never got it to handle. But with perseverance the llOOlL could he made to corner with great precision. lt \VL’lS frighteningly fList, combining its l60mplrplus top speed with a massive mieriiige punch. Suzuki’s missile was powerful Lind demanding; the maddest; baddest motorbike on the roads in 1990. 'l he GerRllOOL had its faults, but it sure was exciting. Engine Otlzcoed ”a valve ")O—C. Unll5\er§\3 :our Capacity 17:: Claimed power 4 bap at 9500rpm Weight rs; 19kg (483m; dry Top speed éSmp': (26’& Mlh Ihe hm [rumjupuu m»x~(»1m-(I to helit‘vt‘. Above' Lu (linmrlrr defil cplm‘ Ir m, shunzd by 11 Vix 4” 1E , IV 11:“ InulnphI]]ndx‘1~‘. Innk althxhimu-d lull \nu‘ : cxlrcmt'l}. “ell. Righl' Slum: \HH cm” 17 I |:) mm m;- mm (on, A livr‘ Alml Inn 4 1(IH'I\ mmh ‘1 on [1.c.1;.,hu.K-w. Kuwm linllurnw ILIJILLTUH‘ in ~h and x . I‘llxno\n‘\(b[lln hcmm-n the 1m. “mm prmml unmunded. DUCATI QOOSS ' u l)u( Ili that deserve-d 7.111 the 1 In good e-ITem. Dumxli inlrudtu ed A m‘wV-m'in who: ‘ sinqh Lam l'uu: \nlw: L .M [Ind 1| r Hm; i1. [hp U |\(~<,h,su‘ip1iun '1'4111xw‘nnd [in ”NC limo Inn rhm' n I \I ucd 1110 eight ' sugim- .md Simplrr (‘husxis prm'ided a rhenpm' intmdumiun rlngnc’sr \llpL‘Ibihing, ( no“ of its gym! bn'cnlim 1mm wuk‘ but hud um many of flu old 55 1nd mud] ul' 1hr ruggvd ximplixit [harm-1% mug}; «1:5 5 .s \x'rll. dvrmumus xlyling and Engine Capacity chimed power fleig t Top Spccd Standing quartcpch .umu ‘w Irmfim Mn ‘ch , ‘ “.1 Right: Hp»Awnumm-ur ppm. slummin-1.51““ -.| u! m r'w mmpruu-vm alum uh lllt‘ Hmlilinnul~U'I‘11uddu‘ lmnu win-n. ‘I many N ,1)... "4| guullmm my: a. “,H‘| \ min Ihnnui vnlhllehH‘ hm hm .uum .dlr-r lhl'\"(l riddr-n ll“. hilu‘. I‘m-(n H mm wil‘h «my m,‘ -[‘.vu,).i|,. m plnnll unnufiuu’ (101 cspc lly A ”Hum-r) lnixrchnke Weber HI (rude Marznahi suspmlsinn‘ ensured Ihc ‘1 U maulc liltlc imp . 'I'wn )‘6‘:ll\lul('1‘[llkhik? was restyle-r and subtly modified ~ Llnd suddenly Ducali Found lllcxnsrlvc,, with u winnen Look- ing mm h mar? like the 851‘ [I]? '9l-mmlcl SS \\ d. hot and hundsmnc. l" ' ispcu C! V’un- in L11] uullyl' that had It and man-- responsive- (banis. it €pimml/cd CVCI’yIlIi hmgn good About Dunn?» ruw \Wwin spnnstm‘s. huemully lhc 9le r rngim: \Hh unchangvd. Hmcd on [In— mulor F )m 1110. P1150 ~pun, mun—n and umlrrl h a nun» r to me two- :11“: L1 110 hilds and ,il 10 the ban ' 1 prodm d rm mulmngt‘tl 111 [H 70001 the n 111111111 of “shhp 1. ADLu‘ulis' P ff rmmln was bv mm HIPYHUI'K‘d 111 uhu‘l insto (l (bflhi‘( lhan before-.3 Bun ucmll .11", 714mm min bur [or \\:|' 1111511411. gning lmxe-r lignreu ukc \\'1-b'r rcplzu‘erl by :1 pxul 01138111111 duwndmfi \likums homjupun. Jupmusr im'ulvemem also hcnrfilrd Ilu- L‘hilssix SUN M117 \1011 001111) SI, 1 mullia rljus able- Shrmu nnils 211 both vmls. , rlr-doun fox , 1,1111, :1 mum: hmk \\hiLh. like 1hr U>Fd no in“ lt‘ linkuh The 51cc} llLlllIK‘l' h. mr~ mml xh‘x‘pl‘v :mw'mq gr-mm u; um‘ 111. H ilth I'rnm “In «'1 «MIT ’Umm hulk: 14m [hr rm . r1!l1)(|.\.\ 1» .1 mp wud 411' 1 10mph. in m M1111 1|»IlnvI'n'llmlnauu-Mm mg 1' lunLvlhulnlUA75(M‘Iulum 1m, .7p11.,1.,1::m m. 1m. mu WW” and 1hr— ]an \Lml.’ "mam hllull} « rnrminu um mm r'l‘lrlJL mid mgr pow, 1' unuh 1|“ 'ny mm him- I:- ri‘lr— [M]. In h: “le, vho Duh '> v'lmrl {1er ~11pr-1'IJ 3115]" Minn 11111,! mum afoul} 411011,“ umh- il \‘mmh‘l “11y .milv. t' m .« mi-n rmuL I'm» hik , mnlrl slm' “1111 111‘: {'UII\\, \ml 1mm runM [much lh| \-l\\.in‘,\ (I‘liulw hlr—ml 4:1 1,11, ‘ '7 , AHd pUnLhy [mm-11. in‘l}, 89 GOODMAN HDSIQOO l'he sound could only come from a Harley-Davidson: a low. machine-gun like bellow front shiny double7barreled mulllet's. But the bike was no Harley 7 other senses told you that. '1 he riding position was too sporty; the feel under hard acceleration too smooth. And the look was a unique mixture ofAmeriean V7twin and l’ifties British cafe7racer. This was the Goodman HDSIQOO, short for Harley-David- son Special. Designed and built by Goodman Engineering; a small ilnglish tirm whose boss Simon Goodman came from the family that founded Velocette, it eomprised a 1200 Sport ster engine, Norton Featherhed-style frame, and a seleetion ofserlous cycle parts. The HDS sprang from Goodman Engineering’s produer tion ofreplieas of the Featherbed. VYhen Simon Goodman decided to build a eomplete hike, eombining the iamous frame with the charismat ie American engine scented oln ious 7 although accommodating the 437degree \’7twin required a bigger, stronger Version ofthe Featherbed’s steel tttbes. Goodman de igned parts sueh as the fuel tank and seat on a computer, then had them constructed by local suppliers. Nfany eomponents were built in7house; ineluding the ex- haust s . em, clip-on bars and adjustable footrests 7 plus the frame, which mounted the engine using rubber bttshes to combat Harley"s dreaded vibration. Other cycle parts came front ltaly, notably the front end setup of Mar/.occhi forks, floating lirembo discs and lBrineh magnesium wheel. Twin Koni shocks and Avon tyres eompleted the specifieation. eleetries and motor. Even when Harleycontributed clocl tuned with hotter eamshaft. and a larger 40mm earhuretor, the pushrod V-tuin produeed only abottt 70bhp. But peak torque arrived atjust 4000rpm. and the big blaek HHS gave plenty ofgrunt at halfthat tigure. Open the throttle at 40mph in top gear, and the Goodman charged fonyard with thrilling eagerness 7 and surprising smoothness, thanks to the rubber mounting. l it'll] suspenr sion and well-chosen chassis dimensions gu\e handling that u as exeellent by Harley standards. 'Iypical Sportster Vibration :ttt'iyerl at ahottt 80mph, tsell short ofthe lZUmph top speed but for back—roads riding tlu- Goodman u as comfortable as well as respectably quiclt, Equally importantly the llffl Has handsome and tlistinctiw: 7 a Harley hybrid in the best British (:aftsaacet' tradition. Engine A‘t‘coo‘w‘ 17 .- ,. Us V t». 'l Capacity Claimed power Weight .. Top speed a: win Standing quarter—mile mph t' la [it t. Left: J‘he blend ot‘LTS Inset: “ he h .t . . .t engine, ltalian cycle7parts \uts t‘ttl Iran to l t and British craftsmanship Hatlty \ -l\\lti .mtm, made a handsome hike. BIMOTA TESI 1D I]]I]U\xlll\'(, (:XUllL‘ ttnd hugely cxpensttt. Bimola‘s 'l est arrived in 1991 to lead tttttltit‘t'}t‘littg into tlte 21M Ccllllll‘). 'l he product oftt decade‘s drvtsloptttcttt ht llIL‘ world‘s most litlttotts l‘\‘()>\\ltc(‘,l(‘,(l t‘httssis spet‘ittlists. tlte 'lesi made, lttstor} its the ltrst 'st'l‘lL'ajH'tKllll‘lit)“ ntotort‘) (it; to ust’ hubr t‘t’ntt’t‘ stt’eritt; insttttd ol‘t'otm-ntionnl li'ottt lorks. "I esi‘ is the [lélllttl‘l \sttt‘tl Iiit‘ thesis. '1 lie hike nns S0 named lit r l)t‘ :tusc it \\:I\ t'ont‘ened that purpm in the early Lightits in [\tl) Bologna Lnixt‘tsitt engine tug students, txho used Bilnlt‘d‘\ tesottrt't-s to huild the lirsl ()iist'Vt'lltl huh- rt’ntt’r steered proton IJtls, Separating .t |11t)lttl’r’}r’lt"s sit-(ring; braking and suspcnr sion litrt‘es should theoretit'nllt imprme performance. lint 'lesi dt'wslopntvnt \Uts Lillllt‘llll, and stagnated tttttil 1989 \\ltt'|1 l‘ierltt ’ \[ttt‘conh tint ol‘ th liit'mt-r students. “as appointed Btntotst's t‘ltieliettgineet‘ and revived the proju‘t. Jltt' l‘t'wlllull‘ roadstti'K ll) designation t‘ante from its. Dugnti t-ngittt. r. \mttmmlt-tl \rtuitt l‘t’ont lll(‘ 83L hither Bitttotn nith it long-stroke c tnkshalt ltLtpttt’tl) to ‘lll’lt‘t‘ and peak power to ll3bhp, desltto standard or tuned h tltttt int‘retts the Ciu‘lllrvulvt lump \tus Itartitularl} suitable, luwtttse its sllllitllww dlltl‘VL‘t’l it wry light alloy l’t'zunt‘. \ Jittir oliltorizontttl alttntintttn étl‘llh run from the liramt‘ to hold the 17-inch front wheel~ which changed Lill‘t't‘!it)l\ by limiting on :v hearing ln>ifIL its huh. llmttllt‘llzu‘s wcrc linked of rods. [1- the \\ll(('l by it st, »\ near-horizontal mom» or k, similar to the rear unit. prmiderl suspension. 1 straight line the radit'al llikL‘ [Ell dereptively normal, 90 thanks to its l}})it‘;tll) nae/x littnotta riding position and the Cllit!‘:lt‘tt'l‘i>liL’ dclivcr) of the fueliittjected \V—twin. In tuned form. \hC Ducttti lump produced anl‘C ntidmnge urge than ever. sending the, '1' i storming to ovcr 1501mm. But it “as the Bilntll‘dia handling that was remarkable. '1 he way the TCsi‘s suspension cntttinucd to work. even with the from Bremhos hiting‘ hard and the hike lt‘ltning‘ deep into 2t CUI‘HCI‘, allowed unpret dented control. lhfortumttcly, th original model proved t . sensitive l0 adjustment of its Mnrzomihi sttspcnsion units and. unless t‘orret‘tly set up. gave an uneasy ride itt humpy bends. Switch» ing to more sophisticated Ohlins units revealed the Tesi’s full brilliance, supporting Mttrconi's belief that it repre- sented the future, of superbike design. @21— d'l';_tD (I996 Engine Vva'ertoolsd Brwlvc )0» IC jCSMCC'o'ntr 90 degree V (Win Capacity 904:: Claimed power 3bl'p at 8500mm Weight 88kg (4 4l33) dry Top speed l l53mpr (245t Angelou, His XR (:(msislmlnl'nu8815Slmrlslri' filled with a kil that turned _\m('li into n facsimile- of [110, unliuu‘s hr \‘s llL‘si-Mslliug luzulxlei‘ lrlmrd L‘muln‘liliuu macliiiu‘. Oliviuus iumlil‘it'miuns “(TC ilu‘ IK'DI’LlI‘Up Ill lml Iank, from mudguard and l'ilx-rglaxx Iziilpirtc 7 all pniulud in NIihfiHlkL‘L‘lx {humus urging? and black mtiug cnlm‘s. Harlcy‘i 883cc engine was ink-null} :ILHlLlHRl luul iunml nilli a 40mm Mikuni ,arhurmm' uml a (lislim’livo high—1m xl exlmusi. Suaprusiuu \m; upmlcd \\i1l1 42mm Furwllt' lIuliu liJI‘lix in Story, yaks-s: l’rugn'sxiw Suspcuxinu sllmtkm uml \viclm’ l87iucli “luaols “llll ainucli»xu‘m|ml ~t’(’1)n(lll‘unl (lixc. (has T110 (lie-(:1 ()l‘lho changes was (llyVlULIS m'cn ul \lmx .spi Ilw lo“, .surpi , ugl) liglil—li’aling .XR snnppul Ilu' spurt \lcr's l;ll(l*l)£\(‘,l( slump for n m-mirmn' L’TtHILlL Emu the 20 pt'i'rcul pmwr iummxe (lid 11m lllll ilu‘ ll (logi’n-P \V-I\\ill'\()UIPLI!nHK‘ll:ll1l1\('31ll\l]p,IJIHll]('1‘£|\\.l¥‘(’l’r ln‘t'ulliing RR [)ullrd “1117 disliucll} implm'ul i‘cspnnu m (1 ml) \pcml appl‘um‘hiug lZIImplI. \ml, lulllimlgh il um ~lill ulurr hug than gazt’lln‘. ilu~ luul mulimpv‘vssiwlynail!) l lurlt'y could lu‘ (:ui‘uci‘crl nml lu'ukml \\ill1 ruululvuu, 510w Smr/ R883 mmlslx r (uuld urwi‘ pul ilx llLll‘T up [rum in [111‘ S lilo-w Milo. lvul it lliltl llH‘ lunL, Left: Smmnkex “up nus ill~p|1 (1h) Hul‘lm'x mum \1: ram-Is. Shotgun MW umm um n xpm‘n lwm. Engme an i V. l . Ly. Capacity 3030 Claimed power :Fbm Weigh: iUC‘kr Top speed Standing quarter—mlle MOTO GUZZI DAYTONA 1000 Mom (in 's netx sports hike w: so long in development that r} nics wondered whether the lainotts old livni From the banks (ii‘Lake Como, Italy sttlTering from poor sales and lark ol'iuvestntent‘ \muld ever finish it tall). the Da) tuna was lead). antl Cut is livst superhike ul'the modern era plth‘d Mel] north the wait. lts American name “as no coincidence. The Da) tuna was inspired and created by Dr John \Vittuer, a Philadelphia den- tistrturnetlrtuner “ho hat] achieved great success, against the odds. with (-uui—poweted tacehikcs in the late Lighties. Delighted factory lmss ' imited Wittner to work on a road- goin}; \ersion‘ and the Daytttna was the resultt lts engine \xas a tuned, 902m V sion ol‘Gu/ s trademavk Phi-degree transverse \rtnin. Lnlike the old pushrod Le Mans engine, the flilL‘tltilCLl Daytona unit had a single oven head camshaft \mrking l'mtr Valves per Cylinder. Fuel-in- jection helped lift output to a respectable 93hhp. The chassis was deviwd h‘ont \\'ittney"s ‘IJr‘Iohn’s’ racehike sisted of a steel spine li‘ante, hittrzotiehi forks and a Koni and con- ntonoshock \thosc la)uut incorporated a linkagc to counter» act the shalt dri'x‘e’s atherse often on handling. Styled with th ‘, assistanee ol'Gttui's huge wind tunnel, the Daytona nas a handsonte machine that retaincd the mar quc"s unique chamt'tt't. Blipping the throttle at a standstill SL’l the hike rocking in familiar fashion (a quirk ol' the ‘ lindet arrangement“ (in the move, the engine’s lowispeed v'atinu (lisappeatcd in typical style to give a smooth ride. despite having slightly less ol‘ (iuwi’s revered midrange Ilut‘ tilt IJaytttua was impressively flexible, its charge m ‘Mntph l]]flrt‘t‘(l only by a typically notchy liveispeed 96 Above: Gut/,i’s first sportster for the Nineties was fast, agile and handsome. Right: Da) tona’s 51 k styling was shaped in this huge wind-tunnel, built during the Fifties. gearbox. Its longilegged feel and leant-ibrward riding posi- tion made For relaxed high—speed cruisingt The combination] of 17-inch front wheel modern geometty and firm, well- damped suspension gave a sporty, Hickable feel. The Day- tona was stable at speed, too, and had powerful brakes and wide, sticky tires. Even this heavily updated \"l|2'lll) and technitally stunnin" hulltlbl c m' an t‘ nverpriretl whitt: t-lv i (, in:- thin} r more even lve roadster ht: NR awed its existenre to the NR3! J IL|1‘Cl’)lkfi with which HOnIl'| i‘L‘turnct’l to Q"! anr n l_ 3. In an attempt to comb t \V tnahu Lind Suzul K two-stun with ti 1‘ u opct "in m'nl-pisloned \"l cngi: 1h \ the clu ' * '1 they rould get to u \vb'. Dexpin npendin billions ofyen. Hundu failed [0 tnnltt: the. ‘Xevcr Ready (ninpcti (2. finally ttlitindui , ' 1. But oval-p turned (it! lie, they (it and it x ulupmcnl continued, and ll launched to recoup some prestige and profit. Styling Wm A,‘ . list of teehn ,al l‘ealun \va impn’ renivc twin-headlamp fair- ing held it titanium-muted en, below which was an in- m ativc ‘floating’ LCD specdomcu , 'l'he serpentine e '- huust s) stems twin mufflers were set into a curvaceous, carht’m—libm' rt. nl'orccd tailpiet ' fairly conventional, featuring a polished min-beam alloy frame, Pm Arm single-sided swing»arm, thick 43mm upside»(lown lot ,3. and a 15 ineh front wwel. But there was nothing remotely ordinary about a watch . V4- Cuntaining pistons shaped like running Ihe. ch' tracks7 each with two cannula and eight tiny xah A peak output of l25hhp at 14,000rpm made the NR the worldis most pu\surful 750, and the: high-rowing llondn had a wonderfully broad spn-nd ultot'quc. liut despite extetnive ‘ , i i use nt'ttgtnwctgm materials the. NR weighed an t-xressiu: Ewe ‘ 438le. That meant its straight»linu pttt'fortnanrc w a no ‘l better than that of rival 7 0n costing a fraction of the price. Capacity 748" Although the NR 5 t. gtd imtnc and l()p»(lttnltly'r) rlc {tarts Claimed power ilib’tp a: ‘10:“ther gmc excellent handling, the seamle 5 power delivery dtdn t make for a particulm'l ' flxlillnl'ailt ' Weight 727K; (Hiatus) cry Regarded p'urcly as a ruadgoing motorcycle the l\jR75(J Egg—w—i‘grwg (ZSEOW/"V‘, l was a disappointment, but to lt‘t‘ai it that way was to miss the point. For all its tlt'awbat'ks the NR was a motorcycling tech, Standing quarterrmilc i i 23% l73m'rt( 970"?) ‘1 I‘Olngliiiil tour de, force that perhapa only Honda, with their 9 Hist t'csout'CtA and ubsc 'siun for superb precision engim'er- J ing, could hate produced. Far left: A strong alloy mm“ and topquality tit-1t» pztrLs tnmli‘ tht‘ AR 3 fine handler, (li'apitt' Iii excessive \wight. Above: Gorgeous styling \Hia a deliberate nitnt’ 1min {mm mnwtttitmal I‘zit‘er replica lines. with flowing runes anti :1 ltoxt of t‘\q\li\ilt? (li'lt’llls inrluding iiifiuhlnht‘ltt’lied st ”1‘11 and ’tlnatingr‘ ithllllttit‘nt (twin. Left;,\ ‘l'liiql «it it mt \yNH‘ltt i“l|’l Ht tie i t w tnilpiv r. l\‘ w uttttnt asseml‘l) ‘t (liitli'tl .t x u .t - sitter] “ting-arm Aim, prt‘dlt‘lttlll) mitt .m t lOl >j\1sl2661bs,l'arle' Jonrn BARIGO 600 SUPER- MOTARD Supermolo is a peculiarly l‘reneh form ol'bik between roatlraeing and motoernss. its mixture of asphalt sport, halfwa} and dirt Iraek has led to the development ol'raeebikes with high bats, powerful singlereylintler engines, long-trmel sus- pension ant] {at roadrace tire The Barigo 600. Barigt) is a small firm, run by former racer Paleiek Bari- gaan and based near La Rochelle in western lranee. l)er and also In a unique roadster: signed by Barigault and based on his «zucc ssful supermoto champion tip racebike, the 600 combined locally-made parts with components from elsewhere in Europe. The Supermutard’s engine was: the latest watereuuled big single [ruin Austrian s: ecialists Rutax. Fed by twin Dell"()rto can buretors and complete with twtn eams, l'our \tfll\ es and no fewer than three spark-plugs, it thumped out a claimed 6lbhp at SOOOrpm. Barigo built the polished aluminum frame, to which were .lassv (‘\( e parts. Forks and shoeks eame anaelted some brak e, from Brembn. “ch magneslunt wheels am my from Dutch spec ll , White l’tme : The 600’s lightweight l7 and m ore {at Michelin sports bike radial tir . ingle, nated in ltal\ If the Barigo s ptmer output \\ as remarkable for a Ihe Superinolard ‘ than most big trail bikes and bately inure its dry weight figure wns amazin than some 250( : machines. Combined with its witle bars, basie eha rigidity, racy steering geometry and excellent multiradjt . go’s laek ol weight made for a remarkably maneuverable bike. It could be illeked around effortlessly yet handled with great preeision. The Rota) motor was vaieal of a wellrtnned big ingle, pulling hart] at low engine speeds and vibrating noticeably, despite it: balaneer shaft, at higher rex Although the 600 would cruise happily at 80mph with plenty in hand, the \ibes and the upright riding position meant that speeds of m er rved for short bursts. able suspension, the IOOmph were best rt. ln its (mu wav the Superlnmard was every bit as single- minded as a conventional I)|L‘L‘-I'(‘,[)li("t\ like Suzuki’s (JSXV R730. It certainly wasn't the ideal bike for everyone or L‘VL } ' But in town oron tw ‘kroads‘, the Barigo 600 acceleration, agility, grip and braking power ) b; blend oi made it very hard to beat. etHJ t tan, [th tt’ at Englnc Capacity Clalmed power Welghti Top speed Standing quarterrmlle Left: Long—legged, torquey llarigo was essvnliallt and impossibly light, the snpt-tntolt) rat in: I‘ t l t. DUCATI 888$PS nl rrd Dnruli> \wrr :u'unubl} {/u/ «upcrhikcs of rhr (- ‘lv ,’ll’(‘,\l’4)1'lh("nlu]l ['1 Tlungr 7 Lu] 9 ' M'l ' 'mud ‘ minus ' qriun 1'1le hikc that bud nmdc [ho \\'r:n'1d Superlyike Ulnunpinnslnp its mm. The 'P. {lull} Ililllil’t‘d4fl1i on W?! \v 9 [hr cvocmiu' , u] 7 “Lu 0 scu- F’Il‘ DIIC 111. light pensive. 'l'lw SpfiflldL nfnhiLh nnly 100 r‘xample,~ were huilL shun {m .' pun Pmduttinn n of [he ‘nmz nm]' 15' " x Ii 1. H] SP4- wus pow nd 0 Engmc Capacity Chivncd powc r ,, W Mme ‘ was more )r-wt‘rfuL lighter and V cm] million lire murk- “x- pcnsh xill. . Bath nmdcls us‘ 1\ Cd. ' 8w \'Al\\in my inc and steel lud< d on {host- ()I‘Du Both nphistimred Ohlil ' hr'm-fibcrmudguurds, 1d 17 'nL‘h whack “I, L I a 831 roads cr‘ «pension units, car» an Brr’mbo Gold LatickyMichelin -, ighhvulvc (Iesmo engine- “as midwu} hmween that of the SP4 and Durati‘s full» Line. brake lamqyam Above: Designml m a \( lrlrga! racm; (In , {l-ll Insurr [hr hur finm’ il \vnx riddrn. Right: Duuui I'quipprd [11» 8'88 \sixh I clmmpion's Km 1 plan» ‘|\ “ell u.» numcrnm chm: s ("mulmnfllh mudv {mm H hnw \ x'nrbuw fiber. l‘ilL‘L‘ pmu‘rplunl. 'l'lizil mcunl bivgcr \ulw,‘ shaft ' [on rmiu, updau‘d lilal-injcriimi ' L‘m, added iivs‘lhui (lur: Olllpul ni‘lQODlip a! 10 “A Chin, s (‘liung'v Mu‘c uim ‘Ll m sli (lding‘ aver} “NHL ‘an; ounu Tln‘ hPh‘s pmml [Link \xus mzul‘ fiber and Kevlar ll ' ‘ ‘1c 1. l- hansi mufl'lcls Ule ' IALII g (IAI‘H’ h ghcr umlpl“ '— And :1 Min; 5' ‘ .nmhccl 1pm. id sum were 150 i when, 1'(‘(i\l(‘ll g “'0' [lie I uliunt p wc‘ p rlhrm n v, parii ulzn‘lv , ig' ir (luv. Evan mnrl‘ m mu ublc x I: the lid ‘l‘ll‘ \‘il’ u‘honrlibcr (Link. making l‘ulH) to m ofmid spinC-lin ling induction mar iiun dial 1‘ mc ham main 1h mugh the *6 “WK“? 0 Ir, an m SL 4 uniquely Ilu‘illinq‘ wwn... . Handling was < gum] {is il'u: SPL ilil‘x 1J1 [lvm lml ,, , ‘l‘ ihuugli 11 k :1 [mp nunsr lln- Dnmii lll‘l‘lll'll In lu- [Klfll‘n .aggi "\iw‘ly 'l'romod grml} i! fol! mll‘ \I'IIIHPUJ and slow sic iin But the lmulu and iii»! “ lhl‘ \‘l’\‘ \\,l\ (‘m‘m‘rNL the man: llx liglilnr» and supl-rh 0 (Ir pun '(l [h 1r worth. In 21 wuild of .mm mm} ligliu lgjisluiiun mo 1mm. :m and unashaml‘dl} m; nmsps (‘pimnu \d all mm \\ u i - hing ul Jul mod rn spur c ‘s‘ bu! i! u s Inn much Ilmunr V c 101' mum UDU'] 5‘ I, \u, undi ‘nib inn limit cwn in 1‘02, and its 1' a madsn‘r Mm‘ nuinl rudc (In, SI’S would cvcr for i 1!. ‘od. rm M ho SUZUKI GSX-R750W Suzuki eould hardh hm e dared hope= when the} launched the GSX-R750 in 1983, that seven yems later it would have gained a cult following and become establiahed as the most popular r2 . epliea 01' all. But the GSX-R’s blend ol'sperd= style and handling resulted in strong sales e\ on when its int, pact on thC world’s racetraeks had faded. That sttct‘ '9 did not happen without plenty ol'ell'ort. On the contrary, Suzuki worked tirelessly to improve thr CSX-R 7 normally to good elTeet, in contrast to their troubles with the GSX7R1100. The result wax that when in 1992 they finally abandoned the trademark oilttooling for watet‘cooling, the GSX7R730\\' was merer another small step in a wrll- planned process of e\olt1tit>n. The \V was the third generation GSX»R. following the W88 revision that had produced the 750} 7 better known as lllt' Slingshot, after the name Suzuki coined for its carburetors. Thr Slingxhot starred a stiller frame, with rflCiL‘r geometi}. new suipcnsion and Wind] wheels. plus a shorter-urolo- engine that increased power from 100 to llZthp, In fnet the new bike was 401% heavier and harel) l‘mtet‘ than the original, but it had meatier midrange and delight- l'ully light yet stable handling. Two y rs later the 750], raised the stakes again, Its return to original engine (linienr sions, eombined with a reworked qlinder head and new ev haust, added power. Upside-down l‘orka and latter tires gave, men sharper handling l'ine, tuning ol'l nlvegear and frame geometry tnade lQ‘Jl’s 750M the best CEXVR ) ct. alheit by a tiny margin. but the need for more power and less width atria necessitated the introduction orthe water-Cooled 7.)O\\V some l2 months later. 103 Left: The GSXVRR stat-p, rat'erhungta' look changed Above: Alma): uniting mt» ltest—handlin japanext‘ spoitstt‘rx ol'all, lllt‘ (iSX-R lmante men more Ilitnlllt' little with the 7.30“ model‘s adoption olh new natt‘rt‘ooled engine. our the years. Numerous changes il](‘ll1(it‘(ldtllt)lt‘(‘UHJIJIICL engine that produced a Llnimrd lltihhp. the highest yet, and was held lower and farther l‘orward to put more weight on the liont wheel, lit‘ame (lilltt’lhitnh and wheelbase were lllt‘t‘t‘llné‘t’l; Ste. ring geometry and swingrartn n‘ltxliilt‘tl tel again. lissentially the (isxelll ltad hardl} th. ngt-d .ll Ill. 11 wax still last and ll't‘lll‘tlt‘, agile and aggrewhe: a tltrillinglt eraz} tnotore) tile at a wux‘ihle ptit'e. \Ultllttll), it remained ax popular as ever. Suzuki’s polirt' ol'eoiuinual tlt‘\ t'lttlllnt’tlt had made sure ol‘ that. Engine ., Capacity Clat med power Weight Top speed Standing quarterrmilc supcrhikL .hut h) the mid anze in northeastern Italy w ulv Lion came when LG l‘da w. ul‘finan al ('(lllllflulltb based in lhe. m l‘ unB of; 'linclion. by 1h nearby Yin enza. in 1901. hunted (lé'V lupxnent resulll 650‘ 'l he comeback hike.‘ anwllgzlllu) mmh nu Irznm' and mp-nulrh Whilr Prmu Nuspt‘flsllin ‘ \‘e the. _ 3 [will llulu and ' [uhlc lmndlil LAVERDA 650 LG'erdn’s lien lriples “1‘11 umung‘ \he greatest chmies gluies ,ul , had slumped and m the brink lukeu over nmntv to revive Laverd'u, 21nd inleu Ve r lam . ()1 [he 'baek anew 1X HC eight-valve cylinder head and cooled l3) '1 mix» lure nl'oil and ui l l‘he genrbux and clutch were redesigned and-1n place of carburetors the 650 used a V‘Vclx‘l— Maielli stem that helped boost peak power Io 70bhp. I he ch. 31> was 101 all) nc,“ 21 typicallv modem lmout coin- p . ng twln- beam aluminum frame, upside- -down forks 1‘1 inD ule xnonoshnck (both unil upplied by Dutch speci— Whilc P vwcr). lightweight l7»ineh whee big Brembo and low ‘ohle Pirelli radial fires Complete with a sleek full fairing and single seat, the com- pact 650 alcd under 4001b» and carried its weight low thanks man under-seat petrol tank. Steering was light and Right: S] prmided the in!) nilh an ullm—nmdern look, nlllm Inn id's purullcl min motor had iI origins way lurk in (In cm‘ Id “Cll-(lmnpcd ension gave excellent handling. The Lavm‘da fell [lul at low re Jul burst inlu m‘llun 2L1 3500113111, 5111‘ 'ng’ 10 7500rpm and Cruising smoollll 31 lOOIT][)ll. -\l)o\r [hut point the purullel min'~ lmdiliunul \lbrulion (‘ ed al’ruzz through 1hr, uuzpcgs. lllu‘ld Hal-0111‘ lllc Lavcrdu “ould ‘gc lmxurd 11x 9500x1311: rcdlinu and il top speed ()fover l30mph. Flle 65 perfommnce “lb mull 'e by ~up¢ s mdards: particularly h) llmse fits illnsuiuns prede- >or>. Rushed into production while gu :1 mod 1 - includ lug a w; en‘m‘nlt‘d 1 1e. and even :1 r lgoing V 7 were (lfi< v loped, it “as built In Small numb ud cxpcn, 'w for a middleweight. ”(mm 1 Lm'nrda’s bold newspux‘lsIt-rw mm) lhanjnsl prom] in 7 it w s u hundsume, finc-lxundlmg bike Will] :1 Capacity Claifned power Waugh: Top speed Standing quartcrrmlle unlque‘ fuel. and {rum 2L firm lllill lmd rlunmUL 11m by) x pruul‘ul'dn umuZin BIMOTA FURANO Bimnta hope that their re\ olutinnarv l'nrkless l't‘si will prnve tn be the future fursupcrbike design, hut in the meantime the ltalian lirtn lime protlllt’t‘d smne memorable mnventinnal hikes. ttm. Smeral of these have titunbincd llimota's own min-beam aluminum frame with the \tatercnnled. inur- ct lindt‘r engine from Yamaha‘s FZRIOOO. Must la\ isltlv equipped of all was the l’urant). Hantlrbuilt in numbers nl just lOU. it added l'uelrinjectinn. liglmxeight L’t’tt‘lflurlllwt‘ bod) work and tnp-ul—the-range ()hlins suspen- sion m an ahead} mtnull-wateringt spettiltt‘ation. Yamaha‘s 11mm l’ZR engint- was left internalh standard, but fed b) \\ uher-Marr‘lli injectiun instead of. arhuretnrs. The 20-val\ nttrm‘ breathed out through a fittir-inttvnne pipe (\l l‘nintntaK m n design, complete with rarhtnrfiber silencer: Claimed output nae .t tnuthll‘nlls 7ftn(l\(71nt‘ \muld say optimistic 7 lfillwltp at HOMO rpm. \n m)“ nw was spared in tlte chassis which combined limota'e :tirttalt :tlltu lt‘aint‘ spars \\l[l] ()ltlins‘ sophisti- rated \hedislt suspension parts. Lightweight materials. un- emnpmmising design t ntl Malt-quality tinnstrurtinn resulted in minimal \lZK and \tei.;ltt. lhe l'urann shared its wheelbase and Swill» \wight figure \\ ith \ amahaK lV'ZRhUO. ratlterthan with tltt lwlgqt r l]l\‘ tntvtlel. lt MID lllllxllttl m tln standard for which Bimnta had hit/l1]! w vm» i‘r'tl. t waning details like the monogrammed ‘ 3 up rt \le immaculate Innt’hiningantl welding. plus that 1th r \ll into Illt‘ {airing and seat/tank unit a 7 -- rtit‘ttt ttll that the lartm) claimed to t‘t’jt‘t’t one t t t. ' 108 Riding the l"urano was a predictably sensational ex— perience. The combination of anesovne power, light weight and impeccably taut cha ‘Sts gave a level ofltigh-speed con- trol that had to bc cxpcricneed tn he believed. Aim, brush the thmttle and the Bintnta \Hls there 7 almost as though its enn~ trnls were connected directl) to )mtr nervous s) stem. l'he l’urann barked its nee wrapping acceleration with a top speed nt'nverl70mpltt and natttrall) it was rock steadyat whatever the velnrit). But it was in slower bends that its race- trattltrllrm stispension, huge Brembo brakes and sticky Michelin ratlials gave must advantage. Like all liitnntas. the l7'urano w hidenus expensive and totall} itnpratttiral. The fortunate few who could afford nuc accepted that 7 for it was also arguably the fastest, most out- rageous motorcycle money ttnuld bu}. .u Engine \Nalerrool‘fi 20 valve DOl—C transverse 104' Capacity 002:: é‘lb‘np it to 500mm Claimed power Weight Top speed ‘ t (ztsktrm, Standing quartcpmt’lc u/l29n H7 tween/h) Above left: Cmncnlirmul in layout but nut in its mane - nn-uhjr'fl use nfmatex A IN [In Fl mn\\as ln-mmt prmt, ['11] and (-xnlir nf |II Bimm cugint‘d rnzulurn. Ahu lux if am ntlu-r ~upr' m ~u’vuldumuhtlw ru nun \umdn'xlulh mul w m m (urnrn “hm in lmnd whim A Inn ' (hwy 0171;“) smwhm. and My, \m m 1;“;an mmr mm vln-n mm, HONDA CBR900RR F IREBLADE l'or seyeral years Honda held back from building a big—bore sportster, seemingly because they did not want to fuel the calls for leg lation to limit performance. liut in l992, with a lOObhp limit looming nevertheless, Hondajoined battle by unleashing a thrillingly sharp~edged superhike. In marked Contrast to the revolutionan/ \R750, they did so with a machine that had a conventional layout and con- tained little untried technology. Instead, the CBR900RR FireBlade relied for its speed on the old-fashioned com- bination of heavy horsepower and light weight. lts motor was a watercooled, 167valte four producing a maximum of l23bhp at 10,500rpm. The output \\ as impres— site, but Honda’s real achievement was that the 893cc, engine, crammed full oflightweight components, was barely bigger or heavier than their (lBRfiOO powerplant. The same was true ofthe FireBlade‘s chassis, which eomv bined a twin-beam alloy frame with 7 more surprisingly 7 thick, 43mm forks that were not the fashionable upside-down variety, and which held a l6‘ineh front wheel instead ofthe 177ineh norm. Every effort was made to make the CBR as light and maneuverable as possible. lts fa small holes that were claimed to improve cornering perform- ance by enhancing airflow. Steering geometiy was racy; ox er7 all weight a mere 407lbs — comparable with a Japanese [middleweight or hand-built llimota. Performance was predictably fearsome, although the CBR motor had slightly less midrange muscle than its heavier, more powerful FZR and Cr ZR rivals. Instead, it combined smooth, high-revving response with razor-sharp handling, brilliant braking and generous grip from specially-developt‘d Bridgestone radial tires. 'l he wonderfully quiek7steering l'ireBlade could feel almost unstable at times but in most situations it was un- ng contained a rash of beatal)le, at least by a masvproduced motorcycle. Honda had raised the speed stakes yet at in, and the 900pilot‘s only problem was that the bike s perfortttztnce eonld rarely be used to the full on public roads. 'l'hat was the ine 'table result ofchanging technology and a look back at the CBR900RR’s ancestry , illtnninating. Comparing the l’irelllade with Honda’s ori 'nal,1969-model CIWBO 7 56bhpl 's powerful, over 7|llhs hea\ier :tnd 40mph slotter 7 revealeL _ust l!t\\\ far superhikt‘s had advanced in a little over um decades. I? 1 ' a Engtnc vwrcuo co lowlw lav—Q ,mmv :7 1 low , Capacity ‘ 893C: Claimed power l7 ibhp a: l0,500"3m Weight l83kg (Mi/tbs) C'y Top speed léimpa f 7 Standing quarter-mile l0 830M 26mm t' - ’h) INDEX 15196nunliwh1111111/1651‘cfcrm 11111411111011.» Ago-11111. 01.11.1111) 19.79 11111, Patrick 101 111111-111 750 96116, 16 900 s1 16 1111111111 56, 103 Bcllana 30., 80-81 11131 56. 56-7 111121116 103, 1013-9 '1 051 11) 90, 00-91, 03, 103 Bloor,_]olln 34 BMW 29, 66 K1 66, 66-7 K100 66 R905 15, 15 Bol d'Or 24 hours racc 34. 35 lxoody,' Bordr, .\ ammo 65 Brouglr Superior 6, 34 BSA 3,34 (111111 Smr 6 R1yck1. .3 3 11111111, 1:r1r 70 Bucll 111mm 70 11512001, 70-71, 70-71 Castro] Six-hour race 38 (io111)1:r.j011n a Daimlvr. Golllieb 6 Davidson, Willie G 26 Dar Iona races 8, 11 Dlrchlmrn. Barry 14 prcrda company 34 Ducalli 29, 65 7? 8.11 7, 65, 65, 86 88851’5 10 102-3 00055 (1975) 20- , , 00058 (1991) 36-7, 667 1'1 56 Dnhamcl. Yvon l4 rcllsrrom,J1n 34 rcnan‘. V1rg1nro 80 r.\ company 6 ‘ 5 N10 Supr-rmolard 100-101. Gardner. Wayne 30 Goodman, 1mon 89 Goodman HDSl200 30-9, 39 Gram, Mick 14 11111111111111, .\[ikc 19, 21. 70 Mar] 1111111151111 70, a9 xu 1000 26, 26-7, 30, 70 XR730 26, 95 Sportslcr (1952) 26 14.11115, Steve and Lester 34, 35 Harris Magnum 34. 34 Hole. Dong 3 Henderson company 6 Holden 1047cc 6 Honda 34 01340074 63 011500 16 011750 6,3,10-11,11, 12, 15, 16, 29, 63, 111 03750r Supersports 11 CB750K 11 (113900 35, 33, 39 (:BllooR 33-9, 30-9 CBRGOOF 62-3, 62-3, 73, 111 (113119001111 FireBludc 6, 110-11, 111 (1111110015 53, 53-9, 62, 63. 34 (:Bx1000 32, 32, 35, 36 (:BX1000-B 32, 33 c 00 Turbo 40-41. 41 (1X650 Turbo 41 NR500 93 NR750 03-0, 00-9, 111 31:30 64, 64, 73 VFR 30 64 VFR 101754 5 5. 53,64, 73 11111750171, 7 , 73 11111511111111. 151m 3 1111 motor builders 41 Inmla 300 race 21 mm company 6 1511: 111111111 ‘11 races 6. 21 Kawasaki 34 730 112 14, I4 730 Mach IV 14 G1‘X750 G9, 78 5. 4G (1 1’/1100 44 1111.12.12 13,15, 75 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS lhc armhor and p||1)1l\h(r\ would likr to thank \1ik1:R1)~1. for dtsi Hing lhix I1110k.\11-ph1 compi material; rClI and Rim \‘1'ats1m 101’ ‘1g1111-1n111x 1111. followingindlvldualssuppliulphotographic Zl-R, 7.900 12 7.1000 12,29, 34, 35 7100051‘, 01-11100 12 71300 36, 36-7 ZX-lO 75 zxmso 2-3, 63-3, 69 zz-Rllo0 74-5, 75, 34 Lamborghini 6 Lavcrda 25, 29, 106 650 106-7,106-7 jota 1000 22-3, 22-3 R0s1000, 51111000, Corsa 23 Le Mans races 35 Magni, Arturo and Sons 79 Magni Sfida 1000 4-5, 79, 79 Mann, Dick 8, ll Marconi, Pierluigi 90 Martin, Georges 35 Martini, Federico 56 Marchead, Steve 95 Moto Guzzi 29, 79, 96 750 S3 roadster 24 850 L1: Mans 24-5, 24-5 1000 Daymna 96, 96-7 {\Ioto Martin 35 CBXIOOO 35, 35 51v Agusta 79 7505 four 18, 19 7505 America 6, 13-19, 13-19 83760 Monza 19 NOI‘lOn, classic madster 76 Commander 76 Commando, Dominamr 6 Manx 6 1‘1 76, 76-7 [\yqvisr, Am) 37 Pecketl & McNab company 34 Pickrcll, Ray 3 Read, Phil 13, 19,79 Rickman company 34 Scott company 6 Smarr, Paul 21 Spray, Steve 77 Slorz, Sieve 5 Harley-Davidson X12883 94-5, 95 Sul'lccs.john 19, 79 Suzuki, 05750 29, 35 051000 20-9, 29,30 0510000 29 05x750 49 Gsx1100 29, 42, 52 GSXllOOFJ 32 GSXllOOS Katana 34, 42-3, 42-3 GSX-R750 7, 47, 43-9, 49, 52, 54, 69, 73, 101,105 -R750j, 417501,, -R750M 105 GSX-R750W104-5, 105 csx-Rlloo 35, 52, 52.3, 60, 32, 33, 105 GSX-RllOOK 32 GSX-RllOOL 32, 32 Taglioni, Fabio 21, 65 Tart, Percy 8 Triumph 8, 84 5000: Speed Twin 6 Bonville 6 Trident T150, 8, 1‘} Trident 'I'160 8, 9 Trident X-75 Hurricane 8 Trident 900 92, 92-3 Trophy 1200 84, 84-5, 92 LJM bike: 43 Velocettc 89 Venom 6 Vincent Black Shadow 6 Winner, Drjohn 96 Yamaha, FJ1100 46, 46, 47 131200 46, 34 r2600 72 r2750 47, 47, 49, 54, 60 FZR600 72-3, 72.3, 30, 103 FZRlOOO 60, 60-61, 72, 76, 32, 33, 103, 103 rzmo00 EXUP 33 172111000111; 33, 33 VMX1200 v-Mac 50-51, 51 XJQOO 46 x6750 30 xsuoo 30, 30-31, 46 66-67, 63-69, 70-71, 71, 72, 73(b0ttom), 7711611), 78(borll), 83(both), 110- 111. Ray Kidney, pages: 26-27. Phil Masters, page: 34. Mac McDiarmid, pages: 12, 13, 92, 98-99(all three). Roland Brown, pages, 14. 40-410mm), 65, 76, 790111111), 30, 31, 34-35(all mo) 86- -.67(116111) 113-1191116111),90-911101111~cc),92-93,93,949 1111111), :16 97,100-101 102 102-103. 104, 105, 106, 1021-1096111 llIrcc), 11011111111). jack 1iur111clc, page: 10(inscl). Kcl 111 c, pages. 1, 2-3, 35. 47(botlom). 461mm), 52-53, 56, 57, 62-63, 1117.1)11flrlx1'1), 7273106107. navid Goldman, pages: 45., 10-11, 22-23(613111), 33-39, 39, 50, 51. 63, 64, Andrew Morland, pages: 6, 91110111), 13-19(a11 rhrce), 20-21(both), 44- 4511111 three), 46. Don Morley, pages: 3-9, 15(both), 16, 17, 24-25(both), 32-33(both), 37, 331mm), 42-43(all three), 54-55, 53-59, 591mm). John Num'ng, pages: 23-291mm), 30-31(11orl1), 36, 47(1op), 43-49. Colin Schiller, pages: 52, 53(bottom), 60, 61. 011 Tennanl, pages: 7(bo111), 77(bottom), a2. EMTE BS" 53!:th - Monroe Schools mm", mm Roland Brow. “.2 )t-a. t years' e 'perience 2- INHIHH r . .x dcputycrliu'n'oi Jr, 11 ago/me Since turning freelance in Feln‘uan" , has rcg‘ularly tested l')ll(4",\ {or more than a dozen magazines worldwide Hr is the author of (Irmmnzl illnmrlzz: 1: ' Hamil/z; motorcycling correspondent of TIN Ind!— pmdmll; and has contributed . motorcycling to publication. including Car, 1’11 Lam and 1m "naming. He raced motorcycl R for 10 ' ‘ competing at internatirnial level in the Formula One world champ )1 hip and in endurance events including the Le Man,» 21 Hour.» and the Bol d FR )N'l‘ , , I‘hc stunning llonda NR [30, the most expen 'Ve roadster ever produced (JIM fiIrD‘zu/‘m‘zdl. BA 7K COVE A Ducati J05 ,hows off elegant lines (Dam?! Goldman). CHARTWELL BOOKS ' ”mm" m BOOK SALES; " Vt Ho Enlupvise Avenm‘ Secaucns Noun”, mug Printed in Italy QLILJBIIHHHLIQIZIL [3116071 ‘ 0 #050015 T 4122 uHIIIuInuuguulylln 9 781555 07