One day when I had occasion to admit that yes, I had behaved in shabby fashion to those who didn’t deserve it, I tried to defend myself on the grounds that what I had done had been out of my character. My listener was wiser than I. If it hadn’t been in your character, he said, you couldn’t have done it.
The sun must have cooked your brains. Your objection is that it looks like something other than a Honda, i.e., a Harley. A V-Twin is pretty hard to make look like anything else. I am insulted by insinuations from you that the Shadow is a Japanese Harley.
Missing an issue? They're available from Old Del Mar Emporium, PO. Box 1621, Spring Valley, CA 92077 for $2.00 each plus 75¢ postage and handling per order.
Well, it's spring, and that means spring-cleaning. And that means straightening up our rumors file. Now, look. We're not bad-mouthing this year's motorcycles. In fact, they're the best line-up ever. Fast, powerful, agile. Sturdy, reliable.
Agreeing that Harley-Davidson is endangered by low-cost imports, the U.S. International Trade Commission has recommended sharply increased tariffs on large-displacement Japanese motorcycles. The commission decided that the current 4.4 percent tariff tacked onto the wholesale value of imported Japanese bikes should be raised for five years.
From Newcastle, Great Britain, comes the strange tale of one Brian Reynolds. Seems that the 23-year-old motorcyclist had been having a little trouble with the gearbox on his Triumph Bonneville. Try as he might, Reynolds just couldn't get the thing to flick through the gears as it should.
The closer the 1000cc, four-cylinder BMW gets to production, the more the test models are seen in Europe. And the more the test bikes are spotted, the more details we find out. Based on numerous sightings in West Germany, Austria and Italy, Beemer’s first Four shapes up this way.
Like your Laverda? Big on your BSA? Enjoy your Enfield? Adore your Ariel? Dote on your Ducati? Becharmed with your BMW? Nuts about your Norton? Okay, we’ll stop. You get the idea. If you own or fancy a European or British motorcycle, you’ll be interested in Eurobike Ltd., a new non-profit organization for enthusiasts of the species.
In a recent issue, Helen Gurley Brown's Cosmopolitan magazine printed an article about the tricks and pitfalls of interviewing for jobs. The magazine warned its readers that asking a potential employer where you could park your motorcycle might not be the best way to break the ice.
If you don't like the looks and feel of nylon saddlebags, Sure Grip has the solution: genuine leather. Two sizes are offered. They strap to the bike with leather belts and ties. The straps can also be repositioned and used as shoulder straps. The all-leather tool bag fits behind the seat or on a sissy bar. Both are reasonably priced; the tool bag costs $39.95, the saddlebags start at $148.95. Contact Sure Grip Products, 770 Pinefalls, Walnut, Calif. 91789. Phone (714) 594-3774.
Sure Grip Products
TIME MACHINE FAIRING
$99.95
Here’s an economical approach at staying warm and protected from the elements. The Time Machine handlebar fairing comes with mounting hardware (for round or cast bars) and fits round or retangular headlights. It’s finished in a black gelcoat and trimmed with gold pinstripes for $99.95. Options include different windshield heights and tints. For more information contact Action Fiberglass, 10431 Beach Blvd., Jacksonville, Fla. 32216. Phone(904) 641-7071.
Sure Grip Products
LOCKHART H-D COOLER KIT
Late model Harley-Davidson owners can cool their oil with Lockhart's model 420 vertical mount oil cooler. Regular or stainless-steel line can be used. All kits come with hardware and regular oil line. Check your local dealer for prices and applications.
Sure Grip Products
SPECIALISTS II REARSETS
$112
Specialists II rearset footpeg and control kits put the rider’s feet in the perfect position for fast riding, with precision control and increased cornering clearance. The rearset kits are easily installed and feature heim-joint linkage, leverage-corrected brake pivot and thick rubber sheathing for vibration control. The kits are available for Yamaha RD250/350/ 400s, SR500, Seca 550/750, Maxim 650 and 650 Twins and Kawasaki GPz550/ 750/1100s. Prices range from $112 to $129.50 from Specialists II, 102 East Prospect Ave., Burbank, Calif. 91502 (714)842-5187.
HONDA INTERCEPTOR, KAWASAKI GPz750, SUZUKI GS750E... HOW THE NEW SUPERBIKES MATCH UP
HONDA INTERCEPTOR
KAWASAKI GPz750
SUZUKI G5750E
AGAINST THE CLOCK
ON THE EDGE
WHAT THEY'RE LIKE AT HOME
THE JURY RETURNS
Honda
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Honda
VF750F
$3498
Honda
GPz750
$3449
Honda
GS750
$3348
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HOT DAMN! Never before have we had three such exciting motorcycles together for a test. These are the fastest, best handling, most spectacular 750s made. The creme de la creme. Together. Head to head. Just as this year's Superbike races will pit this Honda V45 Interceptor, Kawasaki GPz750 and Suzuki GS750 against each other, we'll run them against each other and against the clock.
Inside the Honda Interceptor, Suzuki GS750 and Kawasaki GPz750 are the secrets of performance.
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Comparing the valve timing of the Honda Interceptor, Suzuki GS750 and Kawasaki GPz750 is a good way to understand how cam profiles determine engine characteristics. These three motorcycles all have similar peak power, but one has substantially less power at low engine speeds.
Cutting 20 lb. out of the YZ250 wasn't easy,... but it was worth it.
YAMAHA
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YAMAHA
YZ250
$2269
[no value]
Got a 1982 Yamaha YZ250 you don't want to trade in on a new one? Stop right here. Don't read this test. You'll be happy not knowing about the 1983 version. Is the coast clear? Fine. It's safe to look back at the '82 YZ250 and remember that at 243 lb. the bike was on the porky side.
Big and black, Compac’s latest giant-size soft saddlebags are easy to use and easy to like. Another set of soft luggage? Yes. Just like all the rest? No. Connoisseurs of saddlebags will instantly spot the huge capacity of the Compac saddlebags.
Fungus McGoo, The Plastic Bug Caper and Why Maybe I Retired Too Soon.
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Capias Dodge
Dirt track racing never appealed to me much, as I like plenty of room when things go wrong. Sure, road racing speeds are higher but you usually get space to go off course without—as happened to Bob McDonald when he went down at Concord—getting the most astonishingly clear tire tread marks across your butt and up your back.
A little foam and a little work can make helmet hoise disappear.
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David Edwards
Something is just not right. You’re an hour into the first big tour of the year, the gray urban sprawl is beginning to give way to open country, and those gently curving roads you so carefully planned for are within striking distance. The sun, having done its job of burning off the early-morning haze, is beginning to warm your back as you wheel west towards the mountains.
By now the Honda technique for creating new models ought to be in textbooks. Instead of copying existing models, Honda has made a habit (and a fortune) of building models unlike what everybody else has. When every other manufacturer built only two-stroke motorcycles for off-road use, Honda came out with, first, the XL series of four-stroke dual purpose bikes and then the XR series of four-stroke enduro bikes.
The Houston doubleheader had lessons in racing luck for famous racers and fans alike.
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Allan Girdler
For the week before the Camel Pro/AMA national season began at Houston's Astrodome, the Short Track and TT double bill was a press agent's dream. Entered for what may be his last dirt race was two-time national and three-time world champion Ken Roberts, backed by new teammate and reigning Superbike winner Eddie Lawson.
The old inline Four is born again, with new life from bigger pistons.
It's a very torquey engine, inviting low rpm use rather than prohibiting it.
HONDA
[no value]
HONDA
CB1000 CUSTOM
$3648
[no value]
In Honda’s colorful, unusual and comprehensive collection of 1983 motorcycles, it’s tough for a bike to stand out. Walk into a Honda showroom and when your eyes aren’t stunned by the flashy Interceptor, Turbo and 1100F, there are the powerful Magnas and intriguing Shadows to notice.
Flat tires, like all mechanical malfunctions, are seldom convenient. That doesn't mean having flats at the worst possible time makes it any more fun, so when we had a string of floppy tubes and ripped stems and didn’t have the gear or time to effect a speedy fix, mention was made in these pages.
Bailey leads Supercross Series, Kenny and Eddie test new Yamahas, Sam Wills and Bo O'Brochta team up in Top Fuel.
BAILEY LEADS SUPERCROSS SERIES
ROBERTS AND LAWSON TEST NEW YAMAHAS
AMA/WRANGLER MOTOCROSS SERIES
WARD, HANNAH, BREKER LEAD GOLDEN STATE SERIES
CANTALOUPI COMES BACK— WITH KENNY ROBERTS' HELP
HONDA'S LATEST WORKS MOTOCROSSER
WILLS AND O'BROCHTA TEAM FOR TOP FUEL
ROCKET BIKE PIONEER CALLS FOR DRAG RACING SAFETY MEASURES
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Honda’s David Bailey won the opening round of the 1983 Wrangler Supercross Series, in Anaheim Stadium, and followed up with two second-place finishes in the doubleheader second and third rounds at Seattle's Kingdome. As impressive as Bailey's first big career win was, more impressive was Bob “Hurricane” Hannah’s return to top form after several mediocre seasons.
Winter gloves in a summer issue? Strange business here, eh? Not really. What it is, is simple. We got these two pairs of gloves in mid-winter. By the time we tried them out, winter was over. And, because of the usual magazine time lag, it’s now summer.
Misleading, that’s what this title is, at least a little bit. Disappointed will be the person who picks up Exotic Motorcycles expecting to see a collection of stylists’ customs or hopped-up, gut-wrenching racers. And the person who wants to read about the machines, rides and exploits of one of Great Britain's premier motorcycle journalists may overlook the book.
I have been having quite a bit of trouble keeping my BSA’s flat black aftermarket headers from rusting. I’ve tried several different coatings, none of which proved to be satisfactory; all of them let the pipes rust again very quickly. What is the porcelain type coating the Yamaha people use on their bikes, and will it work on mine?