Bonanza Bc 1500sh
BONANZA BC 1500SH
Next.. . The Fur-Lined Alarm Clock
A PROMINENT psychoanalyst once opined that a man’s desires evolve through three basic stages. The youth wants to indulge his senses. Then, as he grows he wants to be rich (presumably to better indulge his senses). The final stage, that of the Mature Man, is the hunger for power. Pouvoir. Poder. Macht. The ability to do what you want and have your way. To prevail. And being a rather general theory, this likely applies to most of us with varying degrees of validity.
What else would explain (drum roll) The Bonanza! The Barrel-Chested, Hairy-Legged, Tire-Spinning Torquer Sublime of Mini-Bikedom. (Thunder and lightning.) Ten snarling Hodaka horses at the rein of your right hand. The Bonanza (trumpets). A new Challenge! Our grandfathers tamed the west, our fathers, the sky. We have (fanfare) the Bonanza! This is our generation’s chance at history, a venture all our own!
(Dramatic pause)...But seriously, folks. Is this really the way of the Mature Man? The Compleat Consumer?...or even The Blithe Spirit? No, happiness is not predicated upon a five-speed gearbox, much less a 60-mph mini-screamer. True human joy is not likely found astride a 120-lb. buzz bomb.
Buffoonery aside, the new BC 1500SH Bonanza is good looking and strong, and it has folding footpegs (doubtless a concession toward AMA racing). Its C02 gas welded frame appears one of the best we’ve encountered on a mini. It is a full duplex type, strong enough to take a lot of abuse.
The bike’s ride is decidedly stiff with little suspension travel fore or aft. Since its earlier minis, Bonanza has made changes to rake and trail, adding to the machine’s stability. So as mini bikes go (they are inherently unstable anyhow), the Bonanza is the best of the squirrelly lot.
Bonanza was one of the first minibike manufacturers to use rounded profile tires on their products. In the early days of the industry, minibike producers used only those square section go-kart tires which lent little to already terrible handling. Because of their burgeoning sales, Bonanza finally pressured their tire makers to produce boots more amenable to minibikes. And they are large tires at that, 4.50/5.30 by 6 in.
With its powerful little 100-cc Hodaka powerplant the bike will go quite fast if the road is smooth enough. And its five-speed transmission allows good flexibility. First gear is low enough for the novice to potter about until he learns how to control this dervish at speed.
The BC 1500SH has one feature we’ve yet to see on any other bike regardless of size or price; a fuel gauge right in the gas cap. The cap itself is the dial while the needle is actuated by a float on the cap’s underside. It’s remarkably simple and inexpensive.
The scooter is equipped with a headlight, taillight and, strangely, a Götterdämmerung type expansion chamber. And although the 1500 is well capable of keeping apace with traffic, the noise is sure to attract the police. So why bother with the lights? The machine shouldn’t be ridden on the street anyway. And who would be so intrepid as to ride it on a bumpy trail at night?
Yes, in viewing the Bonanza as a powerful toy, we must concede that it is well made. But even that’s not sufficiently redeeming to a motorcycle enthusiast. You could blueprint a yo-yo, glue feathers on a rubber duck or burn nitro in your lawn mower, but to what avail? Certainly to some those are improvements, but of what real value are they? A minibike’s greatest virtue is its compactness and portability. The 1500 pretends to do what a real motorcycle naturally does better.
But, undoubtedly, the 1500 will sell like hotcakes in affluent America, the world’s best market for gilded lilies. [O]
