The Ten Best Bikes of 1979
THE TEN BEST BIKES OF 1979
Selecting the ten best motorcycles of 1979 wasn't easy. First, it involved thorough testing of every motorcycle available. Then came the selection of categories and lists of motorcycles eligible for each category. Finally, the Cycle World staff decided which of the machines listed does its job better than the others on the list. That started the arguing, the explanations and, ultimately, the agreement that, yes, some individual motorcycles stand out as being superior in their class.
Defining classes of motorcycles isn't as easy as it once was. Some classes, notably the 125. 250 and open motocross classes, are included because they are the classes used for competition around the world. But then there’s the enduro class that includes competitive enduro bikes of all sizes, play bikes and desert bikes all rolled into one category. Rather than splinter enduro bikes into a half-dozen divisions, the best enduro bike is the bike that's most outstanding within all the sub-classes of enduro bikes. Dual-purpose is fairly obvious, although the smaller dual-purpose bikes haven’t been tested because there hasn’t been much interest in them on the part of the staff or the readers who write to us. Street bikes aren’t so obvious. I here's a superbike, the best all-around high-performance street bike around. And there are general size categories of street bikes, whether listed as lightweight, mediumweight or heavyweight, or considered in terms of displacement. This year the street bikes were classified by displacement because weight-ratings don't follow displacement closely and because most motorcyclists think of their bikes as being of a particular displacement category. All that remained were the limits. The smallest is under 450cc because that includes all the small Twins. The mid-size group is 451 to 650cc, mostly 500s and 650s but with a 550 thrown in. Then there are the 651 to 800cc machines, or another way of saying all the 750s plus the only 800 around. Motorcycles over 800cc displacement usually get classified as either superbikes or touring bikes, although that's not always fair. The distinction is blurring as shaft drive appears on more motorcycles and more of the big displacement bikes are suitable for long distance rambling or high speed charging. Used to be a big bike that was too slow to be a superbike was called a touring bike. That’s no longer true. But the motorcycle industry and the buyers make the distinction and so do we.
Each class has a winner. Picking a winner in the motocross classes is relatively easy as the winner is the bike that goes the fastest or. put another way, has the equipment a good rider needs to go fast. Winning the enduro bike class is more difficult because there are so many types of enduro bikes. Still, one bike excels. The best street bikes are a combination of speed, handling, comfort, utility and convenience. Price and availability, two important considerations for consumers, are secondary considerations for selection as one of the ten best.
Although selection isn’t based on price or serviceability, those are points that influence the decisions. An excellent bike that’s also a bargain and is in good supply will win over a bike of similar performance but higher price.
Why do we pick the best bikes? It’s our way of telling readers, without hesitation or confusion, what works best. It lets the industry know what motorcyclists like. But it doesn't mean a bike not listed isn’t worthwhile, many are.
Not every motorcycle in the world has been tested by Cycle World. We try to evaluate every motorcycle made, but some aren't available for testing and aren't readily available for purchase.
Besides the winners, there are bikes receiving an honorable mention. That’s not the same as second place. Honorable mention is to recognize special motorcycles, motorcycles that offer noteworthy features in distinctive ways.
This is the fourth year Cycle World has honored the ten best motorcycles and it's nice to see that the best keep getting better.
SUPERBIKE: SUZUKI GS1000
Suzuki’s GS 1000 became the finest a around street bike ever made when was introduced last year, and it was also the best superbike around. In the past year nothing has come along that offers a better combination of speed, handling and comfort. The GS 1000 is still the best superbike money can buy and thankfully it doesn't take all that much money, as superbikes go.
For years the best superbike was the motorcycle with the most horsepower, the quarter mile having been decreed the ultimate measure of a motorcycle. If it weren't for the GS 1000. that might still be the case.
By most standards, the GS1000 is a conventional motorcycle. T here are only two valves per cylinder and the engine is a thoroughly common inline four-stroke Four. 1 here's no liquid cooling or even an electronic ignition. A search for novelty turns up air caps on the front forks and adjustable damping for the rear shocks, but these would hardly seem enough to make the big Suzuki the mightiest of the mighty.
The Suzuki's biggest advantage is something it doesn't have: excess weight. With a weight of 536 lb. for the standard model GS1000 it's hardly any bigger than a 750. In fact, most modern 750s weigh more than the Suzuki 1000. Keeping the weight down makes it easier for the mechanical pieces of the machine, the motor and brakes and suspension, to do their job.
The supple suspension makes the GS1000 at least as comfortable as any motorcycle going. Yet at the same time the big Suzuki can match any big bike for handling precision and ease. Used to be the European exotics established the standard for big bike handling: no more. Now it’s the Suzuki that all other machines are compared to.
At a time when the biggest machines have six cylinders or liquid cooling or four valves per cylinder, the GS1000 motor has managed to become the most useable powerplant for all kinds of racing. It's the basis lor the Yoshimura Superbike and for the Vance/Hines RC Pro Stock dragster. It has the potential lor increased performance. yet it is as docile as a motorcycle engine can be.
Suzuki's GS1000 is more than the best
superbike going. It's the best evervbike.
Honorable Mention
For the second time in two years Honda's CBX gets an honorable mention lor the superbike it promises to be but isn't. It is the absolutely most exciting motor in motorcycling, but its exciting excess isn't enough once it’s left the dragstrip. Now if that motor had a chassis to match . . .
TOURING: YAMAHA XS11
Defining a touring bike is getting tougher all the time as more sophisticated shaft drive machines are produced, but when it comes time to hit the open road in search of miles, nothing beats Yamaha’s XS1 100. It's big. it's brutish, it's fast and it's comfortable. It's almost a superbike; it's the best touring bike made.
What makes the Eleven something more than the average touring bike is the motor. The 95 tire-shredding, eyeball-flattening horses make the XS an acceleration match for anything on two wheels. The torque is enormous. It requires a different technique at the dragstrip. it's so strong. None of this eight thou and dump it stuff for the Yamaha. No. it works best at lower speed than any other bike where its enormous 66.5 ft./lb. of torque seems to pull the dragstrip back past the motorcycle when the clutch is gently released.
Ordinarily a motor as muscular as the Eleven's powerplant would eliminate it from consideration as a touring bike. Only the soft suspension and total comfort of the w hole bike make it perfectly clear that the XS Eleven is a touring machine.
Little bumps or big potholes are just swallowed up by the plush front forks and rear shocks. The Eleven’s ride should be
compared not with other motorcycles but with plush cars. And the controls, the clutch that takes less effort than the clutch
on Yamaha's ow n 750 or 650 or 400. and a throttle that is easy to turn, and brakes that halt the mighty Eleven with little fuss or trauma, all contribute to the feeling of elegance.
Okay, so the handling isn’t going to please the cafe racer set. There are other motorcycles designed for going around corners. The Eleven is designed to go fast and smooth. Lord, is it smooth. Not even
the most sophisticated six cylinder motorcycles are any smoother. Big Lours are supposed to have torsional vibrations that buzz the handlebars. But the Eleven doesn't.
Touring bikes are distinguished by the mountain of accessories their owners pile on them. Like a good touring bike, the Yamaha is readily adaptable to most of the
accessories available and it handles them masterfully. Yamaha even sells its own collection of touring accessories so a customer can buy a full dress Eleven ready to roll from his dealer's showroom floor.
Yamaha's XS Eleven has more of everything you need to go far than any other bike made.
651-800cc STREET: HONDA CB750F
Not much suspense for the best 750 award, is there? Ten years after the original Honda 750 Four began a new era of four cylinder bikes. Honda comes out with a new 750 Four that's every bit as exciting today as the original 750 was when it was introduced.
Honda's 750F does everything a 750 is supposed to do: cruise, accelerate, handle and stop. And it does everything better than any other bike in class. For speed there isn't anything quicker under lOOOcc. With a quarter mile time of 12.52 sec. and an elapsed time of 107.27. the 7501is faster than many thousands. Honda claims 75 bhp for the 750F. a f ull 100 hp/liter. An output of 100 hp/liter is normal enough for racing machinery, but here’s a street legal Honda with that output and it starts instantly, runs smoothly, has less cold starting problems than any of its competition. will idle down below 1000 rpm without missing a beat, meets not only the 1979 federal emission laws, but it's already certified as meeting 1980 standards as well and it gets 47 mpg in all-around use. Amazing.
The secret of the Honda's tremendous power and efficiency is the new dohc motor of the 1979 models. It’s obviously different from the previous Honda 750 motor but it also looks similar to many other dohc Fours running around. It is different, though, in having four valves per cylinder for better breathing. But what makes the Honda work so well is the combination of the 16-valve head. Keihin CV curbs with accelerator pump. Honda's own inductive transistorized ignition and a thorough paring down of engine width. It's not the individual features that make the Honda a winner, it's the success of the combination. All the power in the world would be worthless if a motorcycle didn't have the chassis to handle it. The 750F can definitely handle the power. First there’s exceptional ground clearance, the engine being designed with narrow cases just for the ground clearance. Then there's the quick response and stability that comes from the proper geometry. There were shortcomings in the 1979 750F’s suspension quality, shortcomings that make themselves known quickly on a racetrack, but they weren't serious enough to keep the 750F from being the sportingest 750 made. And for 1980 Honda has some fixes in the works that will make the best handling Honda even better.
Lest ancone get the wrong idea, the Honda 750F isn't just a sports bike. It's perfectly useful for any kind of street use. being just covered with typical Honda novelty and thoughtfulness.
451-650cc STREET: HONDA CX500
Mid-size motorcycles have been changing. which is no surprise to anyone, but thev've been changing in different ways. That makes head-to-head competition difficult. In the class from 500cc to 65ÜCC there are bikes capable of being if tigged, box stock, on a race course and winning. And there are bikes not suited for racing but popular nonetheless. Most of the mid-size bikes are sporting machines with good handling, putting out lots of horsepower for their size, f hey are noticeably smaller than the 750s. most of them, vet they are comfortable enough for allday riding and big enough to carrx two people. In this diverse group of street bikes one machine stands out as being both different, and through its difference, as being better able to handle the variety of uses a mid-size bike will receive: The Honda CX500.
With liquid cooling keeping it cool and quiet, and a shaft drive eliminating chain maintenance, the CX500 has the features and the performance of a much larger motorcycle. Being bigger than any other 500 wouldn't normally be an attribute. But the CX500 isn't a normal bike. Normal bikes don't have stressed-engine frames or pushrod operated overhead valves that w ill rev to 10.000 rpm or have 10:1 compres-f sion ratios that will run w ith regular gas. All the technical sophistication in the world would be worth little if a motorcycle didn't perform. In the Honda’s case the difference is a success. I he odd 80 VTwin doesn't need counter-rotating balancer shafts to be smooth. And unlike other V-Twins. the smoothness isn't just there at a narrow engine speed. I he C'X500 is smooth from idle, with just a trace of roughness at low speeds. Most V-Tw ins are relatively low speed engines, but not the CX. It thrives on revs. Below 6000 rpm it's relative lx gutless. Above that it comes alive and is strong all the wax to 10.000 rpm.
The peakx motor should relegate the CX to sporting use. and the chassis allows the CX to be thrashed. It's just that the C X is mellow enough, with the lower fre-
quence vibrations of a Tw in and a plush suspension, to make the CX a perfectly comfortable long-distance touring bike. And it's convenient and economical enough to be an ideal commuter bike.
It's whatever vou want it to be. the best mid-size bike made.
UNDER 450cc STREET: HONDA HAWKS
Picking a winner in the smallest street class wasn't as ease this sear as last sear. Several of the eligible motorcycles in the class have been improsed. narrow ing the gap between the best and the next best. The Honda Hasvks are still svinners.
Right, the Hasvks. All the models are winners. What realls separates the Hasvks from the other bikes in class is the variety of equipment available. Want fanes ssheels. electric starting, and a disc brake'? There's the Tvpe II w ith all the equipment ans one could ask for. It's esc is bit as convenient and sporting a machine as anything in class faster than most as ssell as offering special features like the counterrotating balancers and three-s als es-perevlinder heads, for the rider ss ho ssants a plain transportation special, but still enjoss performance, there’s the Type I that leaves off the ComStar ssheels. electric starting, tachometer and disc brake. And there's the CM400A ssith Honda's own semi-automatic transmission. There are people ssho don't like to or can't shift gears ssith a clutch, and the Hondamatic still allosvs them to ride a motorescle. It's great for beginners. It offers something special for those ssho need it and this is the right size machine for the automatic.
Some of the Hassks' excellence comes from Honda's w illingness to do ss hat's right as opposed to sshat is fashionable. Instead of a six-speed transmission and dual overhead camshafts, the Hassks have a three-salves-per-cs linder head that puts out tremendous posser and chain-driven dual counter balancers making it the smoothest parallel I ss in going.
The unusual design means the Hass k is a first class roadracer ssith posser and han-
dling: at the same time it is a utilitarian runabout ssith loss maintenance C l) ignition and eass to set s als es. Some motores-
cíes sacrifice all-around excellence for superior performance. The Hawk doesn't sacrifice ans thinti.
DUAL PURPOSE: HONDA XL500S
ithout a doubt, the best dual pur pose bike was easy for the Ci'c/e World staff to pick. Honda's XLSOOS wins because it has more suspension and more motor than anvthin~ else available.
Dual purpose bikes may he considered either street hikes or dirt hikes, but the requirements of a dual purpose are differ ent from either and very specific. Compro misc is the usual technique for evaluating D-P hikes. Honda's XL500S demonstrates that compromise isn't as important as ef fective design. In Honda's case, the motor is the key to success.
The 500 Single has lots of tradition behind it. The British and the Italians did them for years and the\ made good ma chines for the time, hut electric starting and multi-cylinder engines made the 500 Singles a hit of a cult and then they faded away. Yamaha brought the thumpers hack. hut preferred a strong and simple engine to taking advantage of' current trends.
Honda didn't. Honda applied the coun ter-halancers for comfort and the fourvalve heads that came from racing. and devised an automatic compression release that made the kick starter practical for the average rider. The XLSOO has power and it's smooth and it runs anytime you want it to run, while providing all that lovely stump-pulling torque and throb that made the old SPO Singles such favorites.
Dirt bike suspensions have been dras tically improved in the last few years. accentuating the differences between street hikes and dirt bikes. The gap also has widened between dirt hikes and most dual purpose hikes and that's what makes the XL shine. Eight in. of wheel travel in front and 7 in. in back, isn't much from a pure
dirt hike, but it's more than any other dual purpose machine offers.
So. What does the XL500 have? Sorry about the cliche but the XL500 gives the rider the best balance of both worlds. On the street or even the highway. the XL is quick and nimble, with so much power that you have to watch your speed. and work to keep the front wheel down. Cars fall behind at the stoplights. hills melt beneath all the torque. You can cruise fast enough to get arrested and the engine is so smooth you can almost forget it's a Single. Good mileage. easy starts and the Claw Action trials pattern works better than any
previous trials tread.
In the dirt, the XL is a good playbike. At 300 lb. or so. depending on fuel load, the bike isn't an enduro contender, and the suspension isn't stiff enough for the en gine's power. Instead, the XL cruises at a good rate, with enough travel to absorb the bumps and a flexible engine that'll yank you out of trouble no matter what gear you're caught in. The casual rider who can't afford a dirt-only toy and truck to match and fuel for the truck, and the daily rider who'd also like to explore backwoods trails on the weekend, can get their best comnromise here.
ENDURO: MAICO MAGNUM 250E
E nduro bikes not onl~ include the widest range of motorcycles, they are ridden by the most divergent range of riders on the staff. With everything from play bikes to serious desert and competi tive enduro machines. the winner must he exceptional. Even the list of possible bikes was far larger than in an~ of the other classes: 23 machines from nine different manufacturers.
The unanimous pick was the Maico Magnum 250E.
Maico hasn't made the 250 enduro a specialist enduro like the desert Huskvs. nor has Maico made an all-around play hike. B~ carefully putting together the best quality components Maico has built a machine with the performance of a moto crosser hut without making it excessively difficult to ride or limited in use.
Starting with the excellent Magnum mo tocrosser. Maico added a wide ratio gear box. enduro lighting. speedometer. big rear fender and spark arrester. The motor was changed with a different ignition incorpo rating high output lighting coils and a 2 lb. II ywheel.
This year the Maico enduro bike bene fits from the compact. small-case motor from the motocrossers. Small cases with the countershaft sprocket set very close to the swing arm pivot means less variation in chain slack and less loading of the rear suspension during acceleration.
Maicos typically excel because of their precise steering and smooth power deliv ery. Yet the 250 Maico enduro is as power ful as any 250 motocrosser made. It's no longer just the fine steering and handling that makes the Maico superior: it's the combination of chassis, motor and all the little pieces that work together making it easier for a rider to go fast.
Every enduro bike is a result of tradeoffs. Should it have 12 in. of wheel travel and a 39 in. seat height. or should it have less travel, more steering control and a lower seat height? This year the Maico Magnum 250 enduro offers the best compromise: suspension that works under a broad van etv of conditions and the finest handling in motorcycling.
Honorable Mention
No surprise, considering the wide range of models that fits into the enduro cate gory. that there is also a wide selection of bikes that deserves tips of the CW helmet. Husqvarna. for example. is a small corn-
pany without the vast resources that let the major factories crank out endless varia tions of a basic idea. Husqvarna does the same thing by good design. Careful and correct changes let Husky build the CR390 for open class motocross. the WR390 for the woods crowd and the 0R390 for desert and open country racing. Good work, and appreciated.
Honda's XR series, the 185. 250 and 500. and Kawasaki's KLX bring new life to the four-stroke play bike. You don't have to take off the lights and you don't have to apologize for the weight and the speed. or lack of it. The XRs and KLX are fine for a wide range of riders, novice to expert. and we're glad to have them with us.
OPEN MOTOCROSS: MAICO MAGNUM 400/450
Open class motocrossers are different. Open class bikes don't sell as well as the 125s or 250s. so the competition among manufacturers is different. Some big companies. like Honda and Kawasaki, don't sell open class MX bikes, while smaller companies like Husqvarna and Maico have been very successful with open class machines. It all goes back to the people who race the open bikes, people w ho have gone through the 125s and 250s and are ready for a race-ready big bore motocrosser. For those people, the Maico Magnum MX450 is the best motorcycle money can buy.
Maico is a small company, family owned, producing a limited range of motorcycles. There are enduro bikes and motocross bikes, in 250. 400 and 450cc sizes. What Maico does best is produce a powerful mo toc rosser with unbelievably light and precise steering.
Last year Maico completely revised the motocrossers with a new frame and new engine. The result was an open class motocrosser that other motocrossers could be compared against. This year there have been more changes. There’s an additional inch of wheel travel, now 11 in. at both ends. Both the 400 and 450 Maicos use a giant 40mm Bing carb this year. Cylinder porting has been changed to provide more horsepower throughout the range. New chrome-moly axles and fork tubes have been added for greater strength.
Everything on the Maico is first rate. The forks are solid and provide excellent control. Even the shocks are useable for most people. There are new plastic parts for 1979 and the 2.5 gal. aluminum gas tank still has a distinctive shape, though it isn't as noticeable as the old Maico coffin tanks.
1978 Model Shown
The Maico isn't an all around off-road bike, requiring additional maintenance for its primary drive chain and sensitive clutch, but it can be used as a fine desert bike. For an open class motocross bike, it's
surprisingly easy to ride, but much of the Maico’s controllability is due to the phenomenal handling.
It's not inexpensive.
The best seldom is.
250 MOTOCROSS: KAWASAKI KX250
Last year two new 250 motocrossers were introduced, the Honda CR250R and the Kawasaki KX250 Works Replica, both tremendous efforts for first year machines. The Honda turned out to be the best 250 motocrosser available last year while the Kawasaki was a bit behind the times on suspension. This vear things are reversed as the Honda's many small improvements don't match the large improvements made to the Kawasaki. Neither do any of the other 250 motocrossers.
Kawasaki's latest 250 doesn't look like last year’s model and it doesn’t work like last year's model. From the longer travel, leading axle, air/eoil forks to the gold anodized box-section rectangular aluminum swing arm. the KX250 is a new motorcycle.
W hile the 1 1 in. of suspension travel on the KX isn't out of the ordinary, the quality of travel gives the KX a different, more solid, feel than the other 250 motocrossers. The beefy swing arm doesn't flex and the 38mm stanchion tubes keep the front wheel aligned, allowing a rider to retain control of the Kawasaki w hen he wouldn’t on some other bikes. The forks are as good as any forks available, the shocks useable once broken in.
The colorful styling certainly helps the KX stand out in a sea of yellow bikes. Even the fork boots, grips and shock springs are painted Kawasaki green. The new tank on this year’s Kawasaki is shorter, allowing a rider to move further forward for control, yet it holds an adequate 2.4 gal. of fuel.
Like the smaller Kawasaki motocrosser. the 250 uses an Electrofusion cvlinder. which is both good and not so good. It keeps the engine lighter, aids engine cooling and. according to Kawasaki, is more resistant to seizing. On the debit side.
there's no way to bore a worn cylinder, so new cylinders will be needed, making the maintenance of the Kawasaki slightly more expensive.
For the person who demands the best 250cc motocrosser. the Kawasaki’s attention to detail is important. Bolt heads are
dished, larger bolts are drilled, even the brake cams are drilled for lightness.
Best of all. the KX250 works for everyone. beginner, intermediate, expert or pro. It's easy to ride, for a motocrosser. while being fast. That makes it a winner.
125 MOTOCROSS: KAWASAKI KX125
No surprise here, the Kawasaki KX125 is the best of the little screamers. Last \ear the excellent KX 125 was accorded an honorable mention because it wasn’t generally available to everyone who wanted one and because the price was high. This year the KX125 is more available and works even better.
Suspension on the KX125 doesn't look like a world beater, at least bv the numbers, but when it's on the track the numbers aren't as important as the results and on results the KX can't be faulted. The forks are neark perfect, with good control and fine compliance. Shocks take some breakin. but are useable. Even the tires are better than average.
The motor provides the same sort of competence as the suspension. It doesn't put out more power than the other 125 motocrossers. just more useable power that's controllable and comes in a broad enough band to make it fast. What makes the KX motor different is the Electrofusion cylinder liner which can be either a 1 i a -bilitv or an asset, depending on the use. The electrofusion liner is lighter and mav allow closer tolerances, though it can’t be bored out and if the top end gets trashed. the repair cost if going to be greater.
It was surprising to see a first year effort as good as last vear’s model. It’s even more surprising to see a factory continue to improve an already good machine with major changes the following Near. The longer gold-anodi/ed aluminum sw ing arm and new fork castings for more travel have made a good bike better. Certainly the carefully groomed appearance of the KX with green grips, fork boots, fork leg protectors and even shock springs don't make the bike any faster, but show the effort Kawasaki is putting into building superior motocross bikes.
All the 125-class motocrossers are good, and all can be competitive. Each Near the major manufacturers get the bikes dialed just that much closer to w hat competitive riders have been doing to their machines. I his vear the Kawasaki is the closest thing to a race-readv 125 motocrosser.
This class was the easiest one to judge.
The Big Lour each have a modern and competitive motocross 125 in production. We took them to several tracks and raced them, using a variety of riders, from novice to pro. Track after track, rider after rider, the KX125 turned the best times. Not just power, not just suspension or controls, but getting around the track quickest, makes the KX 125 the best.
