Ten Best Bikes of 1980

TEN BEST BIKES OF 1980

And now, a change of pace. All during the model year this magazine has piled superlative atop superlative. For 12 months we haven't met a motorcycle we didn't like. We've told you that the 1980 machines are wonderful, so we come to the end of the 1980 models and say ... some great bikes are better than other great bikes.

Is this a contradiction? No. Instead, we think it’s proof that we’re in the midst of good times, involved in an exciting and competitive sport that at the same time is a buyer’s market.

This is the fifth Ten Best issue. When we began the program it was a matter of honoring the engineers and designers who were building better motorcycles. The individual tests, of all kinds of bikes, are supposed to report on that bike only. The words, pictures, charts and graphs are there to show what the motorcycle is, how it’s made and why, what it does and weighs and so forth. Every bike is judged on its own merits and we draw as few comparative conclusions as possible. The tests are fair and as accurate as human beings and instruments can make them, but we skip the part about how this one is better than that one.

We thought it was time to offer something beyond tha£ so late in 1976 the entire crew got together, drew up the rules and began debating. At full volume and white heat.

The rules—and the emotional involvements—haven’t changed much. All motorcycles available to the general public during the model year are eligible for the awards. They’re divided into usage and capacity classes; motocross bikes naturally follow the displacement breaks, touring bikes are bigger than sports bikes, but we flex in areas where it works, as in just what’s a heavyweight and a middleweight and does a 650 compete with 550s or 750s?

Then we vote. Ballots are cast only by the guys who ride the bikes and write the tests. If our elder statesman knows he can’t ride a 125 mx rocket well enough to judge it, he defers to the motocross pro, who in turn abides by the values of the men who tour. When everybody rides, everybody votes, and the decisions are made not by owners but by riders who roll up tens of thou-

sands of miles on a hundred or so machines each year.

Readers who own motorcycles in one or more of the classes, which means just about everybody who’ll see these words, likely will by now have flipped into the awards pages, looked up the class they care about and decided 1) The CW team has good judgement, or 2) these turkeys wouldn’t know a real motorcycle if one used them for traction.

Fair enough. We don’t always agree among ourselves, and if everybody felt the same way about all the models on the market, why, there wouldn’t be nearly that many models on the market and we’d all lose.

Besides, this award thing isn’t to criticise, it’s to give credit where credit is due.

Five years is long enough to allow some patterns to emerge.

Motorcycles change quickly and five years is nearly a motorcycle generation. When we began this, the best Superbike was the quickest, because most of the rivals had more motor than chassis. The best motocrosser was the one that could win, seeing as they all needed nerves of steel and trained reflexes. Good touring mounts were those that wouldn’t actually burn to the ground or beat the rider into paste before he reached the other coast.

But now, the best performance bikes all track straight and go around corners and do the standing quarter in less than 12 seconds, so the best is the one that doesn’t scare you and can also amble around town, or across the country.

The best enduro bike isn’t just the one that will bring home the AA trophy, it’s the one that isn’t hand-to-hand combat and will also haul you, or your kid brother across the rock hills to the fishing hole. You can outwit OPEC, bring home a trophy for Box Stock and loan some wheels to your mom so she can take the new rider course, all on one machine.

Refinement. Development. There are lots of words for it, and they all mean that the best of a good model year offer more than what they win awards for.

We call it progress.

HOW AND WHY WE PICK BEST

SUPERBIKE: SUZUKI GS1100

Performance, contrary to some misinformed opinion, is not dead. Witness the GS1100, the best Superbike money can buy. Performance is what the GS1100 offers and it offers more performance than anything else on wheels. Anything else. Thére isn’t a car close to matching the big Suzuki’s incredible acceleration and braking power, and the other big bikes can’t either.

The numbers are impressive: 11.39 sec. in the quarter mile with a terminal speed of 118.42 mph. Top speed of 134 mph after a half mile and gearing for over 140 mph. Zero to 100 mph in 8.7 sec. Figures are endless and don’t fully explain the wild lunge that this motorcycle can make when the throttle is cracked open. Besides being a half second faster accelerating through the quarter mile than the competition, the GS1100 has the torque to melt down a rear tire faster than Three Mile Island.

Putting all that brute strength to use is a highly adaptable suspension that can either make the GS1100 a plush freeway cruiser or a taut canyon racer or anything in between, if the rider knows how much of what to dial in. Damping, spring preload and air assist are all adjustable, giving the giant Suzuki the poise to be Dr. Jekyll or the violence to be Mr. Hyde.

It may not have six cylinders or 24 valves or liquid cooling or a shaft drive, but the GS 1100 has more performance than any other motorcycle ever sold to the public, and that makes it the best Superbike ever.

OPEN MOTOCROSS: YAMAHA YZ465

Yamaha’s YZ465 stunned us at first with its brutal power, awesome brakes and surprisingly good handling. In the months since the first test our experience with a long term YZ465 has only increased our admiration for the bike. No motocross bike has anywhere near the power of the Yamaha and its powerband is as wide as the Grand Canyon. Yet despite the power our desert racer was able to brutalize his YZ465 for an estimated 3000 mi. before he had to do any major repairs.

The YZ465 is so competitive Marty Moates was able to beat the world’s best motocross racers (all mounted on works bikes) when he became the first American and first privateer to win the U.S.G.P. at Carlsbad this year. Only on the YZ465 could Marty have won.

Open class motocross bikes are different, all right. They’re not for bird-legged kids or the faint of heart. And a surprising number of open class bikes end up being used in the desert and by a serious kind of play rider who wants to have more power and the most motorcycle for off-road riding. That’s what the 465 gives. It has the power to level any hill, pave any sand wash, shorten any straight and demoralize any competitor. Show up at at a race with the 465 and everyone knows you’ve got the fastest bike there. No excuses, no rationalizing, no big talk can confuse that. That the newest YZs have a vastly improved monoshock that gives the YZ suspension equal to any bike only means there’s nothing in the way of that monster motor.

TOURING: HONDA GL1100 INTERSTATE

Picking the best touring bike was easy after we finished a full dress comparison test last May The Honda GL 1100 Interstate was the clear winner of that comparison and it deserves to once again be named the best touring bike made.

Unlike most of the competition, the Interstate is a carefully thought out special purpose bike, designed to be a touring bike and nothing else. The unusual liquid cooled opposed Four that powers the machine is as smooth as an encyclopedia salesman, powerful, torquey and durable. The airassisted suspension front and rear gives the huge bike excellent carrying capacity while at the same time providing the smoothest ride on a motorcycle.

Being designed to carry a full complement of accessories, the Interstate naturally handles a fairing and saddlebags and top box with ease. And the accessories that Honda has designed for the Interstate are exceptional. The fairing provides the best protection available, while offering accommodation for a radio and full battery of gauges. The saddlebags are spacious, well made and have removable liners. Even the top box is easy to detach, shaped to carry lots of gear yet not extend past the end of the motorcycle unnecessarily and the whole package looks beautiful. Add to that the special touches like adjustable seat and windshield position and the new Interstate is just about perfect.

ENDURO: KAWASAKI KDX250

No class of bikes is more varied than enduro machines. Lumped together in size from 175s to open bikes, from competitive mounts to play bikes, there are dozens of enduro bikes to pick from. But one bike, tested against all the competition that was willing and in the highly competitive 250cc class stood out in our enduro test and that’s the Kawasaki KDX250. Strikingly conventional in design with its reed valve two-stroke engine and twin shocks supporting the aluminum swing arm, the Kawasaki wins because it has that perfect balance of power and weight and handling with no one feature overpowering others. Every part of the Kawasaki worked right and it has no weaknesses. The powerband is wide and strong. Handling is first class. And because every part of the bike works so well with every other part, the Kawasaki becomes the best enduro bike for any level of rider.

When compared with all the other enduro bikes available, a group of seven experienced riders of all abilities unanimously picked the Kawasaki as the best. There was some slight disagreement about second or third place, but no disagreement that the Kawasaki was the winner.

And of all the KDX enduro machines, the 250 is the best one. The 400, essentially the same bike with more engine, isn’t as easy to ride in tight woods, it making a better desert bike. Yet the small motocross-based KDX 175 Uni-Trak gains nothing on the conventional 250 while requiring more maintenance for its linkage-operated suspension.

651-800cc STREET: HONDA CB750F

No class of motorcycles has stiffer competition or a clearer distinction between characteristics. At one end is Yamaha’s plush shaft drive XS850 and at the other end is the compact, fast and good handling Kawasaki KZ750. In between are the Suzuki GS750 with lots of power and a soft suspension and the Honda CB750 that lacks the Kawasaki’s all-out performance but compensates with more comfort and convenience.

The Honda is our winner.

Normally our preference is for performance and the fastest bike of most classes is our favorite. But in this case the CB750 offers an exceptional blend of performance, comfort, utility and style that beats by the tiniest of margins the performance advantage of the Kawasaki KZ750.

Our particular favorite is the CB750F, the sporting version of Honda’s dohc 16 valve Four. It’s not only a fast bike with good acceleration and good handling, but it’s obviously got potential as evidenced by the Honda Superbikes based on the CB750. Add to that the excellent cruising range with the 5.3 gal. gas tank and compliant suspension with its range of adjustments and the CB750F becomes just as desirable to ride to the races as it is to race in the races.

In addition to the stock performance, the CB750 can be easily modified by the largest collection of add-on equipment available for a 750. All that and it looks good, too.

250cc MOTOCROSS: CAN-AM MX-6

This one’s going to take some explaining because the Can-Am MX-6 isn’t the most popular bike on motocross tracks and it doesn’t have the best reputation for handling or suspension. What this Can-Am, or any Can-Am for that matter has, is power. As long as Can-Am has been building bikes they’ve had more power than the competition.

Having more power meant the suspension needed to work harder to control the bike. In past Can-Ams the Marzocchi forks haven’t been up to snuff and whatever shocks were in the back were there because they were cheap or left over. If we made our decisions based on looks or past experience, we’d never name it the best 250cc motocrosser. But based on how the bike performs, based on race results and how it holds up when ridden every week by a hard riding professional motocrosser and ignoring reputation or appearance, the Can-Am is the best bike in its class.

Nobody argues that a Can-Am isn’t fast. Our test Can-Am not only will pull any other stock motocrosser at the start of a moto, it has a wider powerband due to the rotary valve Rotax engine making it quicker out of corners too. Add to the super motor the well developed suspension and it becomes a winner. This year the Marzocchi forks have modified damper rods that make them as good as any fork made. And the optional Ohlin shocks, compared to any other stock shock, are clearly superior.

451-650cc STREET: KAWASAKI KZ550

Once again the newest bike in the class is also the best, that being the Kawasaki KZ550. It’s a masterful blend of sophisticated design (four cylinders, dual overhead cams, six-speed transmission) and simple details (two valves per cylinder and breaker point ignition) that handles, goes and stops better than anything in its class. It’s also attractive and enormous fun to ride so it’s no surprise the KZ550 has been an instant sell-out this year.

For 1980 the stiffest competition in the voting came from Kawasaki’s KZ650, which offers much the same virtues as the 550, only the smaller 550 adds better cornering clearance and more competitive power so the roadracing votes went to the 550. Honda has narrowed down the collection of CX500s to the Custom and Deluxe and without the larger gas tank and more comfortable standard model, it wasn’t in the hunt.

Performance of the KZ550, measured by the numbers, tells most of the story. A quarter mile time of 13.49 sec. at 95.23 mph, top speed of 109 mph in the half mile and fuel economy of 63 mpg in the CWmileage loop. Most 400 Twins can’t get the fuel mileage this Kawasaki can and the acceleration would please most 650 riders.

The feel of the bike, how it instantly jumps to a rider’s command is what accounts for the Kawasaki’s real excitement. Even running errands on the KZ550 is fun.

DUAL PURPOSE: HONDA XL500S

Last year Honda’s XL500 dual purpose bike was the best in its class and this year nothing better has come along. So once again, the XL500 is it.

Honda has managed to combine the nicest characteristics of a mid-size street bike with enough suspension to make off road play riding fun. Normally dual purpose machines are compromises between street and dirt designs, though the factories know most dual purpose bikes are used on the street more than in the dirt. The result is a motorcycle that doesn’t do anything well. The XL500, however, doesn’t fall into that category.

Its engine alone could save it. The sohc fourstroke Single is powerful, tractable, economical and smooth. And while it’s not exactly a lightweight, it’s more than able to pull its own weight and make the XL500 the excellent all-around bike it is. No other dual purpose machine, after all, can cruise along highways, up mountains and across long stretches of pavement as easily as the XL500.

The trick stuff; the four valve head and counterbalancer shafts and automatic compression release aren’t just gimmicks, either. They actually make the XL500 an easier bike to ride and a fun bike to ride. With all that torque and easy handling and go anywhere suspension it’s more than just the best dual purpose bike, it’s also one of the best small street bikes available.

UNDER 450cc STREET: HONDA CB400 HAWK

This year the Honda Hawk won as much through default as through excellence, though it is an excellent motorcycle. This is the third year in a row that the small Honda has been voted the best small street bike, yet the only real improvement to the machine over the years has been the much more attractive appearance of the new Hawk.

The competition hasn’t been asleep. There’s the new, larger displacement Kawasaki KZ440 even available with a belt drive, but our test Kawasaki suffered such poor carburetion that it isn’t as good an around-town bike as the Honda. Suzuki’s enlarged GS450 suffers the same poorly carbureted fate as the Kawasaki. There is no more RD400 Yamaha and that leaves the Honda Hawk.

Fortunately the Hawk not only runs fine, and without carburetion problems, but it’s a wonderful motorcycle, too. It’s powerful enough and has good enough handling to win box-stock motorcycle races at the club events. And this year our project Hawk has finally realized its potential and is winning the class Production races, beating all those RDs.

But more than the performance, the Hawk is an ideal commuter and around-town bike, it’s at home on the freeway or a country road, it’s a bike for beginners or old pros all the while being thrifty and reliable. With its new-for-1980 six-speed transmission and sleek 750F-like styling the Hawk continues to be one of our favorite bikes.

125cc MOTORCROSS: YAMAHA YZ125

Ever since Yamaha adopted the monoshock rear suspension for its motocrossers five years ago there have been minor improvements every year but no thorough re-think of the suspension. Now Yamaha has redesigned the monoshock and the result is the best suspension in the class. Coupled with that suspension is a solid, light frame and an engine that’s at least equal to the other 125s stock and has as much potential for additional tuning as the rivals in class.

Besides being faster around a motocross track than the competition, the YZ125 offers special features like the easy adjustability of the monoshock. And the engine has a steel liner so it can be bored when it’s worn or seizes.

Sure, the other 125s can be equipped with better shocks and the engines can be built up and the handling can be improved, but when all that’s done the YZ125 will still be competitive. Evaluated strictly stock, the YZ125 is the fastest, best handling 125 motocrosser made.

Five years of building monoshock motocrossers has obviously earned Yamaha some valuable knowledge. Enough knowledge has finally made a winning 125.