1985 New Model Preview
1985 NEW MODEL PREVIEW
A promising year lies ahead for motorcycling. New markets are being tapped, companies that have been hibernating are back in the wars once again, and more than a few new models are going to knock your socks off.
Nineteen eighty-four will undoubtedly be remembered as a watershed year for motorcycling. From the threshold of 1985, we can look back on the previous year, snicker at Orwellian portentions, and see that 1984 was really a year in which the Japanese motorcycle industry paused to catch its breath. Pressured by the general chaos of the marketplace, and crippled by the economic realities of a steep tariff and unsold inventory, most Japanese motorcycle makers were forced to call an intramural truce from their fierce battle for market share long enough to put their own houses in order.
What we see in 1985 is strong evidence that the Japanese are steering away from the quantity approach to marketing and pursuing a more pragmatic course by building fewer, more specialized machines. Higher profit-margins will be the Holy Grail of the ensuing years, and to this end the Japanese have concentrated their efforts on machines that entice enthusiasts, people who truly appreciate and are willing to pay for exceptional machines. More bruisers are present in ’85 lineups; and while all the new bikes are predictably more expensive, some combine an impressive leap in technology and performance.
This concentration on established market segments doesn’t mean that the Japanese have ignored new frontiers; in fact, there are a number of interesting new models, both street and dirt, designed to lure first-time buyers into the fold. Though there are fewer total models available for 1985, there are still over 150 street and dirt choices; and within this selection is the embodiment of everything extravagant and outrageous, with an unmistakable accent on performance.
You want specifics? Yamaha has introduced the awesome V-Max, already affectionately nicknamed the Mad Max. Styled in road-warrior futuristic, the VMax is powered by a 1200cc V-Four that belts out 135 horsepower through the widest rear tire ever fitted to a production motorcycle. Poised to eclipse all contenders in sheer acceleration, the V-Max could penetrate the nine-second barrier.
In 1984, Kawasaki’s 900 Ninja was this country’s best-selling sportbike and proof-positive that sport riders want single-purpose, knife-edged function above all else. The trend to narrowly-focused, hard-core sporting performance now includes Yamaha’s dazzling, five-valveper-cylinder FZ750, Honda’s EuroVF1000R and Kawasaki’s 600cc Ninja. All three machines promise to stretch the sporting envelope beyond known limits.
Furthermore, BMW has brought additional diversity and elegance to the U.S. market with a line of K100 models: the standard K100, the sporty K100RS and the touring K100RT. From another corner of Europe, Italy, the people at Cagiva have assembled a line of redblooded sportbikes and motocrossers for the American market. Harley-Davidson is holding firm its market share, running in the profits, and entering into 1985 with more belt drives, factory options and continued product refinement. (Since both Harley’s and BMW’s new models were released earlier and already have been previewed in this magazine, we elected not to review them again.)
Though the precise effects of the tariff on the 1984 model year are difficult to define, there are a number of certainties: Harley-Davidson is still alive and kicking, the Japanese warehouses are nearly cleared of old inventory, and the Europeans have shown new faith in the American market. And best of all, 1985’s models offer variety and performance that have never been better.
