Letters
LETTERS
Christmas comes early
In reference to your March Editorial, "A Matter Of Opinion," be advised that I want a two-wheeler with aluminum/ magnesium spoked wheels, single front and rear disc brakes, monoshock suspension, aluminum frame, and a five-speed gearbox hooked to a single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, five-valve, dohc four-stroke displacing 350cc. Give it one sparkplug and either one carb or electronic fuel injection, bolt one turbo more or less directly to the ceramic-lined exhaust port, and lead the boost to a large, air-to-air intercooler. Make the oil-cooled piston, con-rod and valves from titanium alloy. Please send the whole 300pound, 100-horsepower package COD. and advise Suzuki that as fine as it is, the GSX-R750 is obsolete. And don't forget electric start. I'll leave milk and cookies.
James S. Short Hudson Bay, Canada
Okay, but only f you `ye been a good boy and eaten all your spinach I/i is year.
10 Worst feedback and fightback
I'm not about to sit back without a reply after reading the article, "The Ten Worst Motorcycles." I happen to be the proud owner of an early model RE-5 Suzuki Rotary, and not until now have I seen a bike that would promise to give as much pleasure in riding and ownership. For the full 10 years I've owned the
bike, it has been an excellent invest ment, a truly reliable machine, a pleasure to ride (I love the exhaust note) and extremely economical. I've also enjoyed 500-class insur ance benefits all these years, and the bike will not be affected by the removal of lead from fuel in the future. April Fools or not, I'm really disappointed in Cycle World's condemnation of the RE-S.
Timothy Johnston Riverside, California
As a former service manager with Suzuki, I feel I must defend the RE5. It was a pioneer in the area of handling and suspension, and had tires designed just for it by IRC. The RE-S was a pioneer in many other areas as well, including being the first Japanese streetbike to use: alloy wheels; CDI ignition; 0-ring chain; oil cooler; automotive-type screw-on oil filter; two-stage carb; accelerator pump; digital gear-position in-
dicator. I own a 1976 RE-S that I bought new for $995, and consid ering it cost Suzuki about $25,000 per bike to produce the Rotary, I think I got a good deal.
Bill Cutler Durham, North Carolina
An honest-to-God digital gear in dicator? Wow, Mr. Wizard, that Rotary must have been some bike.
I enjoyed the "Ten Worst Motorcycles" in the April is sue, and I have no quarrels with your selections. How ever, I'd like to add one "dis honorable mention" to your list. The unit-construction BSA 650 Twins deserve a lot of discredit for blowing up during the years 1964 through 1966. The BSA factory spent these years trying to diagnose the problem before finding that the cause was an errant spark during the compression stroke. Compressing an explosion is a challenging propo sition. When customers were out of earshot at the BSA shop where I once worked, we used to say that BSA stood for "Bastard Stopped Again."
Jerry H. Hatfield Cypress, California
I've just got to disagree with your inclusion of the Kawasaki 500 Tri ple with that flock of turkeys in your April issue. The Mach III delivered on every promise it made, and was perhaps the most egalitarian bike ever made-for $ 1000 you rode the quickest stock vehicle for sale to the public. If it wasn't for the smoke > cloud (which could make a Mexico City bus faint with envy), the late Sixties suspension and a front brake that needed careful attention to achieve adequacy, I'd buy one today.
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Thomas Arlin Austin, Texas
You `re right; how could we possibly have criticized a bike that was the fastest thing on the street but that smoked, had an awful chassis and inadequate brakes? Shame on us.
I am offended by my H-i Mach III Kawasaki being on your "The Ten Worst Motorcycles" list (April, 1985). I learned how to ride and to countersteer on an H-i, and how to make up for my only complaint about the bike, its front brake. It got wrecked, so I bought a `78 Honda CB75OE It had better brakes and handling, but it lacked four things the H1 had: wheelies, the Maserati sound, acceleration, and the most awesome power surge of any bike.
So who cared aboCut 1972? I didn't, and that's why I'm
buying another Triple. Next year, take out the H-i and put in a Hodaka Dirt Squirt.
G'ene King Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Come on! Did you actually think you could get away with knocking the little Kaw H-i? It took a decade and a half before any other 500cc bike could even come close to its superb and outstanding perfor mance. You conveniently forget that it was the H1 of 1969 that ushered in the present age of superbikes. Sure, its handling does not have the benefit of 15 years of engineering evolution by present standards, but if you don't know how to ride a superbike, stay off an H-i.
Louis M. Busch Macungie, Pennsylvania
True. His handle as though they have had the benefit of 15 minutes of evolution.
Here is my list of the ten wors motorcycles:
1. Sears 250 "Twingle": A lot of
early Sixties' Twins ran on one cylinder, but this bike was de signed to do so.
2. Honda 3U~ Dream: All the styling of a Maytag washer/dryer combo.
3. Kawasaki 350 Bighorn: Fast, but it shredded rotary valves with monotonous regularity.
4. Yamaha 125'~antai3arbara: A single with all the weight of a 305 Big Bear Twin and all the power of a Trail 80.
5. Suzuki 125 Stinger: Since 90cc four-stroke Singles outperformed this two-stroke Twin, maybe "Stinker" is a better name.
6. White 250 MX: 125cc trail bikes liked to hunt them down.
7. Harley KR750: 500cc Singles showed this 750 V-Twin the fast way around a half-mile.
8. Mojave 360: Designed as a 360 so it wouldn't have to be embar rassed in the 3 50cc racing classes.
9. CZ 175 Trail: Weighesflike the iron curtain.
10. Capriolo 100: Built like a Revell model.
Mike Hopkins Rohnert Park. California>
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On computerized touring
Regarding your “Two Extremes Of Touring” article in the April.
1985, issue, I suppose most of what you say is true about the BMW K100RT. The Limited Edition Gold Wing probably is an excellent machine, but it seems to put the rider/ passenger right back into what they're trying to get out of—the complexities of everyday life. One might find himself paying so much attention to the motorcycle’s radio or digital functions that he might not know where he’s been.
I’ll take the Beemer over the GL anytime. Maybe the GL's on-board computer could calculate the correct windshield size and height for the BMW at cruising speeds between 55 and 70 mph.
Randy Turk Olympia, Washington
Attack of the killer redline
Regarding the “Killer redline” letter by Brad Goodman in the February issue: How many times did your mom tell you not to write to Cycle World unless your facts were straight? We all know' that 44.5 ft. lbs. of torque at 80,000 rpm only yields 678 horsepower. Besides,
6000 hp at 80.000 rpm w'ould require a BMEF of 1 390 psi! I’m sure this is right, because my mom checked the math. You know, if it wasn't so cold here. I'd be fooling around with my RD instead of this calculator. Is it spring yet?
Randy Zenian and his mom
Des Moines, Iowa
We don 7 know; you V/ better ask your mom.
Cagivas forever
In your March issue you tested the Cagiva 650 against the Kawasaki Ninja 600R, but you forgot one point: In five to six years, what kind of resale will you have? You can bet the Ninja will be obsolete and have little resale value like all the other Japanese bikes, but the Cagiva, with its Ducati engine, will still be worth something. And in 10 or 15 years, it will be a collector’s item. The pictures of the gauges make the Cagiva’s look like something out of a Star Wars bar, but I’d still buy it. By the way, regardless of what Denys Arcuri says (“Ah, fan mail,” March,
1 985 Letters), I enjoy your responses to the letters. At least you have an opinion and will say so.
Steve Hasse
Lincoln, Nebraska E3
