The 10 Best Bikes of 1987

THE 10 BEST BIKES OF 1987

DAVID EDWARDS SLAMMED HIS fist down on the table, the impact almost tipping his glass of champagne. "We just can't afford to ignore the Kawasaki KLR650. Someone is always out on our test bike. You’ve got to make an appointment just to ride it.”

Although Camron Bussard’s mouth was crammed full of pizza, he wasted no time in retaliation. “But the Yamaha TW200 is more versatile. And besides, it’s actually faster than the KLR on a tight fireroad. Just the other day I kicked Lawson’s butt on it. . ..”

Paul Dean ducked, trying to avoid the chunks of pepperoni that Camron was spraying all over the room. “Fair enough,” Dean replied, “but neither of those will stand up to a Honda XL600R in a wheelie contest.”

Obviously, this was one of those arguments destined to go on for hours.

The occasion was the annual Ten Best Bikes Debate, a staff function we conduct every year to determine the winners of CYCLE WORLD’S Ten Best Bikes Awards. And although we do consume mass quantities of food and drink during this war of the words, and even manage to tell some of the tallest benchracing tales ever heard, we take this selection process very, very seriously. We’re always mindful that our actions can have powerful repercussions, for we are choosing the models that will receive the most prestigious annual awards in all of the motorcycle industry.

In this 12th annual installment of our Ten Best Awards, we believe that for today’s market and today’s riders, we have determined the 10 most significant categories and chosen the year’s best bike in each one. You’ll probably agree with some of our choices and disagree with others. In fact, we would be quite disappointed in the unlikely event that everyone were to agree with all of our choices. That would mean that our hours of meeting and debating would have been wasted, and that the winners were much more obvious than we

thought. But judging by the amount of discussion at this year’s debate, our Ten Best selections are anything but cut-and-dried.

So now, for your perusal, approval and, per-

haps, rejection, we present CYCLE WORLD’S Ten Best Bikes of 1987.

SUPERBIKE: Yamaha FZR1000

If there were such a thing as a true motorcycle encyclo pedia. the entry under "su perbike" would probably describe a motorcycle with a top speed like the Yamaha FZR1000's. It would also describe a motorcycle with acceleration like the Yama ha FZR1000's. And it would mention racetrack bred performance and han dling like that offered by an FZR1000. Matter of fact, that entry might even be ac companied by a picture of an FZR 1000.

That's because the FZR is a superbike in every sense. It isn't compromised by other requirements: it doesn't also have to be competent at touring, cruising or com muting. The FZR is a born performer. For it to do any thing else would make it less than a superbike.

OPEN STREETBIKE: Honda Hurricane 1000

Okay. racetrack perform ance on the street is all fine and dandy, but what if the closest you ever come to a roadrace is rush-hour on Main Street? What if you don't want to dive into Turn One at 160 mph or pass Ed die on the back straight, but you still have a strong affec tion for horsepower, per formance and sportbike styling?

Th~t's where Honda's Hurricane 1000 fits in. It has the key ingredients that put the super in superbike, but without making its rider pay a back-breaking price in comfort and live withability. The Hurricane strikes a wonderful balance between the excitement that got most of us interested in motorcycling, and the prac ticality that keeps us inter ested in it.

750cc STREETBIKE: Kawasaki Ninja 750

Apparently, there’s no limit. And the 750 class proves that point better than any other class. Every year, the 750s get better and better; and just when you think that technology has topped out, that there’s no way those motorcycles can get any better, along comes a bike like the Kawasaki Ninja 750. The designers of this Ninja took standards that already were the highest in the world and raised them. They took performance that already was awesome and improved it. They took a segment of the market where excellence already was the standard and built a standout. Thus, the 1987 Ninja 750 becomes the class’s high-water mark, demonstrating just how good motorcycles can be.

UNDER 500cc STREETBIKE: Kawasaki EX500

Who says that a twin-cylinder 500 can’t be a great sportbike? Who says that Twins are outdated and overshadowed by the high-tech multis coming from today’s Japan?

Certainly not Kawasaki, if the EX500 is any indication. The EX is a Twin that can dish out as much excitement per cc as any multi on the market. And it has performance comparable to that of any 500cc streetbike ever made. True, the 500 class has shrunk to a one-bike field, but that doesn’t mean the EX wins by default. Neither does it win because it’s great “for a Twin,’’ or great “for a 500.’’ The Kawasaki EX500 is a winner because it’s a great motorcycle by any standards.

600cc STREETBIKE: Honda Hurricane 600

You know all about trade-offs. They’re those factors which claim that if a bike is good on the racetrack, it can’t be good on the street, that if a motorcycle is capable of winning the 600 Supersport class, then it can’t be any good for an afternoon ride down the coast.

But Honda apparently doesn’t know about those tradeoffs. Otherwise, the Hurricane 600 wouldn’t be so good everywhere. On one hand, the Hurricane has been soundly thrashing the rest of the 600 class on racetracks all over the country. And on the other hand, it’s far and away the best streetbike in the class this year. The Hurricane proves that even if you can’t have it all, you still can have more of it than you really need.

TOURING: Honda Aspencade

Touring riders ask the same question all the time: What’s the shortest route from coast to coast—or between any two points that are far apart? And for eight of the last 12 years, we at CYCLE WORLD have offered the same answer: the Honda Gold Wing.

When it comes to chasing horizons, the Gold Wing wrote, edited and published the book. This year, the Aspencade continues the Gold Wing tradition of making long distances short, and short distances a blast.

Other touring bikes have come and gone, and some have made their mark; but as long as people continue to cross the country by motorcycle, the Gold Wing seems likely to be an ongoing American tradition.

CRUISER: Harley-Davidson Softail Custom

Once you understand what a cruiser is supposed to do, there’s not much question which bike does it best.

There are various and sundry other V-Twin cruiserbikes on the market, all of which are more technologically sophisticated and offer higher performance than the Softail Custom. But when it comes to classic American styling and sheer, raw-boned, V-Twin gusto, none of them can match the Softail. And when you’re out on the highway bopping along at 60 or 65 mph—cruising, is what it’s called—the easy lope of the long-legged engine, the comfort of the spacious accomodations and the unmistakable rumble of that 45-degree VTwin combine to make the Softail 1987’s definitive cruiser.

MOTORCROSS: Honda CR250R

Question: What do Rick Johnson, Micky Dymond, Honda and winning motocross races have in common?

Answer: Everything.

Honda has dominated motocross in the U.S. for the last two years, on both the national and local level. Honda has not only wrapped up the 250 national championship, but as of this writing, is well ahead in the 125 and 500 nationals, as well. But most important of all, you don’t have to be Ricky or Micky to win on a Honda. For Joe Averagecrosser, the Honda CRs represent the best way to collect trophies. And by its sheer dominance of the 250 class, the CR250R is the best of the entire four-bike Honda CR line.

DUAL-PURPOSE: Kawasaki KLR650

A year ago, most American riders might have thought a Paris-Dakar was a mixed drink. But most of them now are aware that the Paris-To-Dakar Rally is the most grueling motorcycle competition in the world.

In Europe, motorcycles styled in the ParisDakar idiom have become wildly popular, and Kawasaki—with its KLR650—thinks the U.S. is ready to embrace the concept as well. But the KLR has more going for it than just style. Its massive fuel tank allows for extended explorations, on road or off. Its frame-mount fairing lessens highway wind blasts. And its incredibly smooth engine and electric starter put the KLR in a different league than most other dual-purpose bikes.

The versatile KLR will never win the Paris-Dakar Rally in Africa, but it is one of the most likeable dual-purpose bikes ever sold, which is why it wins in America.

EDURO: Husqvarna 510

Any time it’s a question of four-strokes versus two-strokes, there’s going to be a lot of arguing. But there was no arguing with Dan Smith as he won most of the desert races he entered last year on a Husky four-stroke. And there was no arguing with Jeff Irwin as he won the last national enduro of 1986 on an ’87 Husky four-stroke. And there was no arguing with Larry Roeseler when he won the last Two-Day Qualifier of 1986 on an ’87 Husky four-stroke.

Husqvarna’s 510 four-stroke, in either its Cross Country or Enduro form, has won in virtually every form of off-road competition. That makes it more than just a good argument for four-strokes over two-strokes; it’s a winning argument.