The Shape of Things To Come
The Shape of Things To Come
ROUNDUP
CAMRON E. BUSSARD
IF YOU'RE LIKE US, YOU'RE SICK OF HEARING ABOUT THE endless succession of problems facing the motorcycle industry these days. But while the serious issues can't be altogether ignored, it's not all gloom and doom out there; matter of fact, there are some fun, exciting developments on the horizon. And the next six months could turn out to be a very intriguing period because of some cuttingedge models the manufacturers will release.
Suzuki, for example, is about to announce a new GSXR750. In fact, by the time you read this, the bike should already have been introduced in Japan. The engine will remain about the same with some further refinement and a bit more horsepower, but the chassis will be all-new and so will the styling. The 750 is expected to look quite similar to the just-released GSX-R250, with a wraparound fairing that has smoother, more flowing lines than the current 750. The frame is expected to be a boxtype aluminum structure similar to Yamaha’s Deltabox concept. And in addition, the first 1988 Suzuki GSXR600s will be here by the end of the year, as well.
But in the midst of all the GSX-R talk comes the fascinating news that Suzuki is set to introduce an inexpensive, 750cc V-Twin sporting-type bike based on the Intruder engine. Chances are that the bike will not use aerodynamic body panels as is the rage on fullfledged sportbikes, but will take on a more traditional, almost standard look. Rumors are that Suzuki would like to go dirt-track racing with a version of the bike. Of course, no one at Suzuki claims to know anything at all about this machine.
Despite Honda’s claims that the V-Four engine is the 750-class sportbike motor for the American market, expect the CBR750 Hurricane inline-Four to be here in 1988, and sold concurrently with the VFR. Actually, the CBR750 was the first of the Hurricane models to be developed by Honda, but it was kept a secret so as not to interfere with the sales of the VFRs. And rather than simply putting the design aside until it was needed, Honda kept developing it until the 750 now promises to be the most highly refined of the Hurricanes.
Word also has it that Honda is planning a big introduction to coincide with this year’s Trophy des Nations to be held in New York state at Unadilla; our best guess is that it will be the debut of the long-awaited four-stroke motocrosser. Honda matter-of-factly denies that such a bike exists, but as one of our contacts there told us, “Every year it’s the same thing. I hear unbelievable rumors from you guys, and when I check them out, they’re true.’’
With the Tokyo Motor show only a few months away, the talk already centers on the street-legal version of the ELF IV to be unveiled there. Using ELF-owned patents, Honda helped develop the machine, which features a <■ double-swingarm front suspension, and a detuned, streetable version of the Honda NSR500 V-Four, twostroke racing engine. Whether Honda will put a fourstroke engine in the chassis for the U.S. market is pure speculation at this point.
All in all, then, things aren’t so bad after all. Granted, these machines won't make the industry’s problems go away, but they should make some of the bad news a little easier to swallow.
Harley lightens the load
1 n what is seen as a masterful stroke of corporate public relations, Harley-Davidson has requested that the U.S. International Trade Commission drop its tariff on imported motorcycles of 700cc or larger. The tariff, which was enacted in 1983 to protect Harley’s market segment
from foreign (read Japanese) competition, was supposed to be in effect for five years, starting at 49 percent and becoming smaller each year until reaching its original 4.5 percent after the fifth year. There was only one year left on the tariff, so the financial risks to Harley—as well as the potential financial gains by the Japanese—are not all that great. And, of course, Harley-Davidson itself can’t repeal the tariff; only the Trade Commission has the authority to do that.
While making the latest request, Harley also made several recommendations based on its experience with the Japanese. The company suggested that foreign
corporations not be allowed to skirt tariff laws by simply modifying existing products to slip around the regulations like the Japanese did when they downsized many of their 750s to 700s. Also, Harley suggested that future tariffs not allow products made in America by foreign corporations to be exempt from the regulations.
Racing technology for the street
In Japan, the machines of choice are the 250 and 400cc inline-Four sportbikes. But one model that has become successful without that engine configuration is Honda’s VFR400 V-Four. And now, to put even more distance between it and the inline 400s, the VFR has been given a dose of racing-level chassis technology seldom seen on a Japanese production motorcycle. The newest model,
called the VFR400R, uses a single-sided swingarm, the form of which was first seen on the RVF750 racer that has won the world endurance racing championship the last two years. Unlike the racebike, which has a rear wheel held on with one large nut, the production bike requires the removal of four bolts to dismount the wheel. The sprocket and the disc brake are mounted on the same side to facilitate wheel removal.
For the street, the single-sided swingarm is for little more than looks. But it may just give the VFR400R the edge it needs to compete with the FZRs and CBRs—not just in the showroom, but on the track, particularly in endurance roadraces.
