The Ten Best Motorcycles of 1989

THE TEN BEST MOTORCYCLES OF 1989

For the 14th straight year, Cycle World answers the 10 toughest questions in motorcycling

CLEAR YOUR DESK AND GET A PENCIL READY. THIS IS A pop quiz. Quickly, name the best musician of all time. Okay, now name the best painting. The best sculpture. The best playwright. And while you’re at it, name the best athlete of all time.

What's that? These aren't fair questions, you say? You think they need to be more specific, that we need to define what type of music or sculpture we're talking about? Hell, we even need to define what we mean by “best?”

Now you’re getting the idea. The entire concept of best this or best that is pretty vague. In every case, the answer depends on who is doing the answering and what he’s thinking when he answers. That's especially true with motorcycles. Every year at this time, we at Cycle World struggle with this dilemma as we choose the 10 best motorcycles of the year. For example, should we take price into consideration in choosing the best? How about styling? Should we call a bike the best because it’s innovative? Should the judgment be made strictly on performance?

Of course, there is only one proper answer to any of these questions: “Maybe, maybe not.” The simple truth is we judge each category a little differently, each winner is determined on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes price is a big issue, sometimes it isn't. Sometimes styling is all-important, other times we simply don't care. That’s because some bikes were built with either styling or price in mind and others weren't. And if we've learned anything over the years, it's that no two motorcycles are alike—not in purpose, not in design, not in character.

If all that sounds terribly subjective, then please accept our not-so-humble apologies. If we pretended that each winner was determined on a strictly scientific basis, that personal preference didn't come into play, then we would be less than honest. Motorcycling is, by nature, an emotional affair, it isn't supposed to be scientific. So, for your delight and/or disgust, we present Cycle Worlds very personal and subjective view of the Ten Best Motorcycles of the Year.

SUPERBIKE

Yamaha FZR1000

A MOTORCYCLE DOESN’T HAVE TO BE the fastest to get our Best Superbike award. It doesn’t have to be the quickest or the best handling, either. It does have to be the most-exciting machine on two wheels, the bike most likely to push your pulse to red-line and bust an adrenal gland or two. It just so happens the best super-bike of’89 also is the fastest, quickest and best handling: The Yamaha FZR1000. Nothing else comes close.

750CC STREETBIKE

Suzuki 750 Katana

THE ONLY PROBLEM WITH SPECIALIZAtion is that it’s so damned specialized. Take sportbikes, for example. On one hand, today’s bikes are faster and better handling than ever. On the other, they are more narrowly focused and uncomfortable than ever. That’s why the Katana stands out. It’s a bike that does everything well. Some might call it a standard, but that implies compromise. And that’s something the Katana doesn’t do.

650cc STREETBIKE

Yamaha FZR600

WE’VE HEARD PEOPLE SAY HORSEpower isn’t everything. We can’t figure out what in the world they’re talking about. Horsepower is one of the better things in life, and it’s especially good when it comes in a bike as superb in handling and design as is the Yamaha FZR600. In motorcycling’s toughest class, Yamaha simply kicked butt, easily overpowering the class. Score one for horsepower groupies; zero for the opposition.

OPEN STREETBIKE

Yamaha FJ1200

IT WAS A CASE OF BAD TIMING. BACK IN 1984, everyone on earth agreed that the Yamaha FJ1100 was the best large-displacement streetbike. But back then, Cycle World didn’t have an Open Streetbike category. And by the time we did, the FJ was gone. Injustice rectified. For 1989, the FJ is back as a 1200 and it’s better than ever. So now we bestow our belated honors on a legend reborn. The FJ might be the best big bike ever.

UNDER 500CC STREETBIKE

Kawasaki EX500

WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT BACK IN 1986, when Kawasaki reaimed its small cruiser, the company would be creating the best small sportbike of the Eighties? Since then, the EX500 has been unchallenged in both price and performance, and has dominated it’s class in Cycle World's Ten Best awards. With virtually no changes in three years, the Kawasaki remains the best performance buy in motorcycling. Who would have thought?

CRUISER

Harley-Davidson Springer Softail

THERE'S A REASON HARLEY-DAVID-sons are the best-selling big motorcycles in America. There’s a reason why, in a somewhat depressed market, Harley has grown stronger every year. It’s because Harley makes motorcycles like the Springer Softail. The Springer is a motorcycle that doubles as art; a bike that’s as much fun to look at as it is to ride. With bikes like the Springer, H-D should be successful—it only stands to reason.

ENDURO

KTM 250 E-XC

SUDDENLY, THERE’S A 250 ENDURO class. Suddenly, KTM isn’t the only company offering an out-of-the-crate enduro bike in America. But it’s one thing to build an enduro bike and quite another to build one as good as the KTM 250. The KTM is ready to win as it is—virtually nothing has to be changed or modified. In time, other enduro bikes might be as good as the KTM. For now, though, those others are learning what KTM has known for years.

TOURING

Honda GL1500 Gold Wing

ANSWER: GARY HART AND DONNA Rice; Crosby; the Honda GL1500. Question: Name a fling, a Bing and a king. The third part of the answer shouldn’t need explaining. The GL1500 is the undisputed monarch of touring, just as its ancestors were before it. Gold Wings have been on top so long it doesn’t take Carnac the Magnificent to predict that the GL once again is the Best Touring Bike.

DUAL-PURPOSE

Honda Transalp 600

OKAY, IT'S NOT REALLY A DIRTBIKE. But it’s not entirely a streetbike, either. So what would you call the Honda Transalp 600? We just know it’s good. Real good. We also know it’s a pure pleasure to ride, and it guarantees a smile from anyone who swings a leg over it. Is it a dual-purpose bike, though? Perhaps not in the traditional sense, but times are changing. For now, we’re only sure that the ’Alp is a winner.

MOTOCROSS

Honda CR250R

LET'S SEE IF THERE’S A PATTERN DEVELoping here. Between national motocrosses and supercrosses, Honda has won 12 250cc championships in the last eight years. And over the years, the Honda CR250R has won a Cycle World Ten Best award a total of six times. Conclusion? The Honda CR250R is a winner, now more than ever. It’s not just the best motocross machine of the year. It’s far and away the best dirtbike of the decade.