Honda's Spada: the Newest World Standard

Honda's Spada: The Newest World Standard

ROUNDUP

ONCE FIRMLY ON THE LIST OF endangered species. the standard motorcycle is making a comeback. The latest version is the Honda VT250 Spada, which, like the similarly styled Hawk GT and CB-l (tested in this issue), is looked upon by Honda as a “new-age” standard, a bike for riders who don’t want a repli-racer sportbike or a repli-Harley cruiser.

Powered by the same liquidcooled V-Twin as found in the Interceptor 250, the Spada (Italian for “sword”) is currently on sale in Japan, where its brochure plays up its “cosmopolitan” nature, showing the bike in various Italian settings. Hoping to cash-in with young, fashion-conscious Japanese, Honda is making the bike available in four colors: black, red, blue and a trendy turquoise.

Because of its nearly $4000 price tag, don’t expect to see the Spada in U.S. dealerships. Besides, stateside standard purists will point out, the Spada, like the Hawk GT and CB-l, really isn’t a standard, at least not when compared to the roomier, higher-handlebarred, flatter-seated versions that were available here in the 1970s.

Be that as it may, Honda (and Suzuki, with its soon-to-be-released GS500) should be commended for taking the marketing gamble with these new standards. And don’t rule out the possibility of rangier, larger-engined versions in the near future. Said one Honda spokesman: “The Hawk, CB-l and Spada could start a new styling trend for motorcycles, but only if the public accepts them, and that’s a big if. If they don't sell, they’ll go away and be replaced.”

Honda has shown its commitment to the new standards by keeping the Hawk GT in its 1989 lineup even after 1988 sales of the bike were disappointing. And, helped by a color change from gray or blue to a more-exciting red, sales of the Hawk are starting to pick up. If you're a standard fan, hope that the trend continues. —David Edwards