Honda Pacific Coast
CYCLE WORLD TEST
HONDA PACIFIC COAST
All dressed up and everywhere to go
BETWEEN BIG SUR AND LUCIA. ON THE WESTERN RIM of California, the Pacific Coast Highway ties short sections of straight asphalt to long, graceful curves situated several hundred feet above crashing surf and rock-strewn beaches. No 30 miles of road in America can match the remarkable vistas and seductive twists and turns of this tiny stretch of highway. And it's on this road, its namesake, where Honda's newest model, the Pacific Coast. seems most at home.
With its sweeping, fully enclosed bodywork, the Pacific Coast could easily be mistaken for a baby Goldwing, a trimmed-down version of that great American touring machine. But the Pacific Coast is much more than a downsized touring bike. Honda believes this new model represents a significant step in its continuing effort to produce motorcycles with a broad appeal. Honda also expects such a motorcycle to tug at not only the enthusiast buyer interested in an alternative to the specialized offerings in the touring and sportbike categories, but also at the general population, who have of late shown little interest in buying motorcycles of any kind.
We’ll just call the Pacific Coast an excellent motorcycle. a not-quite touring bike and a not-quite sportbike. that fills a unique niche in the world of motorcycling.
Certainly, the Pacific Coast’s aero styling is its calling card, a stem-to-stern coverup which makes it the most fully enclosed production bike yet. From its front-brake shroud/fender to its molded-in crashbars to its rear storage compartment, the Pacific Coast—call it PC for short—envelops the traditional motorcycle styling elements—frame, engine and fuel tank —in nicely finished, cream-colored, contoured-plastic body panels and moldings.
If that styling is controversial, and clearly it is, with some people thoroughly enamored with bike’s contemporary looks while others referred to it derisively as a “big scooter," at least the PC’s powerplant will win friends and influence people. That's because the 800cc V-Twin is a delightful engine, as traditional as the PC’s styling is avant garde. Liquid-cooled and with its cylinders splayed at a 45degree angle, the Twin is not a new powerplant; for the most part, the engine is the same as the unit used in the now-discontinued 800 Shadow' cruiser. Like the engine in the Shadow, the rubber-mounted powerplant features three-valve, twin-sparkplug heads perched atop each cylinder.
The differences between the two engines are minor, with two exceptions. First, the PC’s engine spins more flywheel weight than the Shadow’s. Second, and more important. the PC comes with a five-speed transmission that better complements the engine's power characteristics. The four-speed installed on the Shadow had gaps between its ratios, and the slick-shifting five-speed Ofl the PC is a welcome addition. The PC retains the Shadow's final shaft drive.
One of the attractions of the Shadow engine was its feel, and, fortunately, the PC engine retains the pleasant VTwin. lumpa-lumpa-lump throb, though it's still nowhere near as charismatic as a Harley V-Twin. But the engine does have a black-velvet power delivery, in that it pulls smoothly off the bottom and pushes in an effortless fashion up to redline and even 500 rpm beyond. The clutch disengages with smooth, progressive action, so moving away from stops is a simple matter.
While the PC's engine certainly won't intimidate anyone w ith outrageous amounts of sheer horsepower, it will still whip just about any automobile on the road. And the PC has surprising acceleration, equaling the quarter-mile times of the Shadow 800. despite weighing 100 pounds more.
At cruising and sight-seeing speeds, the PC’s ride quality is good, and remains so even when the pace is picked up and the bike's sporting potential is explored. Even though there is only one suspension adjustment, the spring preload on the left rear shock, the suspension works remarkably well. But the shocks are sprung a bit on the soft side, the better to absorb pavement ripples and small bumps, and in high-speed, bumpy corners, the soft shocks do allow the rear end to wallow’. But the 41mm front fork is resistant to flex and provides a supple ride over a wide variety of conditions.
At slow speeds, the bike has a light, low feel, seeming less heavy than its actual 630 pounds. With its 30-inch seat height and low center of gravity, the bike carries its weight easily, and is content to poke around a parking lot or to chug along effortlessly in stop-and-go traffic. Also, the bike requires only a feather-light push on the handlebar to initiate a turn; it's almost as if it has power steering.
That light steering continues as velocities increase. The bike has a neutral feel at speed, and. in part because of the leverage provided by the high, wide handlebar, it responds immediately to mid-turn corrections. The Pacific Coast can be pushed hard enough into turns to explore some radical lean angles, usually with nothing more dramatic than a light scrape of the footpeg feelers on the asphalt. More flamboyant riding w ill ground the fairing and lower frame rails, but you have to be pretty aggressive to get that far into the undercarriage.
Whether the speeds are just above a walking pace, or full on gonzo mode in the corners, the PC responds predictably and reassuringly in most situations. It flicks from side to side wath ease, and even handles braking in midturn without getting too upset. The front brake feel, however, leaves a little to be desired, requiring that a rider squeeze the front lever hard to get much stopping action.
Most riders won't have complaints about the comfort of the machine, though. The stepped seat is nicely padded, with wide, flat perches for both the rider and passenger. Unfortunately, the ridge at the rear of the rider's portion traps tall riders, prohibiting them from pushing back and stretching out. That’s only a problem for riders over 6 feet tall, though, our smaller-sized riders had no such complaint.
But almost everyone griped about the wind noise generated by the windshield. Paradoxically, there’s not much buffeting, just an annoying whoosh of air aimed at helmet level. It’s annoying enough that some staffers wanted to chop about six inches off the standard shield while others couldn't wait to fit the optional four-inch-higher screen.
Otherwise, the wrap-around bodywork offers pretty good protection, keeping the wind blast off the torso and upper legs, though the feet and shins are exposed to gusts and swirls. At least the fairing does an admirable job of ducting the hot air exiting the radiator away from the rider: This is one liquid-cooled bike that won’t become a twowheeled sauna in hot-weather riding.
Nor will PC riders quiver in fear of annihilating all that shimmering plastic bodywork in the event of simple tipover. The bike comes standard with two integrated crashbars per side—one under the “wing" just ahead of the rider’s feet and one at the forward part of the saddlebagcovered with replaceable soft-plastic sheaths. And the mirrors are knockaway-style, much like BMW K-bike mirrors. So instead of buying a new fairing if the PC falls over in your garage, the theory goes, you simply replace the inexpensive pieces.
That tip-over protection is innovative, but by far the most unusual aspect of the bodywork is the unique tailtrunk section. The passenger section of the seat, and the whole top of the rear body section opens like the trunk of a car to reveal two mid-sized storage areas. Each compartment is large enough to swallow a medium-sized duffel bag or a full-face helmet, folded jacket and gloves. You can easily pack enough stuff in the trunk to accommodate a twoor three-day ride for one person, although packing for a several-day road trip for two will tax the capacity of the enclosed panniers, and strapping on additional soft luggage to the PC’s smooth body may prove impossible .
That’s too bad, because the Pacific Coast is a motorcycle that you will want to ride for long distances. It invites you to take the scenic route rather than the interstate, and rewards you for doing so with an exceptionally smooth and soothing ride.
Ultimately, w hile there are few' complaints with the Pacific Coast, there is one potential problem area for the bike: its $7698 price tag. Certainly that’s a higher price than you'll pay for anything but exotic, limited-production sportbikes, full-on touring bikes and some HarleyDavidsons, and some may even argue that that's a high price to pay for a motorcycle of any kind. But the truth is, beneath the plastic bodywork, behind the hopes and aspirations of the marketing folks at Honda, there lies a genuinely fine motorcycle, one worthy of being named after one of the best motorcycling roads in America. 0
PACIFIC COAST
$7698
SPECIFICATIONS
THE PACIFIC COAST HAS THE KIND OF looks that people either like or don't like. I'm sorry, Honda, but I don't like. The flowing, pearl-white body panels and the bustle-like trunk just don't do anything for me.
And for all the PC's streamlining. riding the hike in 50-degree weather makes me wonder why it doesn't pro vide better wind-protection for my feet, instead of fun neling a continual blast of cool air up my pantlegs. Also, why does it have a windshield that refuses to work for my average-size. 5-foot-lO body, channeling the wind right to my helmet and making me feel like I've stuck my head into a wind tunnel?
Still, even with the wind noise, riding the Pacific Coast on a sunny, 75-degree day can be loads of fun. The 800cc, V-Twin engine is very smooth throughout its rpm range and has good acceleration, allowing easy, high mileage days. What's more satisfying is how the Honda handles: It's an eager leaner and simply mows down turns. But all the sunny, corner-filled afternoons of rid ing in the world won't persuade me to buy the Pacific Coast: I like my motorcycles to look like motorcycles. Always have, always will.-Doug Toland, Associate Editor
M~ WIFE. USED TO SEEING ME CAREEN into our driveway on lean, crisply styled sportbikes. looked at the Pa cific Coast and pronounced this com ment on its styling: `My goodness, it's the motorcycle from Mars." Maybe, but where it's from is less im portant than what it's for, which is: a) appealing to people who perhaps never have considered riding a motorcycle: and b) help ing dig American Honda out of the sales doldrums. The PC is a soft-edged. non-threatening, well-mannered puppy dog of a bike, something you probably could take your mom for a ride on. She'd enjoy it and so would you. because, despite its outer-space styling, the PC works pretty well. Its engine offers a smooth, flat torque curve, and its chassis will flog around corners very quickly in deed. It's well-balanced, easy to have fun on. Honda did this one right. -Jon F Thompson. Feature Editor
RECENTLY. PETER EGAN AND I WERE kicking tires and telling lies in the C'Wgarage. I-Ic told me about his new Ducati 900SS, and I told him I didn't like V-Twins. I was raised on inline Fours, cut my teeth on `em, you might say. and they speak more deeply to me.
N So it's not because of its engine that I really like the Pacific Coast. What I like is that it handles extraordinarily well, and that I don't have to do anything but sit in the middle of the seat and push on the handlebars: no hanging-off needed.
Don't get me wrong: This is a great bike, but if I had my way, there would be a Hurricane 1000 engine stuffed under all that plastic coating. But unless I can get Ron Griewe to fire up his cutting torch and warm up his MIG welder, that’s not an option. But how about spooning the Shadow l 100 engine in there? If you’re gonna stick to a V-Twin, then use a V-Twin with some oomph. A bike that is otherwise this good demands that much.
Cannon E. Bussard, Executive Editor
