Up Front
UP FRONT
World bikes
David Edwards
IT WAS ONE OF THOSE EASY. RAMBLING conversations, fueled by a bottle of good chardonnay and the familiarity of friends.
Allan Girdler, as he often does, posed one of his hypothetical questions. “What if," he said, “His Highness, the Exalted Right Honorable Minister of Transportation, suddenly decreed that for reasons of world ecology, each of us would be limited to just one motorcycle? Which one would you choose?"
After some thought, I responded that I'd mount my BSA Gold Star special on the living-room wall, hang a frame around it. call it art. and ask that it be exempted from the new law. Then. Ed go out and buy a I 99 1 Honda VER750E. to mv mind the best all-around motorcycle on the market today.
Allan, poo-pooing my practicality, did not hesitate with an answer. He'd keep his old Harlev-Davidson. an iron XR750 dirt-tracker that is nominally street-legal.
Peter ligan, the third and final member of our ad hoc committee, owner of a Kawasaki, a Norton, a Dueati. a BMW and two Iriumphs, had no answer. He needed more time. Surely. Allan prodded. Peter would have to pick the 1968 Triumph Trophy 650 he so lov ingly restored last year.
“No." Peter said. “Old Triumphs are wonderful motorcycles, but they're not very good machines."
He was right, of course. Understand that, like Peter. I'm a man in love with Triumphs. In particular, a 1966 Bonneville 650 with an Alaska White fuel tank. Grenadier Red striping and polished alloy fenders, w hose owner so far has been unwilling to sell. But. while that '66 Bonnie just may be the best-looking motorcycle ever, its engine will need rebuilding every I 0.000 miles or so; its brakes, suspension, carbs and electrical system won't work very well; and it will leav e telltale oil spots wherever it rests.
Which brings us. in a roundabout way, to the new-for-1 99 1 Triumphs, which you can read about elsewhere in this issue. Sev en years in gestation, the 1991 Triumph Trophy 1200 and Daytona 1000 Pours are now on sale and give every indication of being world-class motorcycles. Eor that, you can thank company boss John Bloor. whose money and bulldog determination not to let the Triumph logo slip into the swirling mists of history have kept the brand alive.
And you can also thank the Japanese.
The new Triumphs roll on Japanese rims and Japanese tires. Their suspension components, likewise, are made in Japan, as are their pistons. cylinder liners, brakes, carburetors and control switches. But don't be loo judgmental about these new Britbikes containing so many nondomestic parts: If your name was atop the Triumph ledger sheet, you'd be doing business with Japanese suppliers. too.
Not convinced? Take a gander at the new Dueati 900SS. the most exciting. most affordable Italian motorcycle in a long while. The Duck is so good in part because Japanese-built Mikuni carbs and Showa suspension replaced troublesome home-market components.
Still need some persuading? Eor further evidence, trot on down to your local Harlev-Davidson shop. Pick out a model, sav a Sportster 885. that most-American of motorcycles. See those nicely cast wheels? Japanese. The fork? Japanese. Shocks? Ditto. The carburetor that all the magazine tests praise? A Keihin ('V from you-know-w here. The clutch, the brake rotors, the instruments and the switchgear? Yep. all from the Land of the Rising Sun.
Let me be quick to point out that all of I larley's critical machining, engine construction, frame fabrication, painting and final assembly are done either in Milwaukee or York. Pennsylvania. But the fact is, a Honda Gold Wing, built in Marysville. Ohio, probably contains as many made-in-the-USA parts as any current I larley-Dav idson.
While you're digesting that, let me further stir things up by saying that l larley's use of Japanese components is an example in action of one of the cornerstones of the American free enterprise system. Build a better widget at a better price, and you get the business. Period.
Would Harley like to use American components exclusively? Yes. of course, if only because its customers would prefer that. Several years ago. in fact, the company went looking for a U.S. source of fork assemblies. But no one was interested. Showa— like carb-maker Keihin, a subsidiary of Honda, no less—was interested. It got the business.
And so what? I'd even argue that foreign sourcing of components is as American as apple pie. 'This country has been called the Great Melting Pot, due to its varied ethnic makeup. This rich tapestry of cultures is one of the things that has made the USA the world leader that it is today. A Harlev-Davidson is no less American because it uses Japanese parts—hell, it might be more so.
Some manufacturers take this melting-pot approach to the extreme. The parts list of the American-built ATK 604 tested in this issue reads like a United Nations roll call: Rota.x engine (Austria); Nordisk rims (Norwav): Grimeca brake calipers (Italy); Magura levers, hand controls and front-brake master cylinder (Germany); Acerbis fenders (Italy); White Power fork and shock (Netherlands): Pirelli tires (Italy). But the bike's most important ingredient—its inspiration —is all-American.
Egan never did reveal which one bike he would choose as his keeper. I suspect, though, it would be something that was both a wonderful motorcycle and a very good machine. Something like an AI K 604. a new Dueati 900SS. a Harlev-Dav idson or a 1991 Triumph.
