Best of the Rest
BEST OF THE REST
AND THE OTHER WINNERS ARE...
THE MAIN OUESTION IS SETTLED. WHICH IS THE BEST 750cc motorcycle? The Honda VFR750 is. But which one is the best sportbike? The best standard? The best value? The best in other categories? Read on, read on.
Best Sportbike:
Unanimous. The Suzuki GSX-R750. So well developed, so refined, that it puts its competition right on the trailer, even before the flag drops.
For an exciting, go-get’em sportride, it’s tough to beat the GSX-R. At $6699, it’s $300 less expensive than the ZX-7, yet beats the green bike by 14 horsepower on the dynamometer and 9 mph in top-speed testing. And though the $9449 ZX-7R puts out an additional 2 horsepower and is almost as fast, it gets absolutely waxed by the GSX-R in top-gear roll-ons. The GSX-R wins. Case closed.
Best BMW:
The K75S. Ride the plain-Jane K75, and you’ll just look like a cheapskate wanker. Ride this bike and you’ll look like a cat who knows his Beemers. Ride it long enough, and you’ll appreciate its solidness of feel, its long-range comfort and the security afforded by its ABS brake system.
Don’t say we didn’t warn you. Who knows, you might even start talking with a German accent.
Best Bike To Be Embarrassed On When You Kill The Engine At An Intersection:
Gotta be Kawasaki’s ZX-7R. You sit there, waiting for the light, blipping the throttle. The light turns green, you twist the throttle just a little and release the clutch. It chugs once, then dies. You look like an idiot. You feel like one, too.
Oh, the shame. You’re on a bike that with just a little tuning could win AMA roadraces. Trouble is, it needs a little tuning to make it manageable around town. Lowspeed carburetion is too lean. We promise, buy this bike and you’ll learn to hate it around town and in traffic.
Best 750-class Value:
Suzuki’s $5799 Katana 750. Hey, it isn’t pretty, but for the money involved, this thing works really well. Yes, it is a little short on personality. But it’s easy to ride, it’s comfortable and it’s got a terrific engine. If you’re looking to buy an all-arounder and can’t ante-up the extra $1500 for a VFR, this is the one to have.
Best Bike To Make You Glad It’s 1992:
Honda’s Nighthawk 750. Look, we’re firmly behind the standardbike concept, but this motorcycle is just a bit too retro for our tastes. We like the way low bars lean you into the wind. We like the way modern suspensions work. And we like the copious power produced by modern engines. Do we want to go back to 1982, when everybody rode old-style standard bikes? No way, José.
Best Standard:
Kawasaki’s Zephyr 750 gets the nod, mainly for the most elemental of reasons: It’s a blast to ride. There are limits, though. If you’ve already experienced the power of a modem 16-valve 750, you may not be satisfied with the Zeph’s engine. If you’re a re-entry rider, though, this is the bike to help you recapture all those sensations of motorcycling you so fondly remember.
Best 750 To Pick Up Women On:
Easy. The Ducati. First thing you do is pitch the stock mufflers; wearing those, the 750 Super Sport sounds like a lawn mower. Put on some nice aftermarket canisters, the sort of thing that’ll let this bike’s wonderfully torquey desmo V-Twin be heard. Then fold down the passenger pegs and go trolling. Let this bike’s glowing red paint, exotic nature and sexy shape go to work. If this doesn’t work, well, what can we say? It must be you.
Jon F. Thompson
