Super Standards
SUPER STANDARDS
CW COMPARISON
ELEVEN BIKES THAT SET NEW STANDARDS
THE WORD “STANDARD” MEANS SIMPLY A MEASURE OF comparison, a degree or level of excellence. It’s an upbeat kind of word. In the world of motorcycling, however, the word is somewhat less upbeat, having come to denote not a machine that sets a standard, but one that is ordinary, or basic.
That description may have fit at one time, when many streetbikes were so alike, having walked down similar evolutionary alleys, that the motorcycle press began referring to them as “universal Japanese motorcycles,” or UJMs. This, fortunately, is no longer the situation. The world’s motorcycle manufacturers have turned out of UJM Alley, and each has taken a slightly different direction up, down and across Standard Street. We offer these 11 motorcycles as proof of the variety, and the excellence, of the machines that have resulted from this willingness to experiment.
These 11 bikes are anything but universal, and anything but strictly Japanese, and anything but dull. The bikes gathered here mostly offer upright riding positions, tubular handlebars, and with one exception, no wind protection. Their range reaches from an orientation towards cruising to a flatout need for speed. Some are liquid-cooled, some are aircooled. Some are Twin-powered, one is propelled by a Triple, and others derive their thrust from Fours. Yes, some originate in Japan. But others hail from Germany, and still others from the United States. Some are relatively inexpensive, others are priced right up there in the stratosphere. The one thing that is certain is that not one of them is much like any of the rest of them.
This is a good thing. It means that anyone who wants to ride a standard has an entire range of motorcycles-a range of riding postures, a range of performance characteristics, and a range of price tags-from which to choose. And choice is always welcome.
For this reason, we are not going to pick a winner from this bunch. Really, we can’t. We can maybe pick what might be best for us, but we can’t pick what would be best for you. We don’t know your needs, your riding style, your expectations, your budget. The one thing we do know for sure is that everyone is different, and that everyone has differing requirements.
So herewith, in alphabetical order, we present a look at 11 of our favorite motorcycles, leaving to you the task of picking the one that best suits your needs.
It remains fitting to call these bikes standards; but we think of them less as “standards,” and more as benchmarks, examples by which the rest of the motorcycling world can be measured. How they’ll measure up for you, we leave up to you.
BMW K75
LOOKING FOR A NICE, WELL-BUILT bike without vices, a machine of subtle joys? Don’t mind paying a premium, both in performance and in dollars, for that unmistakable German touch? If so, the K75 might be your ride.
You’ve got to be prepared to put up with something that’s, well, different, though. How different? For starters, the K75 is a rather anemic 750-class bike, developing the fourth smallest horsepower number of any bike in this 11 -machine group-only the two Harley-Davidsons and BMW’s Boxer develop fewer ponies. The K75 knows how to use what it has, however, so much so that several of our test riders dubbed it their favorite highway bike. There’s good reason for that. In spite of an odd bend to its handlebar, it is supremely comfortable, with a firm but well-shaped seat and an upright, touring-style riding position. It is tall, and compared to some of the other bikes in this group, somewhat tippy in feel.
Its chassis, based around a tubular frame and using longtravel suspension front and rear, sops up bumps but introduces the jacking effect so typical of softly sprung shaft-drive bikes. Thanks to conservative chassis geometry, steering is on the slow side, but is very light, and the bike is always very composed, the result of excellent tires as standard equipment.
Because this engine, derived from BMW’s buzzy Four, wears a counterbalancer deep in its three-cylinder, dohc, fuel-injected innards, it is very smooth. Use of fuel injection provides crisp throttle response, though the engine is slow to climb the rev range, exhibiting the feel of a heavy flywheel.
The K75 is no sportbike, but then, it isn’t supposed to be. It just does what it does, in a very refined, BMW-like manner. As we said, it’s a bike of subtle joys.
BMW
K75
List price....................................$6590
BMW R100R
HAVE BMW TWINS BEEN AMONG US NOW SINCE THE dawn of the Industrial Age? There is more than adequate reason for this, as a ride on the R100R will reveal. This is a terrific motorcycle. In fact, for some people, if it ain’t an opposed-Twin, it ain’t a BMW. This one, as it happens, is all Beemer. In fact, the R100R may just be the best ride in the entire BMW line-at least until the new RI 100RS arrives here.
What makes the R100R so wonderful is not the fact that it is based around the tried-and-true Boxer Twin-other bikes in the line are so powered-but the fact that unlike the K75, it is based around the company’s Paralever parallelogram single-sided swingarm. This unit almost completely eliminates the shaft-jacking that usually is so much a part of life aboard shaft-driven motorcycles, and allows the rider to concentrate not on weird chassis movements, but on the joy of riding a well-behaved Twin. These joys include the delightful, notquite-smooth thrumming of the engine, the reassuring sideways roll induced by blipping the throttle at rest, and its general, everlasting, can’t-bust-it nature.
The R100R is a lot more expensive than the K75, which is much more technologically advanced. But never fear, even though it’s got fewer cams, fewer cylinders, and no fuelinjection, the R100R is more motorcycle than the K75. It’s got a little less horsepower, but a lot more torque. And it’s a lot more fun to operate: the rider just selects a gear, gets comfortable-very easy to do on this bike-and cruises.
Drawbacks include clunky shifting, a gearchange lever that’s tucked in so tightly against the engine case that it’s a bit hard to find, and a left-side handgrip that vibrates much more than the right-side one. We don’t care. We like this bike in spite of these points, and we think you will, too.
BMW
R100R
List price...........$8240
HARLEY-DAVIDSON DYNA LOW RIDER
SOME OF YOU ARE SCRATCHING YOUR HEADS, wondering why a Harley Big Twin is among the rest of these bikes. Aren’t Harleys best known as cruisers? They are indeed, and though this bike is cruiser-ish, it is one of the most standard of the Harley-Davidson line, which is why we tossed it into the mix. Good thing, too. Riding this bike provides its own special pleasures, to wit: “Has all the classic elegance of vintage wine. (Plus, I noticed all the girls looking at me when I rode it through town),” wrote one of our test riders. So put aside your biases and bear with us.
Once you do that, you’ll see that the Harley makes a fine standard-style ride. This bike uses H-D’s latest rubber-mounted engine to give an extremely vibe-free ride, but that doesn’t change its essential nature. The big Twin still chuffs out bulldozer-style low-end power, and it still makes all the right sounds.
Unfortunately, against those positives, the bike also has some serious negatives. It has one of the two least comfortable seats in motorcycling, its suspension has very little travel and even less rebound damping, and at speed, because of the riding posture it forces the rider into, he must hang onto the bike’s handlebar for dear life just to stay aboard. This problem can be at least partially solved if the rider bungees a piece of soft luggage to the passenger seat to give himself something to lean against.
Ground clearance is very limited; the bike drags its footpeg on left-handers, and its lower muffler on right-handers. But what this bike lacks in cornering abilities it more than makes up for in elegance, as it provides a look like nothing else anywhere. At more than twice the price of a Sportster, it’s expensive. Style always is.
HARLEY-DAVIDSON
DYNA LOW RIDER
List price..................................$12,550
HARLEY-DAVIDSON SPORTSTER
SAY HELLO TO THE POOR-MAN’S HARLEY, AND ALSO TO THE bike our test riders had the most fun disliking. The Sportster 883 is an econo-Harley because at a list price of $4775, it is the least expensive bike in Harley’s lineup. Our test riders had fun disliking it because while it is slow and uncomfortable, it arcs around comers like a tetherball on the end of its rope.
That’s because the Sporty comes wearing excellent rubber, because its engine’s power output doesn’t tie the bike’s underachiever chassis in knots, and because it’s got lots of cornering clearance.
This bike rolls out of its York, Pennsylvania, factory with the other least comfortable seat in motorcycling, thinly padded and contoured to slide the rider forward and to roll his pelvis into the back of the far-too-small fuel tank. Some one at Harley must think the resulting riding position looks cool. It certainly doesn’t feel cool.
“Boring motorcycle,” noted one tester. Another chimed in, “Is this thing running on both cylinders?” Well, yes it is, but it still only cranks out 42.3 horsepower. What that means, when comers arrive, is that you can’t afford to lose momentum by doing anything silly, like rolling out of the throttle or using the brakes. Fortunately, you don’t have to use them much. The bike’s Dunlop tires provide lots of traction and its narrow profile allows dizzying lean angles.
The tiny fuel tank runs dry at about 90 miles. Good thing. This allows the rider to make the frequent stops required for relief of gluteal discomfort.
Still, the Sportster does have a certain cachet. It’s got that Harley engine, that Harley sound and that Harley name. For many riders, that will be more than enough.
HARLEY-DAVIDSON
SPORTSTER 883
List price............... ..................... $4775
HONDA CB750
HERE’S PROOF THAT A RELAtively small price tag doesn’t necessarily buy a small amount of motorcycle. The $4399 list price attached to the CB750 Nighthawk makes it the least expensive motorcycle in this group. In some ways, it is a lot of bike for the buck. In some ways, it also is one of the least exciting motorcycles in this group, and stands as evidence that while Honda was successful in building this bike to a budget, it may have set the budget number too low.
“What it gives up in performance, it delivers in price,” noted one tester, summing things up nicely. There is much here that Honda is to be congratulated for. The Nighthawk is a smooth, docile motorcycle that embodies all of the virtues for which Honda is justly famed. Its power output is not astonishing, but it is smooth and fairly comfortable, low in maintenance and high in excellence of finish.
It is a bike with no glaring flaws, but it has flaws, nonetheless. These mostly are found in two areas: suspension and brakes. The Nighthawk’s fork works pretty well, and provides a reasonable ride and very light, neutral steering. Its rear suspension, complete with dual shocks, works less well, and is quite harsh over big bumps and over little ones.
The bike’s brakes aren’t outstanding, based as they are around a single rotor and a two-piston floating caliper up front and a drum brake at the rear. They work fine, but the front brake wants a lot of lever, and the rear fades quite easily.
Still, as we’ve already noted, this is a budget bike. It is perfect for a newcomer to motorcycling, or for a reentry rider. Is that you? If so, should you spend a little less for a good, clean second-hand machine, or should you spend a bit more to buy a brand-new Nighthawk 750? Trust us: Buy the Nighthawk.
HONDA
CB750
List price.............$4399
HONDA CB1000
RIGHT FROM THE TOP, THE CB1000 HAS MUCH TO RECOMmend it, beginning with the fine feel, fit and finish we’ve come to expect from Honda, and with the high-quality suspension components-with spot-on calibration-we’ve also come to expect.
This is a very large motorcycle. Good thing it’s got 1000 cubic centimeters of Honda Four to haul it around, right? Well, yes, but in spite of their considerable efforts to deliver a powerful, torquey engine, Honda’s engineers have succeeded only in part. The CBlOOO’s engine does indeed make lots of power, but most of it is found on the far side of 4000 rpm. This makes the engine seem like a sportbike engine-which, of course, is exactly what it is. Because of this power delivery, Kawasaki’s ZR1100 will kick the Honda’s butt in 40-60-mph roll-ons, though the ZR pumps out 11.3 fewer horses.
The sporty nature of the bike’s power delivery, the excellence of its brakes and the quality of its suspension provide a clue to this bike’s true mission. Aim it towards a riding environment that rewards an aggressive riding style, and it wakes right up, producing lots of power (and also a good bit of vibration right at 5000 rpm-this in spite of a counterbalancer).
The CBlOOO’s ride quality was easily the best in this group, and its virtues made it the favorite of several test riders. Others were less enamored, citing its large feel and the industrial nature of its engine styling. But styling aside, the CB1000 is a lot of motorcycle. It also can be argued that it is not enough motorcycle. That’s because by spending just $500 more than the CBlOOO’s list price, the discerning shopper could buy himself a CBR1000F sportbike and get the benefit of that bike’s added power and wonderful linked brakes. For many riders, that won’t be a tough decision. Others, looking for a civilized superbike with an absence of plastic bodywork, will be readily drawn to the big CB.
HONDA
CB 1000
List price.................................... $6999
KAWASAKI ZR1100
CHOSEN LAST YEAR AS CYCLE WORLD'S Best Standard Bike, Kawasaki’s big Don’t-Call-Me-Zephyr ZR1100 is another motorcycle that received lots of affirmative nods from this gig’s test riders. It does all the things a standard bike is supposed to do, and it does them with a style and verve that is quite uncommon.
The ZR is a big bike, but in comparison to the CB1000, it does not feel its size. It is a very comfortable motorcycle for both rider and passenger, with a superb riding position, even if its seat is too firm. Its air-cooled engine also is excellent. Yes, it does vibrate a bit, and yes, there are quicker, faster bikes in this bunch. But across its rpm range, from basement to ceiling, the ZR’s engine pulls hard and strong, and seems not to care what gear its rider has selected. That’s good, because its transmission is typically Kawasaki-clunky and notchy, especially in the lower three gears, and therefore is no great joy to use.
The bike’s chassis, however, is a joy to use. Its steering is light and neutral. Rear suspension is multi-adjustable and is very good, front suspension is non-adjustable and is merely good, with a bit of initial harshness. Brakes, lifted off last year’s ZX-11, provide fine feel and good stopping power.
As a whole, the ZR1100 is a very capable, very complete motorcycle. No system overwhelms another: not engine, not brakes, not suspension. It is not utterly outstanding in any particular area; instead, it spreads its excellence across the board, rather like a technological knife-load of peanut butter spread across a slab of motorcycling toast. We approve of peanut butter on toast. We also approve of the ZRllOO, though we think Kawasaki could sell many more of them if the price were lower.
KAWASAKI
ZR1100
List price....................................$6999
SUZUKI GSX1100G
REASONING THAT NOTHING SUCCEEDS LIKE EXCESS, SUZUKI, IN 1991, retuned its GSX-R1100 engine just a little and slamdunked the result into a shaft-driven standard-bike chassis. The resulting cocktail is an odd mix, a bit like someone transplanting the engine from Dale Earnhardt’s NASCAR racer into an early-1970s Chevy sedan.
Make no mistake, the GSX is a very large, very plush motorcycle. If you anticipate spending most of your time in highway riding, especially if you anticipate hauling a passenger and perhaps a bit of soft luggage, it could be the perfect set of wheels for you. Just keep this in mind: In spite of its very powerful engine, this motorcycle was built for comfort, not for speed.
Really, this is a two-wheeled, road-going sofa. Thanks to very conservative geometry, its steering is very slow and provides Gibraltarsolid directional stability. Suspension at both ends is quite soft, giving a very smooth ride over the bumps, but it is not damped with the kind of sophistication that allows the bike to handle well when the pace is wicked up. Gas it too hard and the back-end cranks up as it reacts to the driveshaft’s torque input. Roll out abruptly and the fork collapses on too-soft springs. To have any kind of a comfortable and satisfying ride, the GSX pilot soon learns the virtues of smoothness.
At least there is That Engine, which cranks out enough horsepower and torque to satisfy all but the most wild-eyed horsepower junkie. For this application, Suzuki added a counterbalance shaft to the engine, and the result is the smoothest big Four in the company’s line. Smoothness is this bike’s calling card. If it was our bike we’d ditch the oddly bent one-inch handlebar in favor of something a bit smaller and less aggressively curved. Then we’d hit the road, confident we were aboard one of the fastest minimalist touring bikes around.
SUZUKI
GSX1100G
List price.................................. $6499
SUZUKI VX800
THE BEST ALL-ROUND VALUE IN this class, the most motorcycle for your buck? It might just be this one. In creating the VX800, Suzuki gave it a huge dose of bland, and that is not a good thing. The VX doesn’t do anything badly, but it also doesn’t do anything wonderfully, and that is truly unfortunate.
The VX does have its virtues. It is light and, in spite of very slow steering, reasonably nimble. It is softly sprung and underdamped at both ends, so its highway ride is good, though that softness, especially in the fork, probably is what causes a vague, unsettled feeling when the bike is pushed hard in a comer.
Reaction to this bike’s engine, from the 11 varied test riders pressed into service for this project, was surprisingly mixed. One tester-a national-class endurance racer-noted, “Throttle response is exhilarating.” Another tester, also no stranger to high performance, noted, “This bike gathers speed rather than accelerates.” Hmmm. The truth is, the VX makes more horsepower than either BMW in this test, and more than either Harley. But it makes less than everything else.
Yet neither its lack of forward urge nor its soft suspension was the VX’s biggest problem. What test riders found most off-putting was the bike’s shortage of personality and character. It is as though having created the GSX-R750, one of the world’s great sportbikes, Suzuki purposely chose to build a machine devoid of even a single dash of excitement. And who knows, that may not be all bad. The VX is non-imposing and non-intimidating, and at a list price of $4899, it also isn’t terribly expensive. Someone searching for a commuter-bike or for a learner-bike likely would find it to be a terrific choice. It wouldn’t be our first choice, however.
SUZUKI
VX800
List price....................................$4899
YAMAHA TDM850
RUMOR HAS IT THAT THE INITIALS TDM ARE SUPPOSED TO be not-very-clever code for the word “tedium.” Nothing could be further from the truth, as least as truth is applied to this motorcycle. With its Euro-style, bugeyed look, this thing may seem like alien transportation from the Planet Weird, but it nevertheless is an extremely competent motorcycle that is an absolute blast to ride.
In developing this bike, Yamaha used a dual-spar frame, plugged in an inline-Twin engine based on the company’s vaunted Genesis five-valve-per-cylinder technology, slid long-travel suspension under both ends, and anointed the result with wind-cheating bodywork. What’s that? Standard motorcycles aren’t supposed to have fairings? Well, we sort of know that. What’s curious is that in spite of the TDM’s weirdness and its lack of an easy pigeonhole, several of our test riders picked the TDM as the best of this bunch of 11 bikes. Here’s why:
First of all, it is comfortable, with a good seat, an upright riding position that includes good wind-and-weather protection from its fairing, and supple suspension that provides a very well-controlled ride. At least one test rider found the bike’s rear suspension to be the best in this gang of 11. The overall excellence of the bike’s suspension, and the outstanding torque of its engine, make the bike wonderful on winding back roads, where its nimbleness and ability to leap out of comers combine to make a well-ridden TDM a tiger that’s capable of embarrassing full-on sportbikes.
Unfortunately, because its looks are a bit off-putting, the TDM may be destined for nothing greater than cult status. That’s too bad. It deserves better than that. So does Yamaha, for having the nerve to produce it.
YAMAHA
TDM850
List price.........$6999
YAMAHA V-MAX
NEVER MIND ABOUT BALANCE, looks, chassis, or any of the rest of it. Here’s all you need to know about Mr. Max: 115.5 rear-wheel horsepower; 100 horsepower from 6500 rpm on to redline; 70 foot-pounds of torque between 2750 rpm and 8500 rpm. Get the picture? We thought you might.
If you’re motivated not by practicality, nor by frugality, nor by the need to comfortably cover touringlength distances, nor by the need for sportbike handling, but instead by an unmitigated, unyielding Need for Speed, shake hands with all the hot rod you’re ever likely to need. Or, for that matter, want.
The V-Max is about one thing, and one thing only: finding a straight bit of pavement that happens to be unencumbered by either traffic or, er, policepersons. You find such a piece of pavement, you whack Mr. Max’s throttle. Mr. Max responds by accelerating so hard you’ll think you’re on your way to another dimension. This, friends, is a Very Good Thing.
The Max certainly has motor, but there are some things it is short of. It is short of chassis. It loves straight lines; aimed in one, it is nicely stable. But it is not overly fond of corners. Forced into one, it protests, shaking its head, chattering its front tire, grinding its footpegs, and generally making known its preference for straight pavement. Bumps? It doesn’t like them, either. Its fork isn’t too bad, though it is soft enough that it can be bottomed under hard braking. The shocks, though, which work on that short-travel, shaft-drive swingarm, are firm to the point of harshness.
The bike’s fuel tank, with its under-seat filler, is a pain to gasup, its seat is uncomfortable, and its unconventional looks are, by now, more than a little dated. We just hope Yamaha doesn’t get crazy and change it. Unless they change it by pumping in more horsepower and upgrading the chassis.
YAMAHA
V-MAX
List price...................................$8299
