Letters

LETTERS

America’s Highway

Mitch Boehm, David Edwards and illustrator Robert Waldmire did a great job on May’s “West by CB750” story about touring Route 66 on old Hondas. Give ’em all a pat on the back for a job well done. And don’t let those CBs leave Cycle World. Annually, the two bikes should be taken down old highways and backroads. How about letting the readers vote on the route for next year’s trip? Mike Keely

Westport, Washington

If there were Academy Awards for motorcycle journalism, “West by CB750” would be the Oscar darling of 1993. Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography (the Robert Waldmire map was so cool) and a tie for Best Actor (the two Honda 750s, not Boehm and Edwards).

Vintage Japanese motorcycles are really taking off, and your story captured everything that keeps motorcyclists riding against all odds. Paul Golde Orange, California

Your Route 66 excursion brought back a lot of great memories. In July of 1970, I bought a K0 Honda 750. Two weeks later, I took off for the west coast with a friend on his 250 Scrambler. We enjoyed Route 66, which was much more intact in those days. I was on the road for three and a half weeks, spent $250, and even came home with a new pair of boots. We hadn’t discovered bungee cords yet: Clothesline kept our Boy Scout packs and sleeping bags in place.

Today in my garage are two CB750s, a red ’69 and a turquoise ’70, both cherry and not slated for any cross-country rides. Thanks for taking the retro-tour forme. Mark Mederski

Westerville, Ohio

Enjoyed the Route 66 story immensely. It renewed old and fond memories of my own adventures on the two CB750s I owned, a 1971 Kl and a 1974 K3, both of which racked up about 30,000 miles. After an absence from motorcycling of nine years, I am now planning on buying another. CB750s were great motorcycles and still are. Danny Nix

Brunson, South Carolina

I plan on riding Route 66 from Illinois to Flagstaff, Arizona, later this summer, but I have heard that 66 is hard to follow. I have a Rand McNally Route 66 map, but it looks pretty shaky and I’m a little apprehensive about it being my only means of following the road. Linda Horr

Bradford, Rhode Island

Route 66 can be hard to follow with just a road map. Before you leave, stop by your local bookstore and pick up a copy of The Route 66 Traveler’s Guide and Roadside Companion by Tom Snyder, which traces the old route using

period maps, and gives instructions for linking up the sections of highway that remain intact. Other essential Route 66 reading should include Searching for 66 by Tom Teague, and Route 66: The Mother Road by Michael Wallis.

Sick on 66

Now, let’s get this straight. Boehm and Edwards get taken for $4000 for two mediocre CB750s, endure 40-degree rain, massive oil leaks and an almost-blown motor, then nearly get hit by a train, throw a chain and crack a transmission case, and get ripped off for $10 on a masterlink. And they still say they had fun? Ed Sinner

Madison, Wisconsin

A couple of guys with access to the best bikes in the world fly out to nowhere, then pay way too much for a couple of beat-to-hell heaps so they can suffer their way along a seemingly endless stretch of mostly straight twolane? Gee, sorry I missed that party.

Stephen Miller Cincinnati, Ohio

William Hazlitt, the off-center British writer/philosopher, wrote in 1822 that “One of the pleasantest things in the world is going a journey...The soul of a journey is liberty, perfect liberty, to think, feel, do just as one pleases.” Of course, he didn’t have ready access to cable TV and cold beer.

To the VX800’s rescue

In May’s “Super Standards” comparison, you call the Suzuki VX800 perhaps “the best all-around value in the class,” but then go on to damn it with faint praise. You say the Suzuki VX800 “doesn’t do anything badly, but it also > doesn’t do anything wonderfully.” Perhaps it would have been more accurate to say the VX does almost everything well. Of the 11 bikes reviewed, only three, including the Suzuki, were priced under $5000. On the VX, you get shaft drive, front and rear disc brakes, a centerstand, quality Metzeler tires, a 5-gallon tank and a comfortable passenger seat.

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We all know that good press will not make a bad bike a success (at least not for long), but this is a good bike and it would be a shame to see it discontinued. Joe Betor

Tacoma, Washington

So you find the Suzuki VX800 “bland” and “devoid of excitement?” Well, some of us old dogs with 30plus-years riding behind us don't buy bikes as testosterone substitutes or ego crutches. We want economical, efficient, ergonomically designed machines, more bike for the buck.

Someday, boys, as you are nursing your sore butts and stiff necks that your cramped, overpriced crotch-rockets gave you, and I cruise by, you may find yourself saying enviously, “Gee, I could have had a VX!” Mike Masson Santa Barbara, California

I am very happy with my 1990 VX800. It has the right combination of stability, comfort and handling. I can only afford one bike, and have found the VX to be an excellent allaround machine. Perhaps the bike lacks the annoying idiosyncrasies that you would call character. I find the bike more than competent for all my needs, which is what I thought a standard was all about. Ira Blumberg

Charlottesville, Virginia

After reading “Super Standards,” I just had to mention a few things that the Suzuki VX800 does do “wonderfully,” indeed nearly perfectly.

It’s comfortable. I can spend eight or more hours exploring New England’s backroads and return home feeling relaxed and ready to ride some more.

It has the V-Twin texture so many of us love. But give the throttle a tweak, and you’re gone. As a comparison of the printed top-gear roll-on times demonstrates, only the Yamaha V-Max and Suzuki GSX1100G were quicker. I love the way it looks. And judging from roadside remarks, others do, too.

These points don’t make the VX the right bike for everyone. But to readers who appreciate the VX800’s values, I say, “Give it a try.” Don Sucher

Brighton, Massachusetts

Dueling Hogs

I believe in free choice, but Editorat-Large Peter Egan’s purchase and praise of a Harley (see “Electra Glide Report Card,” Leanings, May, 1993) has weakened my confidence in the magazine.

I have written Cycle World many times, but my letters are never printed. I wonder why. Is it because I’m critical of Harley-Davidson? Stan Smith

Harvey, Louisiana

What is Cycle World's problem with Harleys? Article after article, you dump on H-Ds. Yes, I own a Harley.

William Beckman Wassaic, New York

We wish you guys would get your intolerances straight. □