Ten Best Bikes 1997
Ten Best Bikes 1997
A YEAR OF REFINEMENT AND LINES REDRAWN
AH, TEN BEST. THAT TIME-HONORED RITE OF SUMMER wherein the hard-working editors of the world's largest motorcycle magazine assemble at a posh Newport Beach eatery to select the 10 most outstanding models of the year. Between nibbles of garlic bread and sips of sparkling spring water poured by virgin handmaidens, we take turns presenting our cases, nominating this bike or that for this reason or that. We offer a toast in the name of finery, and by the time the cappucino has been drunk and the dessert plates carted away, we have our winners.
Okay, so maybe it doesn’t go exactly like that. But this time-with the exception of the virgins, which are always in short supply in Southern Califomia-it came pretty dam close. By Ten Best standards, this year’s voting was the most painless in recent memory. Most of the winners had already been decided by one shootout or another, so there really weren’t too many classes open to debate.
Judging by the results, 1997 will be remembered as The Year of the Twin, because two-cylinder motorcycles topped no fewer than three class es-though ironically not the one that they traditionally dominate. It was also a year of blurring divisions between categories. For example, should we judge the new breed of touring cruisers as cruisers, or as touring bikes? And just what exactly is a standard? Just a few years ago, today’s so-called standards would have been cutting-edge sportbikes. Lastly, would someone please tell us, definitively, what is the difference between a Superbike and an Open-Class Streetbike? We always argue about that one.
But that’s the beauty of Ten Best. It makes us pause for a moment, look at the Big Picture, evaluate prevailing trends, consider each of the many bikes we’ve tested during the year, and then reward those companies whose products best meet the changing criteria.
And then take a deep breath before doing it all over again.
BEST SUPERBIKE Suzuki TL1000S
What’s this? The motorcycle that lost both “The Great 916 Challenge” and our 16-bike Open-class comparison test wins a Ten Best trophy?! Damn straight. Suzuki’s high-tech new sport-Twin may be a few tenths of a second slower than Ducati’s 916 around the racetrack, and a tad less civilized than Honda’s VTR1000F on the street, but it’s a lot less expensive than the former and a lot faster than the latter. And, we’d argue, more exciting than both. Suzuki’s TLIOOOS effectively mates the performance of Ducati’s liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, four-valve desmoquattro with a price tag that’s closer to the aircooled, carbureted, two-valve desmodue models. You could call the TL a 916 for the masses, but we prefer another title: Best Superbike of 1997.
BEST OPEN-CLASS STREETBIKE Honda VTR1000F
Consider this Exhibit B in our case to declare 1997 The Year of the Twin. The fact that Honda’s VTRIOOOF Super Hawk garners Best Open Streetbike honors should come as no surprise, because it won last month’s huge “Sweet 16” Open-class comparo. To nominate anything else would have been hypocritical! We like the VTR because it combines the midrange torque of a four-cylinder 1100 with the size and weight of a 600, and a price that falls somewhere between the two. Moreover, the VTR comes wrapped in a package that defines the term “user-friendly.” Honda’s designers aimed the VTR at sporting street riders, not roadracers, and its “tuned chassis,” perfectly calibrated suspension and spot-on carburetion show they scored a direct hit.
BEST 750CC STREETBIKE Honda VFR750F
If our records are accurate, this marks the 267th time that Honda’s VFR750F has won Best 750cc Streetbike honors. Actually, if you include the 1983 V45 Interceptor, this is the VFR’s 10th victory-an unprecedented number. On that merit, we have decided to make the VFR the inaugural inductee into the Cycle World Ten Best Bikes Hall of Fame. Frankly, we were a little disappointed that the rumors of an 850cc VFR proved untrue, but the VFR750 is so close to perfect, it would be a shame to do anything that might jeopardize that balance. Besides, doing so would give Honda four Open-class sportbikes, leaving the $20,000-plus RC45 as its only 750. And then which 750 would we give this award to?
BEST 600CC STREETBIKE Honda CBR600F3
If you’ve seen the television commençais, you know that Cycle World magazine named Honda’s CBR600F3 “Best 600cc Streetbike of 1997.” But if you read the comparison test in our February issue, you already knew that. We chose the F3 because it’s the most versatile bike in its class. Kawasaki’s ZX-6R may be faster, Suzuki’s GSX-R600 racier and Yamaha’s YZF600R cushier, but the F3 strikes the perfect balance. And Miguel Duhamel is still winning supersport nationals on one, so you know it’s no slouch. As with the VFR750 and the VTR 1000, refinement is the name of the F3’s winning game.
BEST STANDARD Suzuki Bandit 1200S
If someone at Suzuki had told us that the company was going to bring its Bandit 1200S stateside by the end of last year, we would have named it Best Standard of 1996. Instead, El Bandito had to wait a year. No matter: It’s still the same superstandard we raved about in our original road test, with a big-bore GSX-R1100 motor that pumps out so much low-end and midrange power that it’s downright difficult to keep the front wheel down. We call that fun. The Bandit also has an upright seating position that makes it all-day comfortable. We call that practical. Best of all, the Bandit’s suggested retail price is just $7099 ($8599 with ABS). We call that affordable. Who says you can’t have it all?
BEST CRUISER Honda Valkyrie Tourer
How do you improve on the Best Cruiser of 1996? Easy: Outfit it with a windshield and hard saddlebags, and expand its horizons in the process. No longer is the Valkyrie constrained by the boulevard; now, its domain is the open road. The Valkyrie Tourer feels right at home there, too, because the bike it’s based on-the six-cylinder GL1500 Gold Wing-was designed for that very purpose. In fact, in spite of their contrasting appearances, the two mega-cycles share a near-identical riding position. Call the Valkyrie Tourer a cruiser with purpose, or a tourer with style. We’ll just call it the Best Cruiser of 1997.
BEST TOURING BIKE BMW R1100RT
The Year of the Twin, Exhibit C. BMW’s RI 100RT won the last sporttouring comparison we conducted (CW, July, 1996), and nothing has threatened to unseat it since. We like the RT’s luxurious accommodations, and the lazy feeling of its opposed-Twin engine as it goes down the road. And we like the RT’s “chassis-less” construction, in particular the way its Telelever fork follows the road without diving under braking. The RT probably won’t have it as easy next year, though: If BMW’s forthcoming K1200LT super-tourer is as exemplary as its new K1200RS, if the rumors of Triumph building a nextgeneration Trophy on the T595 Daytona platform prove true, if, as predicted, Honda updates its ST 1100 and Kawasaki brings out a new Concours, things could get crowded on the highway. We can’t wait.
BEST DUAL-PURPOSE BIKE KTM 620 RX/C
If it’s an odd year, then it must be time for KTM’s 620 RX/C to win the Best DualPurpose Bike award. Last year, the Austrian steed surrendered the title to Suzuki’s DR650SE, due largely to the latter’s better street manners. But this year, KTM has taken the RX/C uptown, too, by equipping it with an electric starter. Just think, no more kickstarting after an evening of heavy squats at the gym. Even better, no more kickstarting after dropping it on a hot, dusty trail, or in an icy stream. Brrr... Used in moderation, technology really is a good thing.
ENDURO BIKE KTM 250 E/XC
It’s the eternal, unsolvable off-road question: Two-strokes or four? Last year, the cam-and-valve brigade won out on the diverse strengths of Honda’s stellar XR400. This year, KTM confounded the issue-and swept to top honors-by slyly adopting a best-ofboth-worlds approach, producing a 250cc two-stroke with the grunt of a Thumper and the zing of a motocrosser. As such, the E/XC > almost impossible to stall; and if it does, it’s a heck of a lot easier to kickstart than any “diesel.” The 250 E/XC may be the first AA serious enduro bike that a Novice can enjoy, too.
BEST MOTOCROSS BIKE Yamaha YZ125
A 125 as Best Motocross Bike? What are we, nuts?! Not since the days when Ten Best included three separate motocross classes has a 125 garnered gold, yet here’s Yamaha’s YZ125 doing just that. And for good reason, too: The ’97 YZ125 feels like the first 250 that’s legal for the 125cc class. The term “125 powerband” used to be an oxymoron, yet the YZ can chug down low and rev up high, without fear of bogging or violent wheelspinning. With the YZ’s superb suspension, light weight and precise steering, not even Honda’s vaunted aluminum-framed CR250R can outgun it. At least not in the hands of mere mortals.
