Honda Interceptor
Quick Ride
HONDA INTERCEPTOR
Re-Tech the V-Tech
I F MOTORCYCLES WERE judged solely on the awards they've won, the Interceptor would be the greatest two-wheel device inthehistoryof internal combustion. Over the past decade 4 and a half, this one Honda model has accumulated enough best bike" trophies, ç plaques and medals to fill a display case the size of Cleveland. It was 1990 when Honda decided that the Interceptor should be a comfortable, versatile, wellappointed GT-style sportbike rather than the basis for a Superbike roadracer. Ever since, this stylish V Four has won the hearts of riders-and awards from countless motorcycle publi cations-all around the world, year after year. So, even though it's compara tively expensive ($10,499; $1000 more with ABS) and has never sold in large num bers, the Interceptor contin ues in Honda's lineup as it has since 1983.
This year's 781cc machine is all but identical to the 2005 model except for a few detail changes (clear turnsignal lenses, redesigned tachometer face, revised windscreen) and one large refinement that addresses the most corn mon-and usually onlyowner gripe about the bike: the V-Tech variable valve system. At lower rpm, V Tech allows the four-valve per-cylinder engine to run on just two valves per for better bottom-end perfor mance, then actuates all four at higher rpm.
I~J~41 4L In the original, 2002-05 iteration of V-Tech, the two-to-four crossover occurred at 7000 rpm. That engagement point was just high enough that during fast backroad blitzes, the revs would frequently drop down into two-valve territo ly at the slowest part of a turn, and the transition into four-valve operation some times was abrupt enough to upset the chassis mid-cor ner. So for 2006, Honda lowered the crossover to 6400 rpm.
That's only a drop of 600 rpm, but the difference it makes in actual perfor mance is significant. We found that it now is much easier to keep the engine spinning above the engage ment point when hustling along backroads, and that the transition into four valve operation is so smooth that it's practically seamless.
That's good news for fans of this bike, because the rest of the Interceptor remains the same solid, predictable, rider-friendly package it has been for years. The steering is remarkably light and pre cise, the stability unflappa ble, the handling as sharp and as crisp as that of many full-on sportbikes. Plus, it's so all-day-hell, all-weekcomfortable that it makes you want to ride it as often as possible, not just on track days or for short jaunts on nearby backroads. Toss on a set of the optional color-matched detachable hard bags and you're off to parts unknown for about as long as you care to stay.
Whether or not the Interceptor will win any more awards is anyone's guess. But when you're rid ing one over interstate highways, along serpentine backroads and across cobby pavement for days on end, you won't care how many awards the bike has earned. In your mind, you'll be the one with the prize; you'll be riding it. -Paul Dean
Paul Dean
www.cycleworld.com
