25 Years Ago May 1988
25 YEARS AGO MAY 1988
ROUNDUP
With the XR650L as a possible exception, Honda no longer offers a mid-size dual-sport/adventure bike in the U.S. But back in 1988, the NX650 graced the cover of our May issue. It was a do-it-all motorcycle: Its license plate allowed it to explore off-road areas that didn’t allow true enduros to play, while its onroad manners and wind protection made it a good lightweight adventurer. Maybe it’s time Honda brings the European Transalp, or something similar, back to America.
• Continuing the Big Red theme, we also tested one of the most iconic Hondas ever: the ’88 GL1500 Gold Wing with its brand-new 1520cc flat-Six engine. After racking up 7000plus miles during the road test, editors praised the GL. “The GL1500 will become the ultimate tourer,” we wrote, “if for no other reason than having more of everything—length, width, height, weight, smoothness, power, displacement, cylinders, complexity, storage capacity and, most important of all to some, status.”
• Two-stroke development was still in high gear in the late ’80s, and the Kawasaki KX125 was smoking proof. Redesigned for ’88, the KX featured a new casereed intake and an exhaust port with three KIPS control valves. Power was quoted as being “fiercely competitive,” while the rest of the bike was rated at the “top of the heap.”
Blake Conner
