Big
Bike & Classic bike
Sport Rider was but a gleam in our publisher’s eye at the time, but Motorcyclist named the CBR its Motorcycle of the Year and most significant bike of the (still young) decade.
Sport Rider was but a gleam in our publisher’s eye at the time, but Motorcyclist named the CBR its Motorcycle of the Year and most significant bike of the (still young) decade.
In the magazine’s road test of the new bike, Nick Ienatsch — who would soon be the editor of SR — wrote, “In the CBR900RR, I’ve found a fantastically fun motorcycle that takes motorcycling a step beyond where it is now with pure function; what happens after that initial step is up to you, but the climb is worth the view.”
Of course, the
CBR900RR was on the cover of the very first issue of SR, along with the FZR,
GSX-R and ZX as part of that issue’s open sportbike comparison test. This
brought to light the first chink in the CBR’s lightweight armor: a flighty
front end with vague handling. “On the gnarled back roads of central
California, the CBR was noticeably more jittery than anything else,” we wrote,
and this led to the Yamaha winning that comparison test, even though the Honda
lapped a dominating .8 seconds faster than any of the others during our track
day at Laguna Sega.
The 900 went largely
unchanged for eight years, an eternity in sporbike terms but another indication
of how important the light-weight premise proved to be. Its popularity during
those years is easily judged by thumbing through back issues; the CBR is often
on the cover, and even more often found inside as a project bike, custom bike,
reader’s ride, racing feature or in some form of road test. Then Editor
Ienatsch was part of the title-winning Two Brothers Racing and Erion Racing AMA
GTO Endurance teams; in later years, current Editor Kunitsugu’s own ‘93 model
was often the guinea pig for testing aftermarket products or demonstrating
riding skills.
The CBR900, and in its
later forms the 929 and 954, just kept getting lighter and more powerful. The
CBR954RR was the featherlight at 429 pounds fully fueled, but in ‘04 the CBR
seemingly lost its way. Baba was no longer in charge. “Mass centralization” and
“MotoGP technology” were the new buzzwords, and the CBR ballooned from the
class lightweight to the heavyweight in the transition to a full 1000cc.
Certainly, Honda was not alone and all the manufacturers struggled to keep
weight in check when faced with ever-tightening emissions laws. Even in our ‘12
literbike comparison no four-cylinder could match the 954’s weight, and that’s
10 years on.
Still, in ‘08 the CBR
returned to a focus on light weight and good, useable power — familiar
ground at last. In fact, many of the comments from our tests of the original
893cc models would fit right in with descriptions of the current generation
CBR, and vice-versa. “There’s definitely plenty to like about the big CBR,
including a responsive engine with a solid midrange punch that launches off
corners, and an agile-feeling chassis that lets you put it anywhere in a
corner,” we wrote of the CBR1000RR in our ‘12 literbike comparison test. Sound
familiar?
“The brief was to create a sportbike with total control that was easy to ride,” said Tadao Baba of the ‘92 CBR900RR. “This was my world, my ideal bike.” Twenty years on, the ‘12 CBR1000RR remains true to Baba’s original.
Motard
The Superbikers returned in the form of Supermotard or Supermoto. Surfacing in France as the Guidon d'Or (the Golden Cup), the concept was the same: Riders from a variety of disciplines compete on a partially paved, partially dirt course.
And just as the bike of choice in The Superbikers was a lowered, wide-tired motocross bike, current Supermotard machinery typically consists of big-bore, four-stroke motocrossers, suitably modified. The Superbikers/Supermotard comeback has spawned a number of series, whether it's serious multi-race championships like Don Canet's SuperTT series or the Thursday night rumbles in the parking lot behind the local Target. They all have one thing in common though-dirt bikes ridden on pavement or a dirt/pavement mix.
Supermotard
Canet's series is
split into several classes, with the machinery divided into three basic groups:
Premier (unlimited displacement and modifications), Middleweight (under 400cc
with unlimited mods) and Sportsman (stock-sized wheels, stock brake calipers
and full suspension travel required). Typical in the Premier class are big
Huskies, KTMs and the odd Honda CR500 and VOR-all with wide, 17-inch wheels and
their suspensions lowered. Yamaha's YZ400F is popular in the Middleweight class
(wide-tired also) and the Sportsman class attracts a mixed bag of motocross
equipment with dual-purpose tires fitted.
A hint dropped to our
friendly Yamaha PR representative and a WR400F loaner appeared, which is
eligible for a number of classes depending on modifications. Dual-purpose or
dirttrack tires are the norm for the Sportsman class because they have enough
tread to get at least something resembling grip in dirt sections, without
disintegrating on pavement. We spooned on a set of Dunlop Trailmax dual-sport
buns and while the back rim was off, a three-teeth-smaller rear sprocket was
scrounged from the MX shop and fitted.
Standard gearing is woefully short for paved straights of any length, and for longer tracks we also fitted a front sprocket one tooth larger than stock. A stroll through the pits reveals serious competitors have bark busters (guards that protect a rider's hands) mounted: Are there trees on course? No, but they're necessary as the racing is um...close.
Standard gearing is woefully short for paved straights of any length, and for longer tracks we also fitted a front sprocket one tooth larger than stock. A stroll through the pits reveals serious competitors have bark busters (guards that protect a rider's hands) mounted: Are there trees on course? No, but they're necessary as the racing is um...close.
The hot suspension
setup for Sportsman is as follows: Take all the air out of the front fork (to
lower the front end) by tying it down and bleeding it; at both ends dial-in
almost all the rebound damping and take out most of the compression damping.
Weird and simple, but effective. Armed as such, we were set for a couple of
SuperTT events and a day at the local kart track.
Put simply, the big WR
is awesome to ride on pavement. Grip from the Trailmaxes is surprisingly good,
but even 'motard novices will be slithering around after a handful of laps.
First thing to notice is these bikes are quite tall and tippy compared to
sportbikes, but after a few corners the sensation fades. Big, wide handlebars
make it easy to muscle the thing around, and your inside foot naturally
gravitates off the peg to skim across the ground-just in case. Tire-spinning
exits are next, and their ease depends on how much grip is available. At
Bakersfield's Mesa Marin Raceway in California, the Supermotard track includes
portions of the oval's infield, covered in sealer. Slides out of every corner
are the norm, and you quickly realize that they are required to Keep Up with
the Joneses. Back to Willow Springs' kart track and regular pavement, slides on
corner exits are a bit less predictable, and near high-sides inevitably result.
Classic
After spending a few years in Europe and spending way too much time plastering his apartment walls with sketches of new ideas, Michael knew that when he returned home he had to take this bike building thing more seriously. "I formed Raccia Motorcycles in 2006 with the main objective to create vintage Japanese race-inspired motorcycles using primarily Japanese parts along with some hand built parts" he says. The main shop is in Southern California but 4 months ago Michael opened another satellite shop in the Bay Area of northern California.
"In my opinion
the Japanese engineering surpassed it’s European predecessors in the 60s and
70s but was still far inferior in the aesthetics department. I’ve always
believed that the Japanese motorcycle could rival the beauty of let's say a
Norton or Ducati, but it just takes a little more work." This is exactly
what Michael has achieved with this stunning 1971 Honda cb350. "I’ve
always loved the styling of the 60s British and Italian production racers so a
lot of that inspiration went into this build." Here are a few of the
alterations he made: Battery relocation, handmade seat, alternate tank and
clip-ons to start. Michael handmade the rear-sets and spent a good amount of
time reshaping the cases to give it the 'Raccia touch'. With a large amount of
weight removed, larger pistons and a steeper cam this beautiful little two
cylinder really moves. "As an art major in college one of the most
valuable things I learned was the importance of proportion and lines" he
says. "I’ve always tried to build bikes from an artistic perspective and
utilize those ideas obtained in college. I focused a lot on the lines of this
bike and I’m pretty satisfied with the result."
This CB350 cafe racer
was purchased by The Mike Taggart Guy Webster Motorcycle Museum in Ojai
California last year and will probably spend the rest of its days being drooled
over by numerous automotive fans. Michael LaFountain is currently working on
six new projects with the first to be completed in early May. As far as we're
concerned, May can't come quick enough.
Vespa
Piaggio’s design brief was to pack the power of a 400cc scoot into something sized like a 300. The new motor is a fuel-injected, liquid-cooled four-stroke Single with a four-valve cylinder head. It’s oversquare (the bore is wider than the stroke, and a short distance for the piston to travel means a high-revving motor) at 78mm by 69mm, for a displacement of 330cc. Lubrication is by dry-sump, which gives you a more compact design and smaller oil capacity. Claimed power is 33.3 horsepower, which works out to something like 100 hp per liter of displacement, once a benchmark for car racing, no?
The chassis of the BV 350 is standard scooter construction utlizing a tube and sheet-steel frame enclosed in plastic bodywork.But of interest to real scooter nerds is the new wet-clutch transmission. Don’t let the word “clutch” scare you – it’s still a twist-n-go CVT (that means “continuously variable”) transmission, so no need to learn how to work a clutch or gearbox. Gone is the dry centrifugal clutch that’s driven twist-n’-goes since the ’80s, now replaced by the smooth, efficient goodness of oil-bathed plates, which promise greater reliability and longer service life.
In fact, all the innovations added together mean oil changes are needed but every 6200 miles, and major services are a globe-trotting 12,400 miles apart. Efficiency is boosted, too: Piaggio claims the BV will return 70 mpg.
The chassis is
standard scooter stuff. It uses a tube and sheet-steel frame enclosed with
plastic bodywork. Rear suspension is provided by twin shocks, adjustable for
preload. In front, there’s a 35mm fork. Braking is handled by single discs fore
and aft, but it’s a linked system – squeeze the right lever and two of the
front caliper’s three pistons squeeze the 300mm disc; add in some left-lever
action and the center front piston works as well as the two pistons in the
rear.
Riding the Beverly is
a pretty familiar experience for those who know Piaggio products. Starting is
quick and easy, with the FI setting the busy little engine into a smooth, quiet
idle. Rolling on the throttle produces rapid acceleration, and while the
gearing seemed tall for lower speeds, midrange acceleration was impressive. The
entire bike has a solid feel that may seem top heavy if you’re coming from
another brand. The seat is tall, but the bars are close to the rider. All the
controls and switches work fluidly and feel well made.
The BVs linked brakes
worked well as long as both levers get the squeeze.It’s studded with luxury
touches, which you’d expect on a $5499 scooter. Instrumentation is very
complete – there’s a fuel as well as a temperature gauge and an info-packed
trip computer. There’s also a fold-down man-purse hook, and pushing the
ignition lock in opens the big weatherproofed glovebox, which contains a
12-volt outlet, little cubbies for your stuff and a lever to open the lighted
underseat trunk. Said trunk is pretty big – there’s enough room for a full-face
helmet and a jacket (or two half helmets, but we don’t wear those, do we? We
like solid food, don’t we?). A rain cover is cleverly hidden under the seat,
along with the fuel filler, battery and tool kit. My BV came fitted with the
optional trunk, color-matched and backrest equipped. That’s a lot of storage
capacity, and the trunk comes off with a press of a button if you don’t want
it, leaving a big, square mounting pad behind.
Take it to a twisting
two-lane country road and you’ll have some fun. The long wheelbase means
stability, but the small wheel sizes – 16 inches in front and 14 behind – mean
responsive and smooth steering. The motor is responsive, too, with the new CVT
keeping the Single in the powerband for aggressive corner exits. Like many
modern scooters, you’d be amazed how fast you can go on the BV, but it’s still
a scooter, and my confidence was limited by the rearward weight distribution of
the drive unit bolted to the back wheel.
Still, I found the twin shocks offered good spring rates and adequate damping. The Michelin City Grip tires provide all the stickiness I could handle (and promise good wet-weather performance), but ultimately, fun is limited by the centerstand, which can make sparks in left-hand turns.
More..on Car Design at ...
http://car-concept-design007.blogspot.com/
Still, I found the twin shocks offered good spring rates and adequate damping. The Michelin City Grip tires provide all the stickiness I could handle (and promise good wet-weather performance), but ultimately, fun is limited by the centerstand, which can make sparks in left-hand turns.
More..on Car Design at ...
http://car-concept-design007.blogspot.com/
I have personally always enjoyed two wheeler rather than the four wheeler. The reason could be the thrill two wheeler provides. Cars may be luxury and even thrilling but not as thrilling as bikes.
ReplyDeleteBikeMania Discount Code