Honda'85

HONDA’85

PREVIEW'85

A serious Shadow, a EuroVF1000R and a Rebel yell of a different sort

Honda has succeeded in the motorcycle business by being daring, often first, and always unpredictable. Last year, while unsold inventory, a stiff tariff and a global recession forced most motorcycle manufacturers to offer fewer models, Honda unleashed a surprising number of new machines. This year, amid promising signs of economic recovery, Honda has turned around and streamlined its model line.

This may seem like inverted logic, but Honda viewed the 1984 model year as a rare marketing opportunity. By filling the gaps in its product line, and offering more variety at a time when people were buying less, Honda gained valuable insight into what American consumers really wanted to buy.

Honda’s 1985 line is largely the result of those findings. Several models have been purged, and you will find no completely new engine configurations in the lineup. Instead, Honda has concentrated its efforts on three new models while updating or heavily refining the rest.

At opposing ends of Honda’s model line stand the new European VF1000R, a 117-horsepower version of the U.S. Interceptor that sports gear-driven camshafts and Rocket-Man styling, and the brutish 1100 Shadow, a liquid-cooled VTwin cruiser sired by the blockbuster 700 Shadow. Then there is the Rebel, a pretentious little 250cc Harley-clone designed to lure first-time buyers who want The Look without The Price.

Through backwards logic, Honda may have sharply defined the American market. That’s important, because clear definition of any market can be a manufacturer’s most difficult task. If Honda’s ’84 findings did indeed reflect the wants of American riders, its ’85 model line ought to dazzle buyers from coast to coast.