Bargain Blasters
BARGAIN BLASTERS
CW COMPARISON
FOUR BUKES THAT BRING BACK THE FUN FACTOR
IN THE LABEL-INTENSIVE WORLD OF NICHE MOTORCYCLING. there exists a category that defies description, a class that can't be classified. Even those intent on pigeonholing can't agree on a name; they refer to these motorcycIes as entry-level bikes. lightweight standards, even no-frills sportbikes.
We, however, see them in a different light: We just call them fun.
In broad terms, they’re basic 400-600cc streetbikes. More specifically, the Kawasaki EX500, the Suzuki Bandit and GS500E, and the new Yamaha Seca II. And despite their differing appearances and specifications, they all have one thing in common: They represent inexpensive two-wheeled entertainment. How inexpensive? Each costs less than $4000.
Cynics might scoff at this quartet, designating them refugees from the bargain basement. They’ll say these pea shooters are too small, too slow, not technically sophisticated and not racy looking enough. We’d argue strongly against the cynics on ali counts. They’ve probably never spent time in the saddle of any of these mounts. We have. And their good far outweighs their bad.
Let’s talk about size. True, a basketball player would look ungainly on one of these bikes, but all four will accommodate a broad range of rider sizes in reasonable comfort. And for shorter riders, these may realistically be the biggest bikes they can swing a leg over and still touch the ground at stoplights.
Performance? No, nothing here will go 160 mph, nor scorch the quarter-mile in 10 seconds. But how many riders actually go that fast? And how often? These bikes will all do well over 100 mph and turn 13-second quartermiles—quick enough to humiliate all but the most expensive sports cars. And on a twisty road, these motorcycles’ combination of light weight and plentiful cornering clearance makes them as fast as just about anything. On a very tight, downhill, twisty road, maybe even faster.
Specifications? Among the technical features found in this class are multi-valve cylinder heads, downdraft carburetion and liquid-cooling. But none is that difficult to maintain. Want to do your own maintenance? Even neophyte mechanics should not be intimidated.
How about looks? We’d argue that there are few bikes anywhere as striking as the Bandit or Seca II, particularly in their red color options. And although the EX and GS have both been around awhile, they’re more graphically exciting now than ever.
And there are actual advantages to owning one of these bikes. For starters, because of their small-displacement engines and relative lack of bodywork, insurance rates are low. To put things into perspective, one of us posed as a single, 25-year-old resident of Austin, Texas—a good, middle-of-the-USA town—and called Dairyland Insurance for quotes. For one year’s comprehensive, full-coverage insurance, the Bandit cost $440, the EX and GS $590 apiece, and the Seca II $470. By comparison, it would cost $710 for our mythical 25-year-old to insure a CBR600F2, and $ 1590 for a ZX-1 1 !
These bikes’ small motors get great gas mileage, too: We averaged 47 miles per gallon during our testing. And the same lack of bodywork that makes for inexpensive insurance means that crash damage can be more inexpensively fixed. Priced the fairing of a late-model sportbike lately?
To rate these four motorcycles, we put them through their paces on a three-day test ride encompassing city, highway and backroad riding. Two days of performance testing followed, then dynamometer runs to give us horsepower and torque figures. We compiled all the numbers and rated the bikes 1 through 4, but only after applying the most important calculation of all: The Fun Factor. You’ll find the results on the following pages.
