Showtime East, Showtime West
SHOWTIME EAST, SHOWTIME WEST
FROM JAPAN AND ITALY, TOMORROW'S MOTORCYCLES
In motorcycling's infatuation with high technology, have the sport's most elemental and important pleasures been lost? Careful, now, that's a trick question. How you answer it might depend upon whether you've seen the latest prototype and production offerings from the Japanese and European motorcycle manufacturers. Those motorcycles were seen, amid appropriate fanfare and hurly burly, at the season's two biggest and most important motorcycle shows-the Tokyo Motor Show and the Milan Motor Show.
As you'll see as you progress through this section, the manu~cturers apparently have anticipated the question that led you into this story, and in response covered~a11 their bases, in terms of both hardware and philosophy.
For those whose lust for high-tech is unremitting and unrepentant, there were joys to be found on every manufacturer's stand. But for those who feel a bit overtaken by this tsunami of forward thinking, a new family of retrobikes was in evideri~ce, paying homage to motorcycles from earlier times.
There was a third wave evident, as well, at both shows, this one with potentially greater significance than any of the others. That wave carried the idea of environmental responsibility on its crest. The manufacturers' embrace of this concept was evident in the growing interest in pollution-free electric scooters-though production of the power required to recharge batteries remains a dirty business that is somebody else's problem. There is also increasing visibility of catalytic-converter-equipped bikes.
The meaning of all this activity can be interpreted in different ways. Bottom line, though, is that while the motorcycle business remains sluggish in the United States, it is strong worldwide, with all manufacturers committed to staying alive as the clock of the 1 990s winds down into a new century. The new models shown in both Tokyo and Milan indicate that bike makers intend to remain competitive in the showrooms and on the racetracks of the world, and that equal doses of forward thinking and retro-styling will be used to accomplish the task.
So, has motorcycling lost contact with its most critical and important pleasures? The answer is, simply, no, it has not. The motorcycles of the Tokyo and Milan Shows reaffirm those pleasures-and strongly. Read on. No matter what your interest, we think you'll find something in the following pages to get excited about.
The Honda CB1000 Super Four (see Roundup, CW, January) began Ufe as “Project Big One, ” and evolved into an early-’80s-style Superbike/ standard motorcycle. It is powered by a liquid-cooled, dohc, 16-valve Four, suspended by a conventional fork and twin remote-reservoir shocks and, at least for now, may or may not be slated for production. Said one Honda official when queried about this, “I don’t think they’ve decided. ”
Purely a design exercise, Honda’s Mantis prototype looks like a motorized mountain bicycle. Company spokesmen were unable to comment on the bike’s powerplant, but they would say that its uses a hydraulic two-wheeldrive system. One of the elements that makes the bike so interesting is an onboard computer that controls the damping rates of its single-sided front and rear suspension systems, and distributes driving force to its two 21-inch wheels.
No, not "Ex-Elvis." Say "Zelvis," and you'll have the correct pronunciation of Xelvis, which, according to a Honda spokesman, is "a produced word the meaning of which is, a friend you want to welcome." Powered by a 249cc V Twin, the bike is set for sale in Japan, where it is aimed at light touring, sport riding, and commuting.
N ot just an electric scooter, but an electric scooter designed to be ridden in the rain, the CU V-Canopy comes complete with roof, windshield and wiper blade. Powered by a nickel-zinc battery that drives a magnetic DC brushless motor, these vehicles are evidence that Honda is deadserious about electro-scoots. Word is that the company will market such a device, though it is not saying when it plans to do so. CUV, by the way, stands for Clean Urban Vehicle. No plans for a %I~ full-size electric motorcycle, though.
Yamaha chose the Tokyo Show to reveal its Morpho II, a concept bike so advanced that it makes the Morpho showbike of two years ago look almost vintage. Like those of the original Morpho, the il's handlebars, seat and footpegs all are rider-adjustable. It's also equipped with knee and frame pads to enhance rider comfort, a catalytic converter to reduce emissions from fts 400cc fourstroke Four, liquid-crystal instrumentation and special lighting to enhance its night time visibility. You might expect something as advanced as the Morpho II to be equipped with ABS. But the bike's engineers didn't stop there. They also equipped it with two-wheeled steering (see accompanying story) and active electronic suspension.
Trust us, you won't get warts from handling this Frog, a prototype that is Yamaha's entry into the electric scooter sweepstakes. Yamaha says the Frog is "a match for any good two-stroke scooter in starting acceleration and top speed." No word on the Frog's range, or on the likelihood of its eventual production.
Though billed as a "reference mode!," Yamaha's SR V250, powered by an air-coo!ed, 248cc V-Twin, is probably a good bet for production, at least for the Japanese home market. Yamaha refers to this retro-styled mode! as a "New Standard" that can "expand the rider's horizons and open up new worlds of experience."
The king of the yesterbikes? That might just be Kawasaki's Zephyr 1100, introduced to the Japanese home market at the Tokyo show and shown to American dealers shortly thereafter. The big Zeph's designers were seeking classic styling and simplicity when they laid down the bike's lines. Its torquerich engine uses just two valves per cylinder, but also uses two sparkplugs per cylinder and a geardriven counterbalancer. A Kawasaki spokesman says that while the company entertains no current plans to bring the bike to the U.S., reaction of American dealers to the bike now is being evaluated.
With Singles enjoying renewed popularity in Japan and Europe, it should be no surprise that Suzuki would revise its DR350 dualpurpose bike’s engine and stuff the result into a road-going chassis. The bike, set to go on sale this year in Japan, is the Goose 350. The bike is so named because its frame cover supposedly is shaped like the uphill, right-hand “Gooseneck” corner on the Isle of Man TT course. Suzuki also showed a 250cc version of the bike, but says there are no plans for a Goose 650 powered by a development of the DR650S engine. Too bad.
A prototype that has undergone a number of on-track tests both in the U.S. and in Japan, the oddball XF5 is a spinoff of Suzuki’s continuing flirtation with two-wheel-drive. This design, characterized by Suzuki as an off-road sprinter, uses part-time front-drive, with power going to the front wheel via a system of chains and sprockets which drive a shaft that parallels the left-hand fork stanchion and powers the front wheel via bevel-drive. Power to the front wheel is controlled by a friction clutch plate and something called ambiguously “a torquereaction-force-detection cam” which cuts off power delivery when the front wheel begins to slide in, for instance, a turn. Or so says Suzuki’s show brochure. The bike is powered by a 200cc two-stroke hung in an aluminum twin-spar frame and is topped by vivid yellow, luridly curved bodywork. Our money is on this bike’s making it into production in the not-toodistant future.
The XF425 Ugly Duck may have been the most aptly named machine at the Tokyo Show, but it’s also one of the bikes that generated the most curiosity. Looking for all the world like a Mattel toy on steroids, the tiger-striped yellow/black/white Ugly Duck is what Suzuki calls a “reference model. ” That means it’s a show bike and at this point is not backed by production plans. The Ugly Duck uses the same two-wheel-drive system as the XF4 Lander (see Cycle World, December 1991). This includes a special transmission that senses the speed of each wheel and transmits optimal amounts of power to each. Front/rear torque distribution to the bike’s low-pressure, light-footprint tires is about 40/60 percent.
Moto Guzzi chose the Milan Show to reveal the revised version of its Daytona 1000 sportbike. This bike has been the subject of continuing work by racing dentist Dr. John Wittner, who built the racebike upon which the first version of the model was based. The bike, now reportedly finalized for production, weighs a claimed 452 pounds dry and its oddball cam-in-head, eight-valve engine makes a claimed 95 horsepower.
After a dangerous flirtation with extinction, Moto Laverda, buoyed by an influx of foreign capital, returned to the Milan Show with its beautiful 650. This is a sportbike built around a 688cc, air/oil-cooled, fuel-injected, eight-valve parallelTwin. The bike, with White Power suspension front and rear, weighs a claimed 386 pounds dry and is said to be capable of 140 mph. The company also showed the first production example of its streetgoing V-Six retro-racer. Just 25 of these are planned. If you want one, plan on bringing several bales of money.
BMW’S K100LT touring bike not having been all that warmly received, the company is countering for the 1992 model year with a revised version, called the K1100LT. This uses a 1092cc engine and the four-valve head from the K1. Torque output is up from 64 foot-pounds at 5500 rpm to 81, and the bike’s fairing has been redesigned to improve on weather protection and to allow greater leg room for tall riders. The bike comes with Pa rale ver rear suspension and enlarged luggage capacity.
No collection of Bimotas will be complete unless it includes the new FZR 1000-powered Fura no, a development of Bimota’s Died. One hundred examples will be built, each with electronic engine management and a claimed 160 horsepower. Carbon fiber is used liberally, and claimed dry weight is 400 pounds.
D ucati’s 888 SP4 is one of four eight-valve models (there’s also the 95-horsepower 851 Strada, the 120horsepower 888 SPS and the 128horsepower 851 Racing) and benefits from the general styling touch-up done to the seat, tank and fairing design of the 851 model line. A higher compression ratio and bigger valves boost the SP4’s horsepower to a claimed 111. Dry weight is a claimed 414 pounds.
Due toa claimed dry weight of 388 pounds, Ducati is calling this leancuisine version of its very popular 900SS the 900SSL, the L standing for “Light. ” The reduction in weight from the standard version’s 414pound dry weight was achieved through use of a lightweight solo seat, carbon-fiber bits and pieces, and composite wheels that feature aluminum rims and magnesium hubs and spokes. E
