Ups And Downs 1996
Ups and Downs 1996
UP FRONT
David Edwards
SUBMITTED FOR YOUR APPROVAL, AN overview of good and bad from the year just past. Next stop, then, the Highlight (and Lowlight) Zone.
Let's give new-bike buyers an UP for the fourth year in a row, as sales continue on an upward trend started in 1992. Industry analyst Don Brown says, "Overall new-bike sales were up by 8 percent for 1996. Streetbikes were the strongest segment, with a 9percent increase." -
A collective DOWN, though, to Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha, for giving us otherwise enticing cruisers (Vulcan 1500, Marauder 800, Royal Star) with strangely strangled horse power levels. These Raiders of the Lost Bark claim the goal is not to in timidate novice or re-entry riders. A noble mission, I suppose, if you want to put the rest of us to sleep. At least Honda has seen the light. First came the hundred-horse Valkyrie Six; now news that the ACE 1100, severely neutered two years ago, is being pow ered up for `97. Who's next?
While we're in the cruiser class, an UP to Excelsior-Henderson for deliv ering on a promise. Brothers Dave and Dan Hanlon thought there was room in the marketplace for an updated Super X and quietly went about the business of setting up a company and producing prototypes. I've actually ridden one of the X-bikes, which is more than I can say for the phantom products from the various forms of pond scum who bilked hopeful Indian investors out of their hard-earned shekels.
On that subject, an UP to the Feds for keeping neo-Indian flim-flammer Philippe Zanghi, now indicted on a variety of fraud charges, in the pokey for fear he might skip bail. Sleeping well, Phil?
How about an UP for sportbikes? Each of the Big Four now has a bonafide 600cc player. And-as Ducati has known for some time-Twins is in! Both the Honda VTR1000 Super Hawk and the Suzuki TL 1000 are welcome additions to a backroader's bag of tricks. Look for a full test of the Suzuki in next month's CW. Don Brown again: "I be lieve 1997 will be the year of the V Twin sportbike. Although they aren't as fast as the inline-Four variety, they offer tremendous performance in a compact package. Suzuki and Honda will do well, and Ducati, with its new partners, should also do well in the U.S. market."
An associated DOWN to Yamaha, for missing the boat big-time on this one. The lovely-to-look-at TRX85O sport-Twin, released elsewhere to rave reviews in 1995, has yet to make a stateside apperance-and judging from the seriousness of the new VTR and TL Twins, maybe it never will.
Still on the Twins topic, an UP to Ducati's super-sexy 916 for being the high-water mark everyone is un abashedly shooting fDr. The TL and VTR were obviously inspired by the Nine-One-Six, and even Triumph's new Daytona T595 Triple is aimed at the Italians. Now that Ducati has American money backing it, maybe bikes and spare parts-not to mention the oh-so trick Supermono-will start to flow.
Back to sportbikes of the four-cylin der variety, a mild DOWN to Honda, for failing to make sure its much-bally hooed CBR1 100XX Super Blackbird could crack the 180-mph barrier. Nice enough bike, but in a world of big num bers, the B-Bird's 174-mph top speed wasn't big enough to displace the Kawasaki ZX-l 1 as CW's all-time Steamroller of Speed. Advantage Ninja.
UPs in the world of racing go to streakers Jeremy McGrath for his fourth consecutive Supercross title, Scott Parker for his third-straight Grand National Championship (mak ing an unprecedented total of seven) and Mick Doohan for his hat-trick of 500cc GP crowns. A DOWN, however,
to Scott Russell for a less-than-stellar debut on the grand prix circuit. De pending on who's doing the narration, Russell either had the work ethic of a welfare cheat or his RGV Suzuki was an evil-handling spawn of Satan; the truth wallowing somewhere in be tween. End result is that Russell's out of GPs and back in World Superbike, leaving Kenny Roberts Jr. as the sole remaining Yank in the series.
Pa Roberts gets an UP for forsaking a cushy deal with Yamaha to build his own GP bikes from scratch in Eng land. On the surface this seems loony, but like all good racers, King Kenny is at his best under pressure, and we're looking for great things from the Roberts garage.
File this UP under "Fast Women" and award it to Angelle Seeling and Stephanie Reaves for giving NHRA drag racing a decidedly feminine touch. Seeling, 26, finished seventh in the Pro Stock bike division after winfling the Keystone Nationals and set ting an ET world record of 7.37 seconds. The former beauty queen has been featured in People magazine and USA Today. Reaves, a 29-year-old mother of two, qualified for every round she entered, beating John Myers and Matt Hines in the process.
A well-deserved UP to the AMA for staving off an insurance fiasco that threatened to put a very serious crimp in motorcycling. When the AMA learned that some companies' health plans were refusing to cover employ ees' motorcycle-related injuries, it set up a $100,000 fund to combat the prob lem, then joined forces with the Motor cycle Rights Foundation and ABATE of Illinois. Together, they influenced up coming legislation that will make it il legal to exclude employees from health programs based on their leisure-time activities. To all involved, take a bow.
Finally, an UP to CW staff members for bringing future subscribers into the world. Matthew and Robin Miles re cently had a baby, Theresa Elizabeth, and Doug and Sandy Toland have joined the ranks of parenthood too, thanks to son Bradley Mackenzie. Next to get in on this diaper rush? Has to be newlyweds Don and Erin Canet, mar ried last September. Look for a multi tude of 50cc minibike shootouts on these pages in, oh, about five years...
