Honda Pacific Coast

HONDA PACIFIC COAST

Quick Ride

Have trunk, will travel

THE MERE MENTION OF Honda's Pacific Coast 800 elicits mixed and colorful responses. On one hand, you have the small but intensely loyal cadre of PC800 owners who swear by the machines in an almost Harley Davidsonesque manner. And then there are the rest, who find the motorcycle to be, at best, a good commuter and, at worst, a scooter on steroids.

Introduced for the first time in 1989, the PC was one of Honda's attempts to lure nonmotorcyclists into the market. It was not a stellar success. Its ap pearance was decidedly odd, and its $7698 price was entirely too high for the time. Two years later, the peculiar-looking PC was unceremoniously yanked from Honda's lineup. Following letter-writing campaigns from PC faithful, however, the bike returned in `94, but at a more moderately priced $6499. Now, a brand-spankin'-new PC retails for $8699, a grand more than the original.

Nine years later, price is just about the only area in which the PC has changed. In the styling department, for example, the `98 model remains true to its roots. Wrap-around bodywork enclos es the bike completely, culminat ing in the rear with a locking "trunk" large enough to accom modate a full-face helmet and riding suit with room to spare. Skirting all this is black plastic side cladding with molded-in crashbars. This, in conjunction with knockaway-style mirrors, prevents high-dollar damage in the event of a low-speed tipover.

Don't ask us how we know, but it does work.

The 800cc engine, too, re mains identical to its ancestors. Powered by a liquid-cooled, sohc, three-valve-per-cylinder V Twin that makes just shy of 50 rear-wheel horsepower, the shaft driven PC also retains its easy shifting five-speed transmission.

The PC's reason for being, then, is daily commuting and light touring. With its comfort ably padded seat, upright seating position and well-proportioned (albeit helmet-buffeting) wind screen, it is up to the task. De spite weighing-in at 606 pounds dry, the PC is light-steering and nimble-handling. Minor bumps and asphalt undulations are no match for its compliant Showa 41mm fork and dual, preload adjustable rear shocks. And the dual front discs and rear drum readily haul down the motorcydc from its 106-mph top speed.

Around town, the PC feels more compact than its 62.3-inch wheelbase would suggest, and at freeway speeds it moves along briskly. Even in the twisties, the PC has enough ground clearance and oomph to rise to just about any occasion.

Granted, it's not the newest bike on the block. And it's certainly not the prettiest. But the Pacific Coast has maintained a quirky populari ty over the years, a feat at which other bikes have failed.

Wendy F. Black