The Elusive Exotic
The Elusive Exotic
UP FRONT
MARK HOYER
IS THERE ANY PAIN LIKE THAT SUFFERED by the deep, soul-burning want for titanium connecting rods and gear-driven valves? Not for me in the late Eighties and early Nineties.
My first new-bike love was for the ’84 Suzuki GS1150ES, which was supported by a heavy background lust for the 1981 Katana 1100 in its so-seriouslooking Hans Muth-styled glory. But my desire for these hefty, long, oldschool Japanese designs was obliterated by the white-hot awesomeness of the 1986 GSX-R750 Limited Edition.
Short, light, powerful, serious. Incredibly trick in non-LE form, the bike got way cooler with the addition of that rattling dry clutch, which pushed me over the edge and changed my desire for motorcycles permanently.
But I was facing the fiscal challenge of being a 16-year-old with a part-time job and there was no way I could afford even a standard GSX-R. So I ended up with a 1979 Yamaha RD400 Daytona Special like that pictured below. It was cheap to buy and run, but far from the racetrack refugee I truly desired. Still, the bright burn of the GSX-R750 faded a bit as I got more two-stroke miles under my belt.
Then Honda rolled out one of its masterworks: the RC30. It was fully unobtainable to me when I was 19, and has remained that way ever since. Was it ironic that I ended up with a motorcycle that completely lacked a valvetrain when all I came to want in life were those gear-driven cams?
The first time I saw an RC30 on the road was on my way to Laguna Seca circa 1990 for the Grand Prix, when my friend Bob Ambroso and I (in my ’74 Alfa Romeo GTV 2000) got passed on Highway 1 in the wet by a guy riding his exceptionally well. That image, that sound, the way the rear tire stepped out slightly as he crossed back over the double yellow line after his pass burned into my head like few other motorcycle memories.
All these years later, I still had never idden an RC30, and you rarely see them on the road. It’s one of the reasons we organized “Superbikes with Soul,” so the RC30 and its trick contemporaries could lap the track together in anger once again, and we all could witness and share the amazing experience. Was it ironic that I had to miss this track day with all these incredible superbikes and three-time world champ Freddie Spencer, one of my heroes? It’s true. I laughed when I told my wife Jen that the only available track days were right on the same
schedule as the birth of our new son, Ian. There is no question greeting the boy on his entry to this world is the highlight of my life and I’d never have missed it.
So, after all these years, the RC30 remains elusive. Don’t be surprised if there is a “Superbikes with Soul, Part 2.”
In other news, we are delighted to welcome Jamie Elvidge to the pages of Cycle World. You may recognize her name from the more than 20 years she’s spent working as a motorcycle journalist both as a contributor for our main competition and as the Editor-in-Chief for two other more niche publications.
She is eminently qualified, having ridden in 59 countries and all 50 states, and comes to Cycle World with a huge basis of knowledge, not just about motorcycle performance and products, but also about motorcyclists themselves. “I take pride in knowing who I’m writing to, about what the readers want, and most importantly, what they need,” said Elvidge. “It’s all about perpetuating the joy of motorcycling. If the rider is happy with his bike choice and gear, if he’s headed out on a cool trip I’ve told him about, then I’ve done my job.”
Her passion, experience and expertise add not just a credible female voice to CW, but a credible voice, period. “If you see my byline and don’t check the photos against the text, most readers—because of my androgynous name—assume I’m male, and I actually love that,” she says. “On the other hand, women who read the mainstream motorcycle magazines are searching for a voice they can relate to, so they’ll notice the curves and blonde braid and feel likewise at home with what I have to say.”
Adds Elvidge, “I get just as much pleasure out of a female reader coming up and saying I’ve inspired her to ride, or to buy a bigger/faster/more challenging bike as I do when I hear a guy say ‘You’re a woman? I always thought you were a dude!”’
Her first contribution is the Star V Star 1300 Deluxe Quick Ride (p. 22), and there will be much more to come in the pages of CW. Futher, Elvidge is taking the lead role in the return of Cycle World’s Travel & Adventure magazine, our special interest publication due out this June that focuses exclusively on, what else, travel and adventure on two wheels. Please join me in welcoming Jamie to Cycle World.
