Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125521
b intervais (same as the points) to insure good performance. The rear tire wore out at the 6,000 mile mark and had to be replaced. Rudl Hartmut ·0-60 in six seconds? With a 250? And a two-stroke? Are you sure you're not putting me on?') ·Yes, and you get a 12 month/ 12,000 mile warranty on all major components, oil injection system wbicb provides lubrication directly to tl)e bearings, a 29 bp. engine, cruising speed of 85 mpb, six speed gearbox, superior handling••• - spouted tbe salesman at san Bernardino's TWO WHEELER in one effusive breath of Suzukilanguage. I took two steps backward in disbelief and was about to turn my eyes in tbe direction of a sensible, oldfangled Englisb motorcycle- the kind that 1 knew and I could trust. Tbe salesman, sensing myoId guard antipatby toward anytbing but good old occidental motorcycles, straigbtened bis tie and looked me squarely in the eyes. His hand was clutching a comparative road t est booklet and he assum d a defensive stance: ... In Bla.ck And White Pre-Stretched Chain? Ditto for the drive chain. It pack d up sooner than expected, even though it was treated with the best of care. The factory claims that the X-6 is fitted with ·pre-stretched racing chain- but they haven't convinced" me because it continued to stretch noticably any time the machine was ridden more than ten or fifteen miles. But other than that, the Hustler ran trotlble free and never poked its front wbeel into the service department, except of course, for periodic checkups. During the entire l3,{)00 miles the bike was used daily for transportation purposes and for an occasional pleasure trip. Even during the hottest weather it pulled smoothly up the steepest inclines without the slightest indication of succumbing Slicker Than What? Docila In,. . ., lila' X-6 I. a responslve and tru.~y mollllt when called upon to pe'form., .2 ·Well, if you don't believe me, I can prove it to you. It's right he re in black and white. Just read it, you'll find out, - he said as he waved the brochure in front of my face. ·Aw, come on now, you know very well tbat's nothing but a bunch clean anyway and all that is required to remove road grime and to make it sparkle like new is a rag and a bucket of soapy water. Commercial degreasing compounds raise boly hwith StlZuk!'s candy apple colors and when applied, oroduce a rather psychedelic effect on the paint job. Better stay a way from tbat stuff! ... ~ _ ~ ~ =: B ~~uf:e~~~e g~:~:~~~a~: ~o~~~trt:~d 2 motored off in my claSSic foreign limousine. A few months later, when it came to actually buy a motorcycle, 1 remembered the enthusiastic salesman and the road test booklet which praised the X-6 with ethereal language. I was unable to find a decent and proper English motorcycle for tbe amount of money I was prepared to spend and decided tbat I would see what the Japanese had to offer. Back to tbe TWO WHEELER I went. I buttonboled my salesman and said ·Stoke me up on the X-6!· He said tbat the best way to do that to let me take a spin on one. He w promptly picked a red one out of the line, fired it up, and took it down the road to clean out the plugs.When he came back, I was waiting patiently with helmet and goggles in hand, quivering with trepidation. After all, I had never ridden one of those oriental two-stroke devices before in my life. How could I know that it wouldn't treat me unkindly and pitch me off at the first opportunity? ·Wind 'er up to about seven grand before you shift- the salesman shouted over tbe din produced by the twin exhausts•• And watcb out for tbe cops!·Okay,- I replied and I dialed on the power, dropped tbe clutcb and anticipated a slow getaway. BANZAI! I pulled a wbeelie out of the lot and scared myself into a state of temporary catatonis. Off the power and smoothly on again. Oops, there's seven grand. Shift! Another wheelie! Shift again. And again! Wow, the speedo reads 80 mpb.- in a ,35 zone too! Better head for tbe freeway to see if it really has six gears. Shift again and AGAIN! yup, there it is, unmistakably- A SIXTH GEAR! I was drunk with pleasure, sbifting those wonderful gears up and down continually. About an hour later I pulled back into tbe shop, having thoroughly convinced myself that this would be my next motorcycle. I'll Take It! "I'll take it! - I gasped, elated by the fact that tbe X-6 felt as fast as the common-sensical English 500 I once possessed•• "But would it last? Eight months later, tbe odometer reads just a shade over 13,000 miles - well past tbe liberal factory warranty. The bike is not quite as shiny as it once was and the paint is somewhat faded and pockmarked from the stones cast-off by passing gravel trucks. But performance? ZOWIEJ And warranty claims? NONE! Oh, sure, there were the usual wear and tear replacements. Plugs bad to be changed at 1,000 mile intervals until I found out that for my particular (flat-out) riding, a beat range colder than specified for tbe factory was more desirable. They now require changing at 4,000 mile Yes, the Japanese think of everything. But didn't I say almost everytbing? Guess I did, for there is something that could b improved. d that is th tire d partm nt. The StlZuki's handling i just one st p removed from being sublim (that term is reserved for all-out racing equipment). But the }fustier handles exceptionally well - unless it rains. Tbenit becomes treacberous because of the marginal pe rformance of the tires, which are quite frankly inferior when compared to the rest of tbe motorcycle. The slightest PIecipitation on the road surface has the undesirable effect of making tbe rear end slicker than deer guts on a doorknob. To say that higher quality tires should 'be fitted if one int nds to do any serious riding in th rain would be the understatement of the year. That's the real nitty- grit ty 10wdown on the Suzuki X-6 Hustler, an almost perfect motorcycle. I hear rumors thougb that the Hamamatsu wizards are coming out with an allnew 500cc twin that is supposed to be so fast that it will make all but the stout-hearted tremble. Perbaps, for this one, the Japan se will think of everything! ~ ~ ~ .... ~ ... .; ... t ~ ! Q, ~ ~ !oJ :it !oJ oJ U t Q f f*EDOiE*ciio**iii*1.. .. .. .. a .. .. SALES • PARTS • .. :e : .. SERVICE ~!.: : 10421 Pralrl.. Inet_d : .. .. : Plate (213) 613-5562 : .. . ******************* .. (near Century Blvd.) TELL THEM YOU SAW IT 'IN CYCLE NEWS •fOR A 'lETT• • • • • • • A' DEAL ONA After 13,000 d_ndlne miles, Hartmut's Suzuki X-6 Hustler remains In top-top shape. to that old two-cycle bugaboo - engine seizure. The X-6 is one twostroke you don't have to ride with two fingers on the clutcb lever at all times, expecting it to lock up whenever you charge up a long, steep hill. It should be added that my treatment of tbe X-6 could hardly be described as gentle. I always motored about with a generous application of the throttle and once I tlSed it continuously for about five hours at racing speeds during a road race practice session. It suffered through all punishments subjected without any adverse effect's whatsoever. Leaves The. Sitting How does it perform on the street? Well, at the stoplight it leaves eve"rything in its wake and literally outbustles anything on two wbeels, including motorcycles of twice its capacity. Tbere are few bikes which will give it a good run, with the exception of 650's and 750's. Those it will only clean out to about 65 mph. And that's the legal freeway spe d anyway. Three weeks ago I pulled down the barrels to check them for wear. The bike had gone so long witbout mechanical attention that I couldn't stand it any longer and just HAD TO fiddle with it. To my bewilderment I found tbat the operation was a total waste of time because there wasn't enough wear to talk about. Also probably because of the efficient operation of the oil-injection system, the heads and ring grooves showed less carbon formation than one would expect to find on an exceptionally clean running four-eycle engine. Saddened by the fact that I had nothing to play witb, adjust or replace, I careftllly put everytbing back together and threw in a new set of..Iings for good measure. Goodies Ga.lore One thing the tear-down operation convinced me of, however. And that is tbat the Japanese think of everything. As a former race car mechanic and an individual who appreciates subtle mecbanical perfections, I was simply agog at the ingenuity displayed by the factory. I thought about stuffing the crank. case for added performance. The crankcase is stuffed. How about that tedious jo b of lUbricating the cables? They have grease fittings. Clutch and brake levers that droop and twist due to vibration? Not a chance! Cotter keys and lock nuts eliminate that problem. An electrical system that leaves you in the lurch now and then? Impossible! Gobs of insulation and sbock absorbing material applied around tbe bulbs prevent the embarrassment of being stranded at night without lights. A tool kit whose sole functional purpose is to give you something heavy to throw at tbe d--ed thing when it lets you down? Forget it! The X-6 tool bag is stuffed with enough goodies for major surgery just short of dismantling the crankshaft. That takes an enonnous bydraulic press. Add to that a myriad of cotter keys, lock nuts, clips, gadgets and fittings in places where you would least expect to find tbem - all designed to keep the machine from coming unglued. Psychedelic Paint Job Even the altlffiinum brightwork is covered witb some kind of clear coating, making polisbing unnecessary. The macbine stays relatively MOTO BETA plloM (213) 839-9OOll LAWNDALE CYCLE 15324 HAWTHORN[ BLVD, LAWNDALE, CAUFORNIA 676'0161 AMAZING (":"J SP2-1822 EW IT'S IOUl rOR All _[TAU .. AlUM",",M .. CHROMIUM .. IWASS .. Sllvrll' • GOlD • CDPP(" .. Nau E LL Magic WatJting Pr1Ish . ~EVR DULL ,~ so EASY TO USE' IT RE:MOV£S RUST W LL NOT HARM FINEST FINISH _ NON ABRASive SAVES TIME SAVES!NOR1< SAVES MONEY 101 341. InL. CAll'O"'A Dlst,'lIItor/Dea'er 1 ....111. Invited ..