Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

ROAD TESTS, Honda 350 Yamah-a 3505-Portl e-) i: llked best was just a freckle over 60 mph, the tach seWed on 6,100 rPm. At :t: this cruIsing speed there was still good ~ response to the throWe, but to get around ..::I another vehicle in a hurry it was best to ~ nick it down into fourth and twist the l;,) throWe and the machine would Jump ahead. On a long level stretch oi the new Interstate 8, I held it open for awhile to see just what it would do. Road riders would hang a windshield or fairing on the bike so I sat erect to create as much wind resistance as possible. I qu1tbefore the bike did. At 85 mph it was still gaining, but I got a sudden case of "ch1cken" • Speeding over, I sat back and enjoyed the ride into San Diego'S back country. The saddle was a llttle firm but not uncomfortable. The Honda has good stability but I turned the damper knob just to give more feeling of security. The h:lIldlebars and controls feIt naturai. Only thing that irritated me was the position of the kick starter, which kept interfering with my right foot, bumping my heel and ankle. After a few painful knocks, I learned where to place my foot to avoid it. Brakes, can only be described as excellent. Most of the time the foot brake Is alI you need, but when you bring both back and front brakes into simultaneous use, you can't believe how quickly that bike will stop I Riding over the dirt road to the campsite, I was impressed with how sure footed the motorcycle felt going through the sand and spots of gravel. Seeing what appeared to be a trail through the brush on the h1lJ behind the camp grounds, the temptation grew large to test the Honda out there in the rough. Although the tires were strictly for pavement (front was a ribbed speed tire, and the rear a Japanese K-70) nevertheless I had to give the bike a liWe trail spin. It was sensationall YAMAHA 5 SPEED, 5 PORT 350Cc By Bill Harmer Chuck Winters, owner ofLuckyYamaha in Lemon Grove, Call!. pointed to a gleaming chrome and candy apple green mach1ne to which he had affixed dealer's plates, and told me to take it out and give it the works. "Out oi the crate" new, the odometer showed 11.4 mUes which prompted me to ask about a break-in period. I was assured that I could take it to any speed I wished for as long as I wanted to without worrying. The Yamaha R-3 Grand Prix, as it is designated, is the 1969 street version oi the most talked-about motorcycle at the 1968 :lIld 1969 Daytona Races. In a race open to engines up to 750cc, the llWe 350cc Yamahas turned in some of the quickest tImes to be posted. In fact, only one Harley-DavIdson was able to quallty faster than the Yamaha. The speed potential oi the mach1ne is well estabUshed and although it is gratlfy1ng to know that your mach1ne can really go when necessary, it Is foolhardy to push one in excess oi the posted speed llmits on our publlc highways. As a middle-aged road rider, my interest was to f1nd out how well Yamaha had adaPted a bike, capable oi the 140 mph blasts at Daytona, into a suitable hili :lIld dale road mach1ne. Although the engine had been sitting idle for three days, it started on the first thrust oi the well-placed right side kick starter with only a slight touch oi the choke lever. The wide apart, scrambler type handlebars were comfortable to hold :lIld the saddle, although firmer than I am a<;customed to, was a full 26 inches long and did not tire me over my 100 mile test ride. The shlft lever and brake pedal were well positioned and as I drove through the town oi Lemon Grove I tested all the controls. The brakes were exceptional and just a touch oi the toe was all that was needed to change gears up or down. I noted that the 340 pound weight seemed well balanced, giving the bike good stahillty. Pulling onto the Freeway 94, I twisted the throWe in 3rd gear and was rewarded bY a jet-llke burst that spun the tach to 7000. I found myself going 70 mph in 4th gear before I realized it. I tried 5th gear, but as I was on a slight grade, the bike slowed noticeably, so I dropPed it back into fourth and with the exception oia few level or down h1ll straights, kept it there most oi the time. As I sPed eastward on Highway 8 toward the mountains, I marveled at the instant response oi the mach1ne. An effortless change oi gears provided instant passing speeds. Without a fairing, the wide position oi the h:lIldlebars caused great wind resistance at continued freeway speeds, putting a lot oi extra work on my arms and I changed my mind about having scrambler bars on my next bike. I stopped at the Pine Valley Resortfor a hamburger and soit drink before going up the Laguna Grade. As my luck would have it, the road was under controlled conditions. They were repairing the winter snow damage. I did not know how the two stroke mach1ne would react to the slow speed that would be necessary beh1nd the "Pilot car" as I followed it up the grade. I did not need to worry, however, as the motor ran smoothly in the lower gears. There was a llWe evIdence of "loading UP", however, as the engine missed a few beats when I opened the throWe at the end oi the control road. It cleared itself quickly. Travellng over the curving mountain roads, I enjoyed throwing the motorcycle from side to side around the turns and became pretty efficient in "mixing" the gears in approved two- stroke riding technique. Coming back onto Interstate 8 at I:>escanso, the westward ride was a breeze and it was only minutes before I found myself at the Highway 94 Junction. A few minutes later, I pulled off the Freeway toward Lemon Grove and stopped at a gas station to top off the tank. The odometer now read 124.3 miles or a trip oi 112.9 mUes in which the bike used 3.1 gallons oi high test fuel, dellvering a very respectable 36 miles I per gallon. The 2-stroke oil is metered byYamaha's autolube system and the oil used on the trip was negllgible. I checked it but had no accurate means oi determining the amount used. The motorcycle will easily mount fairing and saddle bags to put it in touring trim. Although, I rode the test solo, my 240 pounds and camera equipment included enough weight to make the test appl1cable under normal two-up riding conditions. In my opinion the Yamaha R-3 is well su1ted for road touring. With the well placed passenger foot pegs and the extra long saddle, a couple should be very comfortable and should have no trouble keeping up with the bunch while group riding. In fact, if they deSired, they could probably go off and leave the rest of the group. The bike has a big look, being over 80 inches long with a wheelbase of 53 inches. A couple who would like to get into the road riding motorcycle sport can' go in first class style on this machine for less than $800.00, a price that won't even buy afive-year-old bike with big cubic inch displacement. Thanks, Mr. Winters, for letting me road test the Yamaha R- 3. HONDA 350 SUPER SPORT ROAD TEST As Tom Walters, vIce president and general manager of Valley Motorcycle Sales, rolled the sh1n1ng new 350 Honda out onto the sidewalk in front oi his El Cajon, Call!ornia Honda, BMW and Triumph Agency my principal reaction was how small it looked, anticipating that my 240 pounds would more than give the llWe mach1ne a workout. The odometer registered only 157 miles which caused me to ask if I should take it easy on the new bike. I was assured that I could goahead and .. wring it out~·. The engine is precision engineered to such tolerances that it needs no special breaking-in. There are many new riders who have purchased a first bike that is entirely unsu1ted for any kind oi journey beyond a quick trip to the store. Some oi these people would like to step up to a touring type bike, but are stopped by a big price tag. ThIs llWe Japanese beauty, if able to do the job, could get a couple out on the highway for less than $800.00 which won't buy even a good used bike in the big cube class. Pressing the starter button, the llWe overhead cam four stroke engine answered with a throaty purr. The clutch was positive and smooth and there was no necessity to over-rev the engine or sUp the clutch to get the 639 pounds (combined weight of the bike and me) under way. We never shifted higher than fourth gear through town and marveled at the agility of the machine. Pulllng onto the freeway, we dropped it down to third and were at freeway speed in an instant. In fifth gear the speed that the bike Sure footed and easy to h:lIldle, it was fun and it convinced me that besides being a very satisfactory highway traveler, it can also double as a respectable off-the-road machine. _ After a side trip off Interstate 5 through the peaceful little mountain community oi Descanso, we made it back home in a SUrPrisingly short time. It took 1.6 gallons to travel 82.5 miles. That figures out to about 51.5 miles per gallon. Looking at the bike as a tour rider, I'd say that a prospective buyer would easily be able to stay along with the bunch on a triP. There is plenty of space above lIIe eXhausts to h:lIlg saddle bags and a light sport type windshield should be easily installed. You could spend the same money on a bigger used mach1ne and not get as mUCh. The saddle is 23-1/2 inches long which compares favorably with most bigger bikes and although packed a little more solldly than some, seemed comfortable and non-fatigu1ng. HONDA : liard to get models ready for quick : deltvery i :' SkifFORDYCE @8e~ MO'OlCW(lf (fNfl. 14th & MAIN, RIVERSIDE. CAL.

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