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/126610
The Aspencade is rig ht on for long distance touring , (Inset) Th is cantral l inst ru m ent cluster atop t he tank is f or the air-ad justable suspensio n. Tour lesl: 1982 Boada Gold _iag Aspeacade From Key to shining sea, maintenance free By C&S Clayton Photos by Hanny Ray Abrams T h e silver/ gray Aspencade, fresh off the assembly lin e from Ohio, was delivered to o u r irreverent h ands in Los An geles o n a Friday. We read the instruction manual, loaded our gear into the bags, pumped up the air shocks with the handy onboard compressor, and took off the next morn- 18 ing for th e Daytona ra ces. Few other motorcycl es can inspire such confident beginnings. The Aspen cade co mes equipped as a unit with all th e bits and accessories that experienced riders used to have to add to make their bikes tour worthy. The tires are Dunlops. These are safe tires : tubeless, tough , and tacky. About that compressor: Everybody knows that air doesn't bottom, but springs don't leak. To give the Aspencade rider the advantages of air suspension, without the drawback , Honda has fitted a small air pump into the dummy tank. A console of pushbutton valves on the tank top panel can increase or decrease th e front and rear pressu re independentl y. Air shocks do leak , but topping th em up every few days is a pl easant en o ugh cho re for th e Asp en cad er. The pump o n ly works wh en th e bike is resting safely on its cen tersta nd, key in "pa rk:' But anyo ne can decrease, or rel ease all the air in th e sus pe ns io n a t a n y time. We would prefer this control placed secu rely under th e tank cover, as they do with the gas cap: For now , Honda is proud of th e littl e air pump so they wa nt all the world to see. We don 't blame them, it is just that the wrong guy might touch the buttons a t th e wrong time and let th e shocks down . No problem , if it is on th e cen tersta nd - a warn ing light alerts th e riders a n d he pumps them back up. But a sidestand letdown cou ld topple th e bike. Since we a re typi cal , overfed American tourers tra veling wi th a month 's su p p ly of personal gear, th e Aspencade began th e trip about 100 Ibs. over its recommended carryi ng capacity. The 705 lb . motorcycle had a bo ut 500 lbs. o f tourists, fuel and baggage a boa rd. Th e sus pensio n was OK at a bo u t 25 Ibs. front and 50 rear, but it rebounded a bit too much a t th at setting, while a softer sett in g induced bottoming (who sez air doesn 't bottom? ). We hope th at Honda will keep improving th eir Aspen cad e's sus pe nsion. They've a lmost got it equal to th e best hydraulic/spring setu p , but chec k that rebound damping, folks. The above criticism appl ies to th e overa ll comfort of th e rider a n d pa ssen ger , n ot to th eir safety. But co rn fort is second on ly to safety in the priorities of luxury-touring, especially passenger comfort. For if she is complaining or, worse yet , suffering silen tly, half the purpose of the trip is defeated. In this department Honda is to be commended, but again we'd recommend a detail improvement or tw o. The sea t is light colored so it stays cool in th e su nsh ine (h urr ah !) a n d it adjusts for e a nd aft. Its double bucket design an d foam den sit y held off the " hea rt brea k of sore arses" for 400-mile da ys. They ha ve improved the passenger backrest by adding to it. Compared to the popular Interstate Gold Wing's backrest, it is h yp oluxo", to coin a word. But afte r 5,000 miles the passenger thought it could be padded still further or moved forward three inches. Sh e improvised this position with a bag of clothing a nd found the comfort mu ch irn proved , along with gaining better wind protecti on within the fairing slipstream. One other complaint from the rear: "Please move the darn helmet lock wh ere I don 't bank my heel on it." By th e wa y, those uphol stered oblon gs beside th e pass enger ar e not arm rests, as we guessed, but a re handy pockets for stashing gl ass es, sun lotion, etc. Sati sfi ed that the p as senger is happy, we now cast a critical eye over the pilot'S position. It is tempting to use aircraft terms to describe the overall sensation of riding the Aspencad e. The engine whines like a private jet taxiing to a hot takeoff. It is the most modern engine of all the ready-made hypoluxo touring bikes, the familiar, ever- lovely Gold Wing four-cylinder horizontally opposed unit. All yo u can see jutting out on either side is cylinder heads. Four downdraft carburetors feed the twovalv e cylinde rs. It is designed to run