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/126995
The NX650 is the flagship of Honda's new dual-sport, NX model line, which replaces the XL line. Honda also offers an NX250 and NX125. Honda's popular CBR600 Hurricane also is unchanged for 1988. It will be available this year in red and metallic two-tone grey. 8 A 250cc Interceptor? You bet! Honda will market the all-new VTR250 in 1988. The bike sports a 249cc, four-stroke, V-twin powerplant. 250. Honda calls this bike the, "most radically-styled 250cc sport bike on the market." It is offered in two distinctive color and graphic combinations - white with day-glo blue trim and black with day-glo pink/ blue trim. It 1S powered by a 249cc, DOHC eight-valve (four per cylinder), liquid-cooled; 90° V-twin, fourstroke engine fed by two 32mm constant velocity carburetors. The VTR has a solid state CO ignition with electronic advance, six-speed transmission and is driven by a sealed, O-ring chain. Air adjustable 35mril hydraulic front forks are mounted to a diamond-configuration, twin-tube, box-section frame; rear suspension is provided by a Pro-Link swingarm setup with shock preload adjustment. A front inboard disc brake with twin-piston l':aliper handles stopping chores up front while a drum brake takes care of the job in the rear. Stylish cast aluminum wheels are fitted with tubeless tires (100/90-16 up front, 120/80-17 in the rear). pegs and stylish handlebars. The engine has a single pin crankshaft to increase the "heartbeat" sound and feeling of a big V-twin, and is fitted with a wide-ratio, four-speed transmission for low-rpm, highway" crUlsmg. " Seat height is a low 27.1 inches and the classic look of a custom cru!ser is enhanced by wire spoke wheels and plenty of polished chrome. The VLX has· a rigid, doublecradle frame which allows the low seat height and long wheelbase of 63.2 inches. The bike is suspended by 39mm, telescopic front forks and a single rear shock; the special deltashaped swingarID emphasizes the classic, no-suspension look. Claimed dry weight is 432 pounds, ground clearance is 5.5 inches and fuel capacity is 2.3 gallons. The VLX will be offered in candy blue, and candy red. "Honda's custom cruiser line is rounded out by theShadow VTllOO, Shadow VT800 and the Magna VF750. The littlest Interceptor (and the only one available in the U.S.) has a claimed dry weight of 332.9 pounds, fuel tank capacity of 3.4 gallons and ground clearance of 5.5 inches. Honda's 1988 sport bike lineup in the U.S. is rounded out by the 600 and 1000cc Hurricanes, which have changed little from last year. They offer the same transverse, in-line, liquid-cooled, DOHC four-cylinder engines and state-of-the art sport bike suspension. The CBR600 will be offered in red and metallic twotone gray, while the 1000cc Hurricane will come in silver and metallic blue/black. . Nowhere on Honda's all-new Shadow VLX custom cruiser is there any indication of engine displacemen t. The bike is powered by a 583cc, liq uid-cooled, 520 V-twin, fourstroke powerplant, but the bike appears much larger - it's physically the same size as most 1l00cc models. The newest Shadow sports classic custom styling with a two-piece custom seat, forward-mounted foot- The VTIIOO is essentially unchanged mechanically from the 1987 model. For 1988, frame color has been matched to the color of the fuel tank (the bike will be available in black and candy red). The VTllOO also will have a four-speed, wideratio gearbox. Last year's mid-sized Shadow was a 700cc model sporting a five-speed transmission with sixth-gear overdrive. For 1988, the bike "has been boosted to 800cc and a wide-ratio, four-speed transmission will be used. This year the solid state ignition is digital (the ignition on las~ year model was solid state but not digital). This year the bike has spoked wheels; the wheels were mags in 1987. The 800cc Shadow will come in gloss black and candy red. The Magna, which was introduced last year as a 70O£c custom, boasts a 74&c, liquid-cooled, 90° V-four in 1988. Also, the V45 Magna's chin fairing (the small fairing under the engine) will be color-matched to the frame this year. •