Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

I·--'-----'---'---'----'--------J.I Ahistorical perspective of the modern sportbike HISTO~Y· European bikes were mostly sma ller an d pow ered by single-cylinde r engines. The Du cati single series, and especially the d esmo gear cam-drive mod els, are still reve red, but Bultaco, Mon tesa and Ossa bu ilt so me fine-ha nd ling, if oddly designed, mach ines. Alt ho ugh th ey were considered build ers of small -d isplaceme nt mounts, th e Japan ese were ta ken seriously as spo rt ie r efforts such as Su z uki' s 250 two-strok e twin Hustler ma de it to Ll .S, shores. An ins tan t hit as a production racer, the Hustl er offered good tuning opportunities for impoverished racers. Ho nda's hig h-revving, twin-cylinder Superhawk of the era benefi ted from the addition of various official "kit" or raceoriented parts, available righ t from the dealer. When Honda unveiled the d ouble-overhead-cam CB450, the Japanese showed once and for all that they could bui ld a machine to rival the British "big bikes." In i968, the first sho t in the bigger, better and faster m anu factu rer' s war tha t continues to this day was fired. The British industry offered up two triplecylinder machines, the Triumph Trident and BSA Rocket Three. Fast and smooth compared to their twin predecess ors, these bikes wer e su ccess ful racers, and could be tuned in much the same fash ion as their older relati ves. However, the tripl es wer e somewhat low-tech co m pa re d to o ther power p roducts of the day, for insta nce reflecting little of the e ng ine- design w o r k found in high-perform ance automobiles. The British bike makers had chosen the budget path with the ir new models, and Honda 's 196 9 " t r iple a lte rna t ive" showed just how much. The launch o f Honda 's CB750 ha s been so widel y written about that it SUZUKI GY-750L LE MANS By Colin Fraser Photos from the Cycle News archives ~ ears from now , whe;' some other wi se guy is re ques te d to file a Cycle News story on the history of recent street sports machinery, the 1992 Bimota-Ducati Tesi 1D may be cons idered a pivotal model in the development o f th e p erformance m oto rcycl e . The hub-center-steered Tesi is certai nly a unique bike wi th some clear, new thinking in its design . But viewed from a 1996 perspective, the Tesi see ms more of an ano maly than a tren d seller. Wh en loo kin g at the recen t his tory of bikes intended for aggressive riding, it can be tough to sort the latest thinking from the merely derivati ve, the important revision from the bold-new flop . I'm sure this story will offend a number of people, since I'm bound to exclude a personal favorite or cherished work of inspiration. Sorry, but this is my best shot. First, let's establish some parameters. I have mostly av oided exotic, Iimitedrun bikes including Birnota, Buell, Nor ton Rotary and the like, as we ll as other favorites of the Moto Guzzi and Laverda family lines. Addition all y, "s pecials" which m u s t b e con stru ct ed b y th eir owners don 't fit the mold, so ou t of the ru n ni ng are so me fin e d esi gn s fr om Rickm an, H arri s, M a rt in a n d o t her. sma ll-scale fram e builders. Un d oub tedly, pure racers often se t the trend for the street bikes that follow , certai n ly before Wo rld Superbike took the stage in the late 1980s. But Elfs, Brittens and even rarer item s like Hossacks and Saxons are not machines that the (Above) Rising so n: Although the Honda's '69 CB750 Is considered to be the father of the Japanese four-cylinder revolution, the Kawasaki Z-1, Introd uced In 1974, Is cred ited with being the true forerunner of high-horsepower, production-line sportblkes. (Right) Suzuki too k on the task of maintaining the profile of big-bore two strokes by Introducing the GT750L LeMan5- The motorcycle ach ieved a small measure of success before the company abandoned it In favor of the en vogue In-line, fourcylinder four-strokes. - GT·n.o.. l~ .. &aYit,", ~ kAIW"Q .... ciw>lI DH!.~ P'fl'9!rI. r..u "'Mnl ,1 Q"IO"lo : lJl'~ ""'~ ,~ """"'"""'" 1 1hll' '~nl eIlaM . -.l ~ Qqf'l .-I ~I ' '''lIoaI llll'lltUl' iltuu l ~ _ or-lI1dIcllklr-," 1Illt.tunlI.lIf !li '~"1 BclcD.-. • NFl& ~ It.~"", ICl ocaor ~ lhwI crd:1W)' ~ ~ "'.tr.I'n\':tC: h.b1CllllOn ~ l:lY&uukl a 1II1u:h . .... r'DO'f'llO " ~ ~ Pcaooorlulliolill~l:h:tnMa.r>d~ ~ blocs AesJr ~ lnCNn c.f _• 7ta._... , ~~~-" "0;pIl .. ~ ~ _"'

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