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/128003
o us ly tuned wi th th e e ngi n e . Extr a m ag ic th us flows to w hat ha d been a p re t ty im p ressi ve p a cka g e to b eg in with. Some d eclare the end is near for the agi ng EVa Spo rtster p owerplan t; no netheless, these ca re fu lly w rou gh t cha nges pay off handsom ely in the S3T. Equally transforming is th e dig ital fuel injection, new for 1999. The Buell has los t its singl e Keihin carb, as a Wa lbro throttle body now squats u nder the right-side bread bo x (er, air-box). This system is a single-injector-per-cy linder closed-loop ty pe, no t th e open type of H -D cru isers. The DFI mat es well wi th the free-flowi ng ex ha ust, purges th e, Thunderbo lt of so me rauco usn ess and ends the earli er bike' s hab it of occasionally spitting back and surg ing. Sensors (which adjust for changes in a ir tempera tu re, exha u st-gas oxy ge n, le a n-ang le, a lt it u de, e tc. ) rend er. the po wer pul ses no w more evenly spaced and "ge ntler." No te: I didn't say "slowe r." Th e red line has moved fro m th e 52' s 6000 rp m to its su ccesso r's 680 0 rpm. Stay on the boil and yo u' ll move out smartly. Believe it. Gea r-ratio cha nges fu rther smooth the big 1200 . Shifts a re high er up the re v-band than before, meaning you'll work the (st ill notchy) five-speed trann y a bit to extract the low and midrange gru n t tha t t he first 'Bolt p o s i ti ve ly oozed . Not th at you' d call this Buell p eaky in the ma ~ic GSX-R750 sense - _ s tick it into top and move from a dead sto p ri g h t to, o h. 135 mph o r thereabo uts. " 'arrow powerbands" ar e rela tive things.. H e lpi n g gui de th e ex t ra horses , meantime, is an impressive swi ngarrn: it supp lants the bo x-sec tion item of yore. Dead go rgeo us with its natty drive-belt a dj u s ters , a n d o h -so fun ct ional. The alloy "wedge" equals better control at higher speeds equals mo re rider confide nce - you know, more fun. early unchanged are the patented " Urrip la na r" perimeter frame a nd its ru bber suspension doughn uts. A fourth e ngi ne -mount ti e- rod , tho ug h, a d ds ext ra rigid ity . Also, a righ t-side fra me member - the side with the rea r headpipe a tad close to you r leg - has bee n relocated . Now the. head er tu cks inside th e fra me rai l. No mo re p arboil ed thi gh s. The le ft side a lso ge ts a n ew s tr ut. The changes, asserts Eric Bu ell, spring from racing experience. Suspension is subtly altered, as well. The cool wr Roma inverted fork ha s sai d "adios" in favo r of a similar- looking (and -perfo rrning) 5howa u ps idedowner . Likewise, the wr shoc k is go ne; a n d , agai n, a Showa u ni t h a s mo ve d in. It fe a tu res a u s eful a n tig runge shrou d . The fork boasts co mp ression an d rebound adj us tment, and the shoc k adds to th at preload adj ustme nt. As before, each is made to Buell's specs. So, okay, the 53T lacks the dozens of 'se tt ings possible on Buell' s ho t Xl Light ning (jus t unmarked "ha rd-to-so ft" friction stops). How many d o you need ? Anyhow, th e w iza rd s at cavernous Harley-Davidson of Washington in For t Washi ng to n, Mar ylan d , set the bike up perfectly for me, factor ing in the occasional se rio us thrash and so me two-up excu rsions. A s ti ct io nl es s for k a nd t ha t od d , Bue ll -des ig ne d re verse -a ctio n s h ock take most eve ry thing in stride a nd the S3T di ves har d only in brutal stops . Neither d id chop pin g the th rot tle mid str id e d iscombob u la te any thin g . G iven it s s po r ty ra ke -and -trail , mo reo ve r, t he Bue ll barel y s to o d up w hi le tra ili n g braking in corners. Elbow-drag gers will want to max ou t so me se ttings, tho ugh (and lose / mo dif y the knee-guards ). having it on your paycheck. It's easy to see what makes American Honda number oneinthe motorqde illdlN/)' Our dediClliOl1 to quality and innovation allows us to produce the hest products on the market But that's just half the story. At Honda we strive to have the best workplace in the business. We do this by creatinga s 1imul:uingworking environment based on mutual respect. This philosophy combined with our superior products guarantees that our associates are proud 10 he members of the Honda team. And now we arc looking to expand that team. W are looking for sales professionals in the e motorcycle, !\IV or related industryto service our dealer network. Business professionals with a agedtoapply. passion forthe industry are also encour So send in your resume today. Because ifyou like riding our motorcycles, you'll love working for the company that buildsthem. Honda offers competitive salaries, growth opportunities and comprehensive benefits including reloc:uion assistance. For consideration, please send your resume with salaryhistoryto: American Honda Motor Co., Inc., 1919 Torrance Blvd., M S 100 -1C-3A, Attn: GSKP, Torrance, CA 90501-2746. Or fax to: (310) 783-2110. Honda is an equal employment-affirmanve action employ dedie:ued er to supporting diversity in the workplace. tJVE THEN, GET THE __,_.F U L L STORY THE FOLLO'WING 'WEEK IN @Y![j!.JJJ£JJ ISSUE #30 ON-SALE July 28th ~ Tune it in at the AMA Mazda Trucks _.IWF" '.I: ~ Motocross Series then rip the knob •.a_ I . . . . .. • off your radio. 1M vvvvvv.rnotoradio.·corn 31