Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

HONDA CR11S The Hond a's best trait - extre mely stable a t speed . K.P. . CORNERING MOTOR The mid - to top- end is good . It lacks botto m-end. It ru ns good as long as you keep it revvin g . - C D. It' s all top-e nd . - D.L. It's all mid-range a nd d ecent top-end. The bottom -end power is weak: Y Q U hav e to shift ea rlier and keep it on the pipe through the turns to ge t the most out of it, then it work s .pretty well . - CS. Very smooth low to mid. It revs out a little to soon. - ).5. It's the most improved motor. It's very usable and has great mid and good overr ev. - '1'.5 . Very managable and makes good power overall - not the fastest but fast enough. - K.P. FRONT SUSPEN SION The fork had very good bottoming resista nce with a nice plush outdoor setup. It was the best fork of all the bikes at Glen He len and Elsinore. - ).5. I thou ght the fork was stu rdy and con tro llable. It likes to be ha mme red and is very pred ictable. - CS. It's bette r than ever and ther e was no head -sh ake at all, un like past years. - CS. Great control and grea t bottoming resistance. - '1' 5. . I was not scared to hammer into anything . - M. F. Excellent. - K.P. REAR SUSPENS ION Good bottoming resis tance. - CD. Too soft. - D.L. Sam e as fork . It's precise and predictable. I was able to still ride hard as the track got rougher. - CS. ' 0 pr oblems at all. The CR has the best balanced suspension. -) . Tracks good and stays straight in the rough. One of the-best. '1'.5. The shock matched the forks in perfor mance - very good. K.I' . HANDLING This is the new era of Hondas. It turns g reat and is stable at speed, but it's no t as quick in the tu ms and in the air as the RM. - ).5. The bike was very well -balanced, sturdy and easy to control. CS. It han dled better than any Honda tha t I'v e ever ridden. - DL It feels rea l stab le at high speeds. - C D. Very stab le; I feel confiden t on this bike: - M. F. It tu rns good, bu t not the best. - CD. I could rail ou t of comers, but it was hard to hol d my line going in. - D.L. The bike turns on a d ime. It holds throug h berms a nd ruts well . It tra cks good ar ound flat comers as well. - C S. The fron t w heel tracks really well . - '1'.5. I think the CR com ers seco nd bes t to the RM. - M. F. GOt.'S where it's pointed . - K.P. BRAKES Excellent brakes. - ).5. I feIt smooth and in control while braking. I never felt like I was going' to lose the front end while braking hard into comers. - CS. . The brakes are awesome, probably the best. Th ey are just enough, not too much, not too little. - D.L. The CR has the best brakes of the bu nch . They get the job . done and are predic table in all cond itions , - M. F. Simple - the best. - K.P. CONTROLS/S HIFTING The clutch action was good and I liked the feel of the lever. CD. ~ The du tch-pull is stiff for a 125. The actua l action is real smooth though. It doesn't slip , fade. - D.L. Good - easy-to-reach, quality levers, good pos itioning and smooth dutch action, but still stiffer than ot her bikes. CS. Shifts better than YZ, but still does not want fu ll-throttle shifts. - ).5 . The clutch feels strong and solid and I had no problems with shifting. - '1'.5. The dutch pull on the CR feels more like that of an XR. - M. F. • Couldn't ask for anything better. - K.P. ERGOS Nice, smooth layout. very comfortable. - j.5. The Honda had the best ergos. I hopped on the bike and felt like I had ridden it all year long. The standing position is . the best out of all the bikes for me . It's also easy to grip the bike with your legs while silting and standing. - CS. It felt real open on the bike. There was lots of room to move around. - D.L. The CR is one of the best-feeling packages. - '1'.5. It's roomy and narrow and I like it. It's not too big and not too small, - M. F. Mo re s pacio us, nice flat layou t - not too narrow , not too wide. Perfect for me. - K.P. Wh at do you like most abo ut the b ik e? The bike is real stab le. - CD. It felt lighter than the ot her bikes. It is wry flickable, - O.L. The w hole ergo no mics of th e bike, the suspension and overall solid feel of the bike stood out for me . - CS. The way it could ho ld an inside line, and the electric smooth motor. - ).5. It gives you Jots of confidence and it has a great usable motor. -'1'.5. The bike feels bullet-proof to me. - M. F. Ergos and handling, and qua lity of cra ft s m a ns h ip unmatched. - ;;:.P. What do you like least about the bike? The motor was not too inspiring. I like a lot stronger mid - to top-end motor that likes to rev. The motor can work, only if you rid e it in the mid-range and shift a lot, whi ch dOL 'S not fit my style too well. - C S. You have to work to keep the mot or running. - CO. It still could use a bit more pull on top . - '1'.5. o one else has a problem with it, but I don't like the way the five-speed tranny fL'CIs on the CR. - M. F. Power. There's enough but more on top would be nice. - K.P. Wh at coul d make the bike better? It needs to be faster and have better low-end . - CD. Better suspension for me

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