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/143888
massive. Yet the geometry is so spot on that the motorcycle feels light. I wouldn't hesitate to take it on short errands or push it around the garage. So I borrowed it for a run down to Indianapolis to watch the mile dirt track National race. Rolling through Illinois on Hwy 94 there are six or seven two-bit toll stops to interrupt my concentration on the pleasures of flying low through the summer of middle America on the latest in U.S. motorcycle technology. Technology, I reflect, is more than just turbos and diodes. Its highest, most subtle form is the molecular composition of materials-how do you harden the steel just right so that the mating .molecules live a long, hard working life? Just below that is the technology of developing mod- ern engine performance out of an ancient design. We are currently witnessing a comeback of the venerable V-twin engine. Harley-Davidson has been perfecting theirs all along. They are presently the leader in applied V-twin technology, as the factory racing team proved when they won the Indy National on their sophisticated 750 XRs. Harley advertising has been mostly the stuff that stops when the green flag drops. I know this has turned off a lot of Cycle News readers. Only three percent of you admit that you own Harleys. You don't have to prove how manly or patriotic you are. That is not what we buy our motorcycles for. Fortunately, there are better reasons for having a Harley in your collection. Unless you plan to race fool- 1983 nlNOER SO. $679: ishly on the public street, this new Tour Glide probablY,will do everything you demand of a road-going motorcycle. ' If our test Tour Glide is typical, and I think it is, Harleys no longer leak oil, vibrate excessively, or break down. The oilbath enclosed dTive chain actually lengthens the life of the wheel bearing they say, and lives twice as long without attention. The big engine turns only 2,500 times per minute at 55 mph and only 4,000 at 85. Harley management has decided to retain the 85 mph speedo, even though they aren't required to. It is a moot decision, but one that indicates they know the road rider's real needs. The fiberglass fairing and saddlebags are cases in point. I don't think H-D Motor Co. owns a wind tunnel. These smartly finished items are designed in the real world of blasts from passing 18-wheelers and Texas blue northers, and real rain. It is faint praise to say they work the best since, 1983 50 SPECIAL. $599: If the shorter members of your family could we suggest our motocrosser-look-alike fun bikes, wish for the one thing that would really make theYZingers.The 1983 YZinger 80, with enclosed their Christmas this year, what do you think it chain and Monoshock rear suspension, is just would be? . $679. The 1982YZinger 50, with automatic We1l give you a hint. (If they haven't already.) transmission and shaft drive,only $399. And there's a whole bunch more Abrand-new beginner bike, from Yamaha. Like the ones you see here, complete with the kind small economy-sized wishes where those of prices that make them as pleasant to give as came from. Because weve reduced the price of almost every 100cc-and-under to receive. For the youngster whose sights are set on a motorcycle we have in stock, from off"real" motorcycle there's our 1983 50 Special. road to on/off-road to street, just in time WIth its pull-back bars, teardrop tank and spirited for Christmas. 50cc engine, it is a ~ real motorcycle. At a moped price: $599. . For your more ~I j pint-sized offspring, . like their limited racing effort, nobody elSe's comes close, although some are getting there. Our test Tour Glide was the barebones model. Although it will cost you more than the nearest competing import that comes gadget laden, you will have to fork over extra cash for' the gas gauge, radio, tool kit, saddlebag liners, tour trunk, etc. ad infinitum. If you need them. Thedifference with the Harley is, you are getting the best in an uninterrupted line of V-twin technology, twin headlights, and the safest heavy duty cycle in the business. Based on our brief experience of the 1983 Tour Glide, we give it 99 points, one point shy of perfect. • 1982 YDNGER 50. $399: As an added incentive for you to see your participating Yamaha dealer right away, if not sooner, we're making the following offer. BUY A NEW YAMAHA.' GET A FR& BACKPACK BACK. Buy or layaway one of these new bikes by December 15 and we1l give you a genuine Yamaha Backpack filled with genuine Yamaha products to keep that bike looking and running its best.Thats a $30 value, on us. Theres never been a better time to S SMALL BIKE ::~:o~gw~ney C Rle.MAS I, ava av. ~!~s=7Ln lIIA'I"A1nrA'I". . And make a Wlsh. 'Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price. Actual price set by dealers. Thxes, license. freight. options and other dealer charges extra. Price may change without notice. Backpack offer applies only to bikes of lOOcc's or less. and only at particip;.ting Y.1mah.1 dealers. 15,