On the cover: The three biggest hoppers
in the cruiser world—Suzukis Intruder
1400, Harley-Davidson’s EXRS-Sp and
Kawasaki’s Vulcan 88—rumble past
Emma Wood State Park. Ventura. Cali-
fornia. Photo by Rich Cox Studio 10.
___________ Motorcycle Tests __________
32 Big Bopper Blowout / Here are three truly colossal
V-twin cruisers: Harley-Davidson's 1,338cc FXRS-Sp,
Suzuki’s l,360cc Intruder and Kawasaki's l,470cc
Vulcan 88. Is bigger really better?
38 Daytona Shadows / The only thing better than
cruising Daytona during Bike Week is cruising Day-
tona during Bike Week on a brand new cruiser like
Honda’s Shadow 1100.
Under the Maple Leaf Banner:
______ Touring Eastern Canada _____
40 North of Superior / We share the greatest ol the
Great Lakes with the biggest country in the Free
World.
43 Canadian Heartland I For over a century, this was
the core ol Great Britain's North American empire
44 Taking in Toronto / Big cities are frantic, noisy
and dirty almost everywhere. But not in Ontario.
45 New World Paris / France’s second largest me-
tropolis isn't in France.
46 Going to Gaspe / Could this be the most beautiful
place on earth?
55 Nova Scotia Serendipity / Indulge your wanderlust
on the backroads of this windswept Atlantic pen-
insula.
Features
___________________ ___________________
48 Tales of La Carrera / What kind of a race is it that
Rider's associate editor can enter on a Harley-Dav-
idson FLHS—and win her class?
50 Midsummer Ride’s Dream / No season is more
magical than the fragile English summer, and there
is no better way to appreciate it than from the sad-
dle of a motorcycle.
52 New Horizon, Ancient Steed / Touring on a vin-
tage Norton produces unique pleasures.
54 Noshing with Nortons / When Suzi Greenway dis-
covered British motorcycles, she found more than
a hobby.
Products
______
65 Spotlight I A variety of
temptations from Vance &
Hines, Color Rite, Progres-
sive Suspension and Silent
Running.
72 Georgia Boot Rally Tour-
ing boots / Low price and
high quality mark this
American-made gear.
73 Frank Thomas Paddock
Boots / If the shoe fits,
maybe it's really a motor-
cycle boot.
Technical Topics
57 Tech Q&A: Milling About
Altering two-stroke com-
pression ratios is simple—
and complicated.
Columns
______ ______
10 Denis Rouse
16 Tash Matsuoka
18 Commentary
20 Women’s Forum
Departments
6 Response
22 Hot Line
26 Rider Calendar
58 Chapters in Action
75 Model Apparel Index
75 Ad Index
When introducing a new mo-
torcycle, a critical key to suc-
cess is to unleash the ma-
chine in simpatico surround-
ings. No one knows this better than Honda,
which chose to debut the 1987 Shadow
1100 V-twin cruiser in Key West, Florida,
a few days before the start of Daytona Bike
Week. Daytona at this time of the year
becomes Cruiser City, and Daytona was
the destination when our group of five
journalists and four Honda representa-
tives departed Key West and rolled lei-
surely northward through the Florida
Keys—Ramrod, Summerland, Big Pine,
Marathon, Lower Duck, Matacumbe, Key
Largo.
Relaxation was the essence of the ride.
None of the participants were concerned
with speed. No full leathers here. Attire
and riding style harmonized with cruising.
Any speed quest of the participants was
tranquilized by the heavy humid air of the
extreme South, the sight of locals fishing
nonchalantly from bridges, and the se-
renity of calm blue ocean. The biggest
Shadow doesn’t have a tach. Too relaxed
for one. Just shift when you feel like it
because the engine pulls so well—even
with the new four-speed transmission—
you won’t miss a tach. Anyone who needs
one has the wrong attitude. With the tran-
quility of the Shadow and no heavy-duty
instruments, one's vocabulary is altered.
Instead of saying high-tech things, one is
tempted to utter phrases like, “I kicked 'er
in the butt and boy we really took off."
And that describes it. Even the engine im-
pulses are relaxing. There’s some vibra-
tion, but well within the limits of a V-twin.
The 1987 Shadow is a brand new bike
from the ground up, sharing only a few
internal parts with previous models.
Frame, seat, tank, fenders ... the lot.
Cruising at legal speeds, the strengths of
the Shadow emerge. The new, radically
forward footpeg and shifter composition
are relaxing to this over six-foot rider, as
is the handlebar-seat-pegs schematiza-
tion. The softness of the seat cushion is
first-class for any length of ride. Speaking
with some of the Rider staff later, I noted
that riders smaller than myself—and they
are, quite frankly, legion—would proba-
bly find the stretch to the bars and foot-
pegs uncomfortable on long rides. But as
our procession proceeded up the coast,
the Shadow became more and more im-
pressive and comfortable to me. The
Shadow 1100 is the first cruiser 1 have taken
for an extended distance and there were
prejudices to overcome. But the whole
cruiser package became more palatable
as the miles rolled by. The relative han-
dlebar-to-shoulder position isn't that much
different from some touring bikes, but very
different from sport bikes. As is the sound.
Sound is a big factor in the cruiser id-
iom, with manufacturers spending big
bucks to get the right sound. The Shadow
doesn’t blat, blare, bellow, or roar, but it
does rumble convincingly. Rumble con-
firms that one is riding a real motorcycle
and not a metallic-painted appliance.
Rumble is also relaxing, and relaxing is
the essence of the Shadow.
We skirted Miami and rumbled north-
ward to the entertainment of other mo-
torists. Riding the speed limit can induce
weird behavior. One of the riders at the
front of our parade shifted in his seat and
the following riders did the same. The
leader liked what he’d wrought, and he
snapped off a sharp military salute to a
passing trucker. Nine helmeted henchman
did the same, and the trucker blared his
rejoinder. The leader warmed to his in-
vention and the rest of the afternoon, mo-
torists were treated to enough comical
posturing to prompt some applause from
likewise bored station-wagoneers, espe-
cially the kids. Five-year-olds love to wave...