COMPARATIVE CUSTOMS 1989
DUCATI 650 INDIANA - HONDA VT 600 C - YAMAHA XV 535
(by Rudy SCOHY)

With the antipodes of chasseuses of stopwatch, the customs hardly embarrass cubic capacity or performances, they rather display a certain state of mind, that of the " low to wrinkle " with American. Look and relaxation initially, the remainder imports little. From there, one often criticized their relative comfort and their perfectible road qualities. Caricatural image? YCBcEcRbike wanted to check and has, with this intention, left the word to three frimeuses of class among which two " Yellows " whose success was not contradicted with time.

Esthetics and equipment:
A custom, that is looked as much as that acts. The beautiful Italian advances the first and makes us the soft eyes. It has charms, but its designers did not succeed well has to emphasize them: that misses chromiums for a custom and the framework, extremely apparent, is not the best effect. Shorter than her girlfriends with the attached eyes, it seems perched on its rims high, which does not tally with the custom spirit. The color? BOF, a dull blue; Transalpins could better have made. On the other hand, the motor unit (entirely chrome, it) are splendid and raise the average clearly. But here is Yamaha which approaches. Nothing to repeat, it is a custom: chromiums, handlebar, exhausts psychedelic, minicomputer-tank, tempting and released V2. All is there, and yet, there is the feeling that it still misses something. It is that the Honda (baptized " Shadow " for the experts) is offered now to our glances. And it is a revelation: truest of the three customs, it is it. As Harley as Davidson sisters, very knack in her dress blue harms with, in premium, the small side dragster of the enormous roll postpones (one 170!) It is necessary to be done, of the 3, it there is the Honda which the badaud will lorgnera... - " All that it is quite pretty, but the equipment, one has some for his money at least? " Calms, the guy, of calms! One speaks to you about customs, not of WP swollen of gadgets. That being, one must recognize well that the instrumentation is not the fort of Nos 3 frimeuses. The buttons and the indicators, it is not their trick; what connects them, it is the excursion pénard, or the input of the de luxe hotels and casinos in their bullfighter's costume chrome. On the nippones, you will be entitled to the tachometer with its 2 kilometric adding machines and it is about all. Only more Yam, it is that its indicators are with wordwrap. The Honda, it, nevertheless offers a witness of crutch (side, inevitably on a custom), handles flexible antivibrations, and effective rear view mirrors to you. As for the " Ducat ", it has even a rev counter, a sound recall of the clignos, and a horn 2 tone which is the only one of the 3 to be made hear validly. - " Ouais, and if me I want to leave my middle-class woman in machine, I will be able to carry my bag? " There my pal, it is necessary that one says to you: on Yam, your case, you will be able to put it at the back and you risks not to go far. If you choose Shadow, you will hang it to the fasteners envisaged under the saddle while requesting so that your gonzess is not caught up with. On Indiana, not of problem, it has a gate luggage: you fasten firmly and bye bye cherished... And if by chance you planned to draw you the night, it is announced you that only the Honda has a headlight worthy of this name.

Completion and personality:
The personality of a custom is essential thing and you already understood that, in this field, the VT 600 is more " true ". By the form of its exhausts, by its saddle dug, its lengthened footing, and especially by its very advanced commands. The XV 535 (that the close friends call more readily Virago) does not throw any badly thanks to its chromiums, but it is less pure all the same than Shadow. - " Ben, and Ducati then? " The Italian, actually, is not a truth custom and all indicates it: its rims, character of its engine, its suspensions, its equipment. It would be rather a road transform, as its road behavior will confirm it. Hybrid, it suffers from a personality hesitating between 2 edges, but this does not affect any its general effectiveness. On the level of the completion, the Japanese remain faithful to their good practice and it is difficult to decide between Shadow and the Virago. All is OK on Shadow and Yam is made conspicuous by its clever gasoline tap located at the handlebar. Damage, for it that its rear view mirrors make a little poor and that one sees by places his electric wiring. At Ducati, one can regret a heteroclite instrumentation since mixing Italian with Japanese. In addition, the lettering and the gray decoration of the painted parts evoke more of do-it-yourself than a neat machining. And then, we should announce that ingénieurs( ?) Italian is delirious completely when they impose 5 keys to you (yes, you read well!) to use your motor bike. The quintet in the order: 1 for the contact, 1 for the tank, 1 for the saddle, 1 for the carry-helmet, and 1 for the steering lock. Ouf! It appears that that prevents you all losing if you mislay 1 key; envisage 6 months for you all the same to accustom to it... Just like you will have to accustom yourselves to replace manually the electric starter in position " off " if you do not want to roast it 2 times per day.

Driving approval and performances:
A custom is not made to go quickly but it must allow some bursts on short-hauls, in the kind: " Me, I light my tire between red fires. " Ca, it is the theory. And what remains about it in practice? With astonishing a sonorité' of " gromono ", the VT 600 holds its promises: bluffant of couple with bottom and average modes, the 4çv of its twin-cylinder out of V do not push badly if one opens into large, although its box with 4 long ratios handicaps it a little in terms of acceleration; in the same way moreover as its 195 dry kg. Let us say that Shadow takes speed linearly, without jolts, but with an obvious goodwill. At least, until 120km/h, because beyond, one needs patience to reach the 160km/h asserted by the manufacturer. Us, the 150 were not exceeded, but after all, it is quite sufficient. Large advantage of the mill Honda, it is the only one with being cooled by water; what enables him to more easily support the conditions of a congestion... or of a meeting of photographs. Of 6cv more powerful, the engine of Yam Virago is not more wild. On the contrary, its Cardan joint ends to dilute the feelings gotten by V2. Pourtant, the Virago shows 15 kg less than Shadow... Hear we, the Cardan joint discharges its task extremely well but it penalizes the promptness of the machine, the more so as the first report/ratio of box is a little long. Notice that the flexibility loses nothing there. Sonority either, since one finds here the whistle characteristic of the mills of series XJ; the effect on the passers by is guaranteed! In addition, if it is a question of crossing quickly on our " highways ", the XV 535 is there: 160 km/h are hung of good heart, box 5 facilitating of course the things. If, like all Yamaha, our custom starts cold as of the first request, the insulation of its electric component is perfectible. Consequence: problems of lighting and engine stoppages (too much) frequent under the rain. Not merry, that. To re-examine. With Ducati, one changes register resolutely. As light as the Virago, Indiana is most powerful of our trio, with 53cv. And its 650 DC make of it the big-engined car of the comparative one. It is known that the cartons from " Ducat " do not have the reputation to be puffing and that of Indiana does not disappoint. As regards performances as, it is more road as custom; and there, it is rather a quality. To speak clearly, with comparable cubic capacity, no custom can compete with Indiana. Its engine is equipped with an almost inexhaustible trunk for all the modes, and whatever the engaged report/ratio.

I grow weary of translating this text! ;)
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