whitebros1

BAtK |N PIL DaKK Autś Ul Motorcycling. before trust-worlhy clcclrics and oil-tight engincs. w hen British machino dominated bolh race rc-vpttł and sale* cham. a 500cc four-stroke Single was considcred ihc bikc of a truć enthusiast. These " Thump-ers" or "Big Lungert" from VcloceUe. BSA. Ariel. Matchlcss. AJS and others had booming cshaust nuto (hal enhaneed the nding cx-pcrscncc and bcckoncd listencn lo parikijciic.

Of coursc. deciric Marten and reli-ability hcing in short supply on biko of the l9J0ł. coasing tlicie brulev inio lifc. and then kccping them run-ningforany length nf linie.oficn was .1 frustraiingcsperiencc. Still. cven as Tainsand then Fours took ovcr. the allurc of the simplc. singlc-cylindcf rnotoccsclc endured Honda iried to capitnlt/e on ihat allurc in 1989 with its GBStKI. a spoke-wlicelcd. low-hnrrcd single-dealer th.it miniickcd the look of the clawie British Sm»lcs Bul the GB camc esjuippcd with the features ihat ha»e madę Japanese molorcycles so appealing. dependability. clectric itartine. eood hrakes. sclsct-imooth Controls, fail-safe clectrics

We likcd the GB a lot. Il t, lieht. handlcd dcftly and lookcd good. But therc uerc drawhacksasyiciated with the GB. in spite of its single-cylinder sophistication It was expcnsivc. and. «hdc a model of civilj|y, its engine-m trrmsof power output and sound— just ssAiift ser\ esciting Honda ad-dressed the pricc problem by lowcr-ing the GB’‘ stickcr by $500 to S569R for I99tt and the aftonnatkcl bas come to the resctic in regards to the enemę'' dclicicncics.

Whilc Br«*s.. a 15-ycar-olJ com-pjny run hs psin broihets Uan and łom Whitel ts »ell know n for its linę o! dirtbike accewries. but lias alw* bcvn selling streetbike cipnpmeni sincc 1982 Adding a dosc of cxcttc-ntcni lo the GB500 «as easy for the compans bccause of its familiurity ssith olf-road Honda four-stnikcs "Woe been buildinc XR engincs for \e.in.“ said Dan Wnlle. "TheGB engine is basścally the same as thosc uied in XRv. so »c alrcady had the

A dose of dirtbike technology leads to a better neo-classic Thumper