It was a perfect day to be riding a motorcycle. The heat of Southern California's oven-hot summer was mostly gone. The early autumn air was just brisk enough to keep you completely alert at speed on the canyon roads. And we had three bikes guaranteed to open any sporting rider's eyes: Yamaha's lean Monoshocked 920 V-twin; Suzuki's bold Katana 1000S, a 200-proof sporting vehicle; and a 1982 Honda CB900F, a bike with sporting credentials that have already been thoroughly validated on the streets and racetracks of two continents. However, this CB900F (which was the official excuse for the day's ride), was wearing a CBX-style fairing specially built for it and color-matched to its lines. What would the extra bulk and weight of the Honda's wind-splitter do to the 900F's superb handling?        No one was worrying about that as we motored along the freeway, headed for twistier pavement. The Suzuki rider squirmed around, trying to find some

relief from the suspension's tautness, the buzz in the handlebar, and the weight on his aching arms, while the Yamaha rider settled in to endure the inevitable wind blast. For the CB900F rider, however, even the freeway cruise was a pleasure.

       The CB900F's suspension shields the rider from road irregularities as well as any street bike's suspenders, and the DOHC 16-valve engine is rubber mounted, so its vibration doesn't reach the rider either. This placid ride is complemented by the most important comfort feature, an excellent seat. The F's saddle is flat, wide, and plush.

Adding the fairing provides the final comfort touch in touring situations. The fairing is a Hondaline accessory item going for a suggested price of $565. It includes lowers, two tonneau-covered pockets, mirrors, and a headlight adjusting knob. The quartz-halogen headlight is relocated beneath a clear D.O.T.-approved cover in the fairing's nose, and the wiring normally housed in the headlight shell is stuffed in a plastic box provided for that purpose. Installing the fairing adds 32 pounds to the standard 900F's 578-pound mass.        Although it's not quite a full-coverage design, the Hondaline fairing provides a surprising amount of wind protection. Only your head, neck, and upper shoulders are unsheltered. The rider's legs are completely protected. The only comfort drawback

is the accelerated speed of the wind flowing over the top of the windscreen -- and past your helmet. The extra wind noise and pressure annoyed some testers a lot and others hardly at all. There would seem to be a market here (and on the CBX) for a taller accessory windshield without the turned-up top. The height of the smoked windshield does keep it from interfering with your vision while you're riding in a normal position. If you tuck behind it, though, the distortion in the screen may bother you. The fairing will accommodate different bars if the rider seeks a change in riding position.

       Fairings can create comfort problems. They can buzz and amplify engine noise or poke you annoyingly. The Honda fairing presents none of these problems. Although your knees can hitthe flatbacked fairing lowers during braking, etc., the designers provided rubber pads at these points to prevent the dreaded kneecap fatigue.

After 30 miles of droning up the superslab, the Honda rider was still feeling fresh and ready to romp when we pulled off onto the first section of twisty tarmac, a little-used road leading over a range of mountains through Angeles National Forest, then winding up a canyon for miles. This was where the two sportier bikes were supposed to show the comfortable Honda, burdened with its fairing; their taillights. But it didn't happen. The Katana had more power and had a slight edge in smooth corners, but it still couldn't pull away from the 900F very quickly. Even the lighter

Yamaha V-twin with its broad powerband couldn't gain enough ground in the turns to stay ahead on the straights. A better rider had the edge no matter which bike he rode. The Honda did lose ground to both the others in tight S-turns where its greater weight limited how fast it could be thrown from side to side, but its supple suspension gave it an advantage in corners where pavement patches and cracks made the other two bikes bounce and chatter. The Honda was also very stable in the fast sweepers, even more than the XV920.

Good tires, well controlled suspension, neutral steering, and excellent stability give the somewhat heavy CB900F the ability to run with the all-out canyon racers. There's plenty of traction available from the V-rated Dunlops, and the 900F has the cornering clearance to exploit the traction. Good suspension keeps the tires planted firmly on bumpy roads. The bike steers precisely, predictably, and without significant effort, and those 100-mph

sweepers don't make it break into a wallow, even with the weight of the fairing tacked on. Although the fairing made the steering just a little heavier, it certainly didn't affect the handling as much as we suspected it might. The very minor change it made to our test bike's handling was more than offset by the improved comfort.

Handling is only part of the superbike story. Chasing up those winding roads in that kind of company also requires power. The Honda CB900F has enough power to run in the high 11-second bracket through the quarter-mile, although it dropped to 12.68 seconds at 105.6 mph with the fairing. You could hardly term the engine peaky, but the power does have a slightly greater bias toward the high part of the rpm range than full 1000cc or 1100cc machines. You need to downshift to fourth at freeway speeds to get the tach needle into the muscular part of the powerband.        The CB900F also gets high marks in most of the other categories that can make a difference on curvaceous roads. The headlight is bright and casts a broad beam. The brakes are powerful and predictable, although we did get them to fade once in a photo session, after which they regained their full power. It has surprisingly smooth throttle response for a bike equipped with CV carburetors.

       Only one area remains a problem: gearshifting. Word about the CB900F's transmission difficulties apparently didn't get back to the factory in time to make a change in the appropriate parts for 1982 models. As a result, the CB900F still misses gears all too frequently. Sometimes it just fails to engage the next gear during an upshift. Sometimes it just pops out of gear after the shift. On one occasion it popped out of gear, then went back into gear when the throttle was closed. Fortunately, the problem can be avoided if you shift slowly and deliberately. Or if you want to make quick and hard shifts -- as you would on winding roads -- there is an economical, fairly easy fix.

It's just too bad Honda didn't include the change in the 1982 model. As the sun dropped down near the horizon, we stopped for photos at a sweeping 75-mph turn on the edge of the desert. It was almost as exciting to watch as to ride. The big Honda would come howling down into the turn, its engine piercing the still desert air with its muffled bellow. Then the rider would chop the throttle and dive for the apex. For an instant we'd hear a metallic scraping noise as bits of the undercarriage scratched the pavement; next, and the rider would be back on the gas for a second or two,

booming out of the turn. Then he'd grab the brakes, the chirping tires bringing him almost to a stop. A quick U-turn, and the big black bike would come bellowing back into the turn for a pass in the other direction.

Finally, 50 passes, 40 frames, half an hour, and some brake fade later, the sun disappeared behind the mountains. Another canyon road would lead us back to Los Angeles. All three riders wanted to ride the Honda. And why not? It handled about as well as the other two, and it would be a lot more comfortable, especially in the cold of the gathering darkness. We finally arrived at a democratic solution (the Editor got to ride it) and began the race home.        Although the in-line four-cylinder engine may be at the beginning of its end, the design certainly hasn't lost its appeal. In many ways, the CB900F represents the zenith of in-line four-cylinder motorcycles. During 1000 miles of testing, the comfort, power, handling, and durability of the 1982 model again established extremely high marks for newer engine designs to match. With bikes like the CB900F, the in-line four has a lot left to offer now and in the future, no matter what your riding style or preference.