In the motorcycle history, the end of the 60s was the start of a new era: the Japanese one. The air-cooled inline four, such as the found found in the revolutionary 1969 Honda CB750, was the new standard of power and smoothness. Exit big American V-twins and unreliable, shaky British twins. At the end of the 70’s, Japanese manufacturers tried …
Rotary Engine – 1976 Suzuki RE-5
In 1919, young German engineer Felix Wankel started thinking about an engine that could be an alternative to the classic internal combustion engines. The engine would still work via internal combustion but instead of pistons and rods, Wankel thought about a simple rotor that would activate a shaft. Wankel got his first patent in 1929, and 28 years later (1957) …
2010 Honda VFR1200F
Honda entered 2010 with a significant update to the VFR. A new 1,200cc V4 offered torque across the rev range and a buttery smooth transmission to match. Well engineered and designed with intent, the VFR 1200F was an effective tool for mile munching both with haste and comfort. It was also the first production motorcycle with an available DCT, if …
On Any Sunday – 1974 Honda CR250M Elsinore
In the beginning of the ’70s, road bikes were starting to commonly adopt 4 stroke engines, but off-roaders were sticking to 2 strokes. Though the Japanese manufacturers had a lot of success in America with small off-road bikes, Honda struggled to a competitive off road bike. The principal reason for this is because Honda revolutionized the road bike market with …
1982 Honda FT500 Ascot
No matter the definition, a “thump” evokes something rather violent and loud. From that word came the name “thumper”, a term used to describe a single cylinder bike, typically displacing 350-500cc, a specialty of British manufacturers with bikes like the Norton Manx or the BSA Gold Star. Thumpers were easy to maintain, had a lot of torque and were recognizable …
Race Replica Restoration – 1989 Yamaha FZR400
The replica arms race of the 1980s was fiercely competitive, with manufacturers jostling for supremacy in the market. These full-faired machines started by aesthetically mimicking the factory racers, but over time companies added an increasing amount of race-bred hardware. Eventually some marques were developing their competition mounts alongside the road-going replicas. One segment manufacturers focused heavily on was the 400 …
1994 Honda CB1000
In the early 90s, Suzuki and Kawasaki both had large-displacement naked standard bikes for riders that wanted decent ergos with reasonable power, and Honda had nothing to compete with. The story is that a few engineers at Honda thought they could compete something they called “Project Big 1”, a smooth rider with retro superbike styling. The project name stuck around …
Two-Fer – 1979 and 1980 Yamaha XS1100
During the end of the ’70s, motorcycle manufacturers fought to create the most motors possible. After the 750cc and 900cc barriers were toppled, the next symbolic step was 1,000cc. Just like they did with the CB750, Honda were the first to beat that record thanks to its 1975 GL1000. In 1977 and 1978, Kawasaki and Suzuki responded to that with …
Turbo SuMo – 2009 Yamaha WR250X
In its stock form, Yamaha’s WR250X is fantastic little runner. The WR is powered by a liquid-cooled, four-stroke, 250cc, DOHC single that makes around 26 horses, and with a weight just shy of 300lbs wet, the stock 250 is an extraordinarily nimble machine. So, it’s all the more crazy that one Midwesterner opted to slap a snail onto one.
13 Honda Z50s
I can’t imagine who would want to buy this, but someone is offering a collection of 13 Honda Z50s ranging from 1979 to 1999. They’re all claimed to be in “great original condition”, but what do you do with this? Start a little bike museum? Create a school for kids? Start a spec race class?
1.7 Miles from Rick Brett – 1975 Kawasaki H2C 750
This is apparently quite the week for high dollar classic Kawasakis! As you may remember from a post back in April, legendary Kawi collector Rick Brett is liquidating his collection. He was selling most bikes through his website, but it looks like he saved a special one for eBay – a purple H2C that he calls “NOS” (New Old Stock) …
Ending Soon – 1991 Yamaha XT600E Supermoto
In a big trailie comparison story in the 1990 issue of Motorcyclist, the Yamaha XT600 was described as follows: “After ending up king of the dirt last year, Yamaha’s XT600 turned away from its roots and focused on the street. Electric starting, a swoopy new look and a more accessible seat height make it more attractive to all-surface novitiates who …
1983 Honda CX650 Turbo
With the appearance of the Japanese brands on the motorcycle market at the end of the 60s, a race of performance and technology started between different bike manufacturers. The first battle was about power and the aim of creating high cc bikes at the end of the 60s/beginning of the 70s, such as the CB750 and Z1. The end of …
First Ride – 2019 Honda CB300R
View Post#265 – 1972 Kawasaki Z1
One of the most legendary motorcycles of all time, the Z1 has been a frequent feature here on the pages of Bike-urious. This example stands out as it’s number 265 off the production line – plus I personally rode this bike a few months ago and can vouch for the quality of the bike as well as the owner.