World's 10 most iconic and significant bikes

[shrub]

Thinking about beautiful bikes, and it got me thinking to the road bikes that changed the world and inspired passion in generations of bikers. In no particular order;

1959 Triumph Bonneville - the first modern sportsbike. Good handling, plenty of power, great brakes and good looks (for 1959).

1969 Honda CB750. The first superbike - I considered the Z900 as an alternative, but the CB pretty well started it all.

Vincent Black Shadow - 200 kmh in the 1940s!
Ducati 916 - the first serious high performance Ducati and the bike that invented V twin superbikes

Harley Davidson Panhead - the bike that created the whole chopper thing by giving returning soldiers a powerful, reliable bike that they could chop back and make their own. Every cruiser on the road is ultimately inspired by the Pan, or more accurately what owners did to them.

1974 Honda Goldwing - the bike that invented big, luxury touring

1973 Honda XL 250 Motorsport - a bike you could ride to work on Monday and rip up the paddocks on Sunday.

1973 Yamaha RD350 - fast as fuck with great handling and brakes, this bike annihilated everything and was the beginning of fast lightweight bikes

1985 Suzuki GZXR750/1000. A race bike you could ride on the road.

1991 Hinckley Triumphs (all of them). Triumph was dead and buried, yet one man managed to bring the brand back, and they were all good bikes. Dead brands have risen again all the time - Norton, Indian, Benelli etc, but none of them have gone on to become significant players in the market.

1990 Kawasaki ZZR1100. The first of the mind numbingly fast sports tourers and the inspiration behind the Busa (which was an alternative).

Honourable mention:

CBX1000
Busa
Z900
Gixxer1000
Moto Guzzi Le Mans Mk 1
Suzuki GN250
BMW R80GS

I have excluded scooters, off road only and race bikes

God I need a life!

[avgas]

Other Honorable mention:

Lavera Jota - fastest motorcycle in 1976, and one of the first "1L superbikes" (alternative Ducati Dharma)

Aprilla RS250 - did to motorcycling what Lotus did to the car market. Make small capacity superbikes doable.

Norton Rotary - Made Ducati owners feel as if their bike was a rare a sheep in NZ

Britten - Dead artists have the best paintings. John's color scheme was horrible, but what a work of art.

Indian Scout - Inspiration that even the crappiest motorbikes could be rebuilt to giants.

Harris frames - delta-what? Trellis is for gardens....

[EJK]

<img alt="1985 Suzuki GSXR750" src="http://www.suzukicycles.org/photos/GSX-R/GSX-R750/1985_GSX-R750_whbl_wb_450.jpg" />

[ellipsis]

....1966 Suzuki T20...the Super Six....

[Paul in NZ]

World's 10 most iconic and significant bikes
Thinking about beautiful bikes, and it got me thinking to the road bikes that changed the world and inspired passion in generations of bikers. In no particular order;

1959 Triumph Bonneville - the first modern sportsbike. Good handling, plenty of power, great brakes and good looks (for 1959). – I disagree. The T120 was really just a not very wise development of a good idea – the original pre war speedtwin really was the great leap forward.

1969 Honda CB750. The first superbike - I considered the Z900 as an alternative, but the CB pretty well started it all. Agree – Triumph had a shot with the trident but stuffed up the styling. I still remember watching the Honda 4 owners club turning up some place and wondering if these guys had just beamed in from mars. Regardless of specs – this was what people wanted.

Vincent Black Shadow - 200 kmh in the 1940s! Icon yes – significant – no. It didn’t lead anywhere and was a bit of a dead end street technically. If they had got over themselves and produced a bike with teles and a lower price tag them might still be in business.

Ducati 916 - the first serious high performance Ducati and the bike that invented V twin superbikes. Iconic – yes, possibly one of the landmark designs

Harley Davidson Panhead - the bike that created the whole chopper thing by giving returning soldiers a powerful, reliable bike that they could chop back and make their own. Every cruiser on the road is ultimately inspired by the Pan, or more accurately what owners did to them. Disagree / agree. The pan arrived in 1948 meaning there were lots of unwanted knuckles sold in police auctions.

1974 Honda Goldwing - the bike that invented big, luxury touring – icon yes – but it hardly invented it. It was initially a sport tourer and it was the owners that added all the munt from guys like craig vetter. Honda thought – hmmm… theres a dollar to be made here and upsized.

1973 Honda XL 250 Motorsport - a bike you could ride to work on Monday and rip up the paddocks on Sunday. Disagree – the DT1 was the turning point. The XL250 worked better than Hondas street scramblers but the DT and TS suzukis had already worn the trail..

1973 Yamaha RD350 - fast as fuck with great handling and brakes, this bike annihilated everything and was the beginning of fast lightweight bikes. It was really a derivative of earlier bikes such as the R5 but yes – the RD’s were the one that worked best.

1985 Suzuki GZXR750/1000. A race bike you could ride on the road. – Yes and no – I think the FZR was the final piece of the puzzle and is the real turning point.

1991 Hinckley Triumphs (all of them). Triumph was dead and buried, yet one man managed to bring the brand back, and they were all good bikes. Dead brands have risen again all the time - Norton, Indian, Benelli etc, but none of them have gone on to become significant players in the market. Disagree – oh please. Hes a clever guy and done a good job but its wrong to compare him with Norton or Indian. He had a clear title to the name.

1990 Kawasaki ZZR1100. The first of the mind numbingly fast sports tourers and the inspiration behind the Busa (which was an alternative). Agree.

[Crasherfromwayback]

The mighty Z1RTC.230695

[Banditbandit]

1949 Triumph 6T Thunderbird ... possibly a bigger impact than the Bonneville.

The first Triumph 650 was a scaled up Speed Twin largely for the American market which wanted more cc. The Thunderbird was launched publicly at Montlhéry near Paris where three standard production bikes were ridden around a circuit by a team of riders who between them averaged a speed of 92 mph (148 km/h) over a distance of 500 miles (800 km). All three machines were ridden to the circuit and back to the Meriden factory .. etc etc .. ridden by Brando in The Wild One

BSA Gold Star (any year) - first real race/road bike.

Originally released with dyno information on each Individual bike (not per model) and with heaps of factory extras so they could be a race bike or a very fast road bike.

Moto Guzzi Otto Cilindri (V8) mid 1950s.. Innovative and fast ... but fucken dangerous as brakes and handling did not match the power.

[slofox]

When the Cb750 was first released, a guy I knew bought one. We took it to Ruapuna so he could sort it out.

The first time I heard it, I decided that one day I would have an IL4. Took 40 years to get round to it though...

[cheshirecat]

Would have to try and squeeze the VFR in somehow - plus the Kawa H2 The beastie really impressed for it's ease of riding in the wet. I watched one poor owner trying to persuade it round a damp roundabout once. - And a 1970 circa MV 750.

The early CB 750 will always remain though.
Had a K2 with those big green instruments right up in your face and the bark from those pipes blowing bits of rust out.

[shrub]

Would have to try and squeeze the VFR in somehow - plus the Kawa H2 The beastie really impressed for it's ease of riding in the wet. I watched one poor owner trying to persuade it round a damp roundabout once. - And a 1970 circa MV 750.

The early CB 750 will always remain though.
Had a K2 with those big green instruments right up in your face and the bark from those pipes blowing bits of rust out.

The VFR is a bit of a dead end - excellent bikes, but the V4 engine config has never taken off whereas the IL4 has. The H2 was an incredibly cool bike, but again it didn't influence or change motorcycling in any way - except maybe hurry up the development of rigid frames and decent brakes.

[bogan]

The VFR is a bit of a dead end - excellent bikes, but the V4 engine config has never taken off whereas the IL4 has. The H2 was an incredibly cool bike, but again it didn't influence or change motorcycling in any way - except maybe hurry up the development of rigid frames and decent brakes.

ahh, but the VFRs and their smaller cousins (NSRs and bros's) were the first big road production (iirc) that brought in the SSSA, and the VFR definetly fits the Iconic category as well.

[Crasherfromwayback]

Ducati 916 - the first serious high performance Ducati and the bike that invented V twin superbikes



Great post, and it's always fun to read others opinion on bikes that mean something to them!

As far as the 916 goes though...whilst styling wise it really hit the nail on the head, it was actually the 851 that mechanically started it all.

[shrub]

Great post, and it's always fun to read others opinion on bikes that mean something to them!

As far as the 916 goes though...whilst styling wise it really hit the nail on the head, it was actually the 851 that mechanically started it all.

Yeah, that's true.

I can still remember the first 916 I saw - I was walking up Manchester St and the buildings started shaking (happens a lot these days), and there was this deep rumble. A red bike pulled up at the lights and it just blew me away. I'd read about them, but to see that single sided swingarm, high exhaust pipes and styling that made an F16 look slow....

He took off from the lights, popped a quick wheely and was gone.

[Crasherfromwayback]

Yeah, that's true.

I can still remember the first 916 I saw - I was walking up Manchester St and the buildings started shaking (happens a lot these days), and there was this deep rumble. A red bike pulled up at the lights and it just blew me away. I'd read about them, but to see that single sided swingarm, high exhaust pipes and styling that made an F16 look slow....

He took off from the lights, popped a quick wheely and was gone.

916's are still fuckin sexy today I reckon. I worked in a Ducati dealership when the 851/888 was released. Nearly wet my pants.

[gammaguy]

<a href="http://s56.photobucket.com/albums/g177/unternichtuber/?action=view&amp;current=SuzukiRG5004.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g177/unternichtuber/SuzukiRG5004.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[240]

The Suzuki Gt750. I mean come on, a big 750cc fucken water cooled 2 stroke triple with four big chrome exhausts how fucken cool is that!!:Punk:

[Murray]

Has to be there

<iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yeMgEuf30G4" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen></iframe>

[BuzzardNZ]

+1 on the RD350

Others I think should have made the list are the following 'widowmakers':

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawasaki_H2_Mach_IV

and

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_TL1000S

[BuzzardNZ]

The Suzuki Gt750. I mean come on, a big 750cc fucken water cooled 2 stroke triple with four big chrome exhausts how fucken cool is that!!:Punk:

Yup, was an awesome bike, still see a nice restored one riding around Wellington.
I think you'll find it has 3 big chrome exhausts, it being a triple and all.:yes:

[ellipsis]

....a triple it is, but you may find it has 4 chrome bits...:yes:

[gammaguy]

The Suzuki Gt750. I mean come on, a big 750cc fucken water cooled 2 stroke triple with four big chrome exhausts how fucken cool is that!!:Punk:
cooler than a polar bear with a mouth full of ice

first big bike i rode,absolutely loved it.:yes:

[gammaguy]

....a triple it is, but you may find it has 4 chrome bits...:yes:

in the interests of balance,and of course to out four the honda cb 750 diesel....sorry,four stroke.....Suzuki Siamesed the pipes to end up with four mufflers and indeed,four chrome ends(on the early models),this was dispensed with on later ones.

personally i think they looked cool and nice and balanced that way,even if they weighed a ton.:shutup:

<a href="http://s56.photobucket.com/albums/g177/unternichtuber/?action=view&amp;current=SuzukiGT75072.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g177/unternichtuber/SuzukiGT75072.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>


<a href="http://s56.photobucket.com/albums/g177/unternichtuber/?action=view&amp;current=gt750k-2-461-w400.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g177/unternichtuber/gt750k-2-461-w400.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[Paul in NZ]

[QUOTE=Banditbandit;1129973561]1949 Triumph 6T Thunderbird ... possibly a bigger impact than the Bonneville. ridden by Brando in The Wild One

very True....

BSA Gold Star (any year) - first real race/road bike.

Originally released with dyno information on each Individual bike (not per model) and with heaps of factory extras so they could be a race bike or a very fast road bike.

Meh! heaps of prewar bikes matched that. What about a Rudge Ulster 4V or any of the old TT replicas? brough superior, late 20's early 30's with a certificate that guaranteed it exceeded 100mph

[Paul in NZ]

GT750's were old mens bikes - more a tourer and not for the maniacs. Maniac's wanted a Kawasaki h2.....

[Stylo]

[QUOTE=Banditbandit;1129973561]1949 Triumph 6T Thunderbird ... possibly a bigger impact than the Bonneville. ridden by Brando in The Wild One

very True....

BSA Gold Star (any year) - first real race/road bike.

Originally released with dyno information on each Individual bike (not per model) and with heaps of factory extras so they could be a race bike or a very fast road bike.

Meh! heaps of prewar bikes matched that. What about a Rudge Ulster 4V or any of the old TT replicas? brough superior, late 20's early 30's with a certificate that guaranteed it exceeded 100mph

Don't forget the some of the bikes the from slightly left of popular ....

'74 DT360, KX500, CR500 , and the Suzuki GSXR1300 ......the quiet achiever

[Pussy]

GT750's were old mens bikes - more a tourer and not for the maniacs. Maniac's wanted a Kawasaki h2.....

Not STRICTLY true, Paul!
I had a mate from Galatea (Bruce Davis was/is his name) who could ride the bloody wheels off a waterbus. He bought a brand new GT750A in 1977. I used to have a picture of him JUMPING the thing on a bridge near Galatea. He was a superbly skilled rider.
It was his influence that got me in to "boring" road bikes

[Pussy]

[QUOTE=Paul in NZ;1129974015]

Don't forget the some of the bikes the from slightly left of popular ....

'74 DT360,

That's a minter DT 360A! Nice!!

[Edbear]

Not STRICTLY true, Paul!
I had a mate from Galatea (Bruce Davis was/is his name) who could ride the bloody wheels off a waterbus. He bought a brand new GT750A in 1977. I used to have a picture of him JUMPING the thing on a bridge near Galatea. He was a superbly skilled rider.
It was his influence that got me in to "boring" road bikes

Galatea is a very pretty area! I used to call on the farms there with my old business and they were real nice people! :yes:

Motorbikes are so individual there will be a huge variety of them on people's lists, but certainly can't argue with the OP.

[FlangMasterJ]

<a href="http://s25.photobucket.com/albums/c52/FlangMasterJ/?action=view&amp;current=ApriliaSXV450061.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c52/FlangMasterJ/ApriliaSXV450061.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[Pussy]

Galatea is a very pretty area! I used to call on the farms there with my old business and they were real nice people! :yes:



The people from Rerewhakaaitu were fairly nice, too! :whistle:
A guy I drove tractors for (Brian Dale) had a minter DT360A that I used to spend a bit of time riding

[yod]

(with some bias I admit) Honourable mention to the GPz900R - predecessor to the ZZR1100 and successor to the Z900

1984, 16 valve, water cooled, first of it's kind, took the double at the IoM I believe? Very impressive on the track. Certainly wasn't perfect but a flagship in sportsbike development none the less.

[Edbear]

The people from Rerewhakaaitu were fairly nice, too! :whistle:
A guy I drove tractors for (Brian Dale) had a minter DT360A that I used to spend a bit of time riding

Can't argue with that either! I used to look forward to my rounds in the area.

I learned to ride on my Mum's BSA Bantam 125, so while not an Earth shattering marvel, must have been one of the world's most popular little bikes for learning on!

[Katman]

There can be only one.......

<img src="http://www.suzukicycles.org/photos/Katana/GSX1100S/1981_GSX1100S_Katana_520.jpg"/>

[pete376403]

Suzuki GS750 - wasn't the first or the biggest inline four, but certainly the best allround package (brakes, handling & power)

[Crasherfromwayback]

(with some bias I admit) Honourable mention to the GPz900R - predecessor to the ZZR1100 and successor to the Z900



I concur. The GPZ900 was also the only bike that made the 16" front wheel feel nice too!

[avgas]

'74 DT360
DT360 couldn't hold a flame to the...... TS/ER185.
A bike that apart from cosmetics has not changed since 1971.....

Likewise the equivalent EL/XR bikes.

The DT has gone through more engine facelifts, frame facelifts, suspension facelifts......than Dolly Parton

:Pokey:

(your 74' is bloody nice though :drinkup:)

[avgas]

Dunno aye.
I thought 1 was new
2 (wire) was cool
3 (popup) was the stylish one
4 (fairing) was HORRIBLE FAT BASTARD
5 (anniversary) was choice
....
and 6 is just to die for! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_Stratosphere)


There can be only one.......

http://www.suzukicycles.org/photos/Katana/GSX1100S/1981_GSX1100S_Katana_520.jpg

[ducatilover]

There can be only one.......



I've heard only hooligans and irresponsible riders have them. :corn::corn:

Everyone knows the CT90/110 wins, the Beetle of bikes....:innocent:

[Pussy]

There can be only one.......



I know you liked this, too! :p

230741

[PrincessBandit]

There can be only one.......



I was waiting for that!

Hey, even the mighty ginny got an honourable mention in the OP. Awwwww.

[SMOKEU]

RG500 anyone? They appear to be very nice bikes.

I really do like the big 2 stroke sports bikes from the 1980's.

[ducatilover]

What about the NR750? Proved that an awesome idea can be heavy and shit. :facepalm:

[Sensei]

You talk about Iconic & significant then the TT500 Yamaha was & still is the Koolest single 230742230743

[EJK]

<img width="450" src="http://www.aucklandlifestyle.com/images/Britten-V1000-1995.jpg" />


<img width="450" src="http://www.diseno-art.com/images/y2k_bike.jpg" />


<img width="450" src="http://www.motorcycle.com/images/content/Review/08_apr_bmw_gs_01.jpg" />
Most popular BMW ever. I think it deserve a place now... barely.

[Brian d marge]

What about the NR750? Proved that an awesome idea can be heavy and shit. :facepalm:

Having riden one , they wernt that bad , but not for the price , the Vfr that was just as good if not better


My top ten

Royal Enfield
Royal Enfield
Royal Enfield
Royal Enfield
Ducati 250 Desmo
Bsa Bantam
Triumph 500 Daytona
Bmw R65
Cx500 ( dr so plastic maggot has a place )
Honda cub , cos it was on telly

Stephen

[nudemetalz]

RG500 anyone? They appear to be very nice bikes.

I really do like the big 2 stroke sports bikes from the 1980's.

Yes they were better than the RZ500 but the Yamaha was awesome in it's day,..won the Oz 6 hour against bikes double it's size.
Ah I loved mine....

[gammaguy]

I concur. The GPZ900 was also the only bike that made the 16" front wheel feel nice too!

sorry dude,dont agree

I have been in the motorcycle industry for a long time,ridden lots of bikes,raced many too

My RG 400 is the best steering and one of the best handling bikes I have ever ridden.Period

Its all a case of setting them up right.I remember a while ago now Steve Dundon built a wicked little RG250 F2 bike.It had a 16" front wheel,and the handling was brilliant.

truth is too many people didnt fit the right tyres,or had no idea how to set them up properly,since most 16"fronts coincided with the Japanese wanting to have multi adjustable everything.

And of course,Moto GP seem to have gone back to (almost)16" fronts again.
Maybe they are onto something?:yes:

[Crasherfromwayback]

sorry dude,dont agree

I have been in the motorcycle industry for a long time,ridden lots of bikes,raced many too

My RG 400 is the best steering and one of the best handling bikes I have ever ridden.Period

Its all a case of setting them up right.I remember a while ago now Steve Dundon built a wicked little RG250 F2 bike.It had a 16" front wheel,and the handling was brilliant.

And of course,Moto GP seem to have gone back to (almost)16" fronts again.
Maybe they are onto something?:yes:

That's cool. I don't mind that you don't agree! Without wishing to sound rude though...if you think your RG400 is one of THE best hadling bikes 'period', you can't have ridden that many late model bikes. By today's standards, they're wobbly piles of poo. Don't get me wrong, I love old bikes, and have raced all sorts of things on and off road (doing some VMX at the mo), but modern bikes have come a loooooong way in the 25 years I've been in the industry mate. 19 of the last have been working for Steve Dundon funnily enough...

And the 16.5" tyres the Moto GP bikes are using, I bet have the same roolling dia as most modern low profile 17" fronts we use.

[Stylo]

DT360 couldn't hold a flame to the...... TS/ER185.
A bike that apart from cosmetics has not changed since 1971.....

Likewise the equivalent EL/XR bikes.

The DT has gone through more engine facelifts, frame facelifts, suspension facelifts......than Dolly Parton

:Pokey:

(your 74' is bloody nice though :drinkup:)

Thanks but remember, there was only ever one DT360, that was the A model, it's predecesor was the range of RT-1 models and it's successor was the DT400B in 1975, an equally desirable bike , then the C , D and E models ( all Monoshock ) Be nice to have any one of them now ......

[gammaguy]

That's cool. I don't mind that you don't agree! Without wishing to sound rude though...if you think your RG400 is one of THE best hadling bikes 'period', you can't have ridden that many late model bikes. By today's standards, they're wobbly piles of poo. Don't get me wrong, I love old bikes, and have raced all sorts of things on and off road (doing some VMX at the mo), but modern bikes have come a loooooong way in the 25 years I've been in the industry mate. 19 of the last have been working for Steve Dundon funnily enough...

And the 16.5" tyres the Moto GP bikes are using, I bet have the same roolling dia as most modern low profile 17" fronts we use.

actually chap.i said best steering,and then ONE of the best handling.

And FYI i worked for a Suzuki Franchise Dealer until very recently,and the new GSXR s i rode were indeed wonderful.

Ill stick to my Gamma anyway thanks :)

[Crasherfromwayback]

Ill stick to my Gamma anyway thanks :)

And I'd love to own one too! And an RZ500...and an RD350LC...and...a TZ700!

[NZsarge]

The first Fireblade and R1 must rate a mention too, tis when the Japanese started to ramp up the light weight high horsepower machines of the modern era.

[gammaguy]

The first Fireblade and R1 must rate a mention too, tis when the Japanese started to ramp up the light weight high horsepower machines of the modern era.

to me there are three main eras of the modern motorcycle(post 1970)

The early era(seventies) was when power started to ramp up sharply,such as the Kawasaki Mach Three,honda CB 750 and Kawasaki Z1.later the CBX six,Suzuki GSX 1100 etc.The frames and suspension were often sadly left behind however

Then came the 80 s when the focus turned to the frames(RG 250 aluminium frame for example)and suspension(suzuki and Yamaha anti dive,Kawasaki and Yamaha with early Single shock rear suspension on road bikes)

Then came the mid to late 80 s when they started getting it all right and putting together machines that were a complete package,with good power,great brakes and good handling,with weight reduction becoming important.The early Suzuki GSXR 750 and RG 500 springs to mind here(not saying they got it perfect,but they recognised and worked on these areas specifically)

Since then it has basically been a progression of refinement of that era,a few speed bumps and leaps forward along the way,but we are truly all in the Golden Era right now:yes:

just my opinion :shutup:

[skippa1]

The first R1's are hot and set the standard for what we see on the road today:woohoo:

[Stylo]

The first R1's are hot and set the standard for what we see on the road today:woohoo:

Ahem...The Hayabusa ?

197 at the crank, off the floor and torque to kill for , doe'snt sound like anyone on this thread has ever had the pleasure....:woohoo:

The smile machine, 150 in first and it get's better from there ....:yes:

[popelli]

Thinking about beautiful bikes, and it got me thinking to the road bikes that changed the world and inspired passion in generations of bikers. In no particular order;

1959 Triumph Bonneville - the first modern sportsbike. Good handling, plenty of power, great brakes and good looks (for 1959). 36 speedtwin would be a better choice as it influenced british bikes for over 30 years

1969 Honda CB750. The first superbike - I considered the Z900 as an alternative, but the CB pretty well started it all. slower than a sportster slower than a bonnieville, slower than a trident, slower than a lightning - this was not the worlds first superbike, nor was it teh fastest bike in 69 - it was a trendsetter but not a superbike

Vincent Black Shadow - 200 kmh in the 1940s! YES no argument

Ducati 916 - the first serious high performance Ducati and the bike that invented V twin superbikesYES no argument

Harley Davidson Panhead - the bike that created the whole chopper thing by giving returning soldiers a powerful, reliable bike that they could chop back and make their own. Every cruiser on the road is ultimately inspired by the Pan, or more accurately what owners did to them. No the knuckle head was the first massproduced OHV harley and that and sidevalves were what the returned servicemen were riding

1974 Honda Goldwing - the bike that invented big, luxury touring yes it did create a whole new market segment, more or less by accident, the first goldwing was naked rather than a full blown tourer

1973 Honda XL 250 Motorsport - a bike you could ride to work on Monday and rip up the paddocks on Sunday. no that was the 1968 Yamaha DT250

1973 Yamaha RD350 - fast as fuck with great handling and brakes, this bike annihilated everything and was the beginning of fast lightweight bikes questionable suzuki and kawasaki had great 2 stroke twins before the RD yamaha came out - the RD yamaha was better but it was not the first

1985 Suzuki GZXR750/1000. A race bike you could ride on the road. Ok

1991 Hinckley Triumphs (all of them). Triumph was dead and buried, yet one man managed to bring the brand back, and they were all good bikes. Dead brands have risen again all the time - Norton, Indian, Benelli etc, but none of them have gone on to become significant players in the market. Yes they brought a brand back to life but they were not significant bikes that were copied by others, they have not changed the face of motorcycling

1990 Kawasaki ZZR1100. The first of the mind numbingly fast sports tourers and the inspiration behind the Busa (which was an alternative).



and possibly the most significant bike which did change the face of motorcyling for ever the honda C50 stepthrough, it sold millions brought mass production and high quality to teh masses and eventually brought the japanese into a dominent position in the motorcycling world

[toycollector10]

1969 Honda CB750. The first superbike - I considered the Z900 as an alternative, but the CB pretty well started it all.

I lusted after both of these bikes when I was a lad. Now I have them both and thrash them on a regular basis. As to comparisons between them. Each have their strengths but the CB was the first in 1969.

[scumdog]

The mighty Z1RTC.230695

If I had sold tickets to everybody who stopped to look at my XN85 this weekend (and their mates they dragged back to have a look)at the BRONZ rally I would have quite a pile of money right now.

To me it's an iconic turbo bike - the best developed and sorted of the turbo bikes.

Buth those sort of bikes are a niche thing I guess.

[Brian d marge]

If I had sold tickets to everybody who stopped to look at my XN85 this weekend (and their mates they dragged back to have a look)at the BRONZ rally I would have quite a pile of money right now.

To me it's an iconic turbo bike - the best developed and sorted of the turbo bikes.

Buth those sort of bikes are a niche thing I guess.

I alway regarded the police with , judgment and to be the creme del a creme of society


I am young and have guilded view of society , please let me dream a little while longer ,,,,

Stephen

[Crasherfromwayback]

I lusted after both of these bikes when I was a lad. Now I have them both and thrash them on a regular basis. As to comparisons between them. Each have their strengths but the CB was the first in 1969.

VERY nice mate. I'm jealous!!!


If I had sold tickets to everybody who stopped to look at my XN85 this weekend (and their mates they dragged back to have a look)at the BRONZ rally I would have quite a pile of money right now.
.

The XN85 was (is) cool for sure. Not too many floating around now either!

[pzkpfw]

The XN85 was (is) cool for sure. Not too many floating around now either!

So it is a bit like the Titanic...

[Crasherfromwayback]

So it is a bit like the Titanic...

Hahaha...they don't float too well no! Well the Kawasaki 750 turbo was in my opinion the best most sorted turbo bike...and they sold well! Lots of them still floating around!