When you were a nipper, like - what was the biggest bike around?

[cheshirecat]

For me it was the Munch Mamouth (http://www.classicsportbikesforsale.com/1971-munch-mammoth/). OK it was a car engine so doesn't really count but to us spotty teenagers riding on 70's pasta frames and non stop wet weather brakes, it was on the outer limits. After some years I bought a Honda Wing (the original 1000 version), a bit of a lump in London traffic but surprisingly quick cross country.

See the Visordown clip (http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-top-10s/top-10-biggest-capacity-motorcycles/24130.html)

[BMWST?]

the first bike that really made an impression on me was an Mach 1.He came from behind me as i was walking up over a hutt valley overbridge.So he was off the pipe as he came up to the intersection,but he gave it to it as he went up over the bridge.The memory of that sound ,the blue flash, the blue haze still gives me the shivers.

[BigAl]

Gold(lead)wing was prolly the biggest, the one I most desired was the z900, art on 2 wheels.

[jellywrestler]

the first bike that really made an impression on me was an Mach 1. mach 1 was a 250

[BMWST?]

mach 1 was a 250

This was the 500 sorry with the pipes almost parrallel to the ground

[jellywrestler]

This was the 500 sorry with the pipes almost parrallel to the ground

mach three then

[Motu]

The biggest bikes you'd be likely to see in NZ were the Vincent and Ariel Square Four, I've never come close to owning a Vincent, even a lowly Comet, but sniffed around a couple of Squaffs.

[SPman]

This was the 500 sorry with the pipes almost parrallel to the ground

Mach 1 was a Ducati.

We thought a Norton Atlas was big, and Vincents were massive.......then came the Munch.......it'd be dwarfed by some of the behemoths around today....

[Maha]

1972ish when I was in scouts one of the Scout leaders would turn up on his Blue Honda GL1000, mighty machine that it was.

[Fastmark]

That's an easy one, Z1300. Used to walk with my mate two/three times a week a couple of miles to the local bike shop just to drool over it through the window, sort of an early form of window shopping.

[slofox]

Ariel square four and the Norton Atlas way back when I was a lad - was in the olden days, eh.

[ellipsis]

...an old 28 inch wheel womens push bike I first tried to learn to stay on...the seat was so high I could only stand on the pedals and the front of the seat dug into my back when I pedalled...lots of blood on knees and hands until my older brother found a smaller wheeled thing...

[Robbo]

For me it was the Aerial Square Four, late 50's model at 997cc. and i only had a 350 Vellocette.
Had a mate that had one in the late 60's and had a lot of trouble with overheating of the two rear cylinders.

[jellywrestler]

The biggest bikes you'd be likely to see in NZ were the Vincent and Ariel Square Four, I've never come close to owning a Vincent, even a lowly Comet, but sniffed around a couple of Squaffs.

you're dreaming, my 1918 Henderson is 1000cc, my 1924 Ace is 1100cc and my 1920 Henderson is 1301cc, teen Indians were 1000cc then in the twenties they went to 1200cc and Harleys had 1200cc bikes in the twenties too.
The british produced a number of 1000cc bikes in the twenties and thirties too and yep the Vincent twins on standard bore were 998cc.

[jellywrestler]

1972ish when I was in scouts one of the Scout leaders would turn up on his Blue Honda GL1000, mighty machine that it was.

gold wings were shaft driven water cooled flat fours 1000cc and they came out in 1974, Holden produced shaft driven water cooled flat fours at 1054cc way Seventy Seven years earlier.

[swarfie]

you're dreaming, my 1918 Henderson is 1000cc, my 1924 Ace is 1100cc and my 1920 Henderson is 1301cc, teen Indians were 1000cc then in the twenties they went to 1200cc and Harleys had 1200cc bikes in the twenties too.
The british produced a number of 1000cc bikes in the twenties and thirties too and yep the Vincent twins on standard bore were 998cc.

Jeez Spyda you look a bit ruff but I didn't think you were a nipper in the teens or even the 20's :nya:

[pritch]

I was thinking 650. I'd forgotten the Squarial, had only ever seen a couple. Only ever saw one Vincent on the road as I recall.

So 650 was the normal maximum. In retrospect I think one of the bikes that impressed me most was the BSA Super Rocket owned by a guy I knew. It went well and sounded great, looked a picture too.

[Grubber]

AJS 650 was my first big impression bike. My sisters boyfriend had one. Sounded so cool. Then it was the Honda 500 four when they first came out. Remember the local dealer hooning the crap out of one up the street. Man it was so fast back then.
:headbang:

[Banditbandit]

The biggest thing we saw on the road was the 750cc - Triumph Trident or BSA Rocket 3 ... there were the old bikes - Ariels, Vincents, etc etc. But on a daily basis the 750cc were the biggest around ...

The next I remember was the Honda 750cc F1 .. then the Kwaka Z1 ... then it was all about BIG ccs ...

(Addition) clearly - my memory is not as good as it was ... others have mentioned the Norton 750cc commando and the Kwaka 900 ... I remembered both of those when I was prompted ...

[GrayWolf]

As a Nipper?
The biggest bikes were the Ariel Square 4, and the Vincent both at 1000cc

the general 'big bike' was any of the various manufacture of British 650's

[Motu]

you're dreaming, my 1918 Henderson is 1000cc, my 1924 Ace is 1100cc and my 1920 Henderson is 1301cc, teen Indians were 1000cc then in the twenties they went to 1200cc and Harleys had 1200cc bikes in the twenties too.

When you were a nipper in the '20's, yes, but when I were a nipper in the '60's it was Vincents and Squaffs.

[unstuck]

My cousins Laverda jota. That thing was huge when I was a kid. I spent hours sitting on it brum bruming away.:2thumbsup

[roogazza]

In the sixties we were the new generation on Jap 250's and the big stuff round then were Bonneville 650s and Comando 750s.

Still remember a fine clear Sunday morning in 1968 when I stopped at Te Marua, before heading over the Rimutukas.
I heard this incredible engine sound, Mal Wrigley (Wgton bloke who also raced for a bit) flew by on the first of the Triumph Tridents,a 750 3 cyl !
Complete with fur covered helmet with cow horns !!!!! :lol:

[Naki Rat]

Brit 750s were about but the Honda 750/4 was popular when released, and the Suzuki 750 'Waterbus' and Kwaka H3 :crazy:, but then Kawasaki produced the Z900 (and Z1R Turbo :cool:). Yamaha XS 850 then an 1100, Suzuki GS 1000, Kawasaki Z1000, Honda Lead Wing, Beemer's 1000RS, 850 Norton, and Honda came up with the 6 cylinder CBX 1048.

Rode a mate's CBX once (with a 6 into 1 exhaust) - fuck could that go :cool::gob::woohoo:

[pete376403]

Are we talking about physical size or engine size? Brit 650s were the big bikes of my nipper-hood, but put one next to my Suzuki GS1100GK and it would look like a mini bike.
Same with power - back then a 49hp Bonneville was a "superbike", now you need close to 200hp to gain respect

[ital916]

Woooo, first bike I ever saw when I was little was the new 88 zzr-1000....she was black and purple and fucking beautiful.

[Conquiztador]

A Panhead. I fell in love.

Then I did see a Munch Mammoth. And I started dribbling. 10 years later (in early 1970's) I was down the track of buying a Mammoth. Then a Triumph Bonny crossed my path and I have never owned one.

Today I dream of:
http://www.forum-auto.com/uploads/200508/kawasakid_1124358087_breit_2_01.jpg