TV - The Greatest Ever Motorcycles

[notme]

The Greatest Ever
Motorcycles
Thu-24-Nov 19:30
DURATION: 60
GENRE: General Entertainment
RATING: PGR

Thu-17-Nov 19:30 TV3



<hr border="noshade" color="#488bbd">DESCRIPTION: The fastest, most stylish motorcycles of all time are compared by bike enthusiasts to find the coolest motor cycle of all time.

:banana:

[Hitcher]

Should be worth a look. It will be interesting to see if they include anything made in Japan...

[kro]

Thanks dude, I will be watching.

[onearmedbandit]

Okay, ideas on what bikes will feature? I think we might see the following;

Vincent Black Shadow (supposedly the 'GSXR1000' of it's day.)
Bimota Tesi
Ducati 916
Honda NR750
Suzuki GSX1300R 'busa
Kawasaki Z1R (old school)

What else do you think might be there, or one's of mine you don't think will be there? I'm on a performance track here, just going by last weeks car program and I don't think bikes like the Goldwing and HD full dress cruisers qualify as the worlds greatest bikes, especially to make a program about. Speed, style, uniqueness will be some of the attributes that I hope make up this program.

Oh yeah, I'm no doubt missing many more older bikes, that's not due to them not qualifying, more to do with me not embarrassing myself by getting their names wrong.

[notme]

I refuse to comment further on this thread, I have a mate who works at TV3! :doobey: I did see on the TV ad ( i think it starts screening today?) that they did some sort of drag between a bike and a jet fighter.....didn't catch the bike but i imagine it will be an R1 or similar, i.e. fast yet standard production bike.

[notme]

Ha!

ok i lied - check this quote out (the Britten features on the show):


“… the Britten is without doubt the most widely admired motorcycle in the world today. There are people all over the world who admire the Britten, people who had frankly never heard of New Zealand if it wasn’t for the Britten motorcycle … It’s incredibly ironic that really the most sophisticated, the most technically advanced motorcycle in the world today was built in the South Island of New Zealand which is just about as far away from motorcycle mankind as you can possibly go.”
- Alan Cathcart, motorcycling race rider and journalist

[onearmedbandit]

I did think of the Britten, but thought that they may not include race only bikes. That opens up the possibilites now.

[gamgee]

if it's anything like that stupid worlds best sportscars then it will suck, that show really should have been called "A Biased american cunts view on the best sportscars, but seeing as there aren't any good american ones we'll just put one in there, and get washed up nobodies to write off the cars from any country buy america"

[onearmedbandit]

Hmmm, you obviously got a different view from that program than I did. #1 was Porsche, #2 was Maclaren F1, #3 was Mazda Miata (MX-5), which is Japanese but designed in America, #4 was from memory the E-Type. The Corvette got a roasting for its cornering performance and reliability.

However the joke for me was when both the narrator and then Chad McQueen both said that a turbo recycles the exhaust gases back into the engine. So, really you sould only ever have to fill your cars lungs once with a turbo engine, then just recycle it back into the engine from the exhaust via the turbo. Laughable. And I did hear it correctly.

[gamgee]

the commentators ruined the show tho, it would have been better if they just showed like a number 10 then the car driving, i'm watching it now and the commentators and driving me crazy, i don't think i can watch the rest, i'm only up to number 5

[GSVR]

If its like the sportcar one they won't be all superbikes. You'll get a Harley there as well. Maybee even one of the early Jap commuters.

[gamgee]

i meant more the way they completely wrote the GTR off just because they aren't allowed it in America :bash:

[GSVR]

Okay, ideas on what bikes will feature? I think we might see the following;

Vincent Black Shadow (supposedly the 'GSXR1000' of it's day.)
Bimota Tesi
Ducati 916
Honda NR750
Suzuki GSX1300R 'busa
Kawasaki Z1R (old school)

What else do you think might be there, or one's of mine you don't think will be there? I'm on a performance track here, just going by last weeks car program and I don't think bikes like the Goldwing and HD full dress cruisers qualify as the worlds greatest bikes, especially to make a program about. Speed, style, uniqueness will be some of the attributes that I hope make up this program.

Oh yeah, I'm no doubt missing many more older bikes, that's not due to them not qualifying, more to do with me not embarrassing myself by getting their names wrong.

MV Agusta
Ducati

[gamgee]

jonathan glancey the 'design expert' basically just sat there and said they were all ugly, they're sportscars you fucken idiot, they are supposed to go fast, and they look good to people who aren't gay pink shirt wearers

[gamgee]

the mazda miata is the worst car there and it's ugly and the fucken commentators love it, why don't they all just go roger each other in the broom closet, arrrrgh i hate this show

[gamgee]

i do agree that the porsche 911 should take it for the reasons they gave tho

[GSVR]

i do agree that the porsche 911 should take it for the reasons they gave tho

Hitler had something to do with that. I reacon the Volks Wagon has to be the worlds greatest sportscar.

[onearmedbandit]

the mazda miata is the worst car there and it's ugly and the fucken commentators love it, why don't they all just go roger each other in the broom closet, arrrrgh i hate this show

Bang for buck though, it's very hard to beat. Ever driven one? I prefer the gen 1 model, but took a 98 MX5 RS 6 speed with bilstein suspension home last night. I had to pick up my 6yr old daughter, was a beautiful night so took that instead of my normal drive. Fucking brilliant to drive, precise sharp steering, well balanced, very good sports car.

[gamgee]

but you still would have looked like a fag :lol:

[FzerozeroT]

Here's hoping for an Aprillia RS250, "the last two stroke ever made" type comment?
a buell and a harley for the americans, possibly a Jessie James (or other custom) chopper?
Ducati 916 of course.
Suzuki GT750 (i think it was that one? the 'waterbottle'?)
Kawasaki 'widowmaker'?
Rotary Norton?
the first of the Fireblades?

They will basically just try and get the biggest variation in themes and age, otherwise it would be just the latest 1000's and 600's

[gamgee]

just saw the ad for it and there is a scooter and a chopper in there, was too short to see what they were but someone will know

[FzerozeroT]

wonder if it was a honda, 'You meet the nicest people on a honda.'

[pritch]

MV Augusta

I begin to understand why some people are concerned about "spelling their names wrong":whistle:

[Timber020]

but you still would have looked like a fag :lol:

If you get hung up on things just because of looks, lifes going to be rather a shallow swim for you. I havent owned one but I think the MX5's are one of the best most enjoyable cars I have driven, only takes a few thou and they can be a great targa car to. They arent very fast but they are real drivers cars, probably the closest thing to a bike this side of the atom.

A mate has a evo6 and prior to that a gtr skyline. His partner has an mx5 which he has bagged for 6 years. But whenever they go on trips he always makes excuses to take the mx5, and do all the driving.

[vtec]

I just saw an advert for this during the A1gp, and it looks like it may feature the Britten :)

[badlieutenant]

someone had better mention the rc30.

[avgas]

the mazda miata is the worst car there and it's ugly and the fucken commentators love it, why don't they all just go roger each other in the broom closet, arrrrgh i hate this show
When you drive one you will understand why it is good. Think of a basic chassis that has been refined to perfection. Had the glory of driving a 200+ KW 'sleeper' many moons ago - made the 911, GTR and Evo 3, i had driven before - feel as if they were assembled from random parts.

[avgas]

Bikes missing so far:
RVF400
ZXR400
RG250 Walterwolf
RZ350
R1 (first real - "Fuck you" motorcycle, that could beat a blade)
BMW GS 650
Ducati 916
Bimota VDUE
Munch Mammut
KTM Duke
CB750
XS11
CBRXX Blackbird
RD350 LC
GSXR750
GPZ750 turbo

[Aiolos]

Here's hoping for an Aprillia RS250, "the last two stroke ever made" type comment?

Doesn't kawasaki still make KR150s?

[TLDV8]

Depends what Greatest means ?..if its greatest bike to get the planet mobile or contribution ..then things like Vespa's,BSA Bantams and Honda Postie bikes enter the picture,sold in their millions unlike some flash in the pan bikes.

[Big Dave]

Triumph Bonneville.
Redefined performance and was the most coveted machine by 2 generations of motorcyclists. Quality slipped at the end - but no other bike dominated for so long.

Harley-Davidson Electra Glide.
Has endured and been the basis for some of the best selling machines worldwide for thirty years.

Honda K1 750.
Shifted the centre of the motorcycle universe.

Kawasaki Z1.
Made it go faster and set us on the path to todays sprotsbikes.

Ago's Agusta.
Nothing ever dominated so completely.

Honda CB100
Because Hitcher says.

[Coyote]

The Ducati 916 Senna should get a mention with any luck

[Lou Girardin]

F1, #3 was Mazda Miata (MX-5), which is Japanese but designed in America,.

Nope. a Merkin was involved in the design, but it was done in the Land of The Rising Sun.

[Hitcher]

And the Honda CB100

[Motu]

I reckon that should be SL100,they were a crap dirt bike compared to the Yamaha's and Suzuki's,but they looked so good,they seemed to be everywhere at the time,much more popular than the CB,the CB was a girls bike.

[Paul in NZ]

Triumph Bonneville.
Redefined performance and was the most coveted machine by 2 generations of motorcyclists. Quality slipped at the end - but no other bike dominated for so long.

Harley-Davidson Electra Glide.
Has endured and been the basis for some of the best selling machines worldwide for thirty years.

Honda K1 750.
Shifted the centre of the motorcycle universe.

Kawasaki Z1.
Made it go faster and set us on the path to todays sprotsbikes.

Ago's Agusta.
Nothing ever dominated so completely.

Honda CB100
Because Hitcher says.

Agree with it all except maybe the MV... MV went back on the agreement they had with the other makers to stop running a factory team in 1957 and it is arguable that there was very little competition. In that category I would place the BSA Gold Star 350 as it so dominated production bike racing they abandoned the class. Nothing else had a hope of winning for years.

I would add...

Yamaha RD350 dominated proddie racing and was cheap fast and very very good
Manx Norton and AJS 7R true over the counter gp bikes still being raced in the 100's
Brough Superior - because lawrence of Arabia died on one and it was the coolest bike in the world.
HD Sportster - Mad / bad and iconic
HD XR750 - SEXY
Suzuki GSXR750 Nothing was ever the same afterwards
Honda Fireblade - Ditto
Ducati 916 - Everyone can remember the first one they saw - stunning
Honda 50 step through...

[Oscar]

I'm with Paul's last choice - the C50.

In 1999 Kiwi Rider asked for nominations for Bike of the Century.
Here's mineand it pretty much sums up what would be on my "Greatest Ever" list:


I like the idea of a Bike of the Century Award. The problem is that the use of the Motorcycle has changed radically through this century.

From 1900 to 1970, a Motorcycle was a necessity of life. My Dad owned one because a car was too expensive and a pushbike was too slow. During the last thirty years Motorcycles ownership as “sole means of transport” has become increasing rare.

The other problem is the New Zealand perspective. In terms of having real impact on New Zealand Society only one type of motorcycle would even register. The Farm Bike delivered the coup de grace to the working farm horse and put a sizable crimp in sales of Tractors. It made farmers more productive and therefore added to the growth in New Zealand’s economy.

However, because I’m an opinionated bastard, I won’t let this stand in the way of a good argument.

The Harley sounds like a good nomination at first, but consider this:
On the technological side, a vee configuration was one of the logical ways to get two cylinders in to a bike frame and keep it short and simple (only one crankshaft required). Harley were not the only ones doing it and may not have even been the first (if they were, I humbly apologise and realise I am not fit to choke on a Harley’s exhaust). The engine itself has importance only in hindsight, as the Harley is the only survivor from that era in the USA.

In terms of the whole century Harley Davidson’s impact was low from a New Zealand perspective until relatively recently – I don’t remember clapping eyes on one in New Zealand until well into the Lange Government.

I’m sorry to crap on about perspective, but the 430,000 members of HOG pale when placed next to 100,000,000 motorcycles produced by Honda since 1945.

In my opinion (and any death threats for the following comments should be kept to forty words or less) Harley Davidson disqualifies itself because it produces more (or maybe less) than a motorcycle. During the last third of the 20th Century Harley engineering entered a cul de sac and is now irrelevant to rest of the industry (a successful irrelevance, I hasten to add). At further risk to my life, I would suggest that as a result of its ability to sell the image, Harley has so far removed itself from the mainstream of motorcycling that it is now selling a different product entirely. Not a motorcycle but a range of life style accessories (I am now applying to become Salman Rushdie’s flatmate).

Other nominations that spring to mind are the BMW R Series (for longevity and engineering excellence), the Honda CB750 (the first superbike) or the Yamaha DT1 (for defining “dual purpose”), but in my humble opinion there is only one champion.

The Honda C50 Super Cub - A motorcycle that sold 25,0000,000 copies.
It was cheap, easy to ride and reliable. Even at the time its engineering wasn’t that revolutionary, but it was simple and cheap to produce and its social and economic impact was huge.

There were other Japanese and Italian step-thrus available at the time, but it was Honda’s clever marketing (particularly in the USA) that kicked off the motorcycle revolution of the late sixties and early seventies. Honda’s advertising for the Cub had a lot to do with making motorcycles more socially acceptable in the early sixties (“You meet the nicest people on a Honda”).

The Cub was the foundation of the Honda Empire and provided the financial and technological basis for motorcycles such as the CB750, Goldwing & CBX, to name a few.

Even though we in New Zealand have pretty much outgrown the step-thru, the Cub and Cub clones still move half of Asia every day. In New Zealand it also provided the basis of one our first farm bikes, the CT90. I don’t know how many bikes Honda have sold in NZ, but I doubt any other marque comes close.

I know the Cub is not sexy or powerful, but I struggle to imagine how Honda (and by extension, the rest of the Motorcycle Industry) would have managed without it.

[NC]

someone had better mention the rc30.
Fuck yeah!

[onearmedbandit]

Yes definately the RC30.

[Hitcher]

Honda CB100
Because Hitcher says.
Retrospective posting. A whole new phenomenum...

[Paul in NZ]

I'm with Paul's last choice - the C50.

In 1999 Kiwi Rider asked for nominations for Bike of the Century.
Here's mineand it pretty much sums up what would be on my "Greatest Ever" list:

I'd he hard pressed to disagree with any of what you wrote except perhaps to move the 1970 date back a tad. I doubt by 1960 may people took family holidays on a motorcycle and side car. The qualification to that is, while the cheap car had definately arrived (imaging the whole family going for a holiday these days in an Austin A30 - god - they would have a heart attack) the era of the affordable second car had not. Hundreds of C50's and associated other 'commuter' bikes carried married blokes to work for ages.

Good write up...

[enigma51]

I think seeing that they made the porsche the greatest sports car they will most probably have some stupid bike as the greatest ever sports bikes something like a harley

[Big Dave]

Retrospective posting. A whole new phenomenum...

Was that the question or the answer?

[Colapop]

...Austin A30 - god - they would have a heart attack..

Hey I Learned to drive in an A30! - in the '80's too!!

What about the Ellehammer or the DNEPR MT10-36? (see photos below)
The Ellehammer was a Danish motorcycle that helped introduce the idea of engine driven transport to Europe and the DNEPR MT 10-36 was known as the Russian Harley. The point that I make is that choosing a best bike is so subjective it can never be done.

[Big Dave]

The point that I make is that choosing a best bike is so subjective it can never be done.

true - but I still bet it wasn't russian.

[onearmedbandit]

I think seeing that they made the porsche the greatest sports car they will most probably have some stupid bike as the greatest ever sports bikes something like a harley

Ohhh, waddaya mean???

[Colapop]

You capitalist pig! The Communist Revoltion will comink for you.

[cowpoos]

Hitler had something to do with that. I reacon the Volks Wagon has to be the worlds greatest sportscar.

Vw beetles were designed by ferdinand porsche...for hilter
the interesting thing was that ferdinand porsche was a frenchman!

[cowpoos]

I reckon that should be SL100,they were a crap dirt bike compared to the Yamaha's and Suzuki's,but they looked so good,they seemed to be everywhere at the time,much more popular than the CB,the CB was a girls bike.

was the sl100 a boys bike.....lmao....shit they are both gay bikes...pretty much just a scooter!!!!

[Motu]

I'd back up the C50,I had one for 7 yrs,it's the smallest bike I've ever owned,and I didn't even pay for it,I recieved it as a ''thanks mate''.That little puppy dog stands head and shoulders above every other bike I've owned for ''services rendered'' - kick and go...stop and leave...endlessly.

I've owned a ''classic'' CB750,a totaly stupid bike,outclassed in every way by the Trident and Commando - but it was the turning point in motorcycling,the start of a new era.

DT1 for sure,it was the first real trail bike - but over here I'd say the AT1 was more popular at the time,more people rode 125s and 175s back then,moving up to 250s in the later 70s.

I'm with Oscar on the Harley too - we didn't see them until the mid 80s,there were some Sportsters and Sprints imported in about 73 and 74,no one would buy them.Except your local gang Oscar - they were in a bus crash going down for a bit of skiing,with the big lump sum payout they all bought Harleys,the first gang in NZ to be on Harleys.The XR750 is the only Harley worthy of recognition - after 35 yrs it's still the fastest way to go around a mile dirt oval.

The Goldstar and 7R not because of what Paul said,but hearing them come down through the gears and clutch slip out of the Puke hairpin is one of the best sounds I've ever heard.

[Oscar]

was the sl100 a boys bike.....lmao....shit they are both gay bikes...pretty much just a scooter!!!!


Yeah, the SL100 was a gurly bike - the XL100, now there was a man's bike!

Seriously though, the SL100 motor served as the basis of a whole lot of Honda Donks, you can trace it back from the current CRF230.

[Big Dave]

- we didn't see them until the mid 80s,there were some Sportsters and Sprints imported in about 73 and 74,no one would buy them.Except your local gang Oscar - they were in a bus crash going down for a bit of skiing,with the big lump sum payout they all bought Harleys,the first gang in NZ to be on Harleys.The XR750 is the only Harley worthy of recognition - after 35 yrs it's still the fastest way to go around a mile dirt oval.

Perspective innit - No so trans tasman at all - my old man did his best work on a '45 WLA so he tells me - and most of my mates had pan heads or shovels at some stage.
Even now my 3 best riding buddies in Newcastle are on a Sporty, a springer and a heritage.
They are far better suited to the conditions over there of course and more historically important (great?) so it seems.

[Oscar]

Perspective innit - No so trans tasman at all - my old man did his best work on a '45 WLA so he tells me - and most of my mates had pan heads or shovels at some stage.
Even now my 3 best riding buddies in Newcastle are on a Sporty, a springer and a heritage.
They are far better suited to the conditions over there of course and more historically important (great?) so it seems.

Yeah, you just never saw HD's here 'til the eighties. I think I first rode one in about '85 - a '79 Sporty, I think. Greatly anticipated after years of reading US Cycle World. Hugely disappointed, I couldnae understand what the fuss was about (still can't actually)...

[enigma51]

Ohhh, waddaya mean???

Anybody that has the second best car as the mx5 and then has a porsche 911 as the sports car has no fucking idea mate and to make things worst they had that merc gold wing or what ever the thing was called in the top 5 I mean im not a car person I actualy know nothing about them but I can point out cars that are better than those.

One of the things they where on about was the short coming of mclaren f1 was its price. Well im sorry it was not most affordable sport car but best sports car!

Which brings me to the bikes they will have ducati and mv short comings as its price and therefore will end up down the order

[Big Dave]

a '79 Sporty,

'Hardly' the halcyon days.
Take a modern one for a skid. Beautiful things. Great motor - not a gazillion horsepower - but what's there is delivered with character and the sweetest note.

They are not entirely about how they go - it's about how you feel too.

[onearmedbandit]

Enigma, I suppose it all depends on your definition of 'greatest sports car'. The MX5 is almost solely responsible for the Rover MGF, BMW Z3 & Z4, Porsche Boxter, Toyota MRS, Mercedes SLK etc etc. Over 750,000 sold and counting. Porsche 911, never has there been a more recognisable sports car, kept to the same traditions despite an obvious design flaw over 30yrs, perfected until it has become one of the best drivers cars around.

[Oscar]

'Hardly' the halcyon days.
Take a modern one for a skid. Beautiful things. Great motor - not a gazillion horsepower - but what's there is delivered with character and the sweetest note.

They are not entirely about how they go - it's about how you feel too.


I took a '03 Road King for a ride the other day.
I still don't get it.
Don't get me wrong, I get the cruising thing - I do own a large V-Twin after all.

I just don't get the HD thing. Apart from the fact that the local dealers been gouging the price so bad you get guys parallel importing them, they are still a LOT of money for a life style/image/brand name.. whatever.

I also rode the Kawasaki copy of the Road King a while back - half the price, better handling, nice suspension, better brakes.

That I got.

[onearmedbandit]

Nope. a Merkin was involved in the design, but it was done in the Land of The Rising Sun.

Okay, maybe I should've been a little more specific. The American division of Mazda designed the front engine rear drive setup, but faced opposition from Japan as they wanted a front wheel drive design, taken from the 323/Familia platform. The Japanese were even interested in a mid-engined coupe, but Mazda Nth Amarica finally won and their design was accepted.

[Motu]

I didn't see my first real live Panhead and Harley Chop (with foot clutch yet!) until I was in OZ in 1980 - if you wanted to look a heavy dude all we had were British bikes,all our chops were British.Our only Harley's were pre war.

[Ixion]

Far more Indians (ex Army) than Harleys back then.

[miSTa]

They'd better mention the mighty ZZR1100, after all it was the fastest production bike around for quite a few years until Honda overgeared the Blackbird to claim the title (just).

[onearmedbandit]

Race bikes would have to include an early 90's NSR500 or similar.

[pritch]

Comments re Harleys...

I've seen a few peashooters (looked at buying one once) and have seen examples of the thirties vee twins.

All before my time of course, but in the 1930s our dollar was a much more "mucho" currency than it is now and Harleys seem to have been much more affordable.

Haven't thought about it a lot, but our currency had a huge, but temporary, high during the Korean war in the early fifties (high wool prices). There was apparently a considerable increase in imports of American cars but I don't remember seeing loads of fifties Harleys.

Never seen one yet in fact.

[pritch]

It belatedly occurs to me that perhaps the sheep farmers who were the principal beneficiaries of the freak wool prices didn't fancy Harleys?

[Big Dave]

That I got.

I don't - and never will.

[roger_doger]

Has to be GSX-R750. It revolutionised sports bikes when they came out and and then again every time they did a major model update. And they have been bloody popular over the years.

Also, to drag up the past, the Porshe definately deserved to win the best sports car award on performance alone. But as well as this, what other car hasn't changed it's shape in over 30 years but still still looks as gorgeous as ever?

[Big Dave]

and furthermore!
pooh pooh and I wave my private parts at your aunties on their step-thus, mini bikes and SL farken 125's.

We're talking 'great motorcycles' - not curios from some antipodean backwater stroll down a childhood memory lane.

machines that breathe fire - changed the course of history - milestones, markers on the road - icons of greatness - and you reckon a SL125 FFS!!!

Lamentable.

[Ixion]

Welll - those are different criteria. If it's "machines that breathe fire", that just then comes down to measurement - find the half dozen fastest ever bikes. Not much of a qualification for greatness , though

But if it's "changed the course of history - milestones, markers on the road - icons of greatness " then that's a whole different matter. because any of THOSE criteria can apply to motorcycles that are not fast.

If every Harley davidson model had not existed (as they were, or under some other designation) , motorcycling today would be pretty much as it is - none of the HDs were so germinal that their absence would massively change the motoring landscape.

But remove the Honda C50 and its equivalents , if THEY had never existed, the motorcycling world today would be VERY different. because they were the models that bankrolled the Japanese motorcycle industry. Without them , no Honda , Suzuki, Yamaha. Or at least those manufacturers would be very different. And it was the profits from the C50s that financed the tooling up for the CB750s (by way of the CB77 etc).

And along the way they also made motorcyling respectable , especially for women. Big "milestones, markers on the road" that.

Likewise, it may be hard to identify a specific model, since competitors jump in quick. But the DS3 Yamaha , T250 etc without them things would also be very different, because it was those early Jap two stroke screamers that destoryed the Brit industry. And financed the GSxxx, GSXxxx YZxxx etc . No DS3, no R1.

And the first DT125, TS250 (and SL125!) models had germinal significance also, becasue they pretty much invented off road riding as an urban pastime . Go up to Woodhill, and look at all the bikes being trailered in. 'Twas the early trail bikes that got city dwellers riding off roads, which led directly to those bikes at Woodhill.

Earlier, the Speed Twin had similar significance. It set the paradigm for 30 years of motorcycle design.

So, yeah, I'd say that teh SL125 was part of a picture that had far more "milestones, markers on the road" than any Harley.

Only a sprotsbiker would assume that "great" = "fast"

[Oscar]

and furthermore!
pooh pooh and I wave my private parts at your aunties on their step-thus, mini bikes and SL farken 125's.

We're talking 'great motorcycles' - not curios from some antipodean backwater stroll down a childhood memory lane.

machines that breathe fire - changed the course of history - milestones, markers on the road - icons of greatness - and you reckon a SL125 FFS!!!

Lamentable.

Take a breath, Dave............chhhhiiiillllllllllllllllllllllll. ..

These "The Greatest Ever..." things are inherently stupid as they lack defintion.

If greatest meant size, then there's yer Munch Mammoth.
If it means number, we're back to C50's.

[Oscar]

Welll - those are different criteria. If it's "machines that breathe fire", that just then comes down to measurement - find the half dozen fastest ever bikes. Not much of a qualification for greatness , though

But if it's "changed the course of history - milestones, markers on the road - icons of greatness " then that's a whole different matter. because any of THOSE criteria can apply to motorcycles that are not fast.

If every Harley davidson model had not existed (as they were, or under some other designation) , motorcycling today would be pretty much as it is - none of the HDs were so germinal that their absence would massively change the motoring landscape.

But remove the Honda C50 and its equivalents , if THEY had never existed, the motorcycling world today would be VERY different. because they were the models that bankrolled the Japanese motorcycle industry. Without them , no Honda , Suzuki, Yamaha. Or at least those manufacturers would be very different. And it was the profits from the C50s that financed the tooling up for the CB750s (by way of the CB77 etc).

And along the way they also made motorcyling respectable , especially for women. Big "milestones, markers on the road" that.

Likewise, it may be hard to identify a specific model, since competitors jump in quick. But the DS3 Yamaha , T250 etc without them things would also be very different, because it was those early Jap two stroke screamers that destoryed the Brit industry. And financed the GSxxx, GSXxxx YZxxx etc . No DS3, no R1.

And the first DT125, TS250 (and SL125!) models had germinal significance also, becasue they pretty much invented off road riding as an urban pastime . Go up to Woodhill, and look at all the bikes being trailered in. 'Twas the early trail bikes that got city dwellers riding off roads, which led directly to those bikes at Woodhill.

Earlier, the Speed Twin had similar significance. It set the paradigm for 30 years of motorcycle design.

So, yeah, I'd say that teh SL125 was part of a picture that had far more "milestones, markers on the road" than any Harley.

Only a sprotsbiker would assume that "great" = "fast"

WHat the hell is germinal?

[Yokai]

WHat the hell is germinal?
Occurring in the earliest stage of development ...

Sort of like seminal but not really:

This is a seminal book = "This book spawned many ideas - it was the seed from which others sprang"

This is a germinal book = "this is a book that is in it's early stages of development - ie. it is in first draft form"

[Lou Girardin]

The greatest ever wasn't a motorcycle, it was a motorcycle ad campaign -
"you meet the nicest people on a Honda".
It changed the way the public viewed bikes and bikers.

[Ixion]

Tue. But if the bikes had been dirty noisy oily heavy great Briddish iron , instead of pretty , unthreatening , easy to start, easy to ride, reliable Honda 50s and 90s, the ads would have been a flop. The ads backed up the bikes, the bikes validated the ads.

[Big Dave]

Take a breath, Dave............chhhhiiiillllllllllllllllllllllll. ..

These "The Greatest Ever..." things are inherently stupid as they lack defintion.

If greatest meant size, then there's yer Munch Mammoth.
If it means number, we're back to C50's.


I'm cool - just stirring the pot.

It's like you know immediately the title starts with 'Worlds... dot dot dot' it's not going to be worth watching anyway.

[Big Dave]

WHat the hell is germinal?

Being killed by a BMW.

[Motu]

And the BSA and Norton adds inflamed adolesant lust!

[Waylander]

Damn, have to work till 9. Luckily I know someone who doesn't work and has a tape recorder.

[onearmedbandit]

I'm cool - just stirring the pot.

It's like you know immediately the title starts with 'Worlds... dot dot dot' it's not going to be worth watching anyway.


Now come on Dave, Worlds greatest police chases 1 through to 29, Worlds scariest police chases, worlds scariest police shootouts, etc. All good quality wholesome entertainment.

[Big Dave]

Now come on Dave, Worlds greatest police chases 1 through to 29, Worlds scariest police chases, worlds scariest police shootouts, etc. All good quality wholesome entertainment.

Classics in the 'pad 45 seconds of interesting video out to 48 minutes' genre?

[onearmedbandit]

Ain't no-one like the Americans who can do that, boy.

[Waylander]

Ain't no-one like the Americans who can do that, boy.
Was that some pitifull attempt at an american accent?

[onearmedbandit]

Wow, could you hear me say it as I typed it?

Oh yeah, no it wasn't. There's no way in this world.......arrrgh fugedit.

[Hitcher]

Vw beetles were designed by ferdinand porsche...for hilter
Of "Hile Hilter!" fame?

[FzerozeroT]

When animals...... do ANYTHING!

[Lou Girardin]

Of "Hile Hilter!" fame?

Heil :hitcher:

[dawnrazor]

don't forget folks its tonight at 7.30pm TV3. Oh i can smell the controversy already. :blip: :blip: :blip: :blip:

[Waylander]

Lucky me.Woke up with sore throught, bad headache and a host of other symptoms that keep me from working. Might actually get to see it tonight. Assuming all this cold medicine my sister is forcing down my throught doesn't knock me out.

[Motu]

I'd just like to say beforehand,in case I miss it - what a load of utter crap!! who the hell did they get to pick the bikes,Paris Hilton? I didn't see a single bike I would rate as remotely ''greatest ever''.There wasn't a single bike represented that I've owned - proof they don't know what the hell they're talking about...in fact I'm glad I missed the show!

[Big Dave]

I'd just like to say beforehand,in case I miss it -

You should join me in 'what sky sport channel was it on' world.

[SpankMe]

Don't forget to set your DVD or My SKY recoders.

[skidMark]

IF YOU FORGET ............



thats ur problem

:lol:

Cheers : MA

[Waylander]

on at 7:30 right?

[Sniper]

Thanks mark.


By the way. Your caps lock is stuck.

[skidMark]

I HAD TO MAKE IT STAND OUT....<<<<< that time i just did it to be an a**:woohoo:

[skidMark]

on at 7:30 right?

yes err i tihnk

[Sniper]

Its on.............

[kro]

Britten at 6 my ASS !!!, so should have been 5 or better....... no corporate backing, no big factory budgets, just the vision of a man bent on making a world beater....... who succeeded.

[WINJA]

A MAN BUILDS A BIKE IN HIS GARAGE THAT KICKS DUCATI AND HES NOT NUMBER 1, I DONT GET IT.
I GET REALLY SAD WHEN I SEE PICS OF JOHN BRITTEN ON TV OR IN MAGS

[Aiolos]

The Y2k. Wtf. Seriously...

[kro]

That Y2K is quite unique, the sound is impressive. ROFL at Jay Leno melting the cars front bumper, and their stunt rider drag racing a jet.

[maddog007]

A MAN BUILDS A BIKE IN HIS GARAGE THAT KICKS DUCATI AND HES NOT NUMBER 1, I DONT GET IT.
I GET REALLY SAD WHEN I SEE PICS OF JOHN BRITTEN ON TV OR IN MAGS


I absolutly agree, i thought it would be better than that.

[Sniper]

The bloody Y2K, its not a real bike.

[parsley]

The bloody Y2K, its not a real bike.
What, and the Vespa is?

[maddog007]

WTF ... A honda cb750 is considered better.:blink:

[Sniper]

CB750. Zero to 60 in 7 seconds :lol: :laugh:

[Sniper]

What, and the Vespa is?

I didnt say that.

[nsrpaul]

bolocks , its a complete load of fuckin bolocks

[maddog007]

" the 916 is sex".... Id still rather have a britten.:2thumbsup

[justsomeguy]

THE 916 IS SEX

[Sniper]

Its still a fucking Ducati

[maddog007]

fuck number one better not be a honda step thru.:doh:

[parsley]

Hehehe - can't wait to see the shitstorm that starts when they announce #1. :bash:

[MOTOXXX]

if its a harley ill cry myself to sleep tonight

[kro]

I would have expected to see a Gix 750, seriously, I am somewhat miffed.

[nsrpaul]

vespa , who gives a toss about vespas , really!!

[WINJA]

fuck number one better not be a honda step thru.:doh:
NAH DONT WORRY , ITLL BE A GIXXER

[nsrpaul]

i expected a gsxr as well maybe , oh well , we all know num 1 should be a nsr

[WINJA]

OR A NINJA

[WINJA]

i expected a gsxr as well maybe , oh well , we all know num 1 should be a nsr
STAY OFF THE CRACK PAL

[Sniper]

Aaahhhhhhhhhhh FUCK, A fucking scooter??????? Fuck that, Im turning the TV off

[kro]

DEAR GOD NO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!! NO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[WINJA]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[nsrpaul]

bolocks , crap , bolocks a cub , bunch of weirdos

[parsley]

"Everyone's ridden one". WTF? Get some self respect ya poof.

[Dafe]

They can stick the Honda cub up their arse!!!

[maddog007]

fuck number one better not be a honda step thru.:doh:


ohh fuck me

[nsrpaul]

STAY OFF THE CRACK PAL
just cause you wish you had a nsr , its ok , youl find one someday , keep saving

[kro]

They can stick the Honda cub up their arse!!!

Well said Obi-wan, I dont fucking care if it can run on chip oil.

[WINJA]

"Everyone's ridden one". WTF? Get some self respect ya poof.
ACTUALLY I JUST REALIZED , I HAD ONE OF THOSE WHEN I WAS A KID

[nsrpaul]

fuckin tv , let down again , barstards

[nsrpaul]

ACTUALLY I JUST REALIZED , I HAD ONE OF THOSE WHEN I WAS A KID
ah ha, always suspected

[Sniper]

What the fuck was with the pizzas?

[parsley]

ACTUALLY I JUST REALIZED , I HAD ONE OF THOSE WHEN I WAS A KID
Um, well I was referring to the Cub 50. Whereas the Cub 90 was a proper bike, oh yes. :doh:

[The_Dover]

Well it's better built than a gixxer!!!

[Dafe]

Well thats it Wellington Motorcycles.....
I'm sick of waiting for my 06 GSXR 1000 to turn up!
I'm off to Sawyers Honda for a Honda Cub Instead! :banana:

[Bonez]

Truth hirts ah kiddies lol.:blip:

[justsomeguy]

hOLy SHIT....

I guess I'm too young to understand......

I think the cub should have been second - the sex object first.


Did anyone (in central auckland) tape the program ??

[SpankMe]

What bullshit. Wasn't watching but was recording it on DVD to watch later. Don't think I'll bother now. Anyone who thinks a faggot scooter is the number one motorbike wont be able to make a TV show about motorbikes that would be worth watching.

[enigma51]

What did you expext from a show that made 911 the best car ever

[TLDV8]

Depends what Greatest means ?..if its greatest bike to get the planet mobile or contribution ..then things like Vespa's,BSA Bantams and Honda Postie bikes enter the picture,sold in their millions unlike some flash in the pan bikes.


......... :rofl:

[maddog007]

ACTUALLY I JUST REALIZED , I HAD ONE OF THOSE WHEN I WAS A KID

well we put the engine out of one into a home made go cart, now that was fun.

[Eurodave]

I missed American Choppers for that crap programme!!! F*#K F*#K

[Riff Raff]

Well that was a total waste of space.

[SARGE]

ACTUALLY I JUST REALIZED , I HAD ONE OF THOSE WHEN I WAS A KID


me too man.. i loved that old bike.. 1964 model.. coudnt kill the fucker.. i was doing Evel Kenival shit out in the woods behind dads place... broke the frame in half on a hard landing .. left it sit there for 30 years...


i bet it would still start..

[nadroj]

Can't stop laughing at that 'Nodding" headlight on the Harley Nucklehead Chopper.

[oldrider]

Gimmie the Y2K for a day. I may not see the day out but!!!! John.

[maddog007]

What did you expext from a show that made 911 the best car ever

well i kind of had to agree with that , as far as a being across the board good car, & longevity of design, as well as performance.

[kro]

TV has once again, completely failed to deliver. I am gutted, I mean scooters are fun and shit, but are not something to stir the soul.

[justsomeguy]

Wow - that's nearly 2 pages of posts in about a minute...... I guess we must likes bikes then......


WARNING: The pic attached is not suitable for people under 21 years of age.

[TraD_MaN]

I thought it was the greatest motorcycles? not greatest moped,s scooter things :eek5: :spudwhat:

[WINJA]

well we put the engine out of one into a home made go cart, now that was fun.
I TOTALLY FUCKED MINE JUMPING IT AT A MOTORCROSS TRACK , I ENDED UP PUTTING THE MOTOR IN A CR125 FRAME AND IT WENT FOR YEARS

[Gixxer 4 ever]

...............waste of time arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr........................:bash:

[avgas]

Cub was shit - it didnt have pedals....
Was so dissappointed with that. What about all the big single cylinder hondas? The XL/XR/GB/XLR/XRB/XLR series? That bike has had the same motor for billions of vehicles.
And Vespa? Sorry but that is a not a bike - its a scooter. I dont have anything against scooters, but a bike and a scooter has the same setup.
Its like calling a David Brown 885 or a John Deer a car.

[maddog007]

Can't stop laughing at that 'Nodding" headlight on the Harley Nucklehead Chopper.

yeah imagine riding at night with that.:shit:

[Waylander]

The fucking Honda Cub!?!?! What the shit is that!!

Was cool that it could run with cooking oil though.

[Bonez]

It takes a good sence of humor to put out program like that-YOU DO MEET THE NICEST PEOPLE ON A HONDA folks.:2thumbsup

[parsley]

You meet the nicest people on a Honda, and because the Cub's so slow it's easy to beat them to death with a wrench.

[heavenly.talker]

It takes a good sence of humor to put out program like that-YOU DO MEET THE NICEST PEOPLE ON A HONDA folks.:2thumbsup


Absolutely!!!
I ride a honda :yes: :yes: :2thumbsup

[miSTa]

:scooter: :scooter: :scooter: :scooter: :scooter: :scooter: :scooter: :scooter:
:rofl: :rofl: Haha , great fun. Don't take it so seriously

But where was the ZZR1100 and the GSXR750?

[FlangMasterJ]

The only thing that pissed me off was the inclusion of the Harley. Anyone can pick a Harley's noise. You can replicate the sound by taking 10 laxatives, eating a bag of peanuts and then blowing ass into a 40 gallon drum.:crybaby:

Congrats to Honda with the Cub #1

[Gixxer 4 ever]

Its like calling a David Brown 885 or a John Deer a car.
What this man said............... arrrrrrrrrrrrr

[Goblin]

"Everyone's ridden one". WTF? Get some self respect ya poof.

Maybe Cibby could change her name to Cubby:dodge:

[Bonez]

You meet the nicest people on a Honda, and because the Cub's so slow it's easy to beat them to death with a wrench.Leave the missis out of this please.........................

[Swoop]

Did they say 40 Million of the little buggers????????:thud:

[maddog007]

even though id never own one, I would have thought the honda goldwing would have got a mention, :stupid:

[Eurodave]

Moto Guzzi was racing their V8 B4 Honda even began churning out C50 step thru's, what does that tell you ?

[maddog007]

Moto Guzzi was racing their V8 while Honda was churning out C50 step thru's, what does that tell you ?

reminds me of a custom road/sports bike i read about the other day, some guy has made pretty nice looking bike & shoehorned a Alfa Romeo 2.5 ltr V6 in it.

I could probably track down the link somewhere.

[Bonez]

Moto Guzzi was racing their V8 B4 Honda even began churning out C50 step thru's, what does that tell you ?And it had an impact on how many homonids?

[Eurodave]

Moto Guzzi was racing their V8 B4 Honda even began churning out C50 step thru's, what does that tell you ?


It tells me that Guzzi has a distinguished & long ,purebred heritage that appeals to real enthusiasts & that Soichiro Honda only wanted to line his pockets by appealing to Mr & Mrs average

[FROSTY]

GIMMEE A Y2K --

[Hammer]

Those judges don't know their arses from their elbows!!!. What an aniti climax hey.

[Storm]

It tells me that Guzzi has a distinguished & long ,purebred heritage that appeals to real enthusiasts & that Soichiro Honda only wanted to line his pockets by appealing to Mr & Mrs average

Thats what being in business is allk about isnt it?

[Swoop]

GIMMEE A Y2K --

What was this about it being the worlds "fastest production bike"???
Is it actually in production??? Looks a bit like a Britten (Limited production run) situation.

[Ixion]

Oddly enough, I've never ridden one. Owned a Honda 90 for a while, not the step through one though. 'Twas undoubtedly the correct choice though, no other bike ever had the same world impact. Motorcycle != Squidcycle.

[cowpoos]

fuck me........I sat there and watched that program to the last...whilste forgeting my rice resotto on its 10min simmer [according to the box] for a whole fuckin hour to see a scooter win...it ain't even a motorcycle...piss on it...now I have a pot with sooo much burnt rice on it my frekin rats that raid my trash will fest for a bloody month....

Im hungery

[Eurodave]

GIMMEE A Y2K --
OK, & youll also need a cloak of invisability & negative 1 million demerits loaded on your licence to be able to even ride it on our overpleeced goat tracks:shake:

[maddog007]

reminds me of a custom road/sports bike i read about the other day, some guy has made pretty nice looking bike & shoehorned a Alfa Romeo 2.5 ltr V6 in it.

I could probably track down the link somewhere.


here its , I dont know why my memory is playing tricks on me calling it a sprots bike, it clearly not. It might be my love of alfas ,but this is cool, just need better pipes i reckon. :2thumbsup

http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=39745

[Big Dave]

I so ~TOLD~ you so! :banana:
Anything that starts with 'World's' is a guaranteed shitter.
I went for a nice ride over the bridge.

[maddog007]

What was this about it being the worlds "fastest production bike"???
Is it actually in production??? Looks a bit like a Britten (Limited production run) situation.

It must be a production bike, because Jay leno doesnt have a britten does he.

[skidMark]

insurance office......

a motorcycle melted my bumper...

thats not possible sir.....

it was like a jet fighter or something

sir are you mentally stable

no it's just my honda cub is the greatest bike ever and it can't melt bumpers

whats that got to do with anything?

can you write off my car and give me the money to buy a jet bike ....

no sir thats a $100 bumper

i never said they were equal value..



end of pointless crap post...

Cheers: MA:doobey:

[pyrocam]

arse! all this build up and it was even in the papers,

but i missed it. still working

bugger

[Aiolos]

I agree with most of the choices. Sure, the Britten was fantasmical, but should it have been number 1? No way.
The Y2K is bullshit though.

[oldrider]

One of pyrocam's shorty video's had Jay Leno firing up a jet bike. I thought it was a sound dub send up. It must have been that Y2K machine after all. Silly me! Cheers John.:thud:

[maddog007]

I agree with most of the choices. Sure, the Britten was fantasmical, but should it have been number 1? No way.
The Y2K is bullshit though.


If he was still alive & still developing it ,,, It would be

[Mattyc]

a honda cub as number 1 bike, WTF ! least they threw it off a roof , the britten was the best of them i reckon.

[Hammer]

Sure as hell could not fire the Y2K up in my garage, it would burn all my good poster up and probably melt the missus's washing machine!!! Sure would like to try one as a one off experience though, fark owning one. Imagine trying to get it serviced here, you would probably have to bribe an aircraft engineer somewhere.

[maddog007]

. Imagine trying to get it serviced here, you would probably have to bribe an aircraft engineer somewhere.

Dont be stupid......


Thanks to the govt ,we dont have any in this country anymore do we.:blip:

[Motu]

Choice,of all the bikes I've owned the C50 was one of the best,I rode it for 7 years,over a steep winding very rutted gravel road every day,it was my pick up truck,carrying everything I could load on it - every 3 weeks I would put $2 of fuel in it.....that's all.

[WINJA]

Choice,of all the bikes I've owned the C50 was one of the best,I rode it for 7 years,over a steep winding very rutted gravel road every day,it was my pick up truck,carrying everything I could load on it - every 3 weeks I would put $2 of fuel in it.....that's all.
YEAH BUT IN 1950 $2 WAS A LOT OF FUEL

[Eurodave]

YEAH BUT IN 1950 $2 WAS A LOT OF FUEL

Especially when the average wage was then about 50c per hour!!!!!

[Ixion]

27 litres in fact. And till well after 1950

[erik]

hOLy SHIT....

I guess I'm too young to understand......

I think the cub should have been second - the sex object first.


Did anyone (in central auckland) tape the program ??

I captured it on the 'puter. I'll encode it tonight.

There was some interesting footage in it.

Since motorbikes are so much to do with personal tastes, I think it's pointless trying to rank them in terms of "greatness".

[Swoop]

It must be a production bike, because Jay leno doesnt have a britten does he.

??? eh.

Is the turbine-powered bike a factory made, production run???
I would have thought this bike to be a "one off" thing done as an experiment/gimmick.
Just trying to find out more about it. google time.

[riffer]

Unlike most of you, I don't have a problem with the Cub being No 1.

I learnt to ride on a Vespa that was identical to the red restored one they had on the show.

The Y2K didn't count, IMHO. But I'd love to try one, just like I'd like to have a go in an F-16.

The Moto Guzzi V8 - that sound!!! Has to be the best sounding bike ever, I reckon.

The Britten - revolutionary, but TOO exclusive... a question though - if they could build a replica and sell it for $35000, how many would buy it? I would do my damnest to try and get one.

But I waited, and waited, and where was the Vincent Black Shadow/Lightning?

Yeah, the Brough was cool (did you see the OCC homage bike?), but the Vincent would have been my pick.

Bastards. :thud: You can't please everyone I guess.

[Smoggie]

Must admit, had a Honda Cub myself once. The Y2K sounded awesome when started up, but to go anywhere - you would need to be followed by a petrol tanker!
The CB750, it was the first of its type.

[Smoggie]

"You meet the nicest people on a Honda" The Police in the UK ride Hondas'.
Nuff said.

[Swoop]

Just looked up the y2k. A very limited production run by a Louisiana based company. A tad pricey as well...

[nudemetalz]

I had to laugh when they were going on and on about the 916's awesome handling and then they show a sequence of Chilli throwing his "916" away...you might have thought they would have used a different bike crashing for that bit.....:doh:

[speights_bud]

Must admit, had a Honda Cub myself once. The Y2K sounded awesome when started up, but to go anywhere - you would need to be followed by a petrol tanker!
The CB750, it was the first of its type.

NOOOooooooo..... that'd be one of the last things i'd do! didn't choo see what it did to the cars bumber!!!. damn:blink:

And if anyone who may have seen the movie torque(crap also in my opinion) the Y2K made an appearance in that, they claimed it did somethingg like 0-200 in under 10 secs... i thinks... then he struggles to catch some guy on a nitro powered hog/cruiser:tugger:

[N4CR]

What was this about it being the worlds "fastest production bike"???
Is it actually in production??? Looks a bit like a Britten (Limited production run) situation.

I guess the best way to think about the Y2K is like a McLaren F1 car etc... still the quickest but noone has them and they hardly ever get made (stopped production now anyway).

Or liken it to the concorde!

I'd wanna build my own Y2K sorta thing... that _would_ be awesome.

But for the mean time i'll have to settle for an 916... damn.

[VasalineWarrior]

Ok didnt see what the best bike was (missed that bit) but OMG wtf sounds like I didnt miss much if the tards voted sum shitpile like that as #1. They must have some goood stuff over there :doobey:

[Motu]

10 - Knuckle head....it was the first of the modern OHV Harleys,and pretty impressive for it's day.Beautiful looking motor,a classic for motorheads.I've only seen one,just a few years ago,complete and unrestored,pulling a restored boat chair.One of the Tompkins had it.

9 - Motu Guzzi V8.....should of been higher than 9,a fantastic acheivement of the day,very little to rival it these days.A failure? No,Guzzi pulled out of GP racing in an aggreament with the other factories....except MV who went on to clean up.NO WAY was it a failure!

8 - Vespa....definatly deserves a mention,no problem seeing them in the top 10.

7 - Brough Superior....deserves a mention,but I would put Vincent ahead here.

6 - Britten....it's one of ours,belongs in any top 10,ok by me.

5 - Triumph Bonneville.....not the best British 650 twin,but certainly the most exciting,the Bonny should be a top 5 in anyones list.

4 - Y2K....Go away! Dreamed up by a Yank,and they'll be the only people stupid enough to buy one.Just one upmanship,it has no place in motorcycle discusion.

3 - Honda CB750.....I had one and don't rate it highly,as the experts said - a boring bike,no excitment at all,except when the crappy handling caught you out.But definatly a turning point in motorcycle design - not for it's greatness,but because it put ordinary people on a fast bike,before the CB750 they were dorky university types who rode an RD350,they were scared of real bikes....or at least,the people who rode them.

2 - Ducati 916....?? why? Nice looking,yes...fast and great handling...yes,but all Ducati's are.Maybe because like the CB750 it put exotic Italian bikes into the sights of mainstream motorcyclists,who were too scared to aspire to such heady heights.Race winner...yeah,right - only because of a mistake in the rules.

1 - Honds C50 Cub...Choice! I agree,the most important bike there ever has been,put more people on a bike than all the rest combined.Ha ha - and they are STILL around! check out the engine in a mini chopper....yep,the C50 just keeps rollin' on.

[T.W.R]

odd program things they should have mentioned they didn't, like the guzzi only being a 500.
the bonneville was the best of british in its time motor wise but nortons had the frame that worked, plus in the triumph section they started woffling about other model triumphs?
the y2k yeah rite, thats just an exercise in engineering & at $183k US its accessable to all
mmm the 916 it was only a styling change, it was the 851 & 888s that set modern dukes to their status, plus they didn't enlighten the unknowing to the fact of the dukes were up against 750s.
for amazing race bikes where were the honda 250 6cylinder racers or the laverda v6 endurance bikes or slippery sam
the honda 750 deserved its place but for road bikes worthy of mention where was the z900 or Mach 1 or even the CBX honda or GSX-R750h
the Britten should have been further up the list, it set the motorcycling world on its arse & everyones still playing catch-up today for what it achieved

[buellbabe]

A MAN BUILDS A BIKE IN HIS GARAGE THAT KICKS DUCATI AND HES NOT NUMBER 1, I DONT GET IT.
I GET REALLY SAD WHEN I SEE PICS OF JOHN BRITTEN ON TV OR IN MAGS

Yeah totally agree, but in the end the bike with the highest volume of sales got the crown.... go figure!
I get teary eyed every time I watch the video and Stroud pulls a wheelie alongside the Ducati
Yee-fuckin'-ha!:2thumbsup :rockon:

[RiderInBlack]

So where were the motorcross and ag bikes? Surely if they can make the Cub No.1, then there are definitely Ag's and MX's that deserve their place it that list.

[Sniper]

Waking up this morning I have come to the conclusion that the ONLY thing that I agree with on that program was when they said........ "Motorcycling is a way of life". The rest was bullshit

[SixPackBack]

I found the show insulting to our collective biker intelligence.

[The_Dover]

I found the show insulting to our collective biker intelligence.

I'm sorry, I've just finished pissing myself.
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

[Krayy]

Have you noiced how the last 2 shows (Greatest ever Cars & Motorcycles) are essentially a vehicle for Jay Leno to pimp his collection of exotic vehicles?

Brough Superior, Y2K, Stanley Steamer, Dusenberg etc.

Bugger me, I'll stand up, tell a joke and insult some people every night for that sort of garage.

[SARGE]

im really shocked that they didnt have a GPZ900, Fj1100, ZZR1100, Busa, Fireblade, Katana, Vmax, gixxer1100, or Blackbird anywhere t be seen.

i did however have a Cub at one point very early in my life so i understand how BULLETPROOF those little things were..

[The_Dover]

Bugger me, I'll stand up, tell a joke and insult some people every night for that sort of garage.

I'm working on it mate, I've just gotta stop crashing the fuckers..

[Motu]

So where were the motorcross and ag bikes? Surely if they can make the Cub No.1, then there are definitely Ag's and MX's that deserve their place it that list.

Just because dirt bikes outsell road bikes that's no reason to include them...is it.?

Kenny Roberts was standing at a MX track,obviously there's no stopping the King!

OK - The Rickman Metisse....the garden shed bike that turned into a legend.

1970 BSA 500,as ridden by Jeff Smith,the highest development of the 4 stroke MXer,until Husky came back 20 yrs later and rewrote history.

Husky TC510 - The 4 stroke MXer that rewrote history,all the 4 stroke dirt bikes we have now flow directly from this bike,until then no one could make a 4 stroke as light as a 2 stroke.

Yamaha DT1 250 - the bike that started the dirt bike revolution,a bike you could take trail riding,motocross,enduro,commuting around town and go places,a real alrounder.As big a history changer as the CB750.

Bultaco Sherpa T - Sammy Millar stepped off GOV132,his 500cc 4 stroke and went to work for Senor Bulto,and 40 yrs later you still ride a 2 stroke trials bike.

Yamaha YZ490 - put more people into 7 wire fences than any other bike known to mankind.

[tracyprier]

Yeah totally agree, but in the end the bike with the highest volume of sales got the crown.... go figure!
I get teary eyed every time I watch the video and Stroud pulls a wheelie alongside the Ducati
Yee-fuckin'-ha!:2thumbsup :rockon:
Yeah me too. We lost a great'un.

[Yokai]

That Y2K is quite unique, the sound is impressive. ROFL at Jay Leno melting the cars front bumper, and their stunt rider drag racing a jet.

The start-up of that bike was an overdub.. My mate and I were watching it last night, he's an ex-sound engineer... He's like "Ooh this'll be interesting, I wonder how they... OH.. overdub. boring..."

That said teh Y2K is a stupid, nuts bike, even the manufacturer reckons so...

Of course, this programme was always gonna be subjective... "best chopper" is on next week, and they haven't even interviewed me!

[F5 Dave]

Yeah the experts I was thinking who are these dumb arse yanks? We missed the start in the pub. Oh hold on, one is Kevin Cameron, Cycle mag tech writer now Cycle World (check out his sportbike book v.good). That shut me up a bit, then KR, he’s ridden a bike I hear. & Mat Oxley, journalist & ex world endurance dude, won a championship I think.

But Jay Leno!! Who the hell is he? Why is his involvement so valued, all he is is rich.

[ManDownUnder]

But Jay Leno!! Who the hell is he? Why is his involvement so valued, all he is is rich.

and celebrity petrol head that collects cars (dunno about bikes) but seems to have a good grasp of what's actually happening when you pour the power on

[ManDownUnder]

I found the show insulting to our collective biker intelligence.

but but but... they're experts - and they made a show about it - how could we EVER question their conclusions.

They even dropped the cub from a building! I mean that really proves something (like how desperate for rating they are)

MDU

[F5 Dave]

I think it'd been far funnier to drop the Harley!

Oooh! do you think we should try another?

[riffer]

"best chopper" is on next week...

Oh well, the Captain America bike will win that hands down.
:whocares:

[N4CR]

The start-up of that bike was an overdub.. My mate and I were watching it last night, he's an ex-sound engineer... He's like "Ooh this'll be interesting, I wonder how they... OH.. overdub. boring..."

That said teh Y2K is a stupid, nuts bike, even the manufacturer reckons so...




Yeah I noticed the overdub... the real video that was posted on here a week or two ago is not an o/dub... sounds amazing!

Nuts... not stupid :)

[vifferman]

I agree with most of the choices. Sure, the Britten was fantasmical, but should it have been number 1? No way.
The Y2K is bullshit though.
Indeed. And they all said so too! They all said "This bike is bullshit, pointless, blah blah blah..", even Jay Leno. So why was it ranked so highly?!?
And given that it wasn't as innovative or well-designed as the Britten, AND cost $US185,000 (!!), it should've been lower down the scale.

While I understand the reasoning behind the Vespa and Cub being in the list, they're not freaking motorcycles! Yes, Soichiro Honda revolutionised things with his bikes, and 40 million is a lot of scooters, but so what?
They had the first superbike (the K1 750) so they didn't need another Honda in there. They should've stuck a Vincent Black Shadow and MV Agusta in instead. Or some outstanding 2-smoke. (Is there / was there one?)

Heh - made me laugh (or swear, or summat..) when that dude was raving on about how much the Triumph Bonneville shakes. He's obviously never seen a Harley at idle - even the rider shakes!

[F5 Dave]

. .. Or some outstanding 2-smoke. (Is there / was there one?). .
Wash your mouth out with soap you heathen! Pah! Erm, every real race bike, FIM cheat rules aside..



Heh - made me laugh (or swear, or summat..) when that dude was raving on about how much the Triumph Bonneville shakes.

Yeah the statement was:
This bike is badly designed, stretched from a 500 ‘cause the poms were too tight todevelop a new engine. Turner also screwed up as the valve gear missed & had an offset on the forces operating them making them wear guides quicker.
But at least they weren't made of 'Shit metal' like those rice burners. . . They were just badly made out of pig iron.

[Ixion]

... Or some outstanding 2-smoke. (Is there / was there one?)

..
TZ350. T250. T500 . TZ750. RG500. DKW. BSA Bantam . Villiers (Y'all forgot that one didn't y'). Kawa 500 and 750 triples. YD1.

And I don't reckon the Triumph 650 vibrated so much. And so what if it did. Buncha pussies I suspect can't cope with twins.

[dawnrazor]

ah the honda cub as NO.1 - bloody hell. Reminded me of a joke.

"What have Honda Cubs and Fat Chicks got in common?

They are both great fun to ride, but you wouldn't want your mates to see you on one!

[SPORK]

I didn't watch it because I knew I'd get angry. And I was right. So shame on your collective names.

[idb]

I enjoyed it.
Who gives a toss about the rankings - it was good to see a show about bikes on, especially from different countries and eras.
I even learnt a bit.
The sound of that Y2K starting up cracked me up - why is it driving a chain though, wouldn't you just have it blasting out the back end?
I bet the Britten couldn't carry 60 pizzas and a pumpkin and if you dropped it off a three storey building it would shatter into a million bits like a big crystal vase.

[ducatilover]

jonathan glancey the 'design expert' basically just sat there and said they were all ugly, they're sportscars you fucken idiot, they are supposed to go fast, and they look good to people who aren't gay pink shirt wearers
i'm sorry i am led to beleive that there is a jag e-type in this show......did they call that ugly......i have the shot gun......and the porsche [i assume the 911] and the macca f1......they arent ugly......mmmmm nice shiney shotgun.....or maybe the .22with the scope would be more fun?

[ducatilover]

and celebrity petrol head that collects cars (dunno about bikes) but seems to have a good grasp of what's actually happening when you pour the power on
didnt he build a car with a rolls merlin engine in it?:blink:

[MisterD]

and celebrity petrol head that collects cars (dunno about bikes) but seems to have a good grasp of what's actually happening when you pour the power on

He's got a Brough Superior at least, those fat chopper idiots on the discovery channel did an "inspired by" chopper for him in a recent episode.

Kind of like a NZ Idol winner covering a Beatles song....just don't ok.

[snuffles]

Thats it, I'm gonna shoot myself, the honda cub for farks sake????????

[Oscar]

Thats it, I'm gonna shoot myself, the honda cub for farks sake????????

Jaysus, you guys – get over it.

The Honda Cub is the single largest selling motorcycle (and it is a motorcycle by any reasonable definition) on the planet (and has probably outsold its nearest competitor by a factor of 10).

It was the basis of the Honda Empire, so no C50 – no CB750, CBX, Goldwing or NR750.

No C50 - no marvellous Honda GP bikes of the sixties, the five cylinder 250’s and the six cylinder 500’s.

By sheer weight of numbers and economic impact, the C50 has probably affected the entire motorcycle market since it was first sold.

[judgeshock]

Certainly not my picks, but it was interesting to learn some things that i did'nt know about bikes.

Shame the harley chic at the start did'nt get her top off rather than wanking on about tasting god whilst riding, or something along those lines. :lol:

That Jay Leno has one awesome collection of bikes, i saw orange county choppers make him one a week or so ago on Sky. It was based on the original he was talking about last night.
I kinda liked the chopper version of the brough, but obviously it wasn't a pinch on the original.
:2thumbsup

[idb]

Loved that Brough.
That would be a bike to pose on.
Are there any in this country?

[Motu]

Loved that Brough.
That would be a bike to pose on.
Are there any in this country?

There was a guy up in Henderson Valley had loads of them.We were walking through one of his out buildings one day,and he says - ''I think this one still goes'' - it was just an engine and gearbox sitting on the floor amoungst all sorts of other crap...he gave it a boot and this engine just sat on the floor idling.Fred Priestly,I think it was him....

[NordieBoy]

he gave it a boot and this engine just sat on the floor idling.Fred Priestly,I think it was him....

What?
Making brum brum thud thud thud noises out the side of his mouth?

[NordieBoy]

reminds me of a custom road/sports bike i read about the other day, some guy has made pretty nice looking bike & shoehorned a Alfa Romeo 2.5 ltr V6 in it.

I could probably track down the link somewhere.

<img src=http://fran.nelson.geek.nz/motorbikes/wierdness/AlfaHarley.jpg>
<img src=http://fran.nelson.geek.nz/motorbikes/wierdness/Alfabeast2.jpg>


Check out the starting mech :D

[Waylander]

HAHA And it's a kick start!!:2thumbsup

[mouldy]

I'm with Paul's last choice - the C50.

In 1999 Kiwi Rider asked for nominations for Bike of the Century.
Here's mineand it pretty much sums up what would be on my "Greatest Ever" list:
Go the tinwing ,gave birth ti xr50s thumpsters mini choppers etc all copied from the mighty c50

[Bonez]

They had the first superbike (the K1 750) so they didn't need another Honda in there. !Second. K0 was there first.

[Waylander]

Go the tinwing ,gave birth... ...mini choppers... ...from the mighty c50
That alone is enough reason to count it out.

[dawnrazor]

NO. 10 the knucklehead chooper, never has a motorbike been so aptly named, owned and riden by knuckleheads!

[Bonez]

NO. 10 the knucklehead chooper, never has a motorbike been so aptly named, owned and riden by knuckleheads!Know what ya mean. We have one at work.