Other Classic Bikes you wished 'they' still made

I'll start the ball rolling with the closest I can think of, to our beloved XJ's...the UK/Euro only GT550/750 Kawasaki....now I would LOVE to find one of those, over ere!!!

They were definitely buzz bombs....moreso the 550 ( rode and owned both, in the UK) but the 550 COULD emulate the speed of the XJ650....and I'd suggest the 750 was a tad quicker than the XJ7....little lighter steering ( as was the 550) and being 750, little less 'buzzy'.....but being a Kawasaki certainly ( somehow) needed a 7th gear !!

Both were equally as reliable.....my 550 covered 140K miles over a couple, three years, didn't really hear of too many problems....they were notoriously buzzy though....even with the aforementioned 6 speeds......often wondered how good the XJ7 would have been with a 6th gear overdrive, for cruising..

Both could hit 50MPG easily.....the air shocks were a tad bit more comfy than the XJ's......seat about equal, maybe the XJ's was a wee bit comfier, but the lack of a 'true' tourer a la the XJ750 stilted the GT750's usefulness.......no 'factory' touring accessories.

Always wondered why Kawasaki didn't go all in and offer a GT900.....both the 550/750 sold quite well in the UK/Europe.......why were they never offered in the US, I wonder??

Also their 'copied' lcd screens, I always thought were. nowhere near as cool as the groundbreaking XJ's......

 

Wow! That is pretty. Nice size, just right in all dimensions and directions. I agree, it would be very nice to have or to have had. I bet some bar end weight would help mute the buzziness.
Sweet.
John

 

Maybe....but I believe, IF I remember the bars were semi rubber mounted

The buzziness I refer to...perhaps not the best way to describe it, is more of a busy-ness....Kawasaki's...almost since time immemorial have 'needed' a 7th gear, they ALWAYS seem to feel buzzy/busy in the engine department!!

They were very nice to ride, almost indestructible, suspension was air both ends, but the bike handled very well.....although they always 'seemed' more 'fragile' than the XJ's.....they really weren't.!
The 550 would do 95-100......all day long, all month long, and never complain!!

 

Time passes so quickly I remember when those GT 750's were in the dealers showrooms. That is a nice 750 all the same.

 

I Remember when the 'Wankel' RE5 Suzuki was fresh in dealers showrooms!!!

 

So do l there were hard to sell a motorcycle dealer near me had a few on them on display. I prefer the bikes from my youth but to be fair about it l have not tried the more modern machines.

 

I did a lap of the TT circuit in 1992 on a gt750, an American had realised his dream to come to the TT, he hired the gt in London and rode up north for the ferries, we met him in a pub on the island Geoff Kobus I seem to remember.
He was a big man, dwarfed my tzr 250 but we had a 1 lap swap, brilliant times.

 

I mis the Mountain mile......done a few laps on my 900R....my little 400RR Honda < quick as F^%&....and a couple of others...think my 900R was the fastest 'Mad Sunday I've ever done, but the 400RR...reving to 16,500RPM @ 140 was the most fun!!

 

One of the regulars came into the yard on a new (to him) bike, a GPz.
But no, it was the bodywork from one transplanted onto his old GT550
Said it went on no problem - as far as I recall, he said it was the same fixing points on the frame.
He ran it that was for a couple of years, quite happily.

 

I don't know if you can really call this a classic, but it is not made anymore. I sure miss this bike, sold it to buy a ZX14, it was a mistake. Sure wish I could find one again in a good price range. I changed the ZX14 to a sport tour bike and ended up selling. Current replacement is a Bandit 12S FI.
2003-Kawasaki-ZRX1200Rb by Tim Brown, on Flickr

 

I had an 84 Kawaski 550 LTD had shaft drive ,air ride shocks had bike for 9 years should have kept it . I found it to be a smooth running bike , was extremely reliable , wish Kawasaki would bring these back or the Zephyr 550 & 750

 

I like this one too. I would go for the 1100.

 

This was how I toured back in 2011/2012. Tank bag, tail bag and a credit card.
The 110 ft-lbs of that MT was intoxicating.
Insuring a 1670 sportbike became a problem so I sold it.

 

^^^That is a V twin I would own! No USA sales, sure once again you guys get all the cool bikes I bet that is a hooligan bike from hell! Well I will never see one or own one, but thanks for sharing.

 

Nice bike Simmy. My cousin had an Aprilia the only V twin I have tried.

 

I've only had 2 V-twins, the other was a Honda Firestorm, Superhawk in the USA.
I'm 59 this year and don't really need fast bikes anymore.
All my touring/commuting is KLR650 today.
I also have street plates on my KTM 525EXC, that is a fast bike.
I love thumpers!

 

The only single cylinder machine l owned was an MZ TS150 to learn and then pass my test. Didn't look great but it got me to work when l was an apprentice in the 1970s. I liked the Yamaha SR 500 and the XT 550. I don't need fast bikes either any more XJ is fast enough for me.

 

Loved my '81 Guzzi Le Mans, MK 2,I mean, it was already outclassed in the 80's...CBR1100 was a 145MPH beast, as were the big Suzukis, GSX series, and Kawasaki 1000's....Guzzi out handled them all though



I always wanted one of these, hard to find, not a big seller.....

 

I'm not sure if any MZ's were imported to NA. Not much came from beyond the iron curtain.
I remember when I bought my Velorex sidecar the dealer was importing CZ motocrossers.
Both from Czechoslovakia (at the time). CZ are actually back in production with Czech & Italian input.
The Czech's and East German's had all the secrets for two-smokers before the Japanese got the plans.

 

That's right the MZ's were made at the motorcycle works Zschopau and the engineer responsible for MZ two strokes was Walter Kaaden and as the article below states machines like Yamaha’s RD250 and 350LC, Suzuki’s RG500 and Kawasaki’s scary H2 750 triple would never have existed if it wasn’t for the two-stroke’s reign of terror in GPs. Didn't know you had a sidecar. I have never tried an outfit it will be a lot different handling than a solo motorcycle. My friends at the time had RD 250's, one had a 250 Kawasaki two stroke triple and I eventually got a Suzuki GT 250. They are all classics now I liked the sound of the Suzuki GT 750 it was named the Kettle in the UK due to the water cooling. Great times they were.


https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/2012/december/de1712-the-ernst-degner-story/

 

My Kettle, 1977 GT Suzuki was quicker to 50 than the GS750, itself no slouch, I know 'cos I owned both!! ( top end and handling, GS had it in the bag by quite a margin !)

 

I've always bought used bike until 2003 I bought a new Buell Blast 500 with a Kerker pipe claimed 38 hp half of an 883 ...I rode the snot out it 5 miles when I bought it ,taught a co worker how to ride on it and sold it to him with 9500 miles on it, he rode it for another 4 years before buying a bigger bike. This was the first thumper I had had, even if it was a chick bike to most everyone who rode it was impressed with it. I miss it sometimes .

 

chick bike?, lol

I used to ride my Ex's RD125LC Yamaha, ....quite a lot, actually despatched on it for a while, think that 2 stroke made.....19HP?, at probably 7,000 revs, it was the most dangerous, fun time I had had on a bike, since I was 16 !!

 

That Black Moto Guzzi is it the Griso 1200?

 

No its the 1200 Breva Sport, based on I think the 1100/1200 naked 'Breva'.....

 

Feel the bloody UK and you Europeans got both the 4 valve 1200 and the ( more powerful) 8 valve version, us lot over 'ere only ever got the 4 valve imported !!

Its not fast by any modern standards.......Guzzis never were, but 130MPH, shaft drive V twin, pretty reliable motor, so I'm told...like the old ads used to (truly) say "Long Legged and Easy to Live with" < well, fairly easy, though nowhere near XJ reliability, I know that for a fact, lol !!

 

I wish Kawasaki would build the 550,750,1100 Spectre shaft drive or reintroduce the GPZ in the same displacement. Or Yamaha reintroduce the 550,650,750,900 SECA,MAXIM with updates and keep price under 9k I would be camped outside dealership waiting . Face it V twins are okay but nothing like 3 and 4 cylinder ( the 6 clyinder from Honda- Kawasaki had problems) the twin cylinder XS650, Triumph Bonneville would take those too .

 

What about those CBX 6 cylinder motorcycles. Aren’t they amazing sounding!

 

Yes those CBX 6 are very sought after bikes for collectors, if you find one for cheap get it and flip it. I have never worked on one but I guess it would be the same principle at the XJ's.

 

My dad used to work with a guy who bought a new CBX 6 he had it three days he rode to work , he went to pull out of parking lot and engine blew apart . The dealer replaced the engine ,but he had to fight for it, if the bike was left on side stand oil would pool to the left side , they told him he it needed to be on center stand always. I don't know if Honda ever fixed this or not.

 

i want my Cushman Eagle back, two speed suicide shifter with a foot clutch and torque converter

 

The Honda CB 900f my friend bought broke one of its cam chains. He got the bike when it was low mileage. He got rid of it and got an old Goldwing. There was an article in one of the motorcycle magazines in the 1980's where a guy fitted a Z1 motor to a CB 900f chassis. Looked good and was very reliable.

 

The 80's were a testing time for Honda...CX500 was bold, but ugly and ate its cams, and alternator drive?, the early VF range, before they sorted them, had chocolate cams, the CB900F was generally reliable, but not as much as the GS/GSX range, nor any of the Kawasakis 900r/750R, turbo, GT range of shaft driven sports tourers, etc, even lowly? Yamaha...late to the 4 stroke party, had by now sorted the FZ750, FZ600's, and following ThunderAce 1000, to be more reliable than the Honda's!

 

The CB 900F was styled similar to the Honda 250/400 Superdream. I liked the 900F until the cam chain broke, how did that happen because I didn't hear of any other ones doing that? A few months after that I got my Honda CB 750K2 shouldn't have sold that one.

 

I owned a CB400N Superdream...bag o shite, really, lol !!

 

Yes they were. Better with your RD 400 than that.

 

Thats why I got it back, lol...thought I'd try the new 4 stroke Honda's.....but at 110MPH that thing was gasping, and my mate on his RD400 came flying past !!

 

Yes the 70's two strokes could fly, great bikes the RD's were.

 

First post. Now that I have a Seca 650 (Red) that I am picking up, I'll post a photo of my other bike I wish they still made. 84' Honda VF500f

 

My uncle has a red, white, and blue 1986 vf500. Been a good machine for him.