The RC30 was an early 90s sportbike that was sold in dealerships in order allow the bike to compete in the World Superbike races. Or rather, one of the most exciting motorcycles of the decade that didn't come from Japan. Because it was the turbocharged era! Yes, the Gen I V-max engine was basically a slightly modified 1200cc engine out of the 1983 Venture touring bike. The Kawasaki GPZ900R was the first ever, standard production motorcycle to break the 150mph barrier, and not with the old Smith’s speedo trick of just painting 150 on the speedo, this was real performance. Yes, FIFTY THOUSAND POUNDS. I was born in 1971, brought up in a motorcycling household, and as we grew older, bikes were just part of our life; Dad owned a very cool Bonnie, my eldest brother also owned a Bonnie, as did many of his friends, although fast Japanese stuff was just creeping in to the group – a GPZ1100R, Kawasaki Z1 900, and even the odd two-stroke. Found inside – Page 29The two largest Japanese manufacturers , Honda and Yamaha , began a battle for dominance of the American market by flooding ... In the 1980s , it abandoned the idea of competing across the board and instead focused on what it knew best ... The early models still count as 80s classics, as the first 750s were introduced in ’89. The result was the Katana: a sharp sports motorcycle with an unorthodox square headlight, angular plastics that added aerodynamic advantages but without the need for curves, a functional design and feel, and a powerful engine. Found inside – Page 554TABLE 16.10 COMPARISON OF US-JAPAN PER UNIT LABOR COST: CAR MIX3 ($1 = ¥ 215) Sources: ... some of this labor goes to aftermarket parts and motorcycles, i. The fastest Z1 or CBX had round lights, beefy fuel tanks, long bench seats, exposed engines, dual shocks, skinny tyres, and steel tube frames — just like all other bikes. But the most radical was the headlamp and surrounding panels. Here are our picks for 10 affordable, collectible motorcycles. The Ninja is a no; it’s too much like a modern bike without being modern, I’d rather have a modern take of an old classic. At Motorcyclepedia in Newburgh, NY: these rare factory turbocharged motorcycles are currently on display. Everything about the Katana was to convey the message of SPEED; the sculpted seat, the shark-like fairing, the angled screen, and right in front, centre of attention was that shiny 16-valve, 1100cc engine. The Japanese contribution to motorcycles cannot be overstated and Soichiro Honda's little motorbike company is probably the single most important piece of the Nippon moto industry. Used as a commuter for a year between Newport Beach and Woodland Hills.I was “forced”to ride Topanga Canyon 4 days a week between PCH and the 101.This is a bike that raises your heartbeat anytime you are near it ! The MX-series of Moto Villa motocross bikes came in 125, 250, 350 and 410 versions (and later a 480cc engine). Required fields are marked *. The bike was the first to feature programmable fuel injection (Honda’s PGM FI). Found inside – Page 139KASAR WANTED JAPANESE MOTORCYCLES Kawasaki HONDA 185 KAWASAKI ELIMINATOR 900 ... early 1980's Japanese bikes for parts 100 1960-1970 Japanese Bikes 1976 ... The VT750C model came equipped with a 750 cc liquid-cooled V-twin engine, with a six-speed transmission, ample power, and a comfortable ride experience. Indeed, motorcycles mostly looked the same through the 70s despite technological advances. The Yamaha RD500 was made as a celebration of their dominance in GP racing, inspired by the YZR500 ridden by Wayne Rainey, and it featured a V4 engine with a rather clever dual-crank setup. Honda used to be the one to try different things… Dare to be different. It was Kawasaki's American arm that came up with the Ninja name, and it has never been forgotten! Get genuine BMW Motorrad parts on our online store! They're best known, however, for their motorcycles. Opinion: Should you spend more on premium helmets? The engine was adopted from the transverse V-Twin of the CX500. All material and photographs are Copyright © webWorld International, LLC since 2000. Under those full fairings, it hid a 748 cc gear-driven V4 engine that could produce a whopping 120 horses and 52 lb-ft (in road trim, that is), all thanks to a wide range of titanium components that are complimented by Showa suspension, a single-sided swingarm, a slipper clutch,  and an innovative twin-spar aluminum frame. Regular price $ . Yikes. Yamaha FZ1000 With that said, it was no lightweight – 631lb (compare that with something like a new Triumph Bonneville at just over 500lb), and perhaps that’s an indicator as to why the brakes felt a bit lacking. Regardless of its specs or the quality of its engineering, the Kawasaki GPZ900R makes it onto this list because of its status as a Hollywood cultural icon. Clearly, the “best” of anything isn’t subjective but is in fact purely objective. That was certainly true for cars, but it was Honda who started it with motorcycles, in the CX500 Turbo. 2018 Yamaha YZF-R15 now available in Malaysia – RM11,988. Dropped probably 30lbs with all I took off and upped the hp by probably 15-20hp. My plan for a ZZR1100 and ZXR750 was halved. My middle brother was working for a Kawasaki dealership, dad had the Bonnie, as did my elder brother, and then there were the friends of brothers: Suzuki 550 Katana (x2), Yamaha RD200, all manner of Triumphs (including an X75 Hurricane), Gypsy 1100, Kawasaki Z1, Suzuki GS850, there was even a Rickman Kawasaki … plenty of choice for a teenage lad to think about. I was lucky to have it, it was somewhat of a labor of love to keep it on the road as a daily driver. Found inside – Page 166The price difference between German and Japanese motorcycles was about to get ... THE HARLEY-DAVIDSON TARIFF AND BMW In the early 1980s it wasn't just BMW ... Actually, the FZR in the article is a 91 model, the ugliest of the bunch. This wasn’t just cutting edge, it was space-age. Loris Reggiani at Anderstorp, 1988. Credit: Phil Wain's Family Archive 76. The 80s was the real decade of experimentation by motorcycle manufacturers. Honda's Gold Wing was flying high in the 1980s. This system was adopted to four-stroke engines known as the EXUP (Exhaust Ultimate Power Valve) beginning with the FZR400R in 1987. The bike showed how a 250 could also be regarded as a “serious” machine and had all the superb goodies such as Comstar rims with tubeless tyres, TRAC anti-dive forks, Pro-Link mono shock rear suspension, and Honda’s signature ventilated front brake disc. Its closest competitor (the ZXR750 H1) made just over 100hp, and was nearly 50lb heavier, so was already at a disadvantage, and then of course there’s the chassis/ suspension/ handling difference. I currently have 3 old Goldwings I’m attempting to restore and rebuild. Sitemap. This is another “I could have easily guessed” motorcycle. It's simply The King. With that said, motorcycles were in abundance at our household. It's not uncommon to see older Japanese motorcycles with asking prices north of 20,000 dollars. With a quick visit to Craigslist or your local motorcycle swap meet, anyone can come away with an XS 650 that runs perfectly and looks pristine for less than $3000. Because while it was a low-slung cruiser, it had a heart of pure performance. What about the RZ500 or the RG500?? The Ducati 916 is the bike . Inventive and strong frame coupling. Introduced in 1987, the Ducati 851 rose to fame as one of the most exciting sportbikes of the 1980s. Road bikes were heavy and had short suspension travel to do any good off-road, but they had the range and comfort. The motorcycle in the Honda “Shadow” picture is actually a Honda VF750C “Magna”, a great V4-90º engine bike! The Japanese brands were now the power in the industry. The thing about the V-Max 1200 is that it was designed for the ‘Traffic Light Grand Prix’ – getting from one set of traffic lights to the next, in the shortest possible time. The 125cc, single cylinder, 2-stroke, streetbike had unique features including a cantilever seat, a plunger rear suspension system and a glove compartment in the fuel tank area. Ask anyone to name a motorcycle and you can bet they’ll at least be able to spit the word “Ninja” out of their mouth, even if they don’t know the context. So my teenage years were the 80s, which is why when the Ancient Hippy asked for an article on my personal favourite 1980’s motorcycles, I jumped at the chance. One tester hit 262 km/h! Universal Japanese Motorcycle (UJM) is a US motorcycling media term for a general-purpose style of Japanese standard motorcycle that revolutionized the industry and made motorcycling in America more accessible during the 1970s and 1980s. The crankcases are split horizontally, which makes the XS 650 extremely easy to maintain. (Probably helped by the ultra-successful 350 Pro-Am race series). By 1994 we were selling just 44,000 new motorcycles a year and, although our motorcycle sales have substantially increased since 1994, we have never sold that many motorcycles again. The NR 750 that came from the flop being the 500 gp bike, then the V4’s which I’m not a fan of, their flat 4’s and 6’s,their turbocharged V twin CX’s… Why… To prove they could. But have my eye on a Suzuki RG500 Gamma my friend has Turbocharged Motorcycles of the 1980s. Specializing in terminals and connectors for 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s Japanese motorcycle and automotive applications. It was called the BMW R80 G/S, and without it, we wouldn’t have the dual-sport adventure bike as we know it today. The lessons learned in the previous decade made the smokers as reliable as they were fast. It also started that single-seat look despite having two seats. (And believe me, I keep looking). Found inside – Page 23And when the bust hit , American distributors found themselves with warehouses filled with unsold Japanese motorcycles . Throughout most of the 1980s ... Even some of the attempts afterwards have been a miss; chassis flexing was difficult to conquer. #05. Everything about the RC30 was made for one purpose – going fast. Suzukis DR600 would have to be an iconic motorcycle of the eighties with the 650 continuing throughout the latter years till now. It’s because of these incredibly tough components that the name “Africa Twin” has become synonymous with “Adventure” in the riding community. That’s when I started riding. ’84 Honda Interceptor VF1000F And to me thru to the early 90s was possibly the best eras of motorcycling. The Suzuki Katana was considered by most to be the more lethal of the two. It had a reputation. Outwardly, it looked no different that the 1982 CX500 Turbo, except for colours and badging. It was complicated and needed some proper TLC, but of course the type of buyer back then was interested in only one thing … hitting that powerband as often, and as hard as possible. It’s arguably one of the most iconic motorcycles ever made and one that is still with us today. I mentioned that the GPZ900R that I saw recently had aged somewhat … it looked like a product of its time; spindly forks, simple-ish design, relatively small rear tyre, but what would you expect … it’s 30+ years old. In this book, seasoned motorcycle restorer Ricky Burns takes you through each of the stages of real-life restorations. Once the likes of Kawasaki, Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki got their collective arses in to gear though, they blew the British manufacturers away and never looked back. Up until 1981, learner riders were allowed to ride bikes up to a maximum capacity of 250cc, and it was a thriving market: every manufacturer had a 250cc bike in their line-up (although some were better than others – CB250N anyone? In a sprint off the line, very little could live with the ‘Max’, thanks to the near 100lb/ft of torque and fat rear tyre. FOR A MOTORCYCLE DELIVERY TO YOUR DOOR, CALL US TO DISCUSS PRICE AND DELIVERY CONDITIONS. This was Kawasaki at their finest, and the theme of monster speed has carried on ever since. I also have my 01 Honda blackbird parked the loungeroom. The BMW K100 is a four-cylinder 987 cc motorcycle that was manufactured between 1983 and 1992. Possibly the last bike that I was excited to ride and still am. Finding an XRV650 is no mean feat, and collectors hold on to them. Some were exported and modified for racing. From prewar Hendersons and Harleys to classic dirt bikes of the 1970s, the collector motorcycle market is hot and getting hotter. I would have put the FZ750 on the list instead of the FZR600. I recently came across a beautifully kept (not restored) Ninja. Reagan's tariff on Japanese motorcycles In 1983, Reagan also slapped a 45% tariff on Japanese motorcycles in an effort to save one American company: Harley-Davidson ( HOG ) . Long motorway journeys weren’t really its forte either, but that’s OK because the fuel tank was just big enough to get you to the next petrol station. Still a scary bike to ride when you really give it!! The best of Classic and Vintage Japanese motorcycles for sale. The 80s was when Honda produced every conceivable type of motorcycle and introducing large numbers in a year. Found inside – Page 100The Japanese Companies Kawasaki Kawasaki was the first of the " old guard ” to ... By the very early 1980s , motorcycle performance was increasing in ways ... Talk of power-wheelies was commonplace, and who can forget that scene in Top Gun? Ducati Hypermotard 950 and 950SP Test Ride in Spain! One was for the road only, the other was specifically for off-road use. However, even today, 33 years after its launch, the Honda VFR750R RC30 looks racy, and would no doubt give many a sportbike a run for the money. 10. The replacement GS750ES went faster and was cheaper. The YA-2 was only the 2nd model the Japanese motorcycle manufacturer Yamaha made. Bought a ’85 Kawi ZL900 Eliminator 2 days after selling the RD. Ducati 916. The 1987 Model was the first of many and won ‘Bike of the Year’ from at least one of the top Aussie Mags. I went through many bikes and finally bought a ’81 KZ1000J which I ended up building it up with a big bore kit, ported head, cams. 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