Milestone Motorcycles

How bout the first Honda CBX (late 70's) being the 1st 6cylinder..... then the Yamaha XS1100 (drive shaft)........There is a guy in GA that is the go-to-guy for anything CBX related and does a restoration, literally the bike looks brand new. (I mean down to every sticker on the bike). How bout a Triumph Trident, another great bike. (Black and gold!)

Same here with me......... HS in mid-70's and went throught a bunch of what now would be great collector bikes. First was a 50cc mini-trail........YOU NEED ONE OF THOSE ALSO!

 

I only got interested in bikes when I was in college in 92 but I remember the 1993 Honda CBR 900RR turned the motorcycling world on it's ear.

I didn't see 1974 Ducati 750 SuperSport. I don't know if it had a huge impact on the way people thought about motorcycles but is certainly is a historic bike.

Someone above has a Ducati Desmosedici in their collection. I think this is a great choice. Before this the GP technology would trickle down into the production bikes. This time they just took the GP bike and put lights on it.

I also agree with the 916 I think I actually got a chubby when I saw one in the showroom and was the reason I started looking at Ducatis to own.

 

FYI, the Benelli 750 Sei was the 1st street-production six cylinder motorcycle... Honda did make a four stroke six cylinder 250cc road racing bike in 1964 to compete with the dominating two strokes of the day.

 

The newest Cycle World has a retro comparison between the Benelli, CBX, and Kawasaki KZ1300. All inline sixes.

 

Wayne Gardner, 1987 Moto GP World Champion, got to ride all the factory superbikes from the 2009 season. He thinks the stronger bikes of that field are as good or better than the gran prix race bikes of his era. FWIW, he thought the Aprilia was the strongest bike followed by the BMW, Ducati, and Honda. He liked Spies' R1 least.

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2009/Nov/091120a9.htm

I think anyone who closely followed the season will agree, Aprilia hit it out of the park with that design. Biaggi had results but so did everyone else who rode it. (besides Nakano) Simoncelli took a podium in his first race weekend on the RSV4. Granted the streebikes are only faintly related to the pro's superbikes, hell Spies Racebike was really Italian made ROFL, but the Ape spanked the field in the masterbike competition too. With pro ringers, the RSV-4 laptimes were 2 seconds faster than the next closest competitor. In the past, the v-twin model won it, and chosen runner up in the masterbike overall category several times.

Their bikes have won around 40 world titles in supermoto and GP. Corser said he should have won the SBK title with the RSV, had it not been for crap tires from Dunlop. And his bike was way down on hp compared to the inline bikes. It boogied in the turns. Aprilias have always been revered for handling prowess. Now they've got a serious engine to go with the artful chassis. I they will take a superbike title in the next year or two.

A V-4 is the proven superior layout for a roadracing motorcycle. It's more expensive and complex, but its weight distribution and power characteristics are the best. Off the showroom floor, the RSV4 is just below a Desmosedici RR in track potential for 1/3 the price. The Aprilia is a lot torquier. The Ducati has another 10-15 hp in the statosphere.

The RSV4 power delivery is supposed to be like the cross-plane R1. I'm surprised more companies are trickling down some moto gp tech. I guess you can't underestimate the business side of the equation. It might not be worth their money to make an upscale model that may only cannabilze from the GSXR or CBR line.

I would love to see Honda bring back another V-4 powered homologation model. The RC30 is certainly an iconic sportbike. If Aprilia can do it, you know big red could sell enough of an exclusive bike to qualify. I believe it's only a few thousand minimum for worldwide consumption to meet the rules.

 

The S90 definitely was a big seller, but a dog of a performer. I'd opt for the Superhawk or Scrambler myself.

Not your wish list, but on mine - Aermacchi HD 250RR, HD VR1000, and the Bimota V-Due

 

HI:
I've read this thread with interest, and all I can say is that most of you must be pretty young. I can see only a single bike before 1940 (Indian Scout), and very few before 1970. If you want REALLY important bikes, try some of these (and go read about them ...). They are in no particular order and the list is very incomplete.

1938 Vincent Rapide Series A
1948-54 Vincent Black Shadow Series B and C
late 1920s/early 30s Brough SS100
Crocker (any)
Cyclone (any)
Indian Powerplus (electric lights, electric starter, swing arm etc - and all in the early 1920s)
1938 Triumph Speed Twin (the bike that started parallel twin popularity)
1894 Hildebrand and Wolfmuller (the FIRST production motorcycle)
1923 BMW R32
Norton Manx
1972 Kawasaki Z-1
Ariel Square 4 Mk 2
1910 and later Scott (so fast at the time they were banned from some races)
ca 1920 Zenith Gradua (variable speed transmission)
1974-75 Ducati 750SS
Velocette KTT
BSA DBD Gold Star
1956 Ducati 125 Desmo
Honda CB77 305 Super Hawk (early 60s)
Yamaha YDS-5 250 2 stroke
And last but not least, the first Japanese sport bike imported to the US: 1963 CB92R 125 twin

You get the picture. It's my impression that most of you don't know about bikes made before you started riding. Check out a little history and you'll be amazed at what you learn.

Cheers
SPCD

 

Update:
1974 Ducati 750 GT
2007 Ducati Monster S4RS (Monster of all Monsters)
Still looking for a nice '70's Ducati 750 Sport, Maybe a Guzzi V7 Sport also...

 

How could I forget the Moto Guzzi 500cc V8?

 

Because the only one in the world is in MG's museum?

 

Well, yes, the V8s are in a museum. However, as I understand it, the point of the original message was to ask for help in listing Milestone Motorcycles, not just those that were affordable, available, and so on. Most of the bikes in my list are available, but many will cost a bundle and some will take a few years of searching and cost an arm and a leg. So what? There was no mention of easily available, low cost, or "affordable for the cost of an Enzo" etc. Milestones are just that - motorcycles that made a difference to history one way or another.

998

 

My point was how he 'forgot'. Easy when there is only one.....

 

Glad to see the Z1 mentioned. I restore these bikes, the one below is a UK spec Z1B (1975) sold to an English rugby player. Currently have a few Z1's on the boil and a Z1000-A1.

 

It is not so much that we have ignorance of these old bikes, it is more like indifference. Many of the bikes you list are unusable in the real world and would only be quaint museum pieces. This is more because of their age than any issue with their design relative to their contemporaries.

As you said most of them represent historical firsts in production motorcycles, look through any book on pre-war British bike and you will see Lawrence of Arabia straddling the stainless tank of his "dangerously fast" Brough Superior. I could argue against a couple on the list not being milestones, but that is pointless as it will ultimately come down to personal opinion. And that gets to the point I am making.

For me at least the bikes I listed are also bikes I have owned or would like to own some day. As neat as they may be, I have little interest in owning a relic conceived before anyone had heard of FDR. I suspect many other on this thread are the same, the line between which ones we think are important and which ones are desirable is very blurry.

 

The RZ Yamahas are 2 stroke, but liquid cooled. The RZ 350 was available in the USA. The RZ 500 was available in Canada and easily imported into the USA.

The Yamaha to "acquire" would be the TZ750 2 stroke 4 cylinder.
The Honda to acquire would be the 125cc 4 stroke 5 cylinder or the 250/6. (Or, the Elsinore)
The Suzuki to acquire would be the TM 400 Cyclone or any GSXR
The Kawasaki to acquire would be the NINJA series (Gpz)
The Husky to acquire would be the 390 (Heikki Mikkola edition)
The CZ to acquire would be the 400 red frame (Jaroslav Falta Replika)
The Maico? Gotta be the AW440 (Adolph Weil) or the bike that started it all- the mighty 501.
The Ossa? A Plonker
The Montessa? Cappra
The Bultaco? The Pursang
The BSA modified into the CCM (thanks to Allen Clews)


How about a PUCH?

 

You like Vincents? Here you go!
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I bought a 1972 Kawasaki F11 250 for my wife for Christmas...she was born in 1972 too. While not necessarily a "milestone" per se, it was the first Japaneses dual sport that could compete with the then dominate euro bikes. I am still looking for an early 70s Suzuki TS185, TM250 and Kawasaki 750H2 and 903 Z1 like I owned in the day as well as a Hodaka Combat Wombat.

 

A fine example of "crap."
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Actually McCain is a hero in my eyes. I don't like his politics, but he is stone hero for what he did in Viet Nam. Anybody that refused release and suffered the torture is a hero.

Art

 

We've got something in common, I don't like his politics either.

An old friend was a shipmate of his and an A4 pilot. They both survived the "Forrestfire".

 

As important motoXers go, how about...

Matchless G80TCS (600cc Hemi single)
http://www.vintagebike.co.uk/Bike%20Directories/Matchless%20Bikes/pages/Matchless%20G80TCS%20Typhoon%201959.htm

Maico 400

Maico 501

Rickman BSA 650

Matchless G50CSR (overhead cam, 500cc Hemi single)
http://www.hagerty.com/lifestyle/hobby_article.aspx?id=34650
Which is probably the most valuable MXer around.
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