If you are like me, you want classic motorcycles of the past, the kind we grew up with
This bike could outrun a 650. I fell in love with one the minute I test road it for a single city block.
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The little Yamaha RD 350 could easily outclass the Honda 350 CB. For that matter it could outrun most 650's but its 2 stroke engine was a real gas guzzler |
I had just driven my brother in laws Yamaha 650. The RD 350 felt so small, so compact in comparison. Although I preferred it to the Honda CB350 because of its handling and much faster acceleration, theYamaha RD 350 was a 2 stroke. I read that it would only get 30 to 35 miles to the gallon. So I ended up buying the Honda CB350 because of its much better fuel economy and renowned 4 stroke reliability. Somehow the idea of a cruising range of less than 100 miles put me off. It still does.
The Yamaha SR400 might be the best looking motorcycle sold in Thailand.
To some, the fact you must kick start it, sets you apart as a "real man". It's a great machine for threading city traffic. But it will only top out at around 80 mph or so. But no matter, the exclusivity of the Yamaha SR 400 puts it towards the top of the food chain.
Honda CB 350
I bought a 350 Honda CBR just like this one, in green, when I was just 24 teaching High School. I bought it in 1972. It was reliable and could do 90 miles an hour.
Honda 1970 CB 450
I traded my CB 350 for one of these. The Honda CB450 had 45 horsepower compared to the CB350's 36 h.p. Its performance was competitive to the 650 British twins such as the Triumph Bonneville. It was superior to the Honda CB350 on the interstate. Mine was good for about 100 mph or so. But on a two lane with lots of tight corners its heavier weight put it behind my Honda CB350.
2001 Triumph Bonneville, Harley Davidson Sportster, and Kawasaki W650 by Chuck Hawks
Harley Davidson introduced the Sportster to stem the British Invasion during the 1950's.
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The 650 Triumph Bonneville was the benchmark against which all other 650 twins were measured |
The British were fielding lighter, better handling, and cheaper bikes than Harley Davidson's expensive cruisers with Triumph and BSA taking the lead. Harley engineered the Sportster as a cheaper and sportier alternative to such behemoths. Chuck Hawkes compares three competitive models in this 2001 review. One American. One British and one from the land of the Rising Sun.
In 1968 British 650 twins ruled the roost in U.S. motorcycledom. The Japanese would soon rule the market. But in 1968 Triumphs and BSA's
dominated the field of "Must have's".
BMW Classic Motorcycles
With its low center of gravity and light weight (408 pounds), the BMW R65 was excellent in city driving. But it was even better on the highway. Equal to the much larger BMW 1000 c.c. twins. Those cost $6000. I got my 650 for just $3400. Its horizontal air cooled twin engine was and still is a classic. The Germans introduced this basic engine conformation back in 1923 with shaft drive. My BMW R65 had virtually no vibration at all up to 58 mph. But once I reached 70 mph all vibration smoothed out and the engine got smooth as silk. I could could cruise nearly 300 miles without stopping at a gas station. I once drove it 400 miles in one day with my girlfriend sitting behind me. The owner could easily maintain this bike by himself. And one didn't even have a chain to adjust.
Bikes of a Lifetime 1983 BMW R65--"Should of Kept it Forever by Robert Kim
This is a great article on the outstanding virtues of the BMW R65 with a lot of excellent pictures. Robert Kim's views reflect my own. This is just about the best all around motorcycle there ever was.
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Click here or on the picture above to get the video of a BMW K100 RS going 150 miles per hour on the German autobahn. My BMW K100 RS was a true classic motorcycle. It looked just like this one. Blue. The perfect color for the bike with the perfect body. |
In the following YouTube video, John Landstrom from Blue Moon Cycle discusses the unique engineering features of the BMW K100 RS series of classic motorcycles. John Laso explains that the1985-year model had more horsepower than the K100 RS's from other years. And why.
Riding the K-100 (RS) by Jim Wolcott
And from Jack Corbett
I did 220 kph on mine, then I chickened out. BMW claimed a 137 mile per hour top speed and zero to 100 miles an hour in 7 seconds. Some reviewers on the Internet claim the 1985 model K100 RS produced more than the 90 horsepower BMW claimed. And that the 1985 models were the fastest K100 Rs's ever built. Well, I don't know about that. But I drove my K100 RS on the old highway 66 near my farm at over 131 miles an hour. This stretch of the road was a bumpy two lane. There were side roads feeding into it and a steep overpass looming ahead of me. I would have to slow down to around 20 mph to climb the overpass. I don't think any Japanese bike in the mid to late 1980's could match my BMW K100's all-around performance. It had an unmatchable chassis that provided exceptional stability. And it had great brakes. The K100's four-cylinder engine arrangement was a one of a kind as it was turned on its side. No other 4 cylinder on the market could match this bike's low center of gravity.
What's it like driving the K100 RS on the Autobahn at 155 miles an Hour by qno 1963
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