What is the most significant bike?

[Bill Stevenson]

There is a series on motorcycle companies on Discovery HD Theater "Twist the Trottle." The BMW piece ran a couple of weeks ago, last week Kawasaki, this week Suzuki. I missed earlier ones on Honda and Bimota, but hopefully they will be rerun. It is an interesting series so far. It got me thinking as to what is the most significant motorcycle in my lifetime. I thought about my R75/5 (I never thought bikes could get better), then the R90S and the R100RS and the K100RS-ABS. But in the end, looking at all the bikes introduced since I have been old enough to know and appreciate them, the 1969 Honda CB 750 has to be the one that rocketed the motorcycle world into the modern era. The funny thing is I never owned one. What do you guys think?

Bill

[Eagle6]

Honda 750 has to be an icon of modern motorcycles followed by the first "superbike" the Kawasaki Z900

[MJB]

How about the Honda Cub

I think it is the number 1 selling bike in the world

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaeKrqJJqm0

[ka5ysy]

He one I am riding at the time!

[mogu83]

When I saw the title only one bike came to mind - the 1969 Honda CB750. Most of us that started riding in the sixties were completely caught off guard by this machine from Japan. I don't think that it deserves the title of Classic (IMHO) that many tag on it, mostly because it doesn't exhibit a classic level of manufacture or the lofty price tag that most all classics demanded when they were new. It was however a quantum leap in dependability and also in braking and performance. While the motorcycle mags were reporting the pending arrival of the new lighter more powerful BMW /5, the oil in frame BSA, and the more powerful Triumph Bonneville from out of nowhere came the CB750.
In the summer of 1969, mounted on my new BSA Thunderbolt I was foolish enough to challenge a CB750 on the highway, after all it was just a Jap bike. Boy was I surprised, when I hit my top end he just clicked up another gear and left me behind. The sound of the CB750s exhaust was the death knell for the British motorcycle industry.

[Flashdog]

For me my 1971 Bonneville. It bought it running on one cylinder and spent all my free time fixing, tuning, and polishing it until I could take it to Daytona for Bike Week. Everything about that bike sucked compared to every other bike I have owned except for two things. It looked proper and it sounded great! To this day a parallel twin sounds the best.

[WILDPIG]

RECKON YALL NEVER HEARD O THE BEST OF ALL BIKES ON PLANET EARTH -- HARLEY DAVIDSON. I AINT THE LEAST BIT SURPRISED...................................

[Eagle6]

RECKON YALL NEVER HEARD O THE BEST OF ALL BIKES ON PLANET EARTH -- HARLEY DAVIDSON. I AINT THE LEAST BIT SURPRISED...................................

CHARLEY who?

[Eagle6]

For me my 1971 Bonneville. It bought it running on one cylinder and spent all my free time fixing, tuning, and polishing it until I could take it to Daytona for Bike Week. Everything about that bike sucked compared to every other bike I have owned except for two things. It looked proper and it sounded great! To this day a parallel twin sounds the best.

Being raised up amongst BSA, Triumph, Norton, etc. I have lots of memories of these "classic" bikes. Having ridden many when they were current models I can without fear of contradiction say that those who have the urge to own one are looking at them through rose tinted glasses.
A sad comment that might anger some, but the day the Hondas landed in England was a good day for motorcycling and a bad day for tinkerers and mechanics.
My last "classic" was a Velocette Viper 350cc. And probably the most unreliable of them all. I wish I had it now, it's worth a fortune. But I enjoyed my riding and did not enjoy spending my nights and weekends trying to keep a bike running, so the Honda invasion was greeted with joy by myself and quite a few others.
The British motorcycle industry thought they were the best and took an arrogant stance when faced with the onslaught of the "riceburners" and we know the result ......

[mogu83]

RECKON YALL NEVER HEARD O THE BEST OF ALL BIKES ON PLANET EARTH -- HARLEY DAVIDSON. I AINT THE LEAST BIT SURPRISED...................................

I've heard of Harley Davidsons. My first bike was a Harley rode it for two summers (1961/62) got off it and never got on one again except for a demo ride in 2003. Didn't do what I wanted a motorcycle to do then, and still doesn't fill my needs in a motorcycle. But- a black Road King with the fiberglass bags (not the funky leather ones) is IMHO one of the prettiest motorcycles made. When I get old and can't ride any more maybe I'll buy one.
I ride at least once a week with a club that's 90% Harleys so it's not like I'm not familiar with the brand.
Which model do you have?

[Dan-A]

Honda 750 has to be an icon of modern motorcycles followed by the first "superbike" the Kawasaki Z900

Funny this was just posted because yesterday I drove to San Francisco with my truck and trailer to buy a 1971 CB750 K1 from a guy who advertised it on Craig's List as "near show quality". The 750 was truly revolutionary when it came out and the chance to own one again was causing me to have incredible flashbacks.

I owned a CB750 K1 when I was 16. It had just come out a year earlier and it was an incredible bike. I upgraded from a 1968 CB350 to the 1971 750. It was quite a bike to own, especially at that age and time. This was possible because my my Dad offered to pay half as long as I matched it, but it had to be CASH. I worked all summer saving my money, and drove him crazy with all the schemes I came up with for buying it now and paying it off. But he stuck to his guns and held me to the deal.

Finally, near the end of summer, cash in hand he drove me to the dealership to pick up the bike. Traffic was heavy and it was getting near closing time. I was freaking out they would close before we got there, but Dad (unknowingly to me) had called ahead and told them we were on our way.

Much to my relief they were still open when we got there. We walked in the front door of Orange County Honda in So Cal and there was the bike with a piece of paper with my name on it taped to the headlight. I was trembling with excitement as I walked around the bike. When I asked if I could sit on it the salesman said, "of course, it's yours". I will never forget that moment as long as I live.

Not only did I get the latest and greatest bike of the time (that is unless you asked my friends with Triumph Bonnevilles) I got a lesson in working hard for what I want. I grew up plenty that summer. It was a lesson that has served me well over my 54 years.

Anyway, I learned something yesterday too. "Near show quality" means different things to different people. I didn't buy the bike as I felt it had too many problems I didn't want to deal with for what the guy was asking, but what a great trip down memory lane.

[Bill Stevenson]

Very interesting responses so far. Harry and I share similar experiences as my first bike was a Sportster in 1967 and it was my last HD too. One point of contention, IMHO the Kawasaki Z1 was definitely not the first superbike. The Mach III and the Mach IV predate it and both were considered superbikes when they were introduced. Both were faster than anything else on two wheels at the time of their respective introductions. But none of these had anything like the impact of the CB 750.

Bill

[Motorcycle_Girl]

FYI the Twistthe Throttle complete series is available to watch on the website as well...just in case you want to catch an episode that you missed. I watched them all on my computer...

[daveyator]

If Harley's are so great then why was a protective tarriff established in the mid '80's to protect the greatest motorcycle on planet earth?

[mogu83]

If Harley's are so great then why was a protective tarriff established in the mid '80's to protect the greatest motorcycle on planet earth?

For the same reason that WE (The People) now own a big chunk of General Motors and Chrysler - someone convinced a bunch of people in Washington that it was a good idea at the time. If 'The Motor Company' has done anything significant in the past few decades it's the way they deal with the government or the way they market their product.
Again they are pretty, and a relatively dependable machine if not used outside the envelope they were designed for. Last year they sold slightly over 300,000 bikes so someone must like them. Thing is, I would imagine most of the people on THIS LIST ride outside that envelope.

[Dan-A]

Again they are pretty, and a relatively dependable machine if not used outside the envelope they were designed for. Last year they sold slightly over 300,000 bikes so someone must like them. Thing is, I would imagine most of the people on THIS LIST ride outside that envelope.

I ride outside that envelope when I ride my BMW, but not when I ride my Harley.

Funny thing, the guys who influenced me to get a Harley now have BMW's also. Ask them which bike sits in the garage more and they will reply with a sheepish grin, the Harley.

[mogu83]

I guess it's a Peter Paul Almond Joy or Peter Paul Mounds type thing. I usually eat Mounds but sometimes like an Almond Joy. Same with bikes, it's great to ride a sport tourer but every now an then it's nice to drag a heavy cruiser out for a putt.
I feel sorry for people that get locked into one brand (or type) motorcycle, there are so many nice bikes out there and most do at least one thing better than all the others.

My bikes range from a CB125S to a Valkyrie and I enjoy riding all of them about the same, but for different reasons. Funny part is I never thought I'd have a Jap bike in the garage and now I have three. I wouldn't mind adding a new KLR to the group.

[Caroanbill]

I agree, it's gotta be the Honda CB750K1. No other bike has changed motorcycling so much, and as everyone remarks - it came out of nowwhere and left the industry in its wake. Never owned one (ridden a few), but in 1981 even a 12 year old one could run happily with my 1979 GS750B Suzuki despite 10 years between designs (we also had a 1968 Suzuki GT250 Hustler for comparison!)
- 75/5 may have been revolutionary for BMW (and 2 of my riding mates still have running models) .. but in 1972 it still had a drum front brake.
- Z900 certainly improved the breed, but IMHO the pathway was carved my the K1

Harley WHO? Hardly's could, one supposes, have conceiveably taken the industry (and motorcycling) as far backward as the CB750 took it forward ... Hardlys are like golf courses ... their best feature is the way they keep their devotees away from the rest of us ... the only decent Hardly is designed by Porsche - and even then it'd be better if Hardly had contracted frame design out as well ... I could've cut two wheels off our old Massey Ferguson TE20 (a classic in it's own right!) and still have a lighter, faster and more nimble 2-wheeler (oh, and better looking) ... have I gone too far yet?

But what woudl I know? I've only owned & ridden BMWs since about 1986 ...

[WILDPIG]

I AGREE-- WHO R U? SOMEONE WHO'S RODE A BMW SINCE 1986? YEA U AINT GOTTA CLUE BOUT A HARLEY..... FACT O THE MATTER IS-- MOST BLUE BLOOD BMW OWNERS CANT SEE PAST THEIR LAME PREJUDICE AN ADMIT,, OR FOR THAT MATTER EVEN REALLY HAVE MUCH KNOWLEDGE OF ANYTHING HARLEY. I'D NEVER ASK A BMW RIDER FOR AN OPIN ON A HARLEY-- BUT I'LL TELL U THIS---- AS A CROSS OVER AN CURRENT OWNER I CAN EASILY SAY-- ONE VASTLY OVER RATED BRAND OF MOTORCYCLE. FURTHER--- SEEMS A CLEAR TREND IS DEVELOPIN THAT FORMER HD OWNERS ARE DROPPIN THE BMW'S AN GOING BACK TO HD--- ESPCIALLY ANY HD WITH AN 88" MOTOR UP. COURSE I DONT EXPECT MOST HERE TO BELIEVE THAT JUST LIKE MANY OF YALL ACTUALLY THINK A BMW ONLY LOSES 10% VALUE WHEN IT LEAVES THE DEALER SHOWROOM. 2 FACTS HERE FOR ALL THE R1200R OWNERS-- MOST OF YALL PAID A MINIMUN OF 15,000 UP FOR YOUR BIKES ASSUMING YOUR BOUGHT NEW OF COURSE... AN 2- IN GENERAL YOU CAN EXPECT A 25% LOSS OF VALUE THE INSTANT YOU TELL TO SELL IT,,, AND ACTUALLY-- CAN REVEAL THIS INSIDE INFOR--- THE ACCEPTED RATE OF LOSS IS --- 30-35%. I HAPPEN TO TOTALLY AGREE WITH THAT LOSS VALUE WITH IS INDUSTRY INSIDE INFOR WITHOUT CALLIN NAMES OR DEALERSHIPS.............

[deilenberger]

Interesting little side-column in the July Owners'News.. guy talked with Peter Fonda who was at some gathering with a buncha HD's waiting to escort him. Guy asked Fonda what he rode - MV Agusta, and two BMWs. Said he never rides a HD.. Funny coming from the Easy Rider..