Kawasaki was always very performance driven . At least in my lifetime of riding. Made some of the most iconic high performance bikes especially in the 70s
@@thecalled7908 Her engine was one of the best. Against her the Honda 750 Four was a bouncing bucket. I wish I still had mine, she was a gree B2 from '77 with two disks in the front.
@@Bryan-dn1nx And some of the most robust bikes too. For instance, where the other produceres used 5mm or 6mm screws, Kawa used 8mm screws. Kawas where easy to maintain as well.
Second that, modern stuff although dynamically great in most caes, with performance like GP bikes of the past, look in the most part like parts bin specials of odd bit clagged onto frames, and don't even start me on the exposed wires and sensors. I want metalflake and chrome, and it seems there is a retro and smaller bike kickback, but that maybe because of older riders returning, dunno.
I can still remember as a kid hearing the local hoodlum who lived around the block kickstarting his Suzuki GT550 - those expansion chambers crackled and tore through the air. Turned 16 in 1978 and bought an FS1E for £220 and life was never going to be the same again . . .
@@motorcyclecafe I have a 2017 Honda CB 1100EX. It's vastly better looking than the '77 Honda CB 750 I had back in the day. Pull one up and see if you agree. Classic looks, with modern technology (EFI, ABS, unbelievably powerful brakes)
I owned both the Kawasaki-900, and the Harley Lowrider, and I wish I had them back! They're both classics now, but then again, in my opinion, they were classics the day they rolled off the showroom floor! Great bikes! Seeya
I had a Suzuki 250 dual sport, a Kawasaki 500 two stroke triple, a Honda 550 Four, a Suzuki 500 two stroke twin, a Kawasaki Z900, a Harley Davidson Electra Glide Police Special, and then some 1980s motorcycles.
Cool, I like your style 😎 z900 and 74 shovel head fl custom with a few yamaha dt triles bikes mixed in with the cb750 four. We're good times. Still have my 72 Norton commando custom 😊
Started at aged 9 or 10 illegally on quiet back roads with allsorts, as best mate's dad had a wrecking yard, then legally once I got my licence with KTM Comet 50cc (Uk learner law for 16 year olds), Kawasaki A1, Honda G5, Kawaski A7, Honda CB450 4 speed, Kawasaki H1E, Yamaha XS650 custom, Honda CB750F2, Kawasaki H2A, Kawasaki Z1B, Harley FXE80 back then, had all sorts since, back to basics now I am old with a 1952 BSA C11 for slow days, and a 1975 Kawasaki H1f for annoying EV drivers and greenies.
Stared with the honda ss50, quick learning curve. It was all about two strokes for a few years after that. suzuki GT 250 B, Suzuki Gt 750B. Summer of 76 What a time to be a teenager.
On a trip to my new base in California in '79 I rode my '78 KZ650 from Maine to Virginia to San Diego and then to Travis AFB in central California. It was a great ride and adventure.
I bought my first bike in 1970 with the money I saved in Nam. A ‘51 Harley panhead, with a jockey shift. I’d never driven a bike, didn’t have a license and surely not a jockey shift. But in time, after customizing it, learned and to ride it and took my bike license test on it. Since then, I’ve own 3 other Harleys and sold the last one, last August, right before my 74th birthday. I sure miss riding but the older I got, the heavier they seemed.
Had a Norton commando 850 , so good to ride , rode with some mates every weekend up the coast , camp out at the beach , those memories will never leave me , just great times back then , 😀👀
Being a child of the 1970s, I remember seeing these motorcycles, but I never rode any of them. My father put the fear in me of motorcycles because his cousin became a quadrapalegic wrecking his motorcycle, but in my early thirties I went to Departure Bike Works and asked if I could ride on the back of one. They were very kind, and a gentleman who works there allowed me to ride as a passenger on a trike. I'm physically challenged so it was the best way to ride for me. It was so dang much fun!
1976 at age 16 I bought a brand new Kawasaki KH400 2 stroke triple from Steve Baker ( former world champion ) Kawasaki and what a little rocket it turned out to be. Let the good times roll, Kawasaki!
I remember watching Steve Baker race at Sidewinders TT near Portland, Oregon in the early seventies. He was number 42W riding, I believe, a Yamaha 650 twin.
I had 2 400/fours, 1977 reg and 1979 reg. Absolutely superb, the best models Honda ever made. I serviced them myself which was one of the best features of their design.
I did my own service as well. I was under the impression that they only made them from 75-77, at least those were the only years available in the US to my knowledge. Where do you live?
@@jonyoung6253 The UK. I believe that my 1979 registration was one of the last 4 registered here. The mileage I covered on both bikes in total was 117000 miles.
Impressive. I put 40k miles on mine. Do you still ride? I bought a Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and the classic look gets a lot of attention. Great bike for the money.
My first bike was a Suzuki GT500, 2 stroke parallel twin, then a '77 (I think) Yamaha XS750. Dinosaurs by todays standards but so much fun to ride. I also rode a friends Honda CB750. Thanx for the memories.
Bought new a Hodaka ace 100b+ in 72 and a Z1 900 Kawasaki in 76. Bought 1 year old 79 Xl 500 Honda and a 77 Harley FLH and still own both. Also owned a CB 350 an SC 500 Yamaha a DT 250 Yamaha and that is just the 70's bikes!
Started riding in 1971 on a 1971 Rupp Roadster 2 mini bike. Got a 1973 Honda CL 125S as my first street bike. Then a bought a friends 1972 Yamaha 250 Enduro, traded it in on a used 1974 Kawasaki 250 triple 2 stroke.street bike, then got a 1972 Honda 500 four. Also bought a new 1979 Kawasaki KL 250 duel purposes cycle. Also had a 1975 Kawasaki KZ 400. Must of those bikes I owed in the late 70’s and through the 80’s.
I bought my first motorcycle (? - if you could call it that...) on July 19th 1971. It was a Suzuki 50cc Gaucho. Had it for three months, put 3K miles on it, sold it and bought a 1972 Yamaha DS7-250 Twin (100cc less than the R5 350 Twin.) and put over 14K miles in less than a year. Then came a 1971 Honda CB450, another Yamaha 250 twin, a 1976 Honda CB550F and my last 70's motorcycle was a 1978 Yamaha XS400.
Thanks for sharing some great memories and some great bikes. Actually owned a basket case 1975 Kawasaki Z1 900 which I got cheap and completely rebuilt and restored before ex wife #1 made me sell it along with a 1978 Suzuki GS550B 4 banger which was one of my favourite bikes and along with my Z1 I owned long before we got married. A lot of the bikes on this list I’ve actually ridden over the years missing from this list is the Kawasaki Z1300 and the Suzuki RE5. One bike I did own as an 18 year old was a brand new 1980 Yamaha DT175 which was an absolute bastard of a bike and put me off Yamaha for years. As a 61 year old I’ve come back to bikes after a fair amount of years and bought a new Suzuki SV650 which is a brilliant little bike and I’m hoping at some point to find myself some great bikes from my youth.
@@davegoldspink5354 your welcome I've been pretty busy this year not a lot of time for videos so I thought I'd produce one a little different. I covered the 1300 Kwaka in detail in a previous video and yep those 650 suzukis are very good bikes indeed, cheap too.
Still riding my yds7 yamaha 250, one of my first bikes as a 16 year old in 1971, it gets more attention from people than all the Harleys and numerous bikes I have owned over many year's of motor cycling, 69 years old now but I always say no one knows how old we are when we put our helmets on😅.
I had a gold Gt250m same as the one featured…I was the fastest thing on the planet😂 fortunately I lived to tell the tales. I rode many bikes working as a motorcycle salesman. The 400/4 was great straight out of the crate just needing better rear shocks. I always hankered after an RD350 they were a nice bike. Best bike I rode at 17yrs that suprised me in an era of japanese bikes was an 850 Interstate lovely fast but mellow superb handling thing. Thnx for the compilation
@@motorcyclecafe the Suzuki GS550B I had was actually only ran from 77 and 78 and was before they went to the 650cc engine size. They came out with the GS400 twin and the GS750.
No woman ever made me sell anything. If you’d stood your ground you might not be crying in your beer. If it’s a question of money shortage, there are three options: Spend less; Make more; Let her go out to work. That doesn’t mean I didn’t make the mistake of selling bikes and cars. I sold my Bond Bug due to lack of space; the SAAB 99 because I bought a 900 turbo. But they were all MY decisions. Oh, and I never married any of them either.
The Yamaha XS750 3 cylinder was a beast of an engine at 74 HP and very smooth. Fun on straight take offs. The rest of the bike not up to it especially on turns. Soft gears, I lost 2nd gear so shifted 1st up to 3rd, exhaust fell off somewhere, and then the stator went out.... killed the bike. Still some fun memories of that beast. It could have had a 6th gear easily adding to the top speed.
I had a lime green 71 F5 bighorn in 78 while a in senior in high school. I smoked every street bike that came my way. Even the big fours had to inhale my white smoke.
Had quite a few of these and some that aren’t mentioned. Fave bike of all time cb750/4 1977 in electric blue. Hard to believe but only 70 bhp which people laugh at nowadays
owned a Suzuki 250,380 GT ,550 GT ,550 GL and a fully-chopped Triumph 650 Bonneville. rode my step dads Suzuki 185 from Houston to Morgan City Louisiana middle of the night in 1971. test rode a Suzuki 250 X6 in 1969. should have bought it. Love Suzuki bikes. always wanted a shaft-drive 850.
I had a 1975 Yamaha XS 650 i got used in 78 & had it for close to 8 years before i sold it,. I can't really agree with the rating you gave it but mine ran great & never once left me on the side of the road. Great Bobber engines these days & my biggest problem with the bike is that it was heavy, but it was a fine ride with very nice lines to it. I sold that bike & found a 38 Indian Chief which was a blast & the best street bike i ever had, no troubles learning to shift gears as i had one friend with a 69 Harley trike so i learned on that beast. Too much fun!!!
Had a mint 78 xs650 special burgundy paint. It would vibrate when revved higher than it wanted, but from idle to that rpm it was a sweet engine. One of my favorite bikes looking back now that I'm older.
@@WOLFIE-96B-UK thank you mate, thank god you didn't say "you missed this bike or what about this bike" you wouldn't believe how often I get than on videos. It so so annoying, anyone with 1/2 a brain would know I cant include them all.
I had a 1973 Yamaha 750 and it was a mess to deal with. I then got a 1973 Z1 Kawasaki and it was great. I sold it in 1995 and have regreted it ever since. Didn't want my sons to ride until adults. The Z1 was fast for the time and my top speed on it was 145 mph on a closed portion of I-10. I now own a 2007 Kawasaki Z1000 and a 2009 Concours. Love the Kawasaki in-line 4.
Those were the best! That was the golden age of motorcycles! 70s motorcycles are the two wheel equivalent of cars of the 50s! Just like 50s automobiles, 70s bikes didn't have near the power as modern sport bikes, handling and braking often gave you an adrenaline rush for all the wrong reasons, but we didn't care! They were fun to ride, relatively easy to maintain if you knew what you were doing, and everyone I know who owned one back then regrets selling it, including myself. They're classics in their own right!
Back then if you wanted it customized you would have to create it starting with the frame. Today you just look it up online. I actually owned three motorcycles around this time frame and I enjoyed them all.
Wow im glad you showed rhe bike i had in 1975. The beautiful orange Suzuki GT 250. That bike. Frame and suspension could have carried at least a 500 cc engine. I love that bike heavy handled well smooth ride a lil more engine and i would have riden that thing all over the country. I miss those 70s era machines
Although the modern motorcycle era was birthed in the 1960s, the 1970s was the first full decade of that wonderful transition time and very much like the late '50s and early '60s was to the golden performance age of the American automobile...It was an incredible time to be young and in love with motorized vehicles, my bike of choice was the 'old fashioned' Norton Commando, although I enjoyed others.
My brother had Honda CB. I had the Yamaha DT 250 and the Kawasakip z900. Had a Honda sl 100 not on the list but it was my first real motorcycle and I put many a mile on it. Neighbors had a Kawasaki 500 triple two stroke and the 750 triple after that. They were fast but disposable bikes. Great fun times when gass was under .50 cent a gallon.
Apart from the Dukes I've ridden them all. they forgot a few. where are the Kwaka 250/400/500/750 triples. ridden them too except the 250, 500/4 was a good bike. and the Z650 was almost unkillable. Trumpys were ok so were Laverda jota 1000s. And I will never part with my XS1100. Its still a great bike
I have a fully restored (100%) '72 XL250 (K'0'). LOT'S of NOS parts! It's a beauty! Also an almost fully restored 1974 Kawasaki F-11A 250. Lime green. Also a beauty! The 70's bikes were my favorites!
Hi, my biking days started in the seventies and I do think that some beautiful designs came from that era. Tempting to say the best but when you think of the 916, panegale, mv and others of today, I remain humble 😊. I had a few of those bikes at the time and I've got some of them today. La vie est belle. Thanks for the video, I was worried that you had gone forever 😮😅
@@jeremyharris5102 nope I'm still here just been busy this year. TH-cam is just a hobby but I'm working on another video. Its hard trying to balance my time sometimes. Cheers.
And you left out the best ones of all, BMW's new /5 series 500, 600, 750, which went on for many years, culminating in the awesome ground-breaking R90S, and R100RT and RS. With the Gold Wing, the best long-distance tourers ever made.
650 yamies x3, 73 mk2a 850 commando, yammy DT125, 79 TT500F, RM and PE 250's, DR 250 and 600's, GSX 750ex, all in the late 70s and 80s. Just to add, more fun 4:03 before the electronics of today. We fixed all our own bikes back then. Was all part of it. Now, call the towtruck and the computer geek. 😂
I started on a 2and half horse e-z Ryder,then a ts75,ds100,dt360,triumph Bonneville 1960 I paid 650$ ,cb550,cx500,seca 550,gs750,v45,gpz550,xl600,xs650,xs1100,vf1000,nighthawk650,gs1100,fzx700fazer,cbr600,vfr,yzf600r,and my current triumph thruxton,I have ridden near a million miles
I had a 73 Penton 125 six day trial motocross...That Sachs motor was a bitch to start and the transmission had to be shifted perfectly but when it was running good it was unbeatable!!!
1970 Yamaha 100, 1972 250, 1973 rd350, 1972 xlch 1000, 1973 Triumph 750 Tiger , 1977 Bonneville, Still have the Tiger, miss the sporty. 69 and still in the wind on 1980 FLH 84 FXSB and an 09 Street glide. 70's bike had a lot more class.
It’s not pictured here but I owned a 1974 Honda CB 360 my father gave me. I rode that thing daily and sold it to buy a Kawasaki GPZ 550 in the 80’s. When I was 9 I was gifted a 1974 Honda Z50. That was my first motorcycle. I graduated to my first “big boy” bike with a used Yamaha 80.
Started out on FS1E in 1977. Moved up to a Suzuki 250 X7 in 1978. Both great bikes and not featured in this video. To buy either of these bikes now, you have to dig deep in your pockets
I had a Benelli 250 2c, Honda CB 250,CB 450, CB 550 4,CB 750 K2, Kawasaki 650 4, Kawasaki 750 twin, Suzuki GS 850G and a Yamaha RD 200. I think that was the lot of my 70s bikes. I haven't updated much by the looks of it as my latest bike is an 82 VF 750 Magna.
I love 70s bikes. What was also great about them is they actually had a real seat on them. Oh i pine for the days motorcycles had a comfortable seat to sit on😢
@@Kysushanz the stars were just for a bit of fun , my ratings on bikes I've owned or ridden nothing more. The stars only went to 5, so 4 is pretty good.😉
What makes me angry is the fact that those who rail against the Kawasaki Triples and the Z1, Z900 or Z1000 the most, never had one.
I believe kawasaki made and still makes some of the fastest bikes
Kawasaki was always very performance driven .
At least in my lifetime of riding.
Made some of the most iconic high performance bikes especially in the 70s
I use to have a Kawasaki 1979 650 I loved that bike
@@thecalled7908
Her engine was one of the best. Against her the Honda 750 Four was a bouncing bucket.
I wish I still had mine, she was a gree B2 from '77 with two disks in the front.
@@Bryan-dn1nx
And some of the most robust bikes too. For instance, where the other produceres used 5mm or 6mm screws, Kawa used 8mm screws.
Kawas where easy to maintain as well.
I was a career motorcycle mechanic for 48 years, rode them all and owned many on this list!!
@@randlayman2668 48 years wow i bet u know ur shit. You better subscribe I might need your advice 😉
@@motorcyclecafe, a definite THUMBS UP to that.
Me too
The 70s was the Greatest decade for Motorcycles in my Opinion . I had some of the one's in your video.
@@duanetrivett750 it was the best i reckon too.
Second that, modern stuff although dynamically great in most caes, with performance like GP bikes of the past, look in the most part like parts bin specials of odd bit clagged onto frames, and don't even start me on the exposed wires and sensors.
I want metalflake and chrome, and it seems there is a retro and smaller bike kickback, but that maybe because of older riders returning, dunno.
100%.
Motorcycles manufactured in the last century sounded like a rapid succession of loud farts, which as a pedestrian infuriated me
I can still remember as a kid hearing the local hoodlum who lived around the block kickstarting his Suzuki GT550 - those expansion chambers crackled and tore through the air. Turned 16 in 1978 and bought an FS1E for £220 and life was never going to be the same again . . .
That bike was a rocket with wheels .
So much better looking than most of todays bikes.
@@Don-lw4cb that is true, no doubt !
@@motorcyclecafe
I have a 2017 Honda CB 1100EX. It's vastly better looking than the '77 Honda CB 750 I had back in the day. Pull one up and see if you agree. Classic looks, with modern technology (EFI, ABS, unbelievably powerful brakes)
I owned both the Kawasaki-900, and the Harley Lowrider, and I wish I had them back! They're both classics now, but then again, in my opinion, they were classics the day they rolled off the showroom floor! Great bikes! Seeya
Suzuki 185, Yamaha DT400, Honda 350, Yamaha Vision 550, Yamaha XS650, Triumph tiger 500, Triumph Bonney 650. Honda 750-4, Suzuki GS 1100, Honda GoldWing 1200, Yamaha VStar 1100, HD Roadking, HD sportster, HD Dyna, HD Deluxe, Indian Challenger, Indian Chieftain. And some I’ve forgotten.
I had a Suzuki 250 dual sport, a Kawasaki 500 two stroke triple, a Honda 550 Four, a Suzuki 500 two stroke twin, a Kawasaki Z900, a Harley Davidson Electra Glide Police Special, and then some 1980s motorcycles.
Cool, I like your style 😎 z900 and 74 shovel head fl custom with a few yamaha dt triles bikes mixed in with the cb750 four. We're good times. Still have my 72 Norton commando custom 😊
Started at aged 9 or 10 illegally on quiet back roads with allsorts, as best mate's dad had a wrecking yard, then legally once I got my licence with KTM Comet 50cc (Uk learner law for 16 year olds), Kawasaki A1, Honda G5, Kawaski A7, Honda CB450 4 speed, Kawasaki H1E, Yamaha XS650 custom, Honda CB750F2, Kawasaki H2A, Kawasaki Z1B, Harley FXE80 back then, had all sorts since, back to basics now I am old with a 1952 BSA C11 for slow days, and a 1975 Kawasaki H1f for annoying EV drivers and greenies.
Yes! Z 1 Kawasaki 900. That bike reliably took me cross country, AND down the drag strip. Predictable 12 second quarter mile ETs. 😊
Stared with the honda ss50, quick learning curve. It was all about two strokes for a few years after that. suzuki GT 250 B, Suzuki Gt 750B. Summer of 76 What a time to be a teenager.
and much more fun than looking at a phone all day long!
The GT 750 was a beast
On a trip to my new base in California in '79 I rode my '78 KZ650 from Maine to Virginia to San Diego and then to Travis AFB in central California. It was a great ride and adventure.
I bought my first bike in 1970 with the money I saved in Nam. A ‘51 Harley panhead, with a jockey shift. I’d never driven a bike, didn’t have a license and surely not a jockey shift. But in time, after customizing it, learned and to ride it and took my bike license test on it. Since then, I’ve own 3 other Harleys and sold the last one, last August, right before my 74th birthday. I sure miss riding but the older I got, the heavier they seemed.
@@philbrown9764 true buddy. Harleys feature quite a bit in some videos on the channel. Theres even one on shifters.
Had a Norton commando 850 , so good to ride , rode with some mates every weekend up the coast , camp out at the beach , those memories will never leave me , just great times back then , 😀👀
Never had one but have riden one and I agree. The sound alone makes you want to go all day.
Being a child of the 1970s, I remember seeing these motorcycles, but I never rode any of them. My father put the fear in me of motorcycles because his cousin became a quadrapalegic wrecking his motorcycle, but in my early thirties I went to Departure Bike Works and asked if I could ride on the back of one. They were very kind, and a gentleman who works there allowed me to ride as a passenger on a trike. I'm physically challenged so it was the best way to ride for me. It was so dang much fun!
1976 at age 16 I bought a brand new Kawasaki KH400 2 stroke triple from Steve Baker ( former world champion ) Kawasaki and what a little rocket it turned out to be.
Let the good times roll, Kawasaki!
In 1978 I got my Z 650 B, the best bike I ever had. Cheers!
I remember watching Steve Baker race at Sidewinders TT near Portland, Oregon in the early seventies. He was number 42W riding, I believe, a Yamaha 650 twin.
King's nemisis!
Tz's rule!
I had a '76 CB400F, rode it for 16 years. Fantastic bike.
Yep awesome bike and also very nice to just look at.
I had 2 400/fours, 1977 reg and 1979 reg. Absolutely superb, the best models Honda ever made. I serviced them myself which was one of the best features of their design.
I did my own service as well. I was under the impression that they only made them from 75-77, at least those were the only years available in the US to my knowledge. Where do you live?
@@jonyoung6253 The UK. I believe that my 1979 registration was one of the last 4 registered here. The mileage I covered on both bikes in total was 117000 miles.
Impressive. I put 40k miles on mine. Do you still ride? I bought a Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and the classic look gets a lot of attention. Great bike for the money.
My first bike was a Suzuki GT500, 2 stroke parallel twin, then a '77 (I think) Yamaha XS750. Dinosaurs by todays standards but so much fun to ride. I also rode a friends Honda CB750. Thanx for the memories.
@@1219magnum glad you liked it buddy. It was a fun video to make too.
Bought new a Hodaka ace 100b+ in 72 and a Z1 900 Kawasaki in 76. Bought 1 year old 79 Xl 500 Honda and a 77 Harley FLH and still own both. Also owned a CB 350 an SC 500 Yamaha a DT 250 Yamaha and that is just the 70's bikes!
Started riding in 1971 on a 1971 Rupp Roadster 2 mini bike. Got a 1973 Honda CL 125S as my first street bike. Then a bought a friends 1972 Yamaha 250 Enduro, traded it in on a used 1974 Kawasaki 250 triple 2 stroke.street bike, then got a 1972 Honda 500 four. Also bought a new 1979 Kawasaki KL 250 duel purposes cycle. Also had a 1975 Kawasaki KZ 400. Must of those bikes I owed in the late 70’s and through the 80’s.
Owned a 72 Suzuki 90, 74 Suzuki 250, 75 Honda 550, and a 78 Honda Gold Wing 1000, but rode several more from this list.
I bought my first motorcycle (? - if you could call it that...) on July 19th 1971. It was a Suzuki 50cc Gaucho. Had it for three months, put 3K miles on it, sold it and bought a 1972 Yamaha DS7-250 Twin (100cc less than the R5 350 Twin.) and put over 14K miles in less than a year. Then came a 1971 Honda CB450, another Yamaha 250 twin, a 1976 Honda CB550F and my last 70's motorcycle was a 1978 Yamaha XS400.
Yamaha rd350 & enduros & Kawasaki 900 & 1000 were perfect machines for me.
1st street bike was a 76 KZ900. I bought it in 78 as a graduation present to myself.
I started with a '69 Kawasaki 350 Avenger, then a ´78 Yamaha SR 500 and then a '79 Moto Guzzi 850 Le Mans in the 1970s...🙃
Thanks for sharing some great memories and some great bikes. Actually owned a basket case 1975 Kawasaki Z1 900 which I got cheap and completely rebuilt and restored before ex wife #1 made me sell it along with a 1978 Suzuki GS550B 4 banger which was one of my favourite bikes and along with my Z1 I owned long before we got married. A lot of the bikes on this list I’ve actually ridden over the years missing from this list is the Kawasaki Z1300 and the Suzuki RE5. One bike I did own as an 18 year old was a brand new 1980 Yamaha DT175 which was an absolute bastard of a bike and put me off Yamaha for years. As a 61 year old I’ve come back to bikes after a fair amount of years and bought a new Suzuki SV650 which is a brilliant little bike and I’m hoping at some point to find myself some great bikes from my youth.
@@davegoldspink5354 your welcome I've been pretty busy this year not a lot of time for videos so I thought I'd produce one a little different. I covered the 1300 Kwaka in detail in a previous video and yep those 650 suzukis are very good bikes indeed, cheap too.
Still riding my yds7 yamaha 250, one of my first bikes as a 16 year old in 1971, it gets more attention from people than all the Harleys and numerous bikes I have owned over many year's of motor cycling, 69 years old now but I always say no one knows how old we are when we put our helmets on😅.
I had a gold Gt250m same as the one featured…I was the fastest thing on the planet😂 fortunately I lived to tell the tales. I rode many bikes working as a motorcycle salesman. The 400/4 was great straight out of the crate just needing better rear shocks. I always hankered after an RD350 they were a nice bike. Best bike I rode at 17yrs that suprised me in an era of japanese bikes was an 850 Interstate lovely fast but mellow superb handling thing. Thnx for the compilation
@@motorcyclecafe the Suzuki GS550B I had was actually only ran from 77 and 78 and was before they went to the 650cc engine size. They came out with the GS400 twin and the GS750.
No woman ever made me sell anything. If you’d stood your ground you might not be crying in your beer.
If it’s a question of money shortage, there are three options: Spend less; Make more; Let her go out to work.
That doesn’t mean I didn’t make the mistake of selling bikes and cars. I sold my Bond Bug due to lack of space; the SAAB 99 because I bought a 900 turbo. But they were all MY decisions.
Oh, and I never married any of them either.
Norton Commando .. nuff said !!
The Yamaha XS750 3 cylinder was a beast of an engine at 74 HP and very smooth. Fun on straight take offs. The rest of the bike not up to it especially on turns. Soft gears, I lost 2nd gear so shifted 1st up to 3rd, exhaust fell off somewhere, and then the stator went out.... killed the bike. Still some fun memories of that beast. It could have had a 6th gear easily adding to the top speed.
I had a Z900 and a 350 Big Horn, wish I had them both back now.
@@moparmenace59 the original zeds command big money at least where i live.
@@motorcyclecafe So do the Big Horns.
I had a lime green 71 F5 bighorn in 78 while a in senior in high school. I smoked every street bike that came my way. Even the big fours had to inhale my white smoke.
These were the best looking bikes of any period. Cant stand the new insect looking crap, all black, Matt colours
Had quite a few of these and some that aren’t mentioned. Fave bike of all time cb750/4 1977 in electric blue. Hard to believe but only 70 bhp which people laugh at nowadays
owned a Suzuki 250,380 GT ,550 GT ,550 GL and a fully-chopped Triumph 650 Bonneville. rode my step dads Suzuki 185 from Houston to Morgan City Louisiana middle of the night in 1971. test rode a Suzuki 250 X6 in 1969. should have bought it. Love Suzuki bikes. always wanted a shaft-drive 850.
I didnt have any riability issues with my Yamaha XS750. Most comfortable bike ive ever owned.
I had a 1975 Yamaha XS 650 i got used in 78 & had it for close to 8 years before i sold it,. I can't really agree with the rating you gave it but mine ran great & never once left me on the side of the road. Great Bobber engines these days & my biggest problem with the bike is that it was heavy, but it was a fine ride with very nice lines to it. I sold that bike & found a 38 Indian Chief which was a blast & the best street bike i ever had, no troubles learning to shift gears as i had one friend with a 69 Harley trike so i learned on that beast. Too much fun!!!
@@paullevine1813 yep just my ratings on the ones I've owned or ridden. Cheers
Owned both the 750 four and the 850 Commando. Great bikes.
I miss the Honda CX 500 with cardan drive and watercooled. It was very reliable and nice to ride.
@@heinovontettenborn5674 great bike, i owned one myself i have covered that bike in depth in another video.
Norton 750 commando , honda cb 750 four,,ducati 900ss desmo, laverta jota 1000 triple,,triumph trident 750, kawasaki 750 h2 and kawasaki z1900.
900z1..
1978 Yamaha XS650 Special, yes had one.
@@arthurleino i've had 3 650 yamahas. Never an issue with any one of them.
Had a mint 78 xs650 special burgundy paint.
It would vibrate when revved higher than it wanted, but from idle to that rpm it was a sweet engine.
One of my favorite bikes looking back now that I'm older.
@@ahsnap9103 Mine was Dark Blue. Rode it from San to Portland. And back to San Diego. Good running bike.
Rd400 electric one wheel motorcycle . Couldnt keep the front down ❤❤
Great video of great bikes from a great decade! Loved it!
@@WOLFIE-96B-UK thank you mate, thank god you didn't say "you missed this bike or what about this bike" you wouldn't believe how often I get than on videos. It so so annoying, anyone with 1/2 a brain would know I cant include them all.
I totally get that, I can't begin to imagine how much effort goes into making your videos, but I'm glad you do!!
I had a 1973 Yamaha 750 and it was a mess to deal with. I then got a 1973 Z1 Kawasaki and it was great. I sold it in 1995 and have regreted it ever since. Didn't want my sons to ride until adults. The Z1 was fast for the time and my top speed on it was 145 mph on a closed portion of I-10. I now own a 2007 Kawasaki Z1000 and a 2009 Concours. Love the Kawasaki in-line 4.
Those were the best! That was the golden age of motorcycles! 70s motorcycles are the two wheel equivalent of cars of the 50s! Just like 50s automobiles, 70s bikes didn't have near the power as modern sport bikes, handling and braking often gave you an adrenaline rush for all the wrong reasons, but we didn't care! They were fun to ride, relatively easy to maintain if you knew what you were doing, and everyone I know who owned one back then regrets selling it, including myself. They're classics in their own right!
@@thejohnboatfaithfishingand8078 yep motorcycles should be fun and the 70s machines were fun ! Well said.
Back then if you wanted it customized you would have to create it starting with the frame. Today you just look it up online. I actually owned three motorcycles around this time frame and I enjoyed them all.
Wow im glad you showed rhe bike i had in 1975. The beautiful orange Suzuki GT 250. That bike. Frame and suspension could have carried at least a 500 cc engine. I love that bike heavy handled well smooth ride a lil more engine and i would have riden that thing all over the country. I miss those 70s era machines
@@altonkenne579 yer as far as 250cc bikes go those things were great fun!
@@motorcyclecafe yep i loved that bike a friend had I think it was a kt. Or kz Kawasaki 250. That thing was a hill climbing blast to ride
The great decade. I had a K1 750 Honda 4 (my favourite) and a KS 750 Yamaha (my first foray into a shafty). Still fondy remembered at age 82! Cheers
@@johnarmstrong2679 great someone older than me 😉 it was a great decade for bikes, no doubt!
I had a Honda CB400 Four which was an awesome bike, and still ride my 78 SR500 and 73 Suzuki TC100. My dad had a first year CB750 Four and Goldwing.
Makes me miss my 76’ CB400SS, got my license on that bike. A Swiss watch of a machine it was.
Bought my first one in 68 when I got home from the war. It’s been life behind bars ever since! I ride all brands 23 and counting
Although the modern motorcycle era was birthed in the 1960s, the 1970s was the first full decade of that wonderful transition time and very much like the late '50s and early '60s was to the golden performance age of the American automobile...It was an incredible time to be young and in love with motorized vehicles, my bike of choice was the 'old fashioned' Norton Commando, although I enjoyed others.
The Nortons or the HD Lowrider would be my picks. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
My brother had Honda CB. I had the Yamaha DT 250 and the Kawasakip z900.
Had a Honda sl 100 not on the list but it was my first real motorcycle and I put many a mile on it. Neighbors had a Kawasaki 500 triple two stroke and the 750 triple after that. They were fast but disposable bikes.
Great fun times when gass was under .50 cent a gallon.
More than 5. Mom taught me to ride on a kawasaki 90. Kawasaki kh 500 was my 1st bike
Still have my 1978 Suzuki GS1000E 🤪
Learned to ride on a Yamaha RD250LC. Such fun.
Is it me or did 70’s motorcycles look more like motorcycles than the generations after?
@@billyd7882 its not just you mate!
Apart from the Dukes I've ridden them all. they forgot a few. where are the Kwaka 250/400/500/750 triples. ridden them too except the 250, 500/4 was a good bike.
and the Z650 was almost unkillable. Trumpys were ok so were Laverda jota 1000s.
And I will never part with my XS1100. Its still a great bike
I had a few of them, including the Norton 850 Commando....
Seven. I still have a 74 XL 250 and a 78 kz1000z1r.
I have a fully restored (100%) '72 XL250 (K'0'). LOT'S of NOS parts! It's a beauty!
Also an almost fully restored 1974 Kawasaki F-11A 250. Lime green. Also a beauty!
The 70's bikes were my favorites!
Hi, my biking days started in the seventies and I do think that some beautiful designs came from that era. Tempting to say the best but when you think of the 916, panegale, mv and others of today, I remain humble 😊. I had a few of those bikes at the time and I've got some of them today. La vie est belle.
Thanks for the video, I was worried that you had gone forever 😮😅
@@jeremyharris5102 nope I'm still here just been busy this year. TH-cam is just a hobby but I'm working on another video. Its hard trying to balance my time sometimes. Cheers.
Das waren noch richtige Motoräder. 🤗👍👍👍
And you left out the best ones of all, BMW's new /5 series 500, 600, 750, which went on for many years, culminating in the awesome ground-breaking R90S, and R100RT and RS. With the Gold Wing, the best long-distance tourers ever made.
Nice! I had the Honda CB750😊
…best bike ever made
650 yamies x3, 73 mk2a 850 commando, yammy DT125, 79 TT500F, RM and PE 250's, DR 250 and 600's, GSX 750ex, all in the late 70s and 80s.
Just to add, more fun 4:03 before the electronics of today. We fixed all our own bikes back then. Was all part of it. Now, call the towtruck and the computer geek. 😂
Yer young blokes dont have much clue these days ay?
I started on a 2and half horse e-z Ryder,then a ts75,ds100,dt360,triumph Bonneville 1960 I paid 650$ ,cb550,cx500,seca 550,gs750,v45,gpz550,xl600,xs650,xs1100,vf1000,nighthawk650,gs1100,fzx700fazer,cbr600,vfr,yzf600r,and my current triumph thruxton,I have ridden near a million miles
I left out a couple more,a kz1000 police bike and another gs750👍✌️🎸
I had a 73 Penton 125 six day trial motocross...That Sachs motor was a bitch to start and the transmission had to be shifted perfectly but when it was running good it was unbeatable!!!
1970 Yamaha 100, 1972 250, 1973 rd350, 1972 xlch 1000, 1973 Triumph 750 Tiger , 1977 Bonneville, Still have the Tiger, miss the sporty. 69 and still in the wind on 1980 FLH 84 FXSB and an 09 Street glide. 70's bike had a lot more class.
Those old Sportsters were a real motorcycle!
Best Bike I had was my 1972 Yamaha MX 250 , just above My H1 Kawasaki
What no Bultaco, had a 175 induro, loads of fun.
Saving it buddy
Had a 70 AT1 125, 71 HT1 90, 72 LT1 100, 74 CR125, 78 RM 250, 78 MC 250 Maico in the 70's when technology made big steps.
Great video, rode most of them. My favorite xs 650!!!
@@henrystuckrath2701 thank you. Yes I have had 3 650 yamahas.
Well...i owned the DT 250 YAM and 3 cb750s ....among many more not on yer list. Cool post man, keep em comin. Still ridin at 62+ yrs !!
@@johnherrmann6879 thanks mate. Im working on a new one.
Where was the rocket 3 or the triumph trident ,great bikes in video.
@@brianwhite6616 those bikes have been covered in detail in other videos on the channel.
@@motorcyclecafe thanks for that .
It’s not pictured here but I owned a 1974 Honda CB 360 my father gave me. I rode that thing daily and sold it to buy a Kawasaki GPZ 550 in the 80’s. When I was 9 I was gifted a 1974 Honda Z50. That was my first motorcycle. I graduated to my first “big boy” bike with a used Yamaha 80.
I rode enduros in the late 70s, had the yamaha 250,400, Honda 250. 😊
I had a few.... Yamaha DT 125....DT 250.....RD 250....RD 350....XS 500....Custom XS 650.....600 Radian...😎
The XS500 was a POS. Would never buy another Yamahahaha after that.
71 Honda CB100, 73 Honda CB350 Twin, 77 Kawasaki KZ750!
I wish I still had my Norton Commando and Ducati 750… man those were the days! Being young, healthy and loaded with testosterone.
Started out on FS1E in 1977. Moved up to a Suzuki 250 X7 in 1978. Both great bikes and not featured in this video. To buy either of these bikes now, you have to dig deep in your pockets
Ok ,you finally mentioned some dirt bikes at the end . There were a LOT of great MX and enduro bikes back then. Maico,CZ Jawa, CanAM Honda Elsinore……
@@Marvin-fn7ks yes I tend to just stick to road bikes I know. I do plan a dirt bike series down the track.
@@motorcyclecafe be sure to investigate the CanAm 175 . Way ahead of its time.
Good! You could do an entire video on just dirt bikes from 1971 through 1975! So many great models!
@@Marvin-fn7ks I've uploaded a video on dirt bikes recently and there is also a video on Adv bikes on the channel
Ah a walk down memory lane.. thanks
Glad you enjoyed it
I had a Benelli 250 2c, Honda CB 250,CB 450, CB 550 4,CB 750 K2, Kawasaki 650 4, Kawasaki 750 twin, Suzuki GS 850G and a Yamaha RD 200. I think that was the lot of my 70s bikes. I haven't updated much by the looks of it as my latest bike is an 82 VF 750 Magna.
So you went for a much later model then 😉 nuffin wrong with older bikes. A lot of manufacturers these days have lost the plot.
Z1R,18"/18"
-got the best 1: Honda 350!
I love 70s bikes. What was also great about them is they actually had a real seat on them. Oh i pine for the days motorcycles had a comfortable seat to sit on😢
@@C.A.MARSUPIAL-ys6tl imagine how pillions feel these days. Yer I do not know what happened to seats, maybe I should do a video on it🤫
@@motorcyclecafe please do. Here's another idea. The best sounding bike's. I love 70s Norton's noise. Hi from Brisbane Australia 👍🦘
'74 Yamaha 100, '75 Yamaha XS650, '84 Yamaha Venture 1200, '80 Can-am 250, '95 H-D Sportster1200, '01 H-D Road King, '07 H-D Ultra Classic.
Good looking bikes Harley davidson sst 250 in 1976 I felt very cool 😂
Music gave me an aneurism
@@tonyq534 well i am glad you're still ok 😉
Thanks for the awesome video!!
@@mojoguzzi6407 glad you enjoyed it.
1979 Yamaha XS Eleven Special?? 😃
Great video and music, I've owned 7 of the bikes 8n your video.😊
@@stephenbarry4978 thank you! Have you checked out the latest video on trail bike. Everyones had a trail bike surely
had a suzuki dealership for a couple years back then.. rode all suzukis including rotary.
bought brand new kawasaki 900 give you ride
Had the GT 250 & 125 and the Yam XS so many missing from the list ? Still riding 50 years on an R1150 RT
I owned a bunch of this 70’s and rode many of them,but my favorite is hands down Kawasaki Z1R
Yes a very nice machine.
You missed the best....Laverda 1000 Jota :(
Awesome bike indeed, sorry I only had 4 min to work with before the music ran out.
I used to have a 73 H-1 kaw triple. Widowmaker. Awesome bike
@@Sometimesimfishing yes a great bike theres a couple videos on the channel which feature that bike.
Why not show some of the old scooters we rode back in the 60’s like Triumph Tiger Cubs, Mustang, Vespas, Lumbretta’s ?
@@MikeD-br9ok I did a video on the Mods & Rockers a couple years back but it wasn't that successful so I haven't bothered since. Cheers
Only six from that list .... but several more from the 70's!
@@yonbear1 when bikes were proper bikes.
well I didn't see my favorite and 1 I owned A 1979 CB 750F
I still own 500 triples did own a z1b they all didn't like corners but they were fast that was part of the fun
Gl1000 in yellow, build date Oct 1975. Mine now, My favorite. I now own 6 Honda's and a 1956 servi-car. Gl1000 is still the best.
What even better than the Harley? 😉
Come on man!! Only 4 stars for the Honda CB750/4????? If you can't score the original superbike 10 out of 10, I need to find another channel.
@@Kysushanz the stars were just for a bit of fun , my ratings on bikes I've owned or ridden nothing more. The stars only went to 5, so 4 is pretty good.😉