IMPORTANT Dakar have hit me with a copyright strike so ive had to delist some of the videos just in case i guess they got pissed that mine were better because of the MOTOGP one before xmas that means im really vulnerable now and the channel could be removed at any time I have set up this backup channel so please go and follow it NOW, this could all be removed at any moment now so it is critical to stay in touch via the backup channel here th-cam.com/channels/CSl6i-tZJNC5DQ38vgCtvw.html sorry for this if i get another strike it wipes out all my work all my old videos will be removed I wont be posting anything much on the new channel unless this goes down but this is a just in case because it really could go down at any point the videos are still visible if you have a link so if you have problems message me for links so you can still watch them, if you follow the channel and this one gets taken down you will be able to find me there sorry if thats a bit garbled ive just woken to this but i guess i could have had the channel taken down already so i should be thankful ride free everyone
Thank you, great video; got an RF900RT myself - had it since 2006 and it is really just a workhorse nowadays (I'm 71), reliable, quick, ok around town, great 2 up, decent range and MPG. Also, I like your approach in the videos - a lot more useful and down to earth than many! Keep up the good work; all the best, cheers
Welcome aboard mate, enjoy the ride and cheers for the support. MZ come up fairly regularly, theres a special mention here th-cam.com/video/--s1H54GhMk/w-d-xo.html relating to Walter Kaadan and the 2 strokes and then i feature the Scorpion Riders here th-cam.com/video/svoWJ4pDQso/w-d-xo.html
Great video 👍 I really loved my 86 TR1, it didn't even had the known starter issues. The 11" headlight, the two tone horns and the chain running in 1 kg lithium grease - chain service check was 70.000km! It was just an awesome bike.
Next to all my italians, I've actually got two MZ ETZ 150's. Never had the chance to get a 250 but the 150's were just as great and i love riding em. Reliable as hell and if you do need spare parts, you can get them cheaper than dirt.
The Yamaha Virago engined bikes were gems, aside from junk starters in 81-82. Torque, smooth, reliable to a fault, comfy, and easy to handle with a low seat height. Clutch, trans, & rear drive were bullet proof. I had several and they were great. The TR may not have caught on, but Viragos in general wiped out the competition in its many forms in the sales department. The 90's era XV1100s were among the best looking bikes ever made.
Hi mate. Great vid.ive had a 750 sabre for 10 years. I've sprayed her in st Orange with stripping, wheels too. Yet to finish her. Need to get some more parts from Dave silver to finish the bike off. Then I'll take to bike shows in the future. I miss the great time we had in the 70,s and spend my time left keeping the old bikes on the road. Good on ya to talk about the old bikes. 😊
i had a sabre as a parts bike at one point. 80s Honda parts bins were a treasure trove lol. that dash is just fantastic lol, i sat staring at it for ages when it first arrived lol, think the last bit i had was the tank but pretty sure thats gone now, sometimes a sacrifice keeps another one on the road eh 🙂 good on you for helping keep the old uns going 🙂Cheers for watching mate, Ride Free
As orange is my favorite color I am so pleased that you are painting the whole bike in Orange. I was lucky enough to purchase a VSA 250 that was painted orange originally stock. I also bought a dealer's last Vespa scooter 🛵 and when he delivered it it was in pumpkin orange 🍊 I bet your bike is going to be super beautiful when you finish it best of luck with it and ride safe
Thanks for the great video. I had a 1982 Yahama XV 920 that I bought in 1990. Always in dry storage when not used, I thought it was a brand new motorcycle when I first bought it. I had this bike for years and it was a wonderful bike! The chain ran in an enclosed, sealed oil bath which made the chain adjustment frequency interval an afterthought. After years of riding this bike I sold it and almost doubled my money. I collect vintage bikes now but your videos are convincing me to open my time period of what I should add to the collection. Who said an old dog can't learn new tricks? Keep up the great videos coming. Cheers from Connecticut in the States!
@@bunnybunnybunny503 Don't sell! I still regret selling mine. The bike was so sweet I pulled it into my living room when I wasn't riding it. The bike looked brand new when I got it and when I sold it to a friend. It would pull away in 5th gear when I rolled through a stop sign going 20 mph in the country roads where I live. Pure torque! If you sell it you'll regret it. Mine was black and silver and was super reliable. What more could you ask for? You already have it, keep it!
YAYYYY a fellow RF-er! Had one, LOVED IT, HIIIIIIIGHLY UNDERRATED...! It BROKE (AND KEPT FOR YEARS) speed and endurance records! Mine was a US Import green with grey/silver markings RF900RW, I junked the 'Clean Air recycling circuit system', modded the headlight and both rear lights to have a ring of LED's as 'Side lights' and then used the bulbs for main/Brake (all 3 at back wired for brake), adjusted the suspension for best of both worlds with a wee smidge of firmness, Bridgestone BT-023s, and Maaaaaaaaaan! Did she hustle! There was/is a RARE saught after 'Manta Ray' green version. That GSXR1100 derived lump can handle the 1170cc head tube (and everything else that well loved lump could take. A TH-camr 'Adikxx' is currently doing videos on a 1170 & tuned motor build and change for his RF9. Issues? Well.. 1 -THAT WELL KNOWN Alternator coupling bushing CAN (and DID fail on me twice (1 failed 32 days after I bought from a Suzuki dealer - they refused warranty as it was 'Over its 30 cover period as I fitted it' 😠, but 2nd one lasted on), for anyone not in the know... Imagine the alternator shaft connecting into a ball bearing centre, and the outside of the 'Ball bearing is pressed into a gear say, now imagine that the ball bearings are replaced with solid rubber... You get a 'Solid' connection that damps out vibes, but... IS a weak point just in case the alternator seizes (as HAD happened on the original GSXR1100s, so instead of smashed/stripped gears, and shavings of steel running around and 'Lunching' your engine, it just tears the rubber (saving engine). However, if this little bugger fails (and it does), first thing you'll notice is days later, your battery is dead because your engine is no longer spinning the alternator. You CAN swap parts back to the GSXR1100 style hard/direct gear drive system to drive the alternator. 2 - The usual, like brakes etc CAN corrode if you ride all year (like I did/do) in countries that use salt/grit on the roads, so a tip!! Have a garden watering can filled with fresh water, and after your ride in winter, flush the salt/grit out the brakes. Doing this helps reduce the times you have to clean/unseize those callipers. 3 - Yeah... WHY SUZUKI, WHY didn't you give it a 6th gear? I just upped front by 1 and lowered the rear cog by 2. 'She' was a mile muncher (500 mile round trip Grimsby to Southampton and back DEAD EASY, yes, that large seat, was... a SMIDGE firm), she was an A and fast B road carver, DAMN I MISS HER! 😟 Apart from that... SOLID bike! If you want to see pics of headlight/tail light mod (will work for RF4, 6 and 9s), go to my YT page, send me an email) RIDE SAFE, RIDE FREE!!! 👍 😎🇬🇧
I also had a RF 900. Amazingly capable bike. Regret that i sold it. Very fast (for it's time) and a true mile eater and smile generator. Torquey and enjoyable to ride. My current ZX 14 lacks the soul of the RF...HP is not all that makes a bike good. If you can get a decent one BUY it! Five endurance world records (over 24hours) is proof and can't lie... 😊
I had a zx14 for 12 years and a zx14R for 5. I found the zx14 had character, way more than the Honda's I've owned or ridden. I found the ease of travelling at any speed and comfort and smoothness to be remarkable. I am surprised, yet thats how you felt.
No way... At the start of the video, I thought "that's a RF900" dash... I had one so I know 😂 amazing bike by the way... As you mentioned, not as sporty and folded in half as a supersport bike, but a very sport oriented sport tourer with 130bhp. Not bad for 1994/1996 right? Then you showed a MZ 250 2strokes... Now, when I was a kid, my parents didn't have a car... We had a MZ Etz 250... ... ... What a machine 😁 I didn't seem to catch it in the comments but maybe I just didn't hear properly but the MZ 250 had an anchor point from factory so that you could add a bucket to it and turn it into a side car... So yes, once again, thank you for another amazing video and for bringing me back to some really good times... 2 incredible, unbreakable and reliable bikes full of memories 😁
I'm not sure you had them where you live, but I have a 85 Honda 650sc Nighthawk. (I live in the States) it's a wonderful series, (made from 83-85) and they have so many great features. How about 4-cylinders, shaft drive, double overhead cams hydaulically operated, twin discs in the front, mag wheels, gear shift and gas gauge built in to the unique instrument cluster, oil cooler, electric start, (Of course, but no kickstart) 6 speed gearbox, (Honda calls the sixth gear an overdrive) Tubeless tires, air adjustable front forks, and rear shocks are fully adjustable, anti-dive front forks. from what I understand, some are found in the UK, but not sold there.
I borrowed an MZ250 for a day and considered buying one by the end of that day. It had some aftermarket tyres - the originals were terrible - and with these it stopped. steered and cornered with no fuss or drama. I managed 85 out of it and was very impressed. It was let down by the switchgear - it made the period Italian switches look slick,,, In the end I went for a used 400/4 but was left an MZ fan.
Some great bikes there. I now have a hankering once again for a Honda Bros 650. Superb build quality, nice compact bike. With those Bridgestone BT45 Battlax tyres on it you can scrape the footpegs, no problem.
I have a NTV Revere 1997, and you're right with the Bridgestone BT45 (and 46 i have now) Battlax, and with well tuned suspensions, you are able to surprise some guys on big bikes in twisty roads, because the passage in curve is pretty good. The engine is a tractor with plenty of torque and it's not afraid to rev.
Great review, a learn much of your interpetation of being happy with a no name Bike. It all starts as boy and his bicycle. Expanding the circle around Mam and Dad. Explore a further Environment. Feeling the power of moving forward until forgetting gravity. Moving by wheel is deep down humansoul desire. For me. I am 58, riding 40 years, on 22 differnt motorcycles on Austrias streets. As Long as a can crawl to my motorcycle - I ' ll keep on riding till the end.
I've had a ZL600 for 11/12 years I absolutely love this bike. Never had a bike that long before and she still puts a smile on my face every time even my Mrs loves the bike. Moved house 3 times on it and just keeps chugging along. Headstock starts tank slapping around 100mph 😬 but didn't take long to get there. Great for all road riding from commuting/ plodding to having a silly moments through the twisties and the launch is epic leaving many another vehicle in surprise when you learn to balance the acceleration & revs. I've had other bikes come and go but nothing stayed. Considering that I picked it up for £700 purely as a go between after my GSX600F was stolen with 3 months of insurance issues 🤦♂️ (loved that bike too with 20k miles riding in the year of having it) nearly fell over when I saw a ZL600B for sale at £2500. The ZL community on FB is pretty awesome too. Loads of photos, advice and parts locators for the entire ZL range of bikes.
Thanks for including the etz 250. You forgot to mention that it was ergonomically a huge bike, bigger than a Superdream, but only weighed 130 kilos! Anyway, the most overlooked bike EVER was the Jawa 350. I own two. It was always the MZ's poor relation and generally despised but had similar performance/mpg to the MZ whilst being much more comfortable. It featured a clutch which engaged when you operated the gear change, a very torquey engine ( 60 mph at just 4000 and it STILL felt undergeared) and the best rear brake, drum or disc, ive ever encountered. While the MZ was a big seller, buyers steered clear of the Jawa despite it being even cheaper so ones left from the eighties are very, very rare. Almost unbelievably, theyre still being made and imported and cost just under five grand new. Theyre extremely reliable and require very little maintenance and none that you cant do yourself. Modern updates include leccy start, electronic ignition, a digital dash ( the jury's out on that!) and a front disc the size of a dustbin lid. But otherwise its the same engine and running gear as 1984. Biking's about individualism and they dont come more individual than the Jawa!
Oh yes... RF900 and TRX850 bring back fond memories. Some of the best (for me) bikes for me. Thank you for the trip down the "memory lane". Cheers from The Antipodes.
glad you enjoyed it mate 🙂 Theres plenty more on the channel, hope you will look around and find something your interested in. there is more on the website too. and there will be more to come. Cheers for watching. Ride Free 🙂
My MZ ETZ 251's (successor to the ETZ 250) carried me and my wife and our luggage all across Europe. Just like any other Goldwing etc etc etc etc...... for the price of some Japanese wreck. Usually other bikers would regard us with either disdain (cannot afford anything better) or with amazement (how on earth did you get this far - answer: by riding the bike). The machine was simple, sturdy, dependable and reliable. And.... great fun!
hmm, I think that was our XJ range, but we had 400, 600 and 900 came later or are you talking about the FZ/Diversion/Seca 2 ? to be fair both generations were good bikes , Cheers for watching mate, Have a good one
@@mikegosselin2391 dont think we got either of them but certainly not the 750. The XJ600 was a big seller here though. the choice was 350LC or XJ600 for many i think 🙂
Similar with the Honda Hawk cycles of the day, used to ride with a neighbor who rode his Honda Hawk 700 or 750 (don't recall anymore)and let his dogs run along behind, he saw I had an '82 Nighthawk 650 and asked if I wanted to ride along Man that Honda Hawk had way more acceleration than I expected!
Great review of bikes that deserved better, I must confess that as a teenager in the late 70s who owned an RD350, when one of our mates bought an MZ 250 we unmercifully took the piss out of him but he had the last laugh as his little MZ went on to do over 200,000 miles in his job as a courier, I bought a grey import 650 Honda Hawk in the 90s (the US version of the Bros) it was a lovely handling little bike with a bullet proof engine, something Suzuki obviously spotted and later produced their pepped up version in the ubiquitous SV65O.
i think most of us did with the MZ and CZ riders :-) little did we know eh :-) the honda engine was way more compact than the SV engine thats for sure lol but i guess thats the effect of starting from the TL1000 block and the reason its so overengineered :-) Cheers for watching :-) Ride Free
I have a machine that was underappreciated by the motorcycle buying public when it was in production, a 1980 Benelli 900 Sei. These six cylinder machines were an upgrade on the earlier Benelli 750 Sei which was in production from 1974 until 1978, the 900 motor was bored and stroked to give a capacity of 906cc. Benelli built 3200 of the 750 Sei in it's four year production run, the 900 Sei was in production between 1979 and 1989 and only only 1878 of them were produced in that ten years. Granted the Benelli multi cylinder motors borrowed a lot from that of the Honda CB500, but the Benelli handled and braked so much better than the Honda ever could. My Sei goes around bends like it is on rails on it's Pirelli Demon Sport tyres, it carries it's weight very well and it belies its 26" wide motor by being a great scratcher on twisty country roads. Fuel economy is reasonable at 45 mpg consuidering I have replaced the stock trio of 24mm Dell 'Orto carbs with a bank of six 22mm Dell 'Orto's. The Benelli 900 Sei is now regardred as a period classic and exceptional low milage examples are changing hands for between £15k and £20k. I bought mine in 1986 for £1200 and I have no plans to sell it anytime soon.
good on you for keeping it going mate, the 750 has always been one of my dream bikes :-) to be fair i think the TreK was a fantastic bike too. and what a sound 🙂 Cheers for watching mate, Ride Free
A friend of mine has a 350 two stroke Bridgestone in his barn. A retired army pilot gave it to him in the late 80s and herode it home and put it away and according to him he never rode it again. I've seen it and it appears to be all there though would take a lot of time and money to bring it back. He won't sell it though for whatever reason I don't know. Great video!
I recently met someone with three 250s and 3 or 4 350s. They were either a metallic purple or metallic gold paint. I wasn't aware there were Bridgestone motorcycles. All of them were in concourse condition. Had a long interesting conversation with him about them
Great Video BarebonesMC! The Yamaha BT1100 Bulldog might well be on that list too as well as the Suzuki GSX1200 Inazuma. The Suzuki was definitely ahead of its time as it was retro before retro was a thing. I bought my 1999 Inazuma new in 2001. She was tucked away in a corner of the showroom and half a dozen bikes had to be moved to get to her, it was love at first sight. Unfortunately she died up in Scotland in 2008 when we got t-boned by a car. Last year I found another one, same colour, same year and untempered with apart from the seat. I just had to buy it and the seat has been redone in the looks of the Kawasaki Z900RS’s seat. Cheers, Lupo
I was thinking how do you kill an Inazuma, they are bulletproof? then i read T-boned by a car......oh. We got them as a new model here in NZ as the GSX1200 (no Inazuma tag) but people just called them the NTB (Not the Bandit) because when you said "Ive got a 1200 Suzuki" everyone would say "Oh a Bandit", to which the answer would be "No, not the Bandit" 😊 I love em, they look better than the Bandit, and have the same grunty motor, Theres a couple for sale here at the moment, and its tempting, very tempting. I have another odd Suzuki using the same 1200cc motor, that only got sold here in NZ and Japan, the GS1200SS, Kind of a tribute to the XR69 GS1000R that was Suzuki's endurance racer of the early 80s.
Thank you for this information and your delivery ! I , a rider of 48 years , and now in my 60’s and still riding ; appreciated your comment on getting on a motorcycle for YOURSELF , and formulating your OWN opinion ! I’ve owned : 1.) 1- BMW 2.) 2- Hondas 3.) 13 Harley Davidsons A few short years ago , I test rode a “ brand new “ Triumph Bonneville . I had to go BACK to the dealership for a second , and then a THIRD test ride ! The engineers took a 1959 “ Bonnie “ and gave it all the modern improvements ! The ONLY reason that one of these most beautiful and comfortable and smooth machines isn’t taking real estate in my garage today ; is the FACT that he could only offer me a few thousand dollars for a 1983 FXWG that I put $5,500.00 into - after purchasing it for $7,500.00 . The HD dealership gave me $10,000.00 towards a 2018 FXLR Low Rider . Don’t get me wrong , as I obviously “ lean “ towards HD , this new and improved Triumph just blew me away . Had I not gotten “ divorce-raped “ , who knows , there might be (2) motorcycles taking up real estate in my beloved man cave ! Again , stellar job on this video . I’d love to hear you do a “ twist & go “ scooter video ! The old Honda Silverwings to today’s Suzuki Bergmans … Peace ☮️
I had a mate with a Honda Bros, he put a 750 Africa Twin engine in it, they drop straight in. That, along with some other upgrades to the suspension made it a fun bike.
@@barebonesmc - I’ve still got two x Honda CB250RS’s in my garage. The original one mentioned above, and one other. I’ve now put 500 single motors in both. Fun! Much fun.
I remember having a ding dong battle against an XV 1000 TR1 back in 1989. I was riding an SR500 and it was a tight and twisty track. We were buy no means at the front of the pack, but it was a race I will always remember!
The Triumph/BSA triples can be excellent, reliable bikes, once properly sorted. Unfortunately they were sales failures. Most dealers couldn't service them adequately and refused to learn. Could've been a great bike if BSA/Triumph had the money to develop the design.
great bikes, i would say victims of the British industry just thinking it knew better and not realising until after it was too late. they just considered the "Jap Crap" inferior and so didnt think they needed to change 🙂 Cheers for watching mate. Ride Free 🙂
Excellent video. I too have a love affair with old scoots. I currently own 3 old, out of production bikes and love showing up on them. Wouldn't sell them. Thx again for having an appreciation for the old.
I had a XV 1000 she was probably the best touring bike Ive owned 140kph all day long with good range in the tank Rode her across Oz 5-6 times without a hitch when I sold her she had close to 150k km on the clock Always will remember her serial number of 0000302
Great video, many thanks. As an official old git, I have had a number of bikes, often a few at a time and all have been great to own in their own way but I would not have predicted that the one I still have, after many years, would be the MZ ETZ250. Not the last I will own by any means but I won't part with it!
I had a TR1 for a couple of years. A very under rated bike with an easy going, loping nature. The only weakness the motor had was a tendency to break the starter Sprag clutch if you were ham fisted with the starter button. Could go some through the twisties and surprise a few sportier bikes if you utilised the torque. Had some great design ideas for its time. A pity that many of the surviving examples have been hacked for the 'Cafe Racer' fad.
The permanent fix for the TR1 starter issue is to rob the starter Bendix from an '86 or newer Virago XV1100. The earlier solutions were only temporary. This worked like a charm on my XV1000.
I had a TR1, an incredible reliable and comfortable motorcycle. Bought it from a friend with 22.000 km and sold it with 148.000 km with still the first chain on. The closed chain box was unique and helped the chain to have an enormous service life. I've traveled all over Europe by motorbike to the furthest corners of Turkey and haven't even taken any tools with me in recent years - you could completely rely on this motorbike.
I had 2 sleeper models from Honda. A1981 GL500 Silverwing. It had the CX500 motor on a touring style bike. It had a Vettor fairing and removable bags. The passenger seat came off with the turn of a key and a rear trunk fit in it's place. It was quiet, held highway speeds with ease, and could cruise on all day + on a tank of gas. A bonus was the highway pegs could be turned inward behind the cylinders which would keep my feet and legs warm and dry in cold and/or damp weather. The other was a 1994 VF750 Magna 4. It was the next generation Magna. V4 engine, water cooled, very low seat height, light, and nimble. It was a billie goat on twisty mountain roads, but, unleash it on the highway and 11K rpms would bring you up over 125mph. The only drawback was a small gas tank. About 130 miles range.
I owned 2 Hawk GT's. 88 and 89. The last one I upgraded the suspension and brakes etc which transformed it to a very capable machine. 58bhp was enough for the light weight and due to a 12.5 liter fuel tank, you weren't going anywhere long distance wise. The main reason it didn't sell was, overpriced and the other Honda on the showroom floor, the CBR600F (Hurricane) was only 500 dollars more than the Hawk. The 89 model I had was # 139. The US sold 2200 bikes in total, Canada was less than 400.
I've got one myself a heavier guy so I added a buffer in the forks and heavier oil in them...the rear suspension I made adjustable and that cost a bit to make myself..but no matter the tires I put on it I can use them all with good torque
I had an MZ 250cc just wih Arrow pipes back in the late 80's, it was cheep eazy to fix and it sold very good in S. Europe cause it was sooo very well priced an OK bike at a great day price ‼️
Thanks for the video. The rf900 reminds me of my 1998 Gsxf750 teapot, used by couriers in their day & a strong gsxr based engine. I also owned a cx500 Honda but reading a report In its day about a knocking noise can develop in the engine, causing costly repairs, I sold it. Another bike loved by couriers.
When i was a courier in the late 80s i started out on a company owned CB250N 🤮 a vile bike that was out of its depth as a workhorse. So i did what nearly everyone else did, and bout a CX. Mine was a 650E, and it never missed a beat. Other popular mounts were, Kawasaki GT550s, and Honda VT500s were starting to become common as the CX pool of bikes dried up. I also used an XBR500 for a while, that was good, nice and slim with a punchy single engine. But i saw guys on everything from TZR125s to CBX1000s 😆
I am surprised you didn't have the CX500 in this one. I have never ridden but quite like the concept. I don't think they were as popular as Honda wished.
the couriers friend 🙂 they were one of the obvious choices, but i like to think outside of the usual suspects 🙂 we called them maggots lol, they will get a mention at some point im sure
They filled a gap, so not in one of the larger categories of popular bikes. The CX 650 turbo at the time was the fastest honda under 1200cc and very quick. Never really got the plastic maggot name the haters slapped on it- it had less plastic than most bikes. Always liked the symmetry of that V twin with the hemi heads. Great to work on- you could drop the motor out of the frame on a trolley jack with the radiator and coolant still on.
@@rossbrumby1957 not a plastic maggot, just a maggot, because of the shape o the tank and the way they crawled around corners sideways if yo rolled the throttle off or accelerated at the wrong time, the torque reaction was just bad. just my opinion tho mate, if we all thought the same it would be boring, and if they suit you, thats all that matters
Me an a mate went to France from Edinburgh on an MZ250 loaded with a force ten tent and lots of other luggage. Apart from sealing th air hole in the petrol cap(!) and being flipped off by tram tracks in Brittany it ran like a dream But the 150 was probably a better balance machine. Amazing the Velo Thruxton and other big bike owners who used them as second bikes. Our return journey was through torrential rain all the way from the south coast to Edinburgh! Plastic bags in boots time.
that became a battleground, it was a hard fought sector, Hornet and CBR600F, ZZR600, Thundercat and RF 600 too, Cheers for watching mate, Have a good one
@@barebonesmcHad an FJ600 which was fast for its era but the worst vibrating 4 cylinder l ever rode. Put 78000 miles on it so it was reliable but never really comfy for longer trips.
Cheers for adding your bit. as i have often said, if we could amass the combined knowledge of all the subscribers we would have the most comprehensive motorcycle encyclopedia ever 🙂
Very well said.As I get older, speed becomes less and less important. As background, my dad, before he was carted away by WW2 and before he married mum, had, in his youth bikes with names rarely heard now; Abingdon King Dick, Francis Barnett, Brough Superior (don't know where or how he got one of those!) ending with his favourite, from new, a BSA Empire Star. So I began motorcycling late in life with, in order, a CB200, an RD350, Kwakka 100 (my only brand new bike) a Yamaha SR500 and finally a Honda CX500 which proved too top-heavy for me to control at low speeds. Of the above, the SR500 was hands-down my favourite, powerful enough for my skill set and as nimble as a terrier in ratting mode around the twisties. The RD350 was a screaming go-like-hell extremely thirsty poltergeist that laid a smoke-screen the Bismarck would have been pleased with! But a comment in a M/c magazine hit me - "Skin grafts hurt!", so, in a matter of discretion it had to go. Of the bikes in your list, I most closely relate to the Velocette 200 - perfect for an old joker of 76 to potter around in the slow lane of a fine Sunday afternoon. Col, NZ
@@barebonesmcthe fully enclosed chain leaked In the warm climates of the western USA. Finding one with that still in place would be a rare find in the States.
The Yamaha. XJ600 before the diversion was great, fast for itstime and i saw many doing well over 100000 miles. The gearbox, clutch was excellent unlike the kawasaki GT550 shaft drive. One of the despatch companies bought a fleet of them but they all suffered gearbox gremlins.
I was glad to see the MZ. I had the facelifted version: the Saxon Tour 251. It had the same power as the Japanese competition (Yam SR250, Suzuki GN250, Kawa KLR250 and Honda CB250RS) but 50% more torque than the closest rival. I couldn't get a test ride but I bought it on the strength of magazine road test (Bike, I think) who said it was in a class of one. Nothing else came close.
I had an ETZ250 1979-82. A vast improvement over its predecessor the Supa 5 (which I also had.) With autolube rather than premix a lot less smoky too! And the front disc brake was worlds apart from the old drum. Good bike and I have good memories of it.
I had an ETZ after earlier owning the TS model ... all the 250cc MZs were powered by essentially the same engine (the ETZ and later versions had the refinement of automatic oil mixing rather than the previous models measuring-cup-under-the-petrol-cap) but had aesthetic 'improvements' year-by-year. Very fond memories of both machines, on which I used to travel all over the place and which certainly coped with motorway conditions. The cloud of blue smoke that follows an MZ does unfortunately make it a bit inappropriate for current times.
@@alfnoakes392 Mine had the autolube. It smoked when it was cold but after 5 minutes there was only the faintest whisper. The smoke was actually the reason I sold it. Seeing school children choking at the side of the road as I waited at traffic lights was not a good look!
What a wonderful video. In the quarter litre bikes I think the Yamaha SRV250S was a stunningly well put together bike that could surprise mid weight bikes in the twisties. Another was the Honda Spada 250 which was so much fun you'd be grinning from ear to ear for hours after a ride. The 6 speed box actually made it a comfortable 250cc at highway speeds. Unfortunately the price point was too high and many people passed it over. Australian Motorcycle News stated that it was a shame more experienced riders probably wouldn't consider it due to its small engine size. The reason for the high price was its frame, which was the first production bike with a hollow cast alloy frame.
Cheers for watching mate :-) We didnt get the Spada here :-( not sure if we got the SRV either to be fair. both look like they could have been great bikes. Ride Free my friend n thanks for adding your bit :-)
@@barebonesmc thank you for your videos. I'm 51 years old now and a lot of the bikes you've been mentioning throw my memory back to earlier days. My father and I went back to Wales when I was 30 (I left as a child for Australia) and we went to a casual biker meet up just West of the Midlands. For me, it was mind blowing coming from a Country with less than 30 million. The motorcycle culture in the UK is amazing. Keep up the good work.
Superb selection. Didn't see the Velocette coming! Does look like it was a premium product. I think both the RF600 and RF900 will come to be seen as desirable, just for being bikes of their time. Good observation about the Kawasaki 600 cams - the ZX ones with 2 groove marks on the cams will fit straight on that class of Kawasaki, although the 3-groove ones might not.
re 2 groove marks on the cams will fit straight on that class of Kawasaki, although the 3-groove ones might not, that sounds like the voice of someone who knows that motor well :-) Cheers for watching mate, Ride Free
Another interesting & entertaining video -- thanks. I had a Suzuki RF900 back in the day, a second generation I guess as it was black & not that rather garish silver & purple. I thought it was brilliant -- more comfortable than a full on sports bike, but still very fast. I saw over 150MPH when I glanced at the speedo when changing into top. It kept on pulling but I didn't dare look down again, so don't know what I was doing when I started to slow.
The trouble with these videos is that I end up adding a bike to my wish list that I'd not heard of or more likely had forgotten about. In this case my choice is similar to yours...Honda x 4. Lovely entertaining video and food for thought on my research into motorcycles. Cheers to you.
pmsl, enjoy your RESEARCH mate lol. mine filled 2 garages and a 6 x 3 marquee. i keep clearing them out then something catches my eye lol The latest is a 650 Pegaso Cube, the ADV bike people forget, but im just a sucker for Rotax engines :-) Cheers for watching , Have a good one
@@simonchilli2088 lol. early ones are better although the later ones had what some might call the better Minarelli/Yamaha 660 engine. first year was an air cooled rotax similar to the Cagiva Canyon, River and W16, but 2nd gen had a watercooled Rotax engine similar to the BMW 650 single, but 5 valve head and revs sooooooooooo much better than the 660 🙂 if you are really lucky some of the early ones had longer travel suspension, but even the suspension on mine which isnt the longer one is great. amazes me how small and light it is compared to the bikes of today. over 30kg lighter than a 790 adventure or T7 🙂
I think the Yamaha 550 Vision should be on this list. Though I gotta say, I'd never heard of the XV1000TR1, but man, that looks like a cool bike. Would love to get my hands on one. Speaking of cool Yamaha V-Twins, the MT-01 is yet another awesome Yamaha V-twin that should be on this list.
all hail the MT01 :-) what a bike. and yes. i think its tank size was a stupid idea though lol. I dont think we got the Vision. being honest ive never come across it before so cheers for sharing. , Ride Free
@@barebonesmc I think the Vision went to Europe as the ZX550. Over here it came out in 82 to critical acclaim but absolutely ZERO sales. 83 they got double disks up front and they fixed the downdraft carbs - and threw on a very nice (for its tie) fairing, but they still couldn't give them away. I had one many years ago, and they were excellent, unique bikes, very refined for the early eighties. Had they come out at the same price as a 750, they probably would have been a big hit. As it was, they were an adult's bike in a kid's engine displacement class.
@@barebonesmc FZX was called the Fazer over here. That was the one with a detuned 5 valve FZ750 motor? It had the cylinders canted fwd about 45 degrees which made room for downdraft carburetors, iirc, which the Vision had a few years before. Yeah, the Vision, or XZ550, was a 70 degree V twin, with a water cooled motor (novel at the time) that had no cooling fins anywhere, so it had a stark, purposeful look hanging from that frame. It really was a unique bike that was just a few years ahead of the curve - and the buyers. Google it if you get a chance, it really was a fabulous bike
@@barebonesmc The UK got the Vision as the XZ550, and probably, the reason you haven't seen one is they weren't well received or liked in the UK, (also they broke down a lot) in fact one bike mag called it "The worst Japanese motorcycle ever built" and that title is not undeserved, they were plagued with problems, the most well known was an off-idle flat spot that marred smooth acceleration and annoyed owners, mechanics and dealers. It became so synonymous with the model that it was nicknamed “The Vision Stumble”. There were electrical and handling problems as well. Sales dropped to a crawl, then stopped. It seemed to do better in the States and came with a full fairing, and for 83 slightly different carbs and longer wheel base. I haven't seen one in the flesh running, in years and years.😆
First time watcher., subscribed..nice vid! You're absolutely right about what suits one rider may not suit another. For most of the 80s and 90s I used my bikes for commuting, dispatch riding and touring. Nowadays U have the luxury of odd days out in the sunshine, and occasional camping trips. I'll definitely keep an eye out for a honda bros at some point (yes the name wouldn't have attracted me). Had a MZ TS250 in the early 90s, got it for £60!. Very utilitarian and served it's purpose as a commuter..mine had terrible knobbly tyres on which made handling questionable. Also had an American imported XV920 (TR1) which was indeed a great capable motorcycle if you didn't or couldn't chase the higher priced newer bikes. Unfortunately it was let down by a poor starter and mechanism, in the days before the interweb and easier international trade, this was an expensive fix. Later there were uprated 4 brush starters made, and prices for these became reasonable.
you're bang on with the Bros (or Hawk). the 650 version I owned didn't break any records but it was a really usable bike that could pootle along in traffic, keep up with much bigger bikes on the twisty bits, and toured really well with a tank bag and panniers. the only complaint I had was the small fuel tank which meant filling up every 120 miles or so. the engine is really nice - it's got loads of grunt from 2000 rpm if you get an american one (the Hawk) then rejet the carbs to make the mixture a tiny bit richer as it's super-lean, presumably for emissions reasons
@@barebonesmc legend has it that the 650 lump was the choice of engine for the test bed bike Honda used to develop the single-sided swinging arm for the RC30. after the RC30 was launched, they found that the test bed was actually a really nice bike - which became the Bros/Hawk, aka RC31. the bike has almost no concessions to style for that reason - it was designed by engineers
All the suzuki GS engines especially the 550cc, 750cc, 850cc shaft drive and GS1000G shaft drive and GS1000E and S both chain drive. They were very reliable, even more than kawasaki z650. All inline 2 valve per cylinder 4s. Gs125, 250, 400, 425 450 and 500 twins were equally great reliable, cheap to run, simple work horses. My kawasaki z650 custom 1977 with slide carbs wasfaster than CV carb z650 of 1980/81 as it had cv carb with diaphrams. I thrashed the hell out of z650 back in the day like on the motorway got ban 98+ mph ouch.
I wish I had a swap meet at the Harley dealer talkin to the parts manager Wiley City on his vintage shovelhead. I mentioned that I had a collection of BSA singles. At another swap meet this guy walks up to me and goes you're the bee's our guy I go yeah. He showed me a picture of a mint C15 250 single 1967 BSA he wanted $500 for it and I gave it to him and he delivered the bike to my house the bike had six thousand original miles and the only thing it was missing was the side cover over the battery it was also equipped with a beautiful alloy tank. It came from an estate sale in Georgia with all the paperwork it was about to be scrapped with the metal lawn furniture when he saved the bike. The 250 BSA single is a great bike. I have 2 Enduro version one with triumph name badges that used to be derogatively called a triumph turd. They make great dirt bikes and commuter bikes and are big enough for two people to sit on comfortably and Cruz at 60 miles an hour all day long. It can go up to 90 miles an hour but I have bigger bikes for that. My mechanic wished that he had come across that bike and I told him well he should have gone to the swapyou never know what you might find you never know what you might bring home. There are bargains out there if you keep your eyes open for them .
Exelent collection, thanks for making it. I have a slight correction on the TR1, it was not a Harley copy, it was a copy of a HRD Vincent. Unlike a Harley, it could turn corners, and stop. Plus that exelent monochok rear suspension. I drove one for 15 years, and was very found of it. And had a MZ EZ 150 as a winters bike, it was a lot less thirsty as the 250..
to be fair if i said copy i didnt mean that, it was built to challenge the Harley engine, but i dont always stick to script lol Cheers for watching mate, Ride Free
I enjoyed that video. I looked through your older vids and didnt see anything talking about the two strokes of the 70s. Ideas like how the RD350 or 400 regularly out paced large displacement machines or How the kawasaki triples built their fearsome reputation off the back of the H2 750. Im a two stroke fan so I would really like to see someone with your videographer skills put forth a proper tutorial on the seemingly forgotten smokers I grew up on.
theres a lot in this ione here th-cam.com/video/gYetZtEpPcM/w-d-xo.html but in a day or two there is another epic video coming you will love, cheers for watching mate, ride free
hi mate my bike kinda fits in with this vid, for the past 16 years have owned and ridden a 1982 kawasaki gpz550h, iam 61 years old and rarely ride but my old girl, but she dose still puts a smile on my face, she is about too be registered historic this month,, i kinda want too ride again but health is against me, great vids keep up the good work and ride safe
Excellent video, been riding in the USA since the late 1960s. Half these bikes I've never seen or heard of, guess many did not make it over here? Wise advice at the end, I really miss the do most anything bikes. I've owned some odd short run bikes that I really enjoyed, wish I still had a few of them. Thanks for the video and memories!
Glad you enjoyed it mate, have you watched the Maverick Motorcycles Video? th-cam.com/video/VQWQeo0R_KI/w-d-xo.html theres a few oddities in there :-) Cheers for watching and the comment mate, Ride Free
That was a well edited & informative video - thank you! You'd think Yamaha would've learned from the TR1 experience before repeating the same mistakes, more or less, with the BT1100 Bulldog. Owners love them, but there were never many sold & dealers ended up discounting heavily to move them on. MCN absolutely pilloried the bike, but they never understood what it was good at, although it didn't help that once again, the bike sat between 2 stools - neither a cruiser nor enough bhp or the handling to be a sport tourer. They're a popular 2nd hand buy now & prices are strong. What a missed opportunity!
It wasn't just MCN, all the UK mags dumped on it. They released it at a race track (why?) and being out of its element many were crashed, so the "Fireblade appreciation society" er.....I mean "UK Bike Journalists" couldn't understand what sort of bike it was, and slammed them. As an ex, MT-01 (great bikes) rider, i'd own one, they look great.
Very nice . I own two Honda V4s. One popular the other not so. I have a third gen Magna that went from 1994- 2003 and sold well. Great bike. I also own a 2014 CTX1300A . It only sold in the US one year. I love it dearly for cross country touring . Due to its low popularity there value dropped precipitously and I bought mine two years old with all factory options plus a tall after market tall windshield with 2700 miles on it. The owner paid $19,000+ dollars for it and he sold it to me in like new condition for $9,300.00. Super bargain, and I’d do it all over again. Love those Honda V4s.
I bought a brand new 95 leftover model rf900r in 96 for 7k. I also liked the zx9 but they wouldn't go less than 9k. I loved the rf900. Done the V&H ss2r full exhaust, k&n, fender eliminator. Sold in 2000 when i started having kids😢.😂 oh well.
Suzuki made great bikes, all the GS range were over-engineered. I had a GS400 that I took on 3 x 2000 mile continental tours 2 up with luggage for 3 weeks, not fast but capable of 80mph all day long. I bought it second hand for £300 and rode it all weathers, commuting, holidays, trips across UK to see mates, changed the oil once a year, rinse and repeat. Maintenance apart from tyres and brake pads was done basically when I thought I could afford it. Valve clearances remained in spec for 50k miles. Fabulous bit of quality/value engineering
Loved my D plate 250, and owe so much to MZ AND my TS125. Fantastic machines that even came with a pump under the seat. 😊 Can't bellwether you talk about the TR1, cos I shared one with my dad when I had the 250 MZ😂
On the subject of MZ, it should be remembered that much of the technology that Suzuki used to make their 2 stroke racing bikes a success was stolen from MZ when Ernst Degner defected and sold them to Suzuki.
As an Australian, I'd like to throw in some names that appeared here that I think were under-rated; Jawa 250/350, Horex 500, Lilac (with their shaft driven V and flat 250 twins), Colleda 250 (became Suzuki), Meguro 650 (became Kawasaki), Bridgestone, Hodaka, and especially the much overlooked Kawasaki Samurai and Avenger !
you see you learn something every day :-) cheers, the early Kawasaki 2 stroke twins were great bikes,i featured them here th-cam.com/video/--s1H54GhMk/w-d-xo.html and here th-cam.com/video/jgSnHBdXcOo/w-d-xo.html 🙂 Cheers for watching mate. Ride Free 🙂
Good to see a MZ. I have one etz 250 f.reg 12000 miles. Would like to see more on this bike. How many are left on the road. Where are riders clubs etc.
there are a couple of good and helpful forums i use on Fb, the MZ riders and MZ 2 stroke guys are really welcoming, 🙂 Cheers for watching mate, Ride Free
Nt 650 gt hawk in canada 87,88 2 into 1 ,carb work fix suspension, fox shock progress ive springs front,correct fork dampening, dyno 52 hp i could scald 600,s in the tight stuff
lol, theres an article on the website with the dyno run from my old shadow vlx which was the previous 600 version of the engine lol. that surprised many a much bigger bike 🙂
Totally agree about the TR1, RF900 and X11. I'd add the Aprilia Falco. Remember seeing a TR1 outside MCS Yamaha dealer in Paisley back in about 1981. It was new but covered in dead flies but looked great especially next to my tatty GT250M. I like the RF because I think it's just a great looking big bike, problem at the time was that every lazy bike "journalist" used to copy each other saying it was ugly because of the " horrible Testarossa" vents... Hive mind I guess?? I test rode a Falco SL1000 V twin back in about 1999 and thought it was great but I wasn't sure about reliability and ended up buying a ZX6RG2, which I still have. The X11 just looks awesome and exudes quality.
the Falco is a great bike, The futura was an even bigger flop though lol, theres been a few over the years and yep, the hive mind can get easily sidetracked :-) Cheers for watching mate :-) Ride Free
I swear UK bike journos in the 90s were on the Honda payroll😆The RF might have been a bit of a parts bin special, but it was a better bike that the water cooled GSX-R1100 of the same era, and a better road bike 90% of the time than a Fireblade. The ZX6R, especially the 98 to 02 models are awesome bikes, my son has a 98 model, and i think i love it more than him😃. The 01-02 CBR600FS is another great 600 (we were looking for one of these but found the Kawasaki, low Km and in classic green/black/purple) This era of 600s are great because, after 03 all the 600s started getting more and more extreme and focussed on the track.
@@uhtred7860 i do think 600cc is about my sweet spot 🙂 journos being paid off, never 🤣🤣 i was watching the Norden explorer release last night, "We are going to fly you all out to Marocco, send you fully supported across the mountains for 6 days all expenses paid so you can give people a really honest and real world opinion of the bikes 🤣🤣🤣 most of them spent more time talking about the amazing holiday theyd had than talking about the bikes 🤣
Glad I surprised you mate 🙂Cheers for watching. Ride Free 🙂 i have hovered on both but ended up buying a Blackbird to butcher instead so I get the 6th gear 🙂 I will build the most bonkers HyperMotard ever, it will just take time 🙂
I have the Honda Hawk 650 GT (aka RC31) and it is a superbly fun motorcycle. Everything is a compromise but the Hawk is one of the best possible compromises. Comfortable enough to ride to the beach, nimble enough to be fun in the curves, lovely torquey v-twin. Deadly serious sportbike, well no, but that's the beauty of it. Simplicity has a charm all it's own. It takes me back to when I first started riding, it was fun then, and can be fun now, provided that you have the right bike.
🙂 the right bike FOR YOU, 🙂 that is the key, finding the right bike that fits your riding, too many get swayed into bikes that dont really suit them for many reasons 🙂cheers for watching mate, ride free 🙂
Tr1 virago in canada, popular in all displacements ,problematic starter reduction gears 535 cc cdi and reg rec failures do to over heating from location
I wouldnt have thought overheating would cause a problem in Canada lol. but seriously, yep, there was a whole generation of bikes with the reg/rec put in places they shouldnt really have been. my Zane Laverda one was originally in the tailpiece ffs , relocated under nosecone and no issues from that point on 🙂:-) Cheers for watching mate :-) Ride Free
which did you have? the 900 always gets the credit but the whole range were great bikes, i had a 750 for a while (probably the rarest) and it was as good as anything similar, a ZX7R engine with a big comfy seat and enough power to put many sport bikes to shame 🙂
We didn't get a lot of these in Australia, got the Suzuki but didn't get TR1 or later on the BT1100 Bulldog, didn't get those Honda's either but did get the Bros. Our factory distributors here were very conservative unlike the earlier independent distributors, Yamaha didn't even bring in the VMAX at first.
i do find it interesting how they seem to get it so wrong sometimes, with bikes that would suit one market being sent to a market they dont suit as much lol, Ride free my friend
I had the bros 400. It was one of the best bikes I ever owned. Reliable, with great handling. Here in the UK it was available only as a grey import. I bought mine from BAT Motorcycles in Norwood.
:-) Cheers for watching mate and thanks for the comment,, grey imports are a goldmine and minefield at the same time lol :-) Cheers for watching mate and thanks for the comment, enjoy your weekend enjoy your weekend
I have never heard of the Honda X-11. nor have I seen one, even after watching this video! (except for the riders pov ). A profile shot would have been welcome. Good video though...I really enjoy the channel. Cheers!
agreed, it had a hard time, very competitive sector back then with the cbr, cbf, zzr and thundercat, when 600cc was king of the roads :-)🙂 Cheers for watching mate, Ride Free
Awesome videos, keep them coming. As far as underrated bikes go you can’t go past the GPZ 750 Turbo. Its reputation was killed by the other 3 Turbo manufacturers, and also by Kawasaki itself as it embarrassed the GPZ 1100 flag ship, nevertheless it was the fastest and quickest bike on the planet in 1984 / 1985 and someone should do it it’s rightful justice
glad you enjoyed it mate 🙂 the GPZ was certainly the best of the bunch, awesome sound too, i featured them here th-cam.com/video/gYetZtEpPcM/w-d-xo.html and i try not to put the same bike in too many videos 🙂 Cheers for watching. Ride Free 🙂
I have a mint, 1 owner, 85 turbo. Rode it last weekend. Had the Hitachi HT-10B turbo unit professionally re-built by Evergreen Turbos in Ocala Fla. Always puts a huge smile on my face. Isn't that what riding a bike is all about ? These bikes are quite rare (especially the 85s) and very collectible. I have people all the time asking me if it's 4 sale.
The hardest kind of motorcycle to find used is: any old school sit upright mid 60s through mid 80s mid size. A commuter bike. I can find all manner of dirt squirters, cruisers, vast touring bikes. Yammerhammer 650s, Honda 450 or 550 - rare as frog fur.
I had 2 mz 250 ... Great machine, would touch 70 mph on a good day... Totally enclosed chain, a real practical day to day bike, 2 stroke bike so I always carried a spare spark plug just in case I fowled one... Broke down miles from home... Problem was the points causing misfiring, I gave em a quick clean and I was back on the road again... Simple machine but really great motorcycles, fantastic handling too... I always liked the fact that the owners club in UK, called themselves mz riders club.... a true workhouse of a bike....
IMPORTANT
Dakar have hit me with a copyright strike so ive had to delist some of the videos just in case
i guess they got pissed that mine were better
because of the MOTOGP one before xmas that means im really vulnerable now and the channel could be removed at any time
I have set up this backup channel so please go and follow it NOW,
this could all be removed at any moment now so it is critical to stay in touch via the backup channel here
th-cam.com/channels/CSl6i-tZJNC5DQ38vgCtvw.html
sorry for this if i get another strike it wipes out all my work
all my old videos will be removed
I wont be posting anything much on the new channel unless this goes down
but this is a just in case because it really could go down at any point
the videos are still visible if you have a link so if you have problems message me for links
so you can still watch them,
if you follow the channel and this one gets taken down you will be able to find me there
sorry if thats a bit garbled
ive just woken to this but i guess i could have had the channel taken down already
so i should be thankful
ride free everyone
Thank you, great video; got an RF900RT myself - had it since 2006 and it is really just a workhorse nowadays (I'm 71), reliable, quick, ok around town, great 2 up, decent range and MPG. Also, I like your approach in the videos - a lot more useful and down to earth than many! Keep up the good work; all the best, cheers
Cheers Glyn, Simple and straightforward thats me lol, sort of :-) Cheers for watching mate, Have a good one
Clicked the like as soon as you kicked off with an MZ!
Welcome aboard mate, enjoy the ride and cheers for the support. MZ come up fairly regularly, theres a special mention here th-cam.com/video/--s1H54GhMk/w-d-xo.html relating to Walter Kaadan and the 2 strokes and then i feature the Scorpion Riders here th-cam.com/video/svoWJ4pDQso/w-d-xo.html
Great video 👍
I really loved my 86 TR1, it didn't even had the known starter issues. The 11" headlight, the two tone horns and the chain running in 1 kg lithium grease - chain service check was 70.000km!
It was just an awesome bike.
it will live on in my memories 🙂cheers for watching mate, ride free
Next to all my italians, I've actually got two MZ ETZ 150's. Never had the chance to get a 250 but the 150's were just as great and i love riding em. Reliable as hell and if you do need spare parts, you can get them cheaper than dirt.
STRONG the MZ Community is :-) Cheers for watching and the comment mate, Ride Free
Etz 150, 250 and 251 were kings of the roads in Eastern Europe. I love 150.
The Yamaha Virago engined bikes were gems, aside from junk starters in 81-82. Torque, smooth, reliable to a fault, comfy, and easy to handle with a low seat height. Clutch, trans, & rear drive were bullet proof. I had several and they were great. The TR may not have caught on, but Viragos in general wiped out the competition in its many forms in the sales department. The 90's era XV1100s were among the best looking bikes ever made.
yep, theyve had a fair few mentions now 🙂Cheers for watching mate, ride free
Certainly underestimated. I once could buy a bargain, but I let it go because I did not know the bike. Later I learned they are very good.
Totally agree. Had a 750 and it was great. Had a 920, it was not so good….
That was during the time Yamaha kept swapping parts on bikes and calling them new models.
Hi mate. Great vid.ive had a 750 sabre for 10 years. I've sprayed her in st Orange with stripping, wheels too. Yet to finish her. Need to get some more parts from Dave silver to finish the bike off. Then I'll take to bike shows in the future. I miss the great time we had in the 70,s and spend my time left keeping the old bikes on the road. Good on ya to talk about the old bikes. 😊
i had a sabre as a parts bike at one point. 80s Honda parts bins were a treasure trove lol. that dash is just fantastic lol, i sat staring at it for ages when it first arrived lol, think the last bit i had was the tank but pretty sure thats gone now, sometimes a sacrifice keeps another one on the road eh 🙂 good on you for helping keep the old uns going 🙂Cheers for watching mate, Ride Free
As Orange 🍊
As orange is my favorite color I am so pleased that you are painting the whole bike in Orange. I was lucky enough to purchase a VSA 250 that was painted orange originally stock. I also bought a dealer's last Vespa scooter 🛵 and when he delivered it it was in pumpkin orange 🍊 I bet your bike is going to be super beautiful when you finish it best of luck with it and ride safe
It was start Audio 1991then motorcycle having collection.on 2010.having 2 unerbone motorcycle.. Then another Honda 125cc..modern classic bike..
Thanks for the great video. I had a 1982 Yahama XV 920 that I bought in 1990. Always in dry storage when not used, I thought it was a brand new motorcycle when I first bought it. I had this bike for years and it was a wonderful bike! The chain ran in an enclosed, sealed oil bath which made the chain adjustment frequency interval an afterthought. After years of riding this bike I sold it and almost doubled my money. I collect vintage bikes now but your videos are convincing me to open my time period of what I should add to the collection. Who said an old dog can't learn new tricks? Keep up the great videos coming. Cheers from Connecticut in the States!
its so basic, why do they not do it now? less work and less mess, talk about a win win. Cheers for watching mate, Have a good one
I have a 1981 TR1, I had very little info. It's an easy bike to ride. I was thinking of selling it, but now you are making me reconsider.
@@bunnybunnybunny503 Don't sell! I still regret selling mine. The bike was so sweet I pulled it into my living room when I wasn't riding it. The bike looked brand new when I got it and when I sold it to a friend. It would pull away in 5th gear when I rolled through a stop sign going 20 mph in the country roads where I live. Pure torque! If you sell it you'll regret it. Mine was black and silver and was super reliable. What more could you ask for? You already have it, keep it!
@@bunnybunnybunny503 honestly mate, a lot have already been chopped up. if its standard the prices will go up. supply and demand 🙂
YAYYYY a fellow RF-er! Had one, LOVED IT, HIIIIIIIGHLY UNDERRATED...!
It BROKE (AND KEPT FOR YEARS) speed and endurance records! Mine was a US Import green with grey/silver markings RF900RW, I junked the 'Clean Air recycling circuit system', modded the headlight and both rear lights to have a ring of LED's as 'Side lights' and then used the bulbs for main/Brake (all 3 at back wired for brake), adjusted the suspension for best of both worlds with a wee smidge of firmness, Bridgestone BT-023s, and Maaaaaaaaaan! Did she hustle!
There was/is a RARE saught after 'Manta Ray' green version. That GSXR1100 derived lump can handle the 1170cc head tube (and everything else that well loved lump could take. A TH-camr 'Adikxx' is currently doing videos on a 1170 & tuned motor build and change for his RF9.
Issues? Well..
1 -THAT WELL KNOWN Alternator coupling bushing CAN (and DID fail on me twice (1 failed 32 days after I bought from a Suzuki dealer - they refused warranty as it was 'Over its 30 cover period as I fitted it' 😠, but 2nd one lasted on), for anyone not in the know... Imagine the alternator shaft connecting into a ball bearing centre, and the outside of the 'Ball bearing is pressed into a gear say, now imagine that the ball bearings are replaced with solid rubber... You get a 'Solid' connection that damps out vibes, but... IS a weak point just in case the alternator seizes (as HAD happened on the original GSXR1100s, so instead of smashed/stripped gears, and shavings of steel running around and 'Lunching' your engine, it just tears the rubber (saving engine). However, if this little bugger fails (and it does), first thing you'll notice is days later, your battery is dead because your engine is no longer spinning the alternator. You CAN swap parts back to the GSXR1100 style hard/direct gear drive system to drive the alternator.
2 - The usual, like brakes etc CAN corrode if you ride all year (like I did/do) in countries that use salt/grit on the roads, so a tip!! Have a garden watering can filled with fresh water, and after your ride in winter, flush the salt/grit out the brakes. Doing this helps reduce the times you have to clean/unseize those callipers.
3 - Yeah... WHY SUZUKI, WHY didn't you give it a 6th gear? I just upped front by 1 and lowered the rear cog by 2.
'She' was a mile muncher (500 mile round trip Grimsby to Southampton and back DEAD EASY, yes, that large seat, was... a SMIDGE firm), she was an A and fast B road carver, DAMN I MISS HER! 😟
Apart from that... SOLID bike!
If you want to see pics of headlight/tail light mod (will work for RF4, 6 and 9s), go to my YT page, send me an email)
RIDE SAFE, RIDE FREE!!! 👍
😎🇬🇧
cheers for watching and for the comment mate, these are the comments i love best, have a great week 🙂
I also had a RF 900. Amazingly capable bike. Regret that i sold it. Very fast (for it's time) and a true mile eater and smile generator. Torquey and enjoyable to ride. My current ZX 14 lacks the soul of the RF...HP is not all that makes a bike good. If you can get a decent one BUY it! Five endurance world records (over 24hours) is proof and can't lie... 😊
Interesting comparison with the ZX 14. and good advice re the RF900 :-) Cheers for watching mate, Have a good one
I had a zx14 for 12 years and a zx14R for 5.
I found the zx14 had character, way more than the Honda's I've owned or ridden.
I found the ease of travelling at any speed and comfort and smoothness to be remarkable.
I am surprised, yet thats how you felt.
@@buddhastaxi666 I guess I would say similar about the exup and my Daytona 955. not the quickest and far from perfect but they each have their charm 🙂
I had an RF9. Ohlins shock and fork internals. Quick but heavy. Fantastic value and a genuine Fireblade beater .... but no match for an R1 or RSV
@@peterflynn9123 they were an underrated bike for sure 🙂 Cheers for watching mate, Ride Free
No way... At the start of the video, I thought "that's a RF900" dash... I had one so I know 😂 amazing bike by the way... As you mentioned, not as sporty and folded in half as a supersport bike, but a very sport oriented sport tourer with 130bhp. Not bad for 1994/1996 right?
Then you showed a MZ 250 2strokes... Now, when I was a kid, my parents didn't have a car... We had a MZ Etz 250...
...
... What a machine 😁 I didn't seem to catch it in the comments but maybe I just didn't hear properly but the MZ 250 had an anchor point from factory so that you could add a bucket to it and turn it into a side car...
So yes, once again, thank you for another amazing video and for bringing me back to some really good times... 2 incredible, unbreakable and reliable bikes full of memories 😁
thanks for the wonderful comment mate, i can imagine you had some fun on the MZ outfit :-) Cheers for watching :-) Ride Free
Sure did. Wonderful times indeed 😊
I'm not sure you had them where you live, but I have a 85 Honda 650sc Nighthawk. (I live in the States) it's a wonderful series, (made from 83-85) and they have so many great features. How about 4-cylinders, shaft drive, double overhead cams hydaulically operated, twin discs in the front, mag wheels, gear shift and gas gauge built in to the unique instrument cluster, oil cooler, electric start, (Of course, but no kickstart) 6 speed gearbox, (Honda calls the sixth gear an overdrive) Tubeless tires, air adjustable front forks, and rear shocks are fully adjustable, anti-dive front forks. from what I understand, some are found in the UK, but not sold there.
the 650 we had wasnt shaft drive, softer single cam engine than the 700 I have, but still good bikes
I love how I never have the slightest idea which bike is coming next, all delightful surprises, thank you.
My pleasure mate and glad you enjoyed it 😊
RF900s, amazingly comfy smooth and fast, easily maintained too, way ahead of its time and probably the most underated amongst this bunch.
great bikes 🙂 Cheers for watching mate. Ride Free 🙂
I borrowed an MZ250 for a day and considered buying one by the end of that day. It had some aftermarket tyres - the originals were terrible - and with these it stopped. steered and cornered with no fuss or drama. I managed 85 out of it and was very impressed. It was let down by the switchgear - it made the period Italian switches look slick,,, In the end I went for a used 400/4 but was left an MZ fan.
Sometimes they do just get it right lol 🙂Cheers for watching and for the comment mate. Ride Free 🙂
Some great bikes there. I now have a hankering once again for a Honda Bros 650. Superb build quality, nice compact bike. With those Bridgestone BT45 Battlax tyres on it you can scrape the footpegs, no problem.
I had the earlier VT's ive had 2 x 500's a 600 and a 700 in my time lol. not that i have a problem pmsl Cheers for watching mate, Ride Free
I have a NTV Revere 1997, and you're right with the Bridgestone BT45 (and 46 i have now) Battlax, and with well tuned suspensions, you are able to surprise some guys on big bikes in twisty roads, because the passage in curve is pretty good. The engine is a tractor with plenty of torque and it's not afraid to rev.
Great review, a learn much of your interpetation of being happy with a no name Bike. It all starts as boy and his bicycle. Expanding the circle around Mam and Dad. Explore a further Environment. Feeling the power of moving forward until forgetting gravity. Moving by wheel is deep down humansoul desire.
For me. I am 58, riding 40 years, on 22 differnt motorcycles on Austrias streets. As Long as a can crawl to my motorcycle - I ' ll keep on riding till the end.
Welcome aboard mate, glad it jogged some good memories, enjoy the ride and cheers for the support
My X11 and I thank you for remembering, we ride daily. Ride on!
and ride free my friend. Cheers for watching , Have a good one
Manly bike. Loovely to look at but a bit too big for me.
I've had a ZL600 for 11/12 years I absolutely love this bike. Never had a bike that long before and she still puts a smile on my face every time even my Mrs loves the bike. Moved house 3 times on it and just keeps chugging along. Headstock starts tank slapping around 100mph 😬 but didn't take long to get there.
Great for all road riding from commuting/ plodding to having a silly moments through the twisties and the launch is epic leaving many another vehicle in surprise when you learn to balance the acceleration & revs. I've had other bikes come and go but nothing stayed. Considering that I picked it up for £700 purely as a go between after my GSX600F was stolen with 3 months of insurance issues 🤦♂️ (loved that bike too with 20k miles riding in the year of having it) nearly fell over when I saw a ZL600B for sale at £2500.
The ZL community on FB is pretty awesome too. Loads of photos, advice and parts locators for the entire ZL range of bikes.
A good community makes a bike when its over a certain age, the combined knowledge etc, some do it better than others :-)
Thanks for including the etz 250. You forgot to mention that it was ergonomically a huge bike, bigger than a Superdream, but only weighed 130 kilos!
Anyway, the most overlooked bike EVER was the Jawa 350. I own two. It was always the MZ's poor relation and generally despised but had similar performance/mpg to the MZ whilst being much more comfortable.
It featured a clutch which engaged when you operated the gear change, a very torquey engine ( 60 mph at just 4000 and it STILL felt undergeared) and the best rear brake, drum or disc, ive ever encountered.
While the MZ was a big seller, buyers steered clear of the Jawa despite it being even cheaper so ones left from the eighties are very, very rare.
Almost unbelievably, theyre still being made and imported and cost just under five grand new.
Theyre extremely reliable and require very little maintenance and none that you cant do yourself.
Modern updates include leccy start, electronic ignition, a digital dash ( the jury's out on that!) and a front disc the size of a dustbin lid. But otherwise its the same engine and running gear as 1984.
Biking's about individualism and they dont come more individual than the Jawa!
I thought the 2 stroke Jawa's had been discontinued now? i thought it was only 4 strokes being made now? 🙂cheers for watching mate, ride free 🙂
@@barebonesmc F2 motors jawa David Angell. Based in Wisbech.
@@TomBartram-b1c interesting, i was wrong again lol
Oh yes...
RF900 and TRX850 bring back fond memories. Some of the best (for me) bikes for me.
Thank you for the trip down the "memory lane".
Cheers from The Antipodes.
glad you enjoyed it mate 🙂 Theres plenty more on the channel, hope you will look around and find something your interested in. there is more on the website too. and there will be more to come. Cheers for watching. Ride Free 🙂
Excellent video, informative and entertaining 👍 Bikes from back in the day when motorcycles had style, unlike today's computer designed clones!
made by robots for robots lol, but i said i wouldnt mention KTM lol Cheers for watching mate, Ride Free
My MZ ETZ 251's (successor to the ETZ 250) carried me and my wife and our luggage all across Europe. Just like any other Goldwing etc etc etc etc...... for the price of some Japanese wreck. Usually other bikers would regard us with either disdain (cannot afford anything better) or with amazement (how on earth did you get this far - answer: by riding the bike). The machine was simple, sturdy, dependable and reliable. And.... great fun!
the force is strong in the MZ community :-) Ride free my friend
Yamaha secas 550, 650, and 900. Totally underrated and unloved.😢
hmm, I think that was our XJ range, but we had 400, 600 and 900 came later or are you talking about the FZ/Diversion/Seca 2 ? to be fair both generations were good bikes , Cheers for watching mate, Have a good one
You forgot the 400, rode one for 5 years daily driver…bulletproof!
The years were mainly 1981-1983 in the states. The 400 and the 750 were ok, as I remember.
@@mikegosselin2391 dont think we got either of them but certainly not the 750. The XJ600 was a big seller here though. the choice was 350LC or XJ600 for many i think 🙂
Similar with the Honda Hawk cycles of the day, used to ride with a neighbor who rode his Honda Hawk 700 or 750 (don't recall anymore)and let his dogs run along behind, he saw I had an '82 Nighthawk 650 and asked if I wanted to ride along Man that Honda Hawk had way more acceleration than I expected!
Great review of bikes that deserved better, I must confess that as a teenager in the late 70s who owned an RD350, when one of our mates bought an MZ 250 we unmercifully took the piss out of him but he had the last laugh as his little MZ went on to do over 200,000 miles in his job as a courier, I bought a grey import 650 Honda Hawk in the 90s (the US version of the Bros) it was a lovely handling little bike with a bullet proof engine, something Suzuki obviously spotted and later produced their pepped up version in the ubiquitous SV65O.
i think most of us did with the MZ and CZ riders :-) little did we know eh :-) the honda engine was way more compact than the SV engine thats for sure lol but i guess thats the effect of starting from the TL1000 block and the reason its so overengineered :-) Cheers for watching :-) Ride Free
I have a machine that was underappreciated by the motorcycle buying public when it was in production, a 1980 Benelli 900 Sei. These six cylinder machines were an upgrade on the earlier Benelli 750 Sei which was in production from 1974 until 1978, the 900 motor was bored and stroked to give a capacity of 906cc. Benelli built 3200 of the 750 Sei in it's four year production run, the 900 Sei was in production between 1979 and 1989 and only only 1878 of them were produced in that ten years. Granted the Benelli multi cylinder motors borrowed a lot from that of the Honda CB500, but the Benelli handled and braked so much better than the Honda ever could.
My Sei goes around bends like it is on rails on it's Pirelli Demon Sport tyres, it carries it's weight very well and it belies its 26" wide motor by being a great scratcher on twisty country roads. Fuel economy is reasonable at 45 mpg consuidering I have replaced the stock trio of 24mm Dell 'Orto carbs with a bank of six 22mm Dell 'Orto's.
The Benelli 900 Sei is now regardred as a period classic and exceptional low milage examples are changing hands for between £15k and £20k. I bought mine in 1986 for £1200 and I have no plans to sell it anytime soon.
good on you for keeping it going mate, the 750 has always been one of my dream bikes :-) to be fair i think the TreK was a fantastic bike too. and what a sound 🙂 Cheers for watching mate, Ride Free
❤ ... nice, keep and enjoy your treasure! 😎✌🏻
A friend of mine has a 350 two stroke Bridgestone in his barn. A retired army pilot gave it to him in the late 80s and herode it home and put it away and according to him he never rode it again. I've seen it and it appears to be all there though would take a lot of time and money to bring it back. He won't sell it though for whatever reason I don't know. Great video!
thats a shame, always a bit sad to see a bike rotting away, but i guess he has his reasons, cheers for adding the story mate
I recently met someone with three 250s and 3 or 4 350s. They were either a metallic purple or metallic gold paint. I wasn't aware there were Bridgestone motorcycles.
All of them were in concourse condition. Had a long interesting conversation with him about them
@@StoffelDilligas that is some collection 🙂
Great Video BarebonesMC! The Yamaha BT1100 Bulldog might well be on that list too as well as the Suzuki GSX1200 Inazuma.
The Suzuki was definitely ahead of its time as it was retro before retro was a thing. I bought my 1999 Inazuma new in 2001. She was tucked away in a corner of the showroom and half a dozen bikes had to be moved to get to her, it was love at first sight. Unfortunately she died up in Scotland in 2008 when we got t-boned by a car.
Last year I found another one, same colour, same year and untempered with apart from the seat. I just had to buy it and the seat has been redone in the looks of the Kawasaki Z900RS’s seat.
Cheers,
Lupo
Agree with you on the Bulldog - see my comment about it!
ouch. glad you survived Scotland :-) 🙂Cheers for watching mate, Ride Free
I was thinking how do you kill an Inazuma, they are bulletproof? then i read T-boned by a car......oh.
We got them as a new model here in NZ as the GSX1200 (no Inazuma tag) but people just called them the NTB (Not the Bandit) because when you said "Ive got a 1200 Suzuki" everyone would say "Oh a Bandit", to which the answer would be "No, not the Bandit" 😊 I love em, they look better than the Bandit, and have the same grunty motor, Theres a couple for sale here at the moment, and its tempting, very tempting. I have another odd Suzuki using the same 1200cc motor, that only got sold here in NZ and Japan, the GS1200SS, Kind of a tribute to the XR69 GS1000R that was Suzuki's endurance racer of the early 80s.
@@uhtred7860 interesting, more reading to do lol
Thank you for this information and your delivery !
I , a rider of 48 years , and now in my 60’s and still riding ; appreciated your comment on getting on a motorcycle for YOURSELF , and formulating your OWN opinion !
I’ve owned :
1.) 1- BMW
2.) 2- Hondas
3.) 13 Harley Davidsons
A few short years ago , I test rode a “ brand new “ Triumph Bonneville .
I had to go BACK to the dealership for a second , and then a THIRD test ride !
The engineers took a 1959
“ Bonnie “ and gave it all the modern improvements !
The ONLY reason that one of these most beautiful and comfortable and smooth machines isn’t taking real estate in my garage today ; is the FACT that he could only offer me a few thousand dollars for a 1983 FXWG that I put $5,500.00 into - after purchasing it for $7,500.00 .
The HD dealership gave me $10,000.00 towards a
2018 FXLR Low Rider .
Don’t get me wrong , as I obviously
“ lean “ towards HD , this new and improved Triumph just blew me away .
Had I not gotten
“ divorce-raped “ , who knows , there might be (2) motorcycles taking up real estate in my beloved man cave !
Again , stellar job on this video .
I’d love to hear you do a
“ twist & go “ scooter video !
The old Honda Silverwings to today’s Suzuki Bergmans …
Peace ☮️
:-) Cheers for the comment mate, ouch that dealer was harsh, and as you say, its all about finding the right ride for you :-) :-) Ride Free
@@barebonesmc
I appreciate that response .
God bless .
I had a mate with a Honda Bros, he put a 750 Africa Twin engine in it, they drop straight in. That, along with some other upgrades to the suspension made it a fun bike.
i can imagine :-)
My mate had an MZ250. The price of spares was astonishingly cheap! My Honda CB250RS was at the other end of the spares price scale.
yep, everything about the MZ was cheap, except the build quality really 🙂cheers for watching mate, ride free 🙂
@@barebonesmc - I’ve still got two x Honda CB250RS’s in my garage. The original one mentioned above, and one other. I’ve now put 500 single motors in both. Fun! Much fun.
@@timhicks2154 theu were good bikes, liked the FT500 too so good combination 🙂cheers for watching mate, ride free 🙂
I remember having a ding dong battle against an XV 1000 TR1 back in 1989. I was riding an SR500 and it was a tight and twisty track. We were buy no means at the front of the pack, but it was a race I will always remember!
i can imagine that was an interesting one. power versus simplicity and lower weight :-) sounds fun :-) Cheers for watching mate, Ride Free
@@barebonesmc I'm by no means a quick rider, I have to work hard to get lapped in a 6 lap club race!
@@mattjacomos2795 its all about the smiles mate 🙂 the experience is everything
The Triumph/BSA triples can be excellent, reliable bikes, once properly sorted. Unfortunately they were sales failures. Most dealers couldn't service them adequately and refused to learn. Could've been a great bike if BSA/Triumph had the money to develop the design.
great bikes, i would say victims of the British industry just thinking it knew better and not realising until after it was too late. they just considered the "Jap Crap" inferior and so didnt think they needed to change 🙂 Cheers for watching mate. Ride Free 🙂
Commenting from America, it is SO cool to see all the different bikes we didn’t get. It’s like an alternate universe. Great video.👍😉
Welcome aboard mate, Cheers for watching :-) Ride Free
Excellent video. I too have a love affair with old scoots. I currently own 3 old, out of production bikes and love showing up on them. Wouldn't sell them. Thx again for having an appreciation for the old.
🙂Cheers for watching mate, ride free
I had a XV 1000 she was probably the best touring bike Ive owned 140kph all day long with good range in the tank
Rode her across Oz 5-6 times without a hitch when I sold her she had close to 150k km on the clock Always will remember her serial number of 0000302
cheers for adding your story mate, enjoy your day
Great video, many thanks. As an official old git, I have had a number of bikes, often a few at a time and all have been great to own in their own way but I would not have predicted that the one I still have, after many years, would be the MZ ETZ250. Not the last I will own by any means but I won't part with it!
the force is strong in the MZ rider community :-) Cheers for watching and the comment mate, Ride Free
I had a TR1 for a couple of years. A very under rated bike with an easy going, loping nature. The only weakness the motor had was a tendency to break the starter Sprag clutch if you were ham fisted with the starter button. Could go some through the twisties and surprise a few sportier bikes if you utilised the torque. Had some great design ideas for its time. A pity that many of the surviving examples have been hacked for the 'Cafe Racer' fad.
i agree, the custom crew love it as a base bike unfortunately and that pushes prices up too 🙂Cheers for watching mate, Ride Free
The permanent fix for the TR1 starter issue is to rob the starter Bendix from an '86 or newer Virago XV1100. The earlier solutions were only temporary. This worked like a charm on my XV1000.
@@jackandblaze5956 another pearl of wisdom 🙂Cheers for watching mate, ride free
Another absolutely presentation. Always a big pleasure to listen to you. Greatest Regards.
glad you enjoyed it mate 🙂Cheers for the support. Ride Free 🙂
I had a bros 650,and i can tell you it was a lovely light moto with plenty of torque, easy to handle cafe racer feeling 😃🤟🤟🤟
I had the VT's it was descended from :-) 2 x 500's a 600 and a 700 for my sins :-) Cheers for watching mate, Ride Free
I'm looking at one for sale now. Great bike. BareBonesMc is going to send me broke if I keep watching his TH-cam. 😂
@@DmacDomage lol, sorry Derek 🙂 I think money is probably safer in bikes than in banks these days 🤣🤣🤣
Wow, some great bikes, lovely Video mate, as ever! Think my fav was the Honda X11 - I'd forgotten that one!👍👍
glad you enjoyed it mate 🙂 Theres plenty more to come. Cheers for watching. Happy new year🙂
@@barebonesmc Happy new Year!! 🙂
I had a TR1, an incredible reliable and comfortable motorcycle. Bought it from a friend with 22.000 km and sold it with 148.000 km with still the first chain on. The closed chain box was unique and helped the chain to have an enormous service life. I've traveled all over Europe by motorbike to the furthest corners of Turkey and haven't even taken any tools with me in recent years - you could completely rely on this motorbike.
🙂cheers for adding your bit mate, ride free
I had 2 sleeper models from Honda. A1981 GL500 Silverwing. It had the CX500 motor on a touring style bike. It had a Vettor fairing and removable bags. The passenger seat came off with the turn of a key and a rear trunk fit in it's place. It was quiet, held highway speeds with ease, and could cruise on all day + on a tank of gas. A bonus was the highway pegs could be turned inward behind the cylinders which would keep my feet and legs warm and dry in cold and/or damp weather.
The other was a 1994 VF750 Magna 4. It was the next generation Magna. V4 engine, water cooled, very low seat height, light, and nimble. It was a billie goat on twisty mountain roads, but, unleash it on the highway and 11K rpms would bring you up over 125mph. The only drawback was a small gas tank. About 130 miles range.
I owned 2 Hawk GT's. 88 and 89. The last one I upgraded the suspension and brakes etc which transformed it to a very capable machine. 58bhp was enough for the light weight and due to a 12.5 liter fuel tank, you weren't going anywhere long distance wise. The main reason it didn't sell was, overpriced and the other Honda on the showroom floor, the CBR600F (Hurricane) was only 500 dollars more than the Hawk. The 89 model I had was # 139. The US sold 2200 bikes in total, Canada was less than 400.
more interesting snippets :-) 🙂Cheers for watching mate, Ride Free
I've got one myself a heavier guy so I added a buffer in the forks and heavier oil in them...the rear suspension I made adjustable and that cost a bit to make myself..but no matter the tires I put on it I can use them all with good torque
I had an MZ 250cc just wih Arrow pipes back in the late 80's, it was cheep eazy to fix and it sold very good in S. Europe cause it was sooo very well priced an OK bike at a great day price ‼️
Thanks for sharing, cult following now :-)
XV920R in the US great bike loved mine
Thanks for the video. The rf900 reminds me of my 1998 Gsxf750 teapot, used by couriers in their day & a strong gsxr based engine.
I also owned a cx500 Honda but reading a report In its day about a knocking noise can develop in the engine, causing costly repairs, I sold it. Another bike loved by couriers.
the cx was the couriers friend 🙂cheers for watching mate, ride free
When i was a courier in the late 80s i started out on a company owned CB250N 🤮 a vile bike that was out of its depth as a workhorse. So i did what nearly everyone else did, and bout a CX. Mine was a 650E, and it never missed a beat. Other popular mounts were, Kawasaki GT550s, and Honda VT500s were starting to become common as the CX pool of bikes dried up. I also used an XBR500 for a while, that was good, nice and slim with a punchy single engine. But i saw guys on everything from TZR125s to CBX1000s 😆
I am surprised you didn't have the CX500 in this one. I have never ridden but quite like the concept. I don't think they were as popular as Honda wished.
the couriers friend 🙂 they were one of the obvious choices, but i like to think outside of the usual suspects 🙂 we called them maggots lol, they will get a mention at some point im sure
They filled a gap, so not in one of the larger categories of popular bikes. The CX 650 turbo at the time was the fastest honda under 1200cc and very quick. Never really got the plastic maggot name the haters slapped on it- it had less plastic than most bikes. Always liked the symmetry of that V twin with the hemi heads. Great to work on- you could drop the motor out of the frame on a trolley jack with the radiator and coolant still on.
@@rossbrumby1957 not a plastic maggot, just a maggot, because of the shape o the tank and the way they crawled around corners sideways if yo rolled the throttle off or accelerated at the wrong time, the torque reaction was just bad. just my opinion tho mate, if we all thought the same it would be boring, and if they suit you, thats all that matters
Me an a mate went to France from Edinburgh on an MZ250 loaded with a force ten tent and lots of other luggage. Apart from sealing th air hole in the petrol cap(!) and being flipped off by tram tracks in Brittany it ran like a dream But the 150 was probably a better balance machine. Amazing the Velo Thruxton and other big bike owners who used them as second bikes. Our return journey was through torrential rain all the way from the south coast to Edinburgh! Plastic bags in boots time.
Great story 🙂Cheers for watching mate. Ride Free 🙂
I loved my Yamaha FJ/XJ600. A nice middle weight sports/tourer.
that became a battleground, it was a hard fought sector, Hornet and CBR600F, ZZR600, Thundercat and RF 600 too, Cheers for watching mate, Have a good one
@@barebonesmcHad an FJ600 which was fast for its era but the worst vibrating 4 cylinder l ever rode. Put 78000 miles on it so it was reliable but never really comfy for longer trips.
Cheers for adding your bit. as i have often said, if we could amass the combined knowledge of all the subscribers we would have the most comprehensive motorcycle encyclopedia ever 🙂
Very well said.As I get older, speed becomes less and less important. As background, my dad, before he was carted away by WW2 and before he married mum, had, in his youth bikes with names rarely heard now; Abingdon King Dick, Francis Barnett, Brough Superior (don't know where or how he got one of those!) ending with his favourite, from new, a BSA Empire Star. So I began motorcycling late in life with, in order, a CB200, an RD350, Kwakka 100 (my only brand new bike) a Yamaha SR500 and finally a Honda CX500 which proved too top-heavy for me to control at low speeds. Of the above, the SR500 was hands-down my favourite, powerful enough for my skill set and as nimble as a terrier in ratting mode around the twisties. The RD350 was a screaming go-like-hell extremely thirsty poltergeist that laid a smoke-screen the Bismarck would have been pleased with! But a comment in a M/c magazine hit me - "Skin grafts hurt!", so, in a matter of discretion it had to go. Of the bikes in your list, I most closely relate to the Velocette 200 - perfect for an old joker of 76 to potter around in the slow lane of a fine Sunday afternoon. Col, NZ
Welcome aboard mate, enjoy the ride, which 100cc Kawasaki? I started on a KC100 :-) heers for the support
I had a TR1 many years ago. Great bike with lots of character. And a fully enclosed chain too!
lol, didnt realise they had a closed chaincase :-) i like practicality 🙂Cheers for watching mate, ride free
@@barebonesmcthe fully enclosed chain leaked
In the warm climates of the western USA. Finding one with that still in place would be a rare find in the States.
@@othgmark1 now you see we never had that problem lol, it never gets hot in the UK lol
The Yamaha. XJ600 before the diversion was great, fast for itstime and i saw many doing well over 100000 miles. The gearbox, clutch was excellent unlike the kawasaki GT550 shaft drive. One of the despatch companies bought a fleet of them but they all suffered gearbox gremlins.
Great bikes. They will find their place in time. As will the GT550😊
I was glad to see the MZ. I had the facelifted version: the Saxon Tour 251. It had the same power as the Japanese competition (Yam SR250, Suzuki GN250, Kawa KLR250 and Honda CB250RS) but 50% more torque than the closest rival. I couldn't get a test ride but I bought it on the strength of magazine road test (Bike, I think) who said it was in a class of one. Nothing else came close.
Cheers for watching mate, Ride Free
I had an ETZ250 1979-82. A vast improvement over its predecessor the Supa 5 (which I also had.) With autolube rather than premix a lot less smoky too! And the front disc brake was worlds apart from the old drum. Good bike and I have good memories of it.
I had an ETZ after earlier owning the TS model ... all the 250cc MZs were powered by essentially the same engine (the ETZ and later versions had the refinement of automatic oil mixing rather than the previous models measuring-cup-under-the-petrol-cap) but had aesthetic 'improvements' year-by-year. Very fond memories of both machines, on which I used to travel all over the place and which certainly coped with motorway conditions. The cloud of blue smoke that follows an MZ does unfortunately make it a bit inappropriate for current times.
@@alfnoakes392 i understand your point, but their longevity does help their long term carbon footprint 🙂 cheers for watching mate, Ride Free 🙂
@@alfnoakes392 Mine had the autolube. It smoked when it was cold but after 5 minutes there was only the faintest whisper. The smoke was actually the reason I sold it. Seeing school children choking at the side of the road as I waited at traffic lights was not a good look!
What a wonderful video. In the quarter litre bikes I think the Yamaha SRV250S was a stunningly well put together bike that could surprise mid weight bikes in the twisties. Another was the Honda Spada 250 which was so much fun you'd be grinning from ear to ear for hours after a ride. The 6 speed box actually made it a comfortable 250cc at highway speeds. Unfortunately the price point was too high and many people passed it over. Australian Motorcycle News stated that it was a shame more experienced riders probably wouldn't consider it due to its small engine size. The reason for the high price was its frame, which was the first production bike with a hollow cast alloy frame.
Cheers for watching mate :-) We didnt get the Spada here :-( not sure if we got the SRV either to be fair. both look like they could have been great bikes. Ride Free my friend n thanks for adding your bit :-)
@@barebonesmc thank you for your videos. I'm 51 years old now and a lot of the bikes you've been mentioning throw my memory back to earlier days. My father and I went back to Wales when I was 30 (I left as a child for Australia) and we went to a casual biker meet up just West of the Midlands. For me, it was mind blowing coming from a Country with less than 30 million. The motorcycle culture in the UK is amazing. Keep up the good work.
@@DmacDomage Cheers mate, i will do my best 🙂 and the support keeps me motivated 🙂
Superb selection. Didn't see the Velocette coming! Does look like it was a premium product. I think both the RF600 and RF900 will come to be seen as desirable, just for being bikes of their time. Good observation about the Kawasaki 600 cams - the ZX ones with 2 groove marks on the cams will fit straight on that class of Kawasaki, although the 3-groove ones might not.
re 2 groove marks on the cams will fit straight on that class of Kawasaki, although the 3-groove ones might not, that sounds like the voice of someone who knows that motor well :-) Cheers for watching mate, Ride Free
What's rf?
Another interesting & entertaining video -- thanks. I had a Suzuki RF900 back in the day, a second generation I guess as it was black & not that rather garish silver & purple. I thought it was brilliant -- more comfortable than a full on sports bike, but still very fast. I saw over 150MPH when I glanced at the speedo when changing into top. It kept on pulling but I didn't dare look down again, so don't know what I was doing when I started to slow.
Great story, and yes, at that speed, best to keep looking forwards lol 🙂Cheers for adding your bit mate. Ride Free 🙂
The trouble with these videos is that I end up adding a bike to my wish list that I'd not heard of or more likely had forgotten about. In this case my choice is similar to yours...Honda x 4. Lovely entertaining video and food for thought on my research into motorcycles. Cheers to you.
pmsl, enjoy your RESEARCH mate lol. mine filled 2 garages and a 6 x 3 marquee. i keep clearing them out then something catches my eye lol The latest is a 650 Pegaso Cube, the ADV bike people forget, but im just a sucker for Rotax engines :-) Cheers for watching , Have a good one
@@barebonesmc Dare I research the Pegaso🤔
@@simonchilli2088 lol. early ones are better although the later ones had what some might call the better Minarelli/Yamaha 660 engine. first year was an air cooled rotax similar to the Cagiva Canyon, River and W16, but 2nd gen had a watercooled Rotax engine similar to the BMW 650 single, but 5 valve head and revs sooooooooooo much better than the 660 🙂 if you are really lucky some of the early ones had longer travel suspension, but even the suspension on mine which isnt the longer one is great. amazes me how small and light it is compared to the bikes of today. over 30kg lighter than a 790 adventure or T7 🙂
@@barebonesmc Great reply thanx. Watching these videos and other YTs is much better than watching TV.
@@simonchilli2088 im at the point of getting rid to be honest. I only use it to watch the racing now lol. have a good one mate
I had never heard of the Honda Bros before. Great video, I liked your thoughts about how we all see motorcycling in our own different ways.
🙂 cheers for watching mate n glad you enjoyed it 🙂 Ride Free
Forget speed i want that Valiant , its a beauty
it is a classy little bike isnt it :-) Cheers for watching mate, Ride Free
I had an rf900r. Wonderful bike! Worst part was the aftermarket corbin saddle.
🙂cheers for watching mate, ride free
I think the Yamaha 550 Vision should be on this list. Though I gotta say, I'd never heard of the XV1000TR1, but man, that looks like a cool bike. Would love to get my hands on one.
Speaking of cool Yamaha V-Twins, the MT-01 is yet another awesome Yamaha V-twin that should be on this list.
all hail the MT01 :-) what a bike. and yes. i think its tank size was a stupid idea though lol. I dont think we got the Vision. being honest ive never come across it before so cheers for sharing. , Ride Free
@@barebonesmc I think the Vision went to Europe as the ZX550. Over here it came out in 82 to critical acclaim but absolutely ZERO sales. 83 they got double disks up front and they fixed the downdraft carbs - and threw on a very nice (for its tie) fairing, but they still couldn't give them away. I had one many years ago, and they were excellent, unique bikes, very refined for the early eighties.
Had they come out at the same price as a 750, they probably would have been a big hit. As it was, they were an adult's bike in a kid's engine displacement class.
@@dawncherrington5807 dont think ive ever seen one, looks similar to the 750 we called the baby Vmax (FZX i think) but i dont remember a 550
@@barebonesmc FZX was called the Fazer over here. That was the one with a detuned 5 valve FZ750 motor? It had the cylinders canted fwd about 45 degrees which made room for downdraft carburetors, iirc, which the Vision had a few years before.
Yeah, the Vision, or XZ550, was a 70 degree V twin, with a water cooled motor (novel at the time) that had no cooling fins anywhere, so it had a stark, purposeful look hanging from that frame. It really was a unique bike that was just a few years ahead of the curve - and the buyers. Google it if you get a chance, it really was a fabulous bike
@@barebonesmc The UK got the Vision as the XZ550, and probably, the reason you haven't seen one is they weren't well received or liked in the UK, (also they broke down a lot) in fact one bike mag called it "The worst Japanese motorcycle ever built" and that title is not undeserved, they were plagued with problems, the most well known was an off-idle flat spot that marred smooth acceleration and annoyed owners, mechanics and dealers. It became so synonymous with the model that it was nicknamed “The Vision Stumble”. There were electrical and handling problems as well. Sales dropped to a crawl, then stopped. It seemed to do better in the States and came with a full fairing, and for 83 slightly different carbs and longer wheel base. I haven't seen one in the flesh running, in years and years.😆
First time watcher., subscribed..nice vid! You're absolutely right about what suits one rider may not suit another. For most of the 80s and 90s I used my bikes for commuting, dispatch riding and touring. Nowadays U have the luxury of odd days out in the sunshine, and occasional camping trips. I'll definitely keep an eye out for a honda bros at some point (yes the name wouldn't have attracted me). Had a MZ TS250 in the early 90s, got it for £60!. Very utilitarian and served it's purpose as a commuter..mine had terrible knobbly tyres on which made handling questionable. Also had an American imported XV920 (TR1) which was indeed a great capable motorcycle if you didn't or couldn't chase the higher priced newer bikes. Unfortunately it was let down by a poor starter and mechanism, in the days before the interweb and easier international trade, this was an expensive fix. Later there were uprated 4 brush starters made, and prices for these became reasonable.
always the best solution when the owners sort the fix 🙂Cheers for watching mate, Ride Free
you're bang on with the Bros (or Hawk). the 650 version I owned didn't break any records but it was a really usable bike that could pootle along in traffic, keep up with much bigger bikes on the twisty bits, and toured really well with a tank bag and panniers. the only complaint I had was the small fuel tank which meant filling up every 120 miles or so. the engine is really nice - it's got loads of grunt from 2000 rpm
if you get an american one (the Hawk) then rejet the carbs to make the mixture a tiny bit richer as it's super-lean, presumably for emissions reasons
glad you enjoyed it mate, that engine does tune well 🙂Cheers for watching. Ride Free 🙂
@@barebonesmc legend has it that the 650 lump was the choice of engine for the test bed bike Honda used to develop the single-sided swinging arm for the RC30. after the RC30 was launched, they found that the test bed was actually a really nice bike - which became the Bros/Hawk, aka RC31. the bike has almost no concessions to style for that reason - it was designed by engineers
Great story 🙂Cheers for adding it mate. Ride Free 🙂
All the suzuki GS engines especially the 550cc, 750cc, 850cc shaft drive and GS1000G shaft drive and GS1000E and S both chain drive. They were very reliable, even more than kawasaki z650. All inline 2 valve per cylinder 4s. Gs125, 250, 400, 425 450 and 500 twins were equally great reliable, cheap to run, simple work horses. My kawasaki z650 custom 1977 with slide carbs wasfaster than CV carb z650 of 1980/81 as it had cv carb with diaphrams. I thrashed the hell out of z650 back in the day like on the motorway got ban 98+ mph ouch.
I put mikuni flat slides on my z650 😊 cheers for adding your piece mate😊
I had many 2 strokes especially in the 70s miss the smoothness sound and smell. Always had a soft spot for them
Castrol R runs through my veins 🙂 🙂 Cheers for watching mate, Ride Free
I wish I had a swap meet at the Harley dealer talkin to the parts manager Wiley City on his vintage shovelhead. I mentioned that I had a collection of BSA singles. At another swap meet this guy walks up to me and goes you're the bee's our guy I go yeah. He showed me a picture of a mint C15 250 single 1967 BSA he wanted $500 for it and I gave it to him and he delivered the bike to my house the bike had six thousand original miles and the only thing it was missing was the side cover over the battery it was also equipped with a beautiful alloy tank. It came from an estate sale in Georgia with all the paperwork it was about to be scrapped with the metal lawn furniture when he saved the bike. The 250 BSA single is a great bike. I have 2 Enduro version one with triumph name badges that used to be derogatively called a triumph turd. They make great dirt bikes and commuter bikes and are big enough for two people to sit on comfortably and Cruz at 60 miles an hour all day long. It can go up to 90 miles an hour but I have bigger bikes for that. My mechanic wished that he had come across that bike and I told him well he should have gone to the swapyou never know what you might find you never know what you might bring home. There are bargains out there if you keep your eyes open for them .
indeed mate, always worth keeping an eye out for bargains 🙂
Exelent collection, thanks for making it. I have a slight correction on the TR1, it was not a Harley copy, it was a copy of a HRD Vincent. Unlike a Harley, it could turn corners, and stop. Plus that exelent monochok rear suspension. I drove one for 15 years, and was very found of it. And had a MZ EZ 150 as a winters bike, it was a lot less thirsty as the 250..
to be fair if i said copy i didnt mean that, it was built to challenge the Harley engine, but i dont always stick to script lol Cheers for watching mate, Ride Free
I enjoyed that video. I looked through your older vids and didnt see anything talking about the two strokes of the 70s. Ideas like how the RD350 or 400 regularly out paced large displacement machines or How the kawasaki triples built their fearsome reputation off the back of the H2 750. Im a two stroke fan so I would really like to see someone with your videographer skills put forth a proper tutorial on the seemingly forgotten smokers I grew up on.
theres a lot in this ione here th-cam.com/video/gYetZtEpPcM/w-d-xo.html but in a day or two there is another epic video coming you will love, cheers for watching mate, ride free
hi mate my bike kinda fits in with this vid, for the past 16 years have owned and ridden a 1982 kawasaki gpz550h, iam 61 years old and rarely ride but my old girl, but she dose still puts a smile on my face, she is about too be registered historic this month,, i kinda want too ride again but health is against me, great vids keep up the good work and ride safe
enjoy what you can mate. and well done for keeping the old girl going. Cheers for watching , Have a good one
God that MZ sound just took me back. My friend had one… I had a Honda WetDream 😂. Great vid, the memories…..
glad you enjoyed it and it stirred some memories mate, 🙂 Cheers for watching mate, ride free
Excellent video, been riding in the USA since the late 1960s. Half these bikes I've never seen or heard of, guess many did not make it over here? Wise advice at the end, I really miss the do most anything bikes. I've owned some odd short run bikes that I really enjoyed, wish I still had a few of them. Thanks for the video and memories!
Glad you enjoyed it mate, have you watched the Maverick Motorcycles Video? th-cam.com/video/VQWQeo0R_KI/w-d-xo.html theres a few oddities in there :-) Cheers for watching and the comment mate, Ride Free
Its amazing to me how many bikes are sold in Europe, Oceania and other regions, but not in the US.
That was a well edited & informative video - thank you! You'd think Yamaha would've learned from the TR1 experience before repeating the same mistakes, more or less, with the BT1100 Bulldog. Owners love them, but there were never many sold & dealers ended up discounting heavily to move them on. MCN absolutely pilloried the bike, but they never understood what it was good at, although it didn't help that once again, the bike sat between 2 stools - neither a cruiser nor enough bhp or the handling to be a sport tourer. They're a popular 2nd hand buy now & prices are strong. What a missed opportunity!
yep, a mate has one and loves it. bit limited on the corners but a much better bike than it seemed at the time 🙂 Cheers for watching mate, Ride Free
It wasn't just MCN, all the UK mags dumped on it. They released it at a race track (why?) and being out of its element many were crashed, so the "Fireblade appreciation society" er.....I mean "UK Bike Journalists" couldn't understand what sort of bike it was, and slammed them. As an ex, MT-01 (great bikes) rider, i'd own one, they look great.
Very nice . I own two Honda V4s. One popular the other not so. I have a third gen Magna that went from 1994- 2003 and sold well. Great bike. I also own a 2014 CTX1300A . It only sold in the US one year. I love it dearly for cross country touring . Due to its low popularity there value dropped precipitously and I bought mine two years old with all factory options plus a tall after market tall windshield with 2700 miles on it. The owner paid $19,000+ dollars for it and he sold it to me in like new condition for $9,300.00. Super bargain, and I’d do it all over again. Love those Honda V4s.
we do get a few CTX's cropping up 🙂 given the choice I think i would go for the F6B though 🙂 neither succeeded. 🙂 Cheers for watching mate, Ride Free
Another very enjoyable video, and you speak with so much passion with something you obviously love so much👍👍
Cheers mate. I do my best. N yep. I do love most things with 2 wheels lol
I bought a brand new 95 leftover model rf900r in 96 for 7k. I also liked the zx9 but they wouldn't go less than 9k. I loved the rf900. Done the V&H ss2r full exhaust, k&n, fender eliminator. Sold in 2000 when i started having kids😢.😂 oh well.
A great and underrated bike
I understand your reservations about KTMs - have owned several. Not as reliable a the Japanese bikes, but I adore the attitude!! So much fun to ride.
What is it they say? Once a berg man always a berg man 🤣🤣🤣 the scars run deep 😊😊
Suzuki made great bikes, all the GS range were over-engineered. I had a GS400 that I took on 3 x 2000 mile continental tours 2 up with luggage for 3 weeks, not fast but capable of 80mph all day long. I bought it second hand for £300 and rode it all weathers, commuting, holidays, trips across UK to see mates, changed the oil once a year, rinse and repeat. Maintenance apart from tyres and brake pads was done basically when I thought I could afford it. Valve clearances remained in spec for 50k miles. Fabulous bit of quality/value engineering
indeed they were 🙂 cheers for watching mate. Ride Free
Recently started watching and quickly subscribed, great content, taking me back to my days in the UK , Cheers DINO.
Welcome aboard mate, glad youre enjoying it, Cheers for watching mate, Ride Free
Loved my D plate 250, and owe so much to MZ AND my TS125. Fantastic machines that even came with a pump under the seat. 😊 Can't bellwether you talk about the TR1, cos I shared one with my dad when I had the 250 MZ😂
🙂 cheers for watching mate , Ride Free
On the subject of MZ, it should be remembered that much of the technology that Suzuki used to make their 2 stroke racing bikes a success was stolen from MZ when Ernst Degner defected and sold them to Suzuki.
indeed it was, stolen by suzuki then from them by kawasaki yamaha and honda so i guess what goes around comes around as they say :-)
As an Australian, I'd like to throw in some names that appeared here that I think were under-rated; Jawa 250/350, Horex 500, Lilac (with their shaft driven V and flat 250 twins), Colleda 250 (became Suzuki), Meguro 650 (became Kawasaki), Bridgestone, Hodaka, and especially the much overlooked Kawasaki Samurai and Avenger !
you see you learn something every day :-) cheers, the early Kawasaki 2 stroke twins were great bikes,i featured them here th-cam.com/video/--s1H54GhMk/w-d-xo.html and here th-cam.com/video/jgSnHBdXcOo/w-d-xo.html 🙂 Cheers for watching mate. Ride Free 🙂
Good to see a MZ. I have one etz 250 f.reg 12000 miles. Would like to see more on this bike. How many are left on the road. Where are riders clubs etc.
there are a couple of good and helpful forums i use on Fb, the MZ riders and MZ 2 stroke guys are really welcoming, 🙂 Cheers for watching mate, Ride Free
Nt 650 gt hawk in canada 87,88 2 into 1 ,carb work fix suspension, fox shock progress ive springs front,correct fork dampening, dyno 52 hp i could scald 600,s in the tight stuff
lol, theres an article on the website with the dyno run from my old shadow vlx which was the previous 600 version of the engine lol. that surprised many a much bigger bike 🙂
Totally agree about the TR1, RF900 and X11. I'd add the Aprilia Falco. Remember seeing a TR1 outside MCS Yamaha dealer in Paisley back in about 1981. It was new but covered in dead flies but looked great especially next to my tatty GT250M. I like the RF because I think it's just a great looking big bike, problem at the time was that every lazy bike "journalist" used to copy each other saying it was ugly because of the " horrible Testarossa" vents... Hive mind I guess?? I test rode a Falco SL1000 V twin back in about 1999 and thought it was great but I wasn't sure about reliability and ended up buying a ZX6RG2, which I still have. The X11 just looks awesome and exudes quality.
the Falco is a great bike, The futura was an even bigger flop though lol, theres been a few over the years and yep, the hive mind can get easily sidetracked :-) Cheers for watching mate :-) Ride Free
I swear UK bike journos in the 90s were on the Honda payroll😆The RF might have been a bit of a parts bin special, but it was a better bike that the water cooled GSX-R1100 of the same era, and a better road bike 90% of the time than a Fireblade.
The ZX6R, especially the 98 to 02 models are awesome bikes, my son has a 98 model, and i think i love it more than him😃. The 01-02 CBR600FS is another great 600 (we were looking for one of these but found the Kawasaki, low Km and in classic green/black/purple) This era of 600s are great because, after 03 all the 600s started getting more and more extreme and focussed on the track.
@@uhtred7860 i do think 600cc is about my sweet spot 🙂 journos being paid off, never 🤣🤣 i was watching the Norden explorer release last night, "We are going to fly you all out to Marocco, send you fully supported across the mountains for 6 days all expenses paid so you can give people a really honest and real world opinion of the bikes 🤣🤣🤣 most of them spent more time talking about the amazing holiday theyd had than talking about the bikes 🤣
Once upon a time, I had 94' Transalp with bross 400 engine. Fantastic machine. The version was made for some legal limitations on the capacity.
interesting combination 🙂Cheers for watching mate, Ride Free
I like to think I'm pretty well educated on my older bikes but I'd never even *seen* a Honda X4 or X11. They sound absolutely awesome.
Glad I surprised you mate 🙂Cheers for watching. Ride Free 🙂 i have hovered on both but ended up buying a Blackbird to butcher instead so I get the 6th gear 🙂 I will build the most bonkers HyperMotard ever, it will just take time 🙂
I have the Honda Hawk 650 GT (aka RC31) and it is a superbly fun motorcycle. Everything is a compromise but the Hawk is one of the best possible compromises. Comfortable enough to ride to the beach, nimble enough to be fun in the curves, lovely torquey v-twin. Deadly serious sportbike, well no, but that's the beauty of it. Simplicity has a charm all it's own. It takes me back to when I first started riding, it was fun then, and can be fun now, provided that you have the right bike.
🙂 the right bike FOR YOU, 🙂 that is the key, finding the right bike that fits your riding, too many get swayed into bikes that dont really suit them for many reasons 🙂cheers for watching mate, ride free 🙂
Tr1 virago in canada, popular in all displacements ,problematic starter reduction gears 535 cc cdi and reg rec failures do to over heating from location
I wouldnt have thought overheating would cause a problem in Canada lol. but seriously, yep, there was a whole generation of bikes with the reg/rec put in places they shouldnt really have been. my Zane Laverda one was originally in the tailpiece ffs , relocated under nosecone and no issues from that point on 🙂:-) Cheers for watching mate :-) Ride Free
Favorite bike of all Ihave owned was my Kawasaki Eliminator.
which did you have? the 900 always gets the credit but the whole range were great bikes, i had a 750 for a while (probably the rarest) and it was as good as anything similar, a ZX7R engine with a big comfy seat and enough power to put many sport bikes to shame 🙂
My MZTS250 was well loved, by me! Two up touring the South of France on my 250 back in the day. Happy days.
im sure mate. I wonder if it is one of the ones still going :-) Cheers for watching, Ride Free
We didn't get a lot of these in Australia, got the Suzuki but didn't get TR1 or later on the BT1100 Bulldog, didn't get those Honda's either but did get the Bros. Our factory distributors here were very conservative unlike the earlier independent distributors, Yamaha didn't even bring in the VMAX at first.
i do find it interesting how they seem to get it so wrong sometimes, with bikes that would suit one market being sent to a market they dont suit as much lol, Ride free my friend
I had the bros 400. It was one of the best bikes I ever owned. Reliable, with great handling. Here in the UK it was available only as a grey import. I bought mine from BAT Motorcycles in Norwood.
:-) Cheers for watching mate and thanks for the comment,, grey imports are a goldmine and minefield at the same time lol :-) Cheers for watching mate and thanks for the comment, enjoy your weekend enjoy your weekend
The RF900s were actually pretty popular. They were all over the place when I was younger
wheres that?there were a lot of 600s sold in the UK but not so many 900s, cheers for watching mate, ride free
Those Rfs bent their frames with low speed small impacts . The forks staying straight.
I have never heard of the Honda X-11. nor have I seen one, even after watching this video! (except for the riders pov ).
A profile shot would have been welcome. Good video though...I really enjoy the channel. Cheers!
I had an Suzuki RF600 for many years which i loved, but has always been a very underrated sports tourer
agreed, it had a hard time, very competitive sector back then with the cbr, cbf, zzr and thundercat, when 600cc was king of the roads :-)🙂 Cheers for watching mate, Ride Free
Awesome videos, keep them coming. As far as underrated bikes go you can’t go past the GPZ 750 Turbo. Its reputation was killed by the other 3 Turbo manufacturers, and also by Kawasaki itself as it embarrassed the GPZ 1100 flag ship, nevertheless it was the fastest and quickest bike on the planet in 1984 / 1985 and someone should do it it’s rightful justice
glad you enjoyed it mate 🙂 the GPZ was certainly the best of the bunch, awesome sound too, i featured them here th-cam.com/video/gYetZtEpPcM/w-d-xo.html and i try not to put the same bike in too many videos 🙂 Cheers for watching. Ride Free 🙂
I have a mint, 1 owner, 85 turbo.
Rode it last weekend. Had the Hitachi HT-10B turbo unit professionally re-built by Evergreen Turbos in Ocala Fla.
Always puts a huge smile on my face. Isn't that what riding a bike is all about ?
These bikes are quite rare (especially the 85s) and very collectible.
I have people all the time asking me if it's 4 sale.
The hardest kind of motorcycle to find used is: any old school sit upright mid 60s through mid 80s mid size. A commuter bike. I can find all manner of dirt squirters, cruisers, vast touring bikes. Yammerhammer 650s, Honda 450 or 550 - rare as frog fur.
no UJM's anymore, make them more focussed that way you buy 2 instead
Good list and excellent presentation. Very good piece of work.
glad you enjoyed it mate. Cheers for watching mate, Ride Free
I had 2 mz 250 ... Great machine, would touch 70 mph on a good day... Totally enclosed chain, a real practical day to day bike, 2 stroke bike so I always carried a spare spark plug just in case I fowled one... Broke down miles from home... Problem was the points causing misfiring, I gave em a quick clean and I was back on the road again... Simple machine but really great motorcycles, fantastic handling too... I always liked the fact that the owners club in UK, called themselves mz riders club.... a true workhouse of a bike....
totally underrated by most of us back in the day :-) Cheers for watching mate :-) Ride Free