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a question for another podcast but one that I am pretty sure related to the modern classic and cruiser segments the most: Can you guys explain how the industry picks colorways? It seems anecdotally to me that manufacturers are giving consumers fewer choices in a given model year for a given bike. It almost feels like motorcycle colorways are becoming like sneakers, i.e., if I want a bike in a specific color I have to buy a specific model year to get that. Is this actually a recent trend in these two segments or am I just smoking something? And what you do guys think about it?
Great topic for next episode: ageing motorcyclist. I'm 55 and riding my eighth bike. So far, I rode almost 400,000 km on everything from Yamaha Crypton 115 to a Honda NC 750 X. Recently, I went to a Honda dealer and changed my old NC for two CG 160 Start, one for myself an one for my 18 year old son. He loved! For my surprise, I loved it too! Light, cheap to mantain, agile, takes me anywhere at 100 km/h. It was like to time traveling to a time when I was a lot more capable of anything and used to waste life laughing as a teenager. I'm waiting you guys to ride the "Serra do rio do Rastro" road with me here in Brazil.
Thought it was interesting that they kept using the RE Himalayan as a point of reference but never mentioned the RE twins. In my mind, the Interceptor and Continental GT are the most relevant RE bikes for this discussion. Was an enjoyable watch regardless.
For sure. The interceptor/continental are much more classically styled, and seem like "the real deal" to me in that they are pretty much the closest thing to a bike from the 60s that you can get away with selling these days. Sure they're injected, have ABS, electronic ignition etc, but you kinda need all that stuff just to pass emissions/safety requirements and to meet what are essentially minimum consumer expectations these days. Still air cooled, no riding modes, basic analogue gauges etc. Like them or not, I think it's hard to point at them and call them "fakes".
Moto Guzzi deserves more love in this category. The V7 special is objectively gorgeous, and in my opinion more aesthetic than the Bonneville and anything RE puts out. It is also not just a throwback, it's a bike that's been continually made for decades in the same mountain village it always has been. That isn't something you can value on a spec sheet, but that soulfulness is the whole reason people are attracted to these bikes in the first place.
My wife calls my Bonneville T120 Gold Line I own the bike killer. Since I bought it the other 2 bikes barely get ridden like they used to. The T120 is just awesome, i look at it and it just makes me feel blessed to own it. I don't recall going for a ride where some random older guy will walk over to talk about the one they owned way back in their younger days.
Everytime I listen and watch Highside Lowside I fall in love with motorcycling all over again. What a trip it is to be a motorcyclist! You guys just make it even better.
My first and currently only motorcycle is an RE Meteor 350. It's heavy and slow at over 400 lbs with only 20hp, but it's comfortable and easy to ride and looks terrific and just oozes charm at every moment. I adore it. My _dream_ motorcycle that I've kinda wanted since long before I got into riding motorcycles is a Bonneville T120, in many ways and to many people "the" motorcycle.
As a former sport bike rider I have gotten to the point where I appreciate my Royal Enfield 650. It’s not fast or particularly great at anything. I do enjoy riding it for its simplicity and character. It makes the noises and has the smells of a vintage bike and so far has been completely reliable. Plus the low cost of purchasing as well as the ownership is nice as well. There are quite a few upgradable parts available too. So I still get to do a bit of wrenching as well.
At the Barber Vintage Festival last year I test rode most of Triumph's modern classics (no ride leader, Triumph just tossed us the keys to the bikes individually and gave us a nice little route to follow). In a weird way I liked the Speed Twin 900 (nee Street Twin) the best. It sounded better than the T100, T120, Scramblers, and even the Speed Twin 1200. It was the lightest of all of them. It was simple, had power right where you need it, but was so happy just to bop along at sane speeds. All that said the one that spoke to me as a rider was the Speed Twin 1200. The one that gave me the good vintage feeling was the T120. And it has cruise control...
I had the Street Twin, now Speed Twin 900, for about a year. Felt too clunky, heavy, weak brakes. Several years prior had a W650 and prefer that much more, lighter feeling but still weak brakes. Now have a Speed Twin 1200 and thing feels great, very modern, maybe a little too modern feeling, but still heavy feeling.
Modern classics that come to mind other than the ones you mentioned: Honda Monkey, Honda Super Cub, Honda Trail 125, Honda SCL500 (somewhat), Royal Enfield Classic 350. But for me the grandaddy of them all would be the Royal Enfield Bullet 350, which was recently introduced into North America this year. The model name has been in use since 1932 and has continually evolved ever since, and its general appearance hasn't changed much in over 60+ years. Only thing I' would say about the bikes I've mentioned above (with the possible exception of the SCL500) is that they're best suited to urban riding and two-lane backroads. The Classic and Bullet will do highway speeds, but you're pretty much running them wide open to make 72mph. Despite that, I think they're all great examples of 'modern classics'. One reviewer on another channel (MotorInc out of India) said that 'Royal Enfields go slowly well', and he's not wrong :)
As angrydad 79 I’m so happy to be immortalized in an episode of HSLS!! These two really are so much fun and informative that when I put my AirPods in to sleep it’s not because they bore me but because since I’ve watched each episode numerous times I don’t have to think about what they’re saying and it keeps me from thinking about nonsense. Nonsense that keeps me up at night!! Can’t wait for my tshirt!!
believe it or not they have methodologies for looking at how much money they sank into tooling and manufacturing costs per unit...and the price each unit needs to be based on projected sales to have a chance of the whole program running at a profit🧠 its based on detailed analysis.. or maybe it cost the same and somewhere on a white board at a marketing meeting somewhere at Kawasaki japan headquarters, is a pie chart with the title "stupid hipsters tends pay more" but in Japanese obviously
Great show fellas! Spurg, back in 2005 I went to the Triumph Dealer to check out some new bikes and saw a Beautiful 2001 Thunderbird, it was a customer's bike in for service, I made the owner an offer for $4500 and took it home... I still have it today and love it!
I love my thruxton 1200 b/c of exactly these things (reliable, handles great, low maintenance…all the fun); I've taken my Thruxton 1200 RS to track a number of times and it was fun.
One of your best podcasts ever! Perhaps it's because I started riding back in 1972 ('69 Kawasaki Sidewinder and later a '72 Honda SL350), so the classics appeal to me. That being said, the oldest bike in my garage at this time is a 2005 Aprilia Futura. 🙂
If we're gonna dig up all the freeways and add wireless charging we might as well just add better train infrastructure. More eco friendly and reduced the need to drive long distances. People can still drive if they want using existing freeways
Only useful if you don't need additional transportation once you reach the train's terminus. That's where public transportation usually breaks down - when it can't drop you at the door, in your time.
If you want the most authentic modern classic, it has to be the Kawasaki w800 cafe. Air cooled 360° crank ace bars etc, even the tires feel like that are from 1960.
I feel like I had a really good experience learning to wrench when I got my Gen 2 KLR as a first bike. One of the first big projects I did was actually a full carb rebuild and despite all the things that are bad about carburetors, doing that project got me comfortable taking all the fairings and fuel tank off my bike and really helped me conceptualize how the engine worked in a way that youtube videos couldn't. Having a single cylinder dual sport or dirt bike generally seems to lend itself better to learning how to wrench then classic or modern classic bikes, because they're not as finicky. I have a friend who's been dying to get a vintage Harley but I keep trying to convince him to learn on something smaller and more modern so he can develop some basic skills before he tries to tackle a major project.
I'm one of the guys who knew nothing about motorcycles (or mechanical things) and bought a 70's Honda CB as a first bike. I did it because I wanted to learn to work on it myself. That was about 5 years ago and that Honda has been just as reliable as a modern bike. It's never left me stranded. The second vintage bike I purchased was a 1960's Triumph 650 that I had to ride an hour and a half home. I had some buyers remorse on that ride home. The brakes sucked, I wasn't used to the right side shift, it would stall out occasionally at a stop light, then I'd be holding up traffic trying to kick start it. Once I got that bike home and got the carbs and the brakes sorted out, it's been a really fun bike. It starts first kick, idles beautifully...no more stalling out at lights. Now I absolutely love that motorcycle. I've had a couple modern classics over the last 5 years. They were great bikes, but I didn't fall in love with them the way I do with my vintage bikes. When I'm on a modern bike it feels like transpiration. When I'm riding a vintage bike, it's an experience.
My Interceptor 650 is probably the most authentic retro. It has just thr right amount of modern and old school character. I think the thing manufacturers need to understand is 50 and 60 year old buyers will buy bikes the had wanted they were 12-20 years old. A pity you can't buy a 2 stroke RD400 now.
I’m just here for the fact that the Kawasaki W800 keeps sneaking itself into all these high side, low side videos and I’m here for it as one of the very few 2021 owners here in the US
@@Frank-xo7zj I have a 2015. I purchased it as a bit of a "stop gap" bike as it was an ultra low mileage bike, in as new condition for a good price. Firstly: While these bikes aren't "fast", they're fast enough to keep ahead of the traffic and your sane friends on Sunday rides. While they'll supposedly do 100mph, I don't think that you'd want to sustain much over 75 or 80 for long stints. If you're going to spend a lot of time on the freeway, this probably isn't a great choice. Half an hour here or there, not a problem, but it's not a 600 mile per day bike. Around town, they're hard to beat. They fall into right angle left and rights easily and the combination of low gearing and a good spread of power picks them up nicely out of turns and gives them ample acceleration. The same can be said for b roads. They turn in easily and pick up again just as easily. And they track exceptionally well. That said though, budget in a brand new set of tyres when you buy one of these. They respond very well to a good set of radials. The standard Dunlop bias plies have a reputation for following the road. The brakes are more than adequate for a bike of this nature. They have great feel and I've never had an issue with fading. Same with the suspension. I've read criticisms of it, but I just don't get it. For me, it works fine. It's adequately damped and more than comfortable at "normal" speeds. The chassis seems to work in concert well with the suspension. It's no 600 super sport, but you can really hustle these things along, just the same. The engine is subjective. Through my eyes, it's an engineering marvel, a work of art. It's "only" 47 hp. and it does vibrate (pulsate!) above 3500. But it's "good" vibrations, not bad. It's enough to let you know that you're riding a bike but doesn't send your hands and feet to sleep. It's characterful. And that "only" 47 hp seems to be everywhere in the rev range. You can happily tootle through town at 35 in top gear and accelerate reasonably without changing down. Drop it down a couple of gears an pick up the revs and it will go, properly. The flywheels feel heavy and you'll never stall one, I can guarantee. The fuel injection is pretty fluffy when cold and you really have to give it a couple of minutes to warm up before riding. If you can't do that, skip this bike. Otherwise, the throttle is pretty well connected to the back wheel. Fuel economy is nothing to write home about. I'm only getting 50 mpg mixed riding. Not great, I'd have to say. Still on the engine, it has a four bearing main and feels like it will run for ever. My mechanic owns a W650 and he services a W800 with 100k miles on it. Neither of them have had any more than standard maintenance and he reckons that they both run, sound and perform like new. These are an under stressed and overly built unit. Oh, the gearbox. You will not find better on any motorcycle. They are exemplary. The bike is geared low though, and it only is a five speed. That said, it's a bike that is happy being short shifted, revved right out, or left in the same gear all day. On to the little things that I've noticed. The bike goes onto and off the side stand really easily and the side stand is confidence inspiring. I struggle getting it up onto the centre stand and either get someone on the other side of the bike to help or I roll the back wheel onto a plank first. At least it has a centre stand! The bike, while quite heavy, has a low centre of gravity which makes it super easy to wheel around the garage and really easy to ride really slowly. Oil changes are easy. Both the air filters and oil filters are easy to get at. I haven't done valve clearances by they are reputedly easy. The standard mirrors aren't wide enough to see past your shoulders. Budget in a new pair. But they don't vibrate, so there's that. Switch gear is simple, and it's metal. Nice touch. Overall build quality, paint and chrome are really good, but not faultless. The chrome on my bike looks like it's an inch thick and brand new. But the polishing on the lower fork legs escaped the attention of QC, that's for sure. The lower triple clamp looks like it had one coat of rattle pack matt black in the car park and the indicators are cheap and nasty affairs that don't particularly suit the bike. At 5'9" I find the rider triangle to be quite comfortable and the seat good. Whoops, I've turned this into a novel. Bottom line: I purchased this as a returning rider thinking that I'd "upgrade" to something more powerful and a bit "better" as I re-developed my skills. Six months later, and I can safely say that this is my bike for life. It just does "the real world" better than anything I've ever ridden. And it's just so much fun. It always puts a smile on my face. They're great to pick up the milk and the bread on and they're great to go for a blast on. At any speed between 0 and 75, they just work so darned well. They are such a well engineered package. If any bike ever made a mockery of a spec sheet, this is it. Test ride one.
OMG, are you guys forgetting MY first bike... made in 1978? It was the Yamaha SR500. Pure British single homage, even in function, as it was kick start only, and could kick back at you if you did it wrong.
I still remember Spurgen reviewing 2014 Thruxton and I bought it after few years and I love it !! Every time I look at my motorcycle reminds me of him !!
I am 50, and am a 50 year old rider. Own a W800, but the Cafe version as I am still young and then own a Concours to ride long distance as I am no old enough to own a Goldwing. Stated to smoke a pipe on my 49th or 50th year on this planet, pending how you want to calculate age. Loving life!
I have a "Dream bike" already specced out for a "Special touring Edition" of the Royal Enfield Interceptor! 750cc engine expansion, (to produce more torque, rather than power!) LOW MOUNTED EXHAUSTS, like the as yet confirmed 650cc Classic/Bullet! (what is it with bike designers and upswept exhausts on retro bikes, and TINY pillion capacity?) This should allow room for bigger bags! YSS suspension upgrades, front and rear, Tubular rear rack, Heated grips. FULL Avon Dolphin touring fairing from the 1960's, with extra electronic outputs and TWO stormproof pockets for charging phones/satnav, and wireless/Bluetooth connection to helmets. (intercoms etc) I already have a 30+ year old set of nylon throwovers, that I'd like replicated in leather (black and/or antiqued brown) but with lightweight watertight removable liners! My inspiration comes from the touring version of the Vincent Black Shadow, known as the Black Prince! I come from an era when we ride throughout the entire year, even in snow and ice (very carefully! ....lol) and a country that has "temperamental" weather! (the UK!) The idea is to keep the costs down, but produce retro-touring version of the hugely successful Interceptor 650, at a VASTLY cheaper price than any other manufacturer! (under £7,500) Performance is not a vital importance, but being able to survive for 250-300 miles at a stretch, at 65-80mph, without stressing either frame or motor, and especially the rider AND pillion, is VERY important!
As for getting old, my 58th birthday is coming up this month. I think when you can say something like, "40 years ago, when I became a legal adult..." You HAVE to admit, you are old. One thing I will share, at age 50 (give or take a year), stuff starts to break and not stuff you can ignore. I think both you guys have a solid 10 years to enjoy before a much more serious re-evaluation of your life. BTW, I still plan to buy a Z900rs soon.
The Ducati Sport 1000 Biposto scene at the beginning of the movie Tron Legacy is what made me make the jump into motorcycling. I started shopping for it, drifted towards the Ducati Monsters and eventually landed on a Triumph Street Triple 2011 with the round headlights just because it was a more sensible choice for me as a beginner and commuter. But it's that retro aesthetic that got me hooked.
Re getting old: I'm 23 and still under a year since getting my riding license. I can only hope to be looking and living like you guys when 40 rolls around. Great show as always!
Great discussion with a lot of thoughtful input. I don’t get the hate on the Guzzi transmission. I’ve a V7 III and it has never missed a shift or given me a lick of trouble. I would go as far is to say it shifts much more reliably than my ‘07 Triumph Scrambler or my 2016 KTM 690 ever did.
Got to say I had a SR400 and loved the simplicity of it and how many aftermarket parts are available. The decompression lever makes kick starting relatively easy and later models are fuel injected. Only downside is being designed for the Japanese market with their 80km/h (50mph) highways they’re lacking abit in horsepower.
1:19:10 Spurge, I think you'd have to discount the H-D offering. It may have _attempted_ to lure cafe racer fans to its brand...but it failed to start a movement, as that model disappeared shortly after and no other manufacturer took up the baton for a number of years. Maybe say that it attempted to start the retro movement but failed, possibly because the era it hearkened back to wasn't old enough to be interesting and alluring yet. A 20-30 year old bike is vintage, and thus interesting. A 10 year old bike is just...well, old.
SRX-600 may be retro or maybe retro modern. It came out in 85. The GB500 had a version in Japan with a factory 60s looking TT fairing. That thing is sweet looking.
Congratulations Ari 🎉🎉 my favorite modern classics are the DR650 and the sweet little Yamaha Vstar 250. The DR is a classic example of simple durability and form and function. The little VStar250 has been made for all my 36 years. My heart is in things that I can look after myself. Things you can get to know well enough that they become a part of life are few and far between in modern life.
Ari's "You don't necessarily want it to be authentic, you want it to start when you hit the button" is spot on. My '92 CB750 (which is apparently now meta vintage) is definitely authentic then, which isn't surprising given it's parts bin origin. My kingdom for a fuel injector, I swear to god.
T120 So beautiful I sat on a scrambler 1200 and on a T120 and those bikes just feel right, I love it. the looks the seating position. I need to own one.
Hi guys, I just wanted to thank you for all those entertaining and informative videos. I followed you from the Arctic Circle through india to the land where beer flows like wine and laughed with tears. Just in case you missed the new model from Yamaha coming to Europe this year, I wanted to draw your attention to the XSR 900 GP. I think its kind of missing in this episode of HSLS. In my opinion, Yamaha nailed it with the design. Cheers, LdV
Although the W650 left the US after a couple years, I think that it continued in production and was sold in Japan and Europe until it grew into the W800 in 2007.
Honda is selling a vintage style with modern tech bike in Japan, Australia, Malaysia, SG, and India called the GB350/350S. With the Indian models called CB350 with a whole fleet of variations that can go super classic one way or modern design the other. Hope they release it to your neck of the woods and also in my country.
One bike that I am disappointed that they didn’t mention is the Yamaha TW200. Barely changed since 1987, Bulletproof Reliability, A Baboon could maintain it, and it can go pretty much anywhere. The only downside is that there is not many tire options available for the rear wheel. A real cult modern classic in my mind.
@@adamlanglois563They still sell the Tdub in the US for now. My cult comment was based on the fact that they are way more quirky and underpowered than your average dual sport but they have a certain charm to them that certain people including myself love.
The first time I saw a first-gen Thruxton was the first time I wanted a motorcycle. It was maybe 15 years later that I actually bought one, but I still think they’re some of the prettiest bikes ever made.
I know people call them “retro” bikes but the new Bonneville in 2001 was just a standard motorcycle which had been absent from the market for a long time. There were crotch rockets and ADVs and cruisers etc. But nobody made just a regular, and beautiful, bike like the revived Bonnie. By 2006 I had owned a couple of sport bikes, and wanted something different. I was considering a late 60’s Norton Commando until I discovered the Triumph Thruxton 900. And I’ve been in love with my 2007 Thruxton ever since. Then Triumph introduced the 1200 Thruxton and I was fortunate enough to purchase a 2019 R model. I don’t know why people thought it would be like a sport bike. It’s just a Thruxton on steroids. And I’m sad to see it leave the lineup. I guess im only one of very few that actually like the clip on handle bars and rear set footpegs. I’ve used my Thruxton 900 as a touring bike! In different trips it’s been across the country. It’s been on the “Tail of the Dragon” a couple of times. It’s jot the fastest, most comfortable bike but nothing makes me smile like my 2 Triumph motorcycles. Also welcome ARI! Keep up the great work Zack and Sperg
You guys hit the nail on the head with the GB500 bring one of the earliest “retro” bikes on the market. These were perfect for urban use and saw them all over in cities in early 90’s. Looking on this bike I think Honda was almost too-soon with a retro bike in 89.
76 year old Sportster rider here, motorcycling age maybe less than that. Been eyeing a 05 Suzuki but am drooling over the Busa club although when I sit on a Gen 2 ZX-14 I might prefer that-
So I am a old man that started riding in 1969. It seems a lot of young people want a bike that does everything with no rider effort. Just turn the grip and push buttons. I had a Bultaco 360 with a 12 to 1 compression ratio and the kickstart on the left side or a iron head sportster with worn points that likes to kickback. Well you guys buy your modern tech bikes and when we have a EMP bomb goes off. When you roll to the ditch with fried electronics I will give you a ride home on my vintage kickstart H1. 😂 Its kinda funny, I am not aware of any modern 500 that will run with my H1 triple? Maybe there is ??? But I haven't seen one on the street yet.
I just purchased a W800 as my 1st bike ever for the reasons discussed in the podcast. A reliable new bike that has as much of the character of vintage bikes, it’s air cooled, has no modes, not even a gear indicator and has a 360° crank twin that no one else does and it has an aesthetic matched by few in the modern retro market.
I bought a 2015, 6 months ago as a returning rider to get my skills back up again on before "upgrading" to a more powerful bike. That's not happening, now. I've found my dream bike. I've ridden a lot of bikes over the last thirty years ranging from 250 gp replicas to ST1100's and a lot in between. The W800 is, in my opinion, the "goldilocks" bike. Just right. It's the only bike that I've ever ridden that you can round up the cows for dairy on, commute to work on, and then go for a B road blast on, and have it perform all those tasks with aplomb. Kawasaki kicked the ball out of the park with this one and nobody seemed to notice. In my opinion, it's one of the best kept secrets in the history of motorcycles.
Ducatis are right up my alley - In 2006, after 15 years away from riding, I bought a new Monster S2R 1000. Quite a change from the RD350LC I had been riding 15 years earlier. I then went through several Ducs - a Sport 1000(bad riding position), and a Multistrada all with the 1000cc L-Twin, then a 749R, 999S, finally a Monster RS. The Monsters were by far the best to ride on the daily, and I rode them the most miles. If I was to buy brand new again, it would likely be the new Scrambler Nightshift.
I started on a 1973 Honda 350 scrambler. I miss the old visuals. But I'll never choose classic imagery if it includes ANY of the classic mechanical issues.
I bought my first bike, a 20 some year old Harley WLA for $75.00 (because it was broken) in 1964. I turned 77 last month, and there is a 2024 SV 650 sitting out front in Sparkle Black with 74 miles on it, 73 of which are mine. I can barely walk, but I'll tell you what. If I didn't have a motorcycle, why not just go ahead and die? I need that wind in my face. I just can't see why they have the rear end 9 feet in the air. I mean, what the heck is that? Great show guys. God, I love motorcycles. If I was taller, a KTM would be out there instead. Strike a Blow for Liberty. Ride a motorcycle. It's an entirely personal endeavor that reaps good fruit.
I owned a 2009 Bonneville quite a few years ago with the 17 inch cast wheels. Was after some mods a fun thing to ride. I fitted decent suspension, 6 piston caliper on the front, some engine mods which resulted in 77hp at the engine from 67hp standard. Some cosmetic mods and you could just hold the throttle open everywhere. Fun times
I know it’s not a standard style motorcycle, but I would like to submit for your consideration the 1999 to 2005 Kawasaki Vulcan drifter. It was made to look like the 1950’s Indian super chief. I would say that it was imitation however, it was more like a facsimile. I don’t think you could get much closer to retro styled than that!
So I think it's interesting that you guys brought up Kawasaki and not having smaller versions of classic bikes were in Japan. They actually do sell the w250 and the w400 as well as their w800.
Old monsters were definitely beloved by older gentlemen when they were still the air cooled s2r generations. My dad loved the monster, and probably would have loved the sport classic even more, but it was never an “edgy” pick for him.
I'd like to see manufacturers aiming for the aesthetic of late 80's early 90's sportbikes. Drop the spaceship angles and winglets. Give us twin round or foxeye headlights. Smoother fairings, more boxed off tail sections with solo cowls. Splashes of pastel colors. Think RC30, original Fireblade, FZR etc.
At 46:00, I got a bandit with an oil cooled gsxr1100 motor. Choking it honestly ain't bad, and takes like two minutes 😂. Plus self tuning is much easier than newer bikes with ecus and I injection
Just a minor correction. The Yamaha SR 400/500 was in continuous production from 1978 until 2023 for the Japanese market. They only each had short runs here in the US. And another modern retro that may not have hit the mark in the US was the reintroduction of the Suzuki Katana in 2020.
The modern retro movement isn’t just a North American phenomenon. Kawasaki in Japan has recently reissued the Meguro K3 which is a parts bin W800 with rebranding and slightly higher output, and these bikes sell out in Japan every year. Shame we can’t get the Meguro here in NA.
I agree with you on the Meteor 350 when I seen that bike on Tomboy a bit's TH-cam channel I thought that looked like a small displacement sportster and from her review I thought it would be a good beginner bike for HD. I also had the thought that it would improve HD reputation for reliablity.🤣🤣🤣
I own two of the bikes mentioned, a Trail 125 and a Ural. The Ural is probably the 'oldest' new motorcyce you can buy and it isn't cheap. It smells like oil, sounds like a tractor, takes forever to warm up (even with EFI), is nearly impossible to kickstart and is incredibly slow. It also tries to kill you every time you ride it. The Trail 125 is even slower but significantly cheaper, kickstarts easily and is thoroughly modern Honda that is easy to ride. I'd say the Trail is the modern vintage I ride everyday and the Ural is a current-production vintage motorcycle I ride once in a while.
Or for a more modern version of the same, the 2013-2017 Honda CB 1100. Looks just like a mid-'70s CB750, but with the '79 and onward twin cam engine. Still an air-cooled inline 4, twin rear springs/shocks, can be had with twin exhaust and spoked wheels...but injected instead of 4 temperamental carbs. I know they claimed it doesn't have enough "character"...but that's a very subjective stance that's going to vary from rider to rider. Personally, I found it to be a pretty close match between modern and retro/vintage...and if you need a little more power (they're somewhat detuned for emissions/noise compliance), the Power Commander mod seems to be a very common one on these bikes.
Re the electric road, I've also been wondering if it's possible to add small recharging wind generator turbines to electric vehicles? That would be super.
I’d give Honda credit not for the Monkey or the Cub (since they stretch the definition of motorcycle) but the GB350/CB350 bikes they sell in Asia. They are nice little bikes without being too compromised like the Monkey
I picked up a 2011 triumph thruxton two summers ago because I wanted a simple lighter bike than my Harley king. really enjoy it more comfortable than its first impression can be riden all day. nuts and bolts simple maintenance. 😊
Watching this episode and just chuckling to myself. I own an 08 Triumph Speed Triple that honestly is kinda beat. Bought a 2013 Speed Triple R with the Ohlins and all. Sold it a few months later and kept my 08 because the 13 didn’t have the “character” of the older bike. Also have a Moto Guzzi V85TT and Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 and love them all!
You skipped over the Triumph Legend/Thunderbird which predates the Bonneville reissue. Those Hinckley triples were awesome.I'd also say that the allure is that people want to ride a motorcycle that 'looks' like a motorcycle if you know what I mean. Simple and fun.
Pre-dating the Bonneville, Hinckley Triumph had a similarly styled retro, the Thunderbird 900, launched in the mid 1990s. But as you all said, it really didn’t kick off the trend like the Bonneville did.
The most characterful and with old school charm motorcycles that are still in production are the Norton Commando 961, RE Interceptor 650s, Kawasaki W800, RE Classic 350,Moto Guzzi 850, BMW R12 nineT /R nine T , Triumph Bonnevilles and BSA Gold Star 650 last two being liquid cooled.
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a question for another podcast but one that I am pretty sure related to the modern classic and cruiser segments the most:
Can you guys explain how the industry picks colorways? It seems anecdotally to me that manufacturers are giving consumers fewer choices in a given model year for a given bike. It almost feels like motorcycle colorways are becoming like sneakers, i.e., if I want a bike in a specific color I have to buy a specific model year to get that.
Is this actually a recent trend in these two segments or am I just smoking something? And what you do guys think about it?
I love Ari. He should be a stock member of this, as he has a totally different view point than the rest of us. Love him❤
Yes
Agreed completely. It'd be an awesome trio to see every episode!!
Yes! 100%
Ari, Zac and Spurge are Revzilla for me
Yea, I like that he's blunt and straight to the point
I am a 74 year old rider and absolutely love my Z900RS.
Man, how badass of an upbringing is Ari's kid gonna have? I'm kinda jealous.
The baby is probably already riding ! LOL
Badass? Ari will be yelling his @ss for not holding the flashlight right.
MORE ARI!!!! He certainly is a breath of fresh air whenever he is on the show.👍
Great topic for next episode: ageing motorcyclist. I'm 55 and riding my eighth bike. So far, I rode almost 400,000 km on everything from Yamaha Crypton 115 to a Honda NC 750 X. Recently, I went to a Honda dealer and changed my old NC for two CG 160 Start, one for myself an one for my 18 year old son. He loved! For my surprise, I loved it too! Light, cheap to mantain, agile, takes me anywhere at 100 km/h. It was like to time traveling to a time when I was a lot more capable of anything and used to waste life laughing as a teenager. I'm waiting you guys to ride the "Serra do rio do Rastro" road with me here in Brazil.
Topic idea : under rated bikes through out history . Love you guys
Thought it was interesting that they kept using the RE Himalayan as a point of reference but never mentioned the RE twins. In my mind, the Interceptor and Continental GT are the most relevant RE bikes for this discussion. Was an enjoyable watch regardless.
For sure. The interceptor/continental are much more classically styled, and seem like "the real deal" to me in that they are pretty much the closest thing to a bike from the 60s that you can get away with selling these days. Sure they're injected, have ABS, electronic ignition etc, but you kinda need all that stuff just to pass emissions/safety requirements and to meet what are essentially minimum consumer expectations these days. Still air cooled, no riding modes, basic analogue gauges etc. Like them or not, I think it's hard to point at them and call them "fakes".
Moto Guzzi deserves more love in this category. The V7 special is objectively gorgeous, and in my opinion more aesthetic than the Bonneville and anything RE puts out. It is also not just a throwback, it's a bike that's been continually made for decades in the same mountain village it always has been. That isn't something you can value on a spec sheet, but that soulfulness is the whole reason people are attracted to these bikes in the first place.
Agreed! in owning other "retro classics" my v7 is by far the "one" for me. Had two Triumphs (Bonneville and Thruxton)
You guys are making me wish I didn't miss a gorgeous Breva 750 a while back
My wife calls my Bonneville T120 Gold Line I own the bike killer. Since I bought it the other 2 bikes barely get ridden like they used to. The T120 is just awesome, i look at it and it just makes me feel blessed to own it. I don't recall going for a ride where some random older guy will walk over to talk about the one they owned way back in their younger days.
Everytime I listen and watch Highside Lowside I fall in love with motorcycling all over again. What a trip it is to be a motorcyclist! You guys just make it even better.
My first and currently only motorcycle is an RE Meteor 350. It's heavy and slow at over 400 lbs with only 20hp, but it's comfortable and easy to ride and looks terrific and just oozes charm at every moment. I adore it. My _dream_ motorcycle that I've kinda wanted since long before I got into riding motorcycles is a Bonneville T120, in many ways and to many people "the" motorcycle.
As a former sport bike rider I have gotten to the point where I appreciate my Royal Enfield 650. It’s not fast or particularly great at anything. I do enjoy riding it for its simplicity and character. It makes the noises and has the smells of a vintage bike and so far has been completely reliable. Plus the low cost of purchasing as well as the ownership is nice as well. There are quite a few upgradable parts available too. So I still get to do a bit of wrenching as well.
At the Barber Vintage Festival last year I test rode most of Triumph's modern classics (no ride leader, Triumph just tossed us the keys to the bikes individually and gave us a nice little route to follow). In a weird way I liked the Speed Twin 900 (nee Street Twin) the best. It sounded better than the T100, T120, Scramblers, and even the Speed Twin 1200. It was the lightest of all of them. It was simple, had power right where you need it, but was so happy just to bop along at sane speeds.
All that said the one that spoke to me as a rider was the Speed Twin 1200. The one that gave me the good vintage feeling was the T120. And it has cruise control...
I had the Street Twin, now Speed Twin 900, for about a year. Felt too clunky, heavy, weak brakes. Several years prior had a W650 and prefer that much more, lighter feeling but still weak brakes. Now have a Speed Twin 1200 and thing feels great, very modern, maybe a little too modern feeling, but still heavy feeling.
Modern classics that come to mind other than the ones you mentioned: Honda Monkey, Honda Super Cub, Honda Trail 125, Honda SCL500 (somewhat), Royal Enfield Classic 350. But for me the grandaddy of them all would be the Royal Enfield Bullet 350, which was recently introduced into North America this year. The model name has been in use since 1932 and has continually evolved ever since, and its general appearance hasn't changed much in over 60+ years.
Only thing I' would say about the bikes I've mentioned above (with the possible exception of the SCL500) is that they're best suited to urban riding and two-lane backroads. The Classic and Bullet will do highway speeds, but you're pretty much running them wide open to make 72mph. Despite that, I think they're all great examples of 'modern classics'. One reviewer on another channel (MotorInc out of India) said that 'Royal Enfields go slowly well', and he's not wrong :)
As angrydad 79 I’m so happy to be immortalized in an episode of HSLS!! These two really are so much fun and informative that when I put my AirPods in to sleep it’s not because they bore me but because since I’ve watched each episode numerous times I don’t have to think about what they’re saying and it keeps me from thinking about nonsense. Nonsense that keeps me up at night!! Can’t wait for my tshirt!!
What gets me about the Kawasaki Z650RS is that it's $1000 more than the regular Z650. Like they charge for removing the spaceship stuff.
believe it or not they have methodologies for looking at how much money they sank into tooling and manufacturing costs per unit...and the price each unit needs to be based on projected sales to have a chance of the whole program running at a profit🧠 its based on detailed analysis..
or maybe it cost the same and somewhere on a white board at a marketing meeting somewhere at Kawasaki japan headquarters, is a pie chart with the title "stupid hipsters tends pay more" but in Japanese obviously
Great show fellas! Spurg, back in 2005 I went to the Triumph Dealer to check out some new bikes and saw a Beautiful 2001 Thunderbird, it was a customer's bike in for service, I made the owner an offer for $4500 and took it home... I still have it today and love it!
I love my thruxton 1200 b/c of exactly these things (reliable, handles great, low maintenance…all the fun); I've taken my Thruxton 1200 RS to track a number of times and it was fun.
As someone who rode (and still ride) in the late fifties and sixties, I can tell you that my buying a 2016 and 2020 Triumph 1200 was pure nostalgia.
One of your best podcasts ever! Perhaps it's because I started riding back in 1972 ('69 Kawasaki Sidewinder and later a '72 Honda SL350), so the classics appeal to me. That being said, the oldest bike in my garage at this time is a 2005 Aprilia Futura. 🙂
If we're gonna dig up all the freeways and add wireless charging we might as well just add better train infrastructure. More eco friendly and reduced the need to drive long distances. People can still drive if they want using existing freeways
Only useful if you don't need additional transportation once you reach the train's terminus. That's where public transportation usually breaks down - when it can't drop you at the door, in your time.
If you want the most authentic modern classic, it has to be the Kawasaki w800 cafe. Air cooled 360° crank ace bars etc, even the tires feel like that are from 1960.
I feel like I had a really good experience learning to wrench when I got my Gen 2 KLR as a first bike. One of the first big projects I did was actually a full carb rebuild and despite all the things that are bad about carburetors, doing that project got me comfortable taking all the fairings and fuel tank off my bike and really helped me conceptualize how the engine worked in a way that youtube videos couldn't. Having a single cylinder dual sport or dirt bike generally seems to lend itself better to learning how to wrench then classic or modern classic bikes, because they're not as finicky. I have a friend who's been dying to get a vintage Harley but I keep trying to convince him to learn on something smaller and more modern so he can develop some basic skills before he tries to tackle a major project.
I'm one of the guys who knew nothing about motorcycles (or mechanical things) and bought a 70's Honda CB as a first bike. I did it because I wanted to learn to work on it myself. That was about 5 years ago and that Honda has been just as reliable as a modern bike. It's never left me stranded.
The second vintage bike I purchased was a 1960's Triumph 650 that I had to ride an hour and a half home. I had some buyers remorse on that ride home. The brakes sucked, I wasn't used to the right side shift, it would stall out occasionally at a stop light, then I'd be holding up traffic trying to kick start it. Once I got that bike home and got the carbs and the brakes sorted out, it's been a really fun bike. It starts first kick, idles beautifully...no more stalling out at lights. Now I absolutely love that motorcycle. I've had a couple modern classics over the last 5 years. They were great bikes, but I didn't fall in love with them the way I do with my vintage bikes. When I'm on a modern bike it feels like transpiration. When I'm riding a vintage bike, it's an experience.
My Interceptor 650 is probably the most authentic retro. It has just thr right amount of modern and old school character. I think the thing manufacturers need to understand is 50 and 60 year old buyers will buy bikes the had wanted they were 12-20 years old. A pity you can't buy a 2 stroke RD400 now.
Check out the Kawasaki W800. Even more retro with air cooling only.
I love listening to the podcast while out on rides. It makes me feel like you guys are on the road with me
I’m just here for the fact that the Kawasaki W800 keeps sneaking itself into all these high side, low side videos and I’m here for it as one of the very few 2021 owners here in the US
Hey brother
I'm considering this bike
Are you enjoying your decision still
Appreciate your response.
Thanks
So they are real I have yet to see one at any dealer around me.
I've got a 2011 one here in Oz.
Great little bike, and it is actually small in comparison to modern machines of the same capacity.
A dealership close to me had it on clearance for the price of a Ninja 400...regret not getting it :/
@@Frank-xo7zj I have a 2015. I purchased it as a bit of a "stop gap" bike as it was an ultra low mileage bike, in as new condition for a good price.
Firstly: While these bikes aren't "fast", they're fast enough to keep ahead of the traffic and your sane friends on Sunday rides. While they'll supposedly do 100mph, I don't think that you'd want to sustain much over 75 or 80 for long stints. If you're going to spend a lot of time on the freeway, this probably isn't a great choice. Half an hour here or there, not a problem, but it's not a 600 mile per day bike. Around town, they're hard to beat. They fall into right angle left and rights easily and the combination of low gearing and a good spread of power picks them up nicely out of turns and gives them ample acceleration.
The same can be said for b roads. They turn in easily and pick up again just as easily. And they track exceptionally well. That said though, budget in a brand new set of tyres when you buy one of these. They respond very well to a good set of radials. The standard Dunlop bias plies have a reputation for following the road.
The brakes are more than adequate for a bike of this nature. They have great feel and I've never had an issue with fading. Same with the suspension. I've read criticisms of it, but I just don't get it. For me, it works fine. It's adequately damped and more than comfortable at "normal" speeds. The chassis seems to work in concert well with the suspension. It's no 600 super sport, but you can really hustle these things along, just the same.
The engine is subjective. Through my eyes, it's an engineering marvel, a work of art. It's "only" 47 hp. and it does vibrate (pulsate!) above 3500. But it's "good" vibrations, not bad. It's enough to let you know that you're riding a bike but doesn't send your hands and feet to sleep. It's characterful. And that "only" 47 hp seems to be everywhere in the rev range. You can happily tootle through town at 35 in top gear and accelerate reasonably without changing down. Drop it down a couple of gears an pick up the revs and it will go, properly. The flywheels feel heavy and you'll never stall one, I can guarantee. The fuel injection is pretty fluffy when cold and you really have to give it a couple of minutes
to warm up before riding. If you can't do that, skip this bike. Otherwise, the throttle is pretty well connected to the back wheel. Fuel economy is nothing to write home about.
I'm only getting 50 mpg mixed riding. Not great, I'd have to say.
Still on the engine, it has a four bearing main and feels like it will run for ever. My mechanic owns a W650 and he services a W800 with 100k miles on it. Neither of them have had any more than standard maintenance and he reckons that they both run, sound and perform like new. These are an under stressed and overly built unit.
Oh, the gearbox. You will not find better on any motorcycle. They are exemplary. The bike is geared low though, and it only is a five speed. That said, it's a bike that is happy being short shifted, revved right out, or left in the same gear all day.
On to the little things that I've noticed. The bike goes onto and off the side stand really easily and the side stand is confidence inspiring. I struggle getting it up onto the centre stand and either get someone on the other side of the bike to help or I roll the back wheel onto a plank first. At least it has a centre stand! The bike, while quite heavy, has a low centre of gravity which makes it super easy to wheel around the garage and really easy to ride really slowly.
Oil changes are easy. Both the air filters and oil filters are easy to get at. I haven't done valve clearances by they are reputedly easy.
The standard mirrors aren't wide enough to see past your shoulders. Budget in a new pair. But they don't vibrate, so there's that.
Switch gear is simple, and it's metal. Nice touch.
Overall build quality, paint and chrome are really good, but not faultless. The chrome on my bike looks like it's an inch thick and brand new. But the polishing on the lower fork legs escaped the attention of QC, that's for sure. The lower triple clamp looks like it had one coat of rattle pack matt black in the car park and the indicators are cheap and nasty affairs that don't particularly suit the bike. At 5'9" I find the rider triangle to be quite comfortable and the seat good.
Whoops, I've turned this into a novel. Bottom line: I purchased this as a returning rider thinking that I'd "upgrade" to something more powerful and a bit "better" as I re-developed my skills. Six months later, and I can safely say that this is my bike for life. It just does "the real world" better than anything I've ever ridden. And it's just so much fun. It always puts a smile on my face. They're great to pick up the milk and the bread on and they're great to go for a blast on. At any speed between 0 and 75, they just work so darned well.
They are such a well engineered package. If any bike ever made a mockery of a spec sheet, this is it. Test ride one.
This is probably my second favorite category of bikes, right after sport bikes. Thanks for doing a whole podcast about it!
8:13 is when the topical stuff starts...
OMG, are you guys forgetting MY first bike... made in 1978? It was the Yamaha SR500. Pure British single homage, even in function, as it was kick start only, and could kick back at you if you did it wrong.
I still remember Spurgen reviewing 2014 Thruxton and I bought it after few years and I love it !! Every time I look at my motorcycle reminds me of him !!
Another great episode. I personally haven’t ridden motorcycles in over twenty years but really enjoy listening to the podcast. Great content guys.
I am 50, and am a 50 year old rider. Own a W800, but the Cafe version as I am still young and then own a Concours to ride long distance as I am no old enough to own a Goldwing. Stated to smoke a pipe on my 49th or 50th year on this planet, pending how you want to calculate age. Loving life!
I have a "Dream bike" already specced out for a "Special touring Edition" of the Royal Enfield Interceptor!
750cc engine expansion, (to produce more torque, rather than power!)
LOW MOUNTED EXHAUSTS, like the as yet confirmed 650cc Classic/Bullet! (what is it with bike designers and upswept exhausts on retro bikes, and TINY pillion capacity?) This should allow room for bigger bags!
YSS suspension upgrades, front and rear,
Tubular rear rack,
Heated grips.
FULL Avon Dolphin touring fairing from the 1960's, with extra electronic outputs and TWO stormproof pockets for charging phones/satnav, and wireless/Bluetooth connection to helmets. (intercoms etc)
I already have a 30+ year old set of nylon throwovers, that I'd like replicated in leather (black and/or antiqued brown) but with lightweight watertight removable liners!
My inspiration comes from the touring version of the Vincent Black Shadow, known as the Black Prince! I come from an era when we ride throughout the entire year, even in snow and ice (very carefully! ....lol) and a country that has "temperamental" weather! (the UK!)
The idea is to keep the costs down, but produce retro-touring version of the hugely successful Interceptor 650, at a VASTLY cheaper price than any other manufacturer! (under £7,500) Performance is not a vital importance, but being able to survive for 250-300 miles at a stretch, at 65-80mph, without stressing either frame or motor, and especially the rider AND pillion, is VERY important!
As for getting old, my 58th birthday is coming up this month. I think when you can say something like, "40 years ago, when I became a legal adult..." You HAVE to admit, you are old. One thing I will share, at age 50 (give or take a year), stuff starts to break and not stuff you can ignore. I think both you guys have a solid 10 years to enjoy before a much more serious re-evaluation of your life.
BTW, I still plan to buy a Z900rs soon.
The Ducati Sport 1000 Biposto scene at the beginning of the movie Tron Legacy is what made me make the jump into motorcycling. I started shopping for it, drifted towards the Ducati Monsters and eventually landed on a Triumph Street Triple 2011 with the round headlights just because it was a more sensible choice for me as a beginner and commuter. But it's that retro aesthetic that got me hooked.
I didn’t want this conversation to end, great stuff guys
Look forward to all your content. Videos and podcasts. I think the best are when all three of you are together.
Re getting old: I'm 23 and still under a year since getting my riding license. I can only hope to be looking and living like you guys when 40 rolls around. Great show as always!
Great discussion with a lot of thoughtful input. I don’t get the hate on the Guzzi transmission. I’ve a V7 III and it has never missed a shift or given me a lick of trouble. I would go as far is to say it shifts much more reliably than my ‘07 Triumph Scrambler or my 2016 KTM 690 ever did.
Got to say I had a SR400 and loved the simplicity of it and how many aftermarket parts are available. The decompression lever makes kick starting relatively easy and later models are fuel injected. Only downside is being designed for the Japanese market with their 80km/h (50mph) highways they’re lacking abit in horsepower.
You should have brought Joe Zito into this conversation. Ive always thought of Joe as Revzilla's resident vintage bike guy.
Is he still at Revzilla? I haven't seen him in a long time.
1:19:10 Spurge, I think you'd have to discount the H-D offering. It may have _attempted_ to lure cafe racer fans to its brand...but it failed to start a movement, as that model disappeared shortly after and no other manufacturer took up the baton for a number of years. Maybe say that it attempted to start the retro movement but failed, possibly because the era it hearkened back to wasn't old enough to be interesting and alluring yet. A 20-30 year old bike is vintage, and thus interesting. A 10 year old bike is just...well, old.
SRX-600 may be retro or maybe retro modern. It came out in 85.
The GB500 had a version in Japan with a factory 60s looking TT fairing. That thing is sweet looking.
Congratulations Ari 🎉🎉 my favorite modern classics are the DR650 and the sweet little Yamaha Vstar 250. The DR is a classic example of simple durability and form and function. The little VStar250 has been made for all my 36 years. My heart is in things that I can look after myself. Things you can get to know well enough that they become a part of life are few and far between in modern life.
Ari's "You don't necessarily want it to be authentic, you want it to start when you hit the button" is spot on. My '92 CB750 (which is apparently now meta vintage) is definitely authentic then, which isn't surprising given it's parts bin origin. My kingdom for a fuel injector, I swear to god.
T120 So beautiful I sat on a scrambler 1200 and on a T120 and those bikes just feel right, I love it. the looks the seating position. I need to own one.
The scrambler 1200 xe is the perfect bike.
It looks so good
How did you guys not mention the aberration that is the katana, or well maybe ahead of the curve. Look at the new yamaha xsr gp. Is this a new trend?
Hi guys,
I just wanted to thank you for all those entertaining and informative videos. I followed you from the Arctic Circle through india to the land where beer flows like wine and laughed with tears.
Just in case you missed the new model from Yamaha coming to Europe this year, I wanted to draw your attention to the XSR 900 GP. I think its kind of missing in this episode of HSLS. In my opinion, Yamaha nailed it with the design.
Cheers, LdV
Although the W650 left the US after a couple years, I think that it continued in production and was sold in Japan and Europe until it grew into the W800 in 2007.
Honda is selling a vintage style with modern tech bike in Japan, Australia, Malaysia, SG, and India called the GB350/350S. With the Indian models called CB350 with a whole fleet of variations that can go super classic one way or modern design the other. Hope they release it to your neck of the woods and also in my country.
One bike that I am disappointed that they didn’t mention is the Yamaha TW200. Barely changed since 1987, Bulletproof Reliability, A Baboon could maintain it, and it can go pretty much anywhere. The only downside is that there is not many tire options available for the rear wheel. A real cult modern classic in my mind.
They still sell that charming little donkey in Canada. Same with the Virago 250 er V Star 250. 87/88-2024 is a bloody good model run.
And it's way too damn expensive
@@adamlanglois563They still sell the Tdub in the US for now. My cult comment was based on the fact that they are way more quirky and underpowered than your average dual sport but they have a certain charm to them that certain people including myself love.
Yeah, I’ve been listening for a while and waiting to hear you mention my bike! 🙏🙏🙏
The first time I saw a first-gen Thruxton was the first time I wanted a motorcycle. It was maybe 15 years later that I actually bought one, but I still think they’re some of the prettiest bikes ever made.
I know people call them “retro” bikes but the new Bonneville in 2001 was just a standard motorcycle which had been absent from the market for a long time. There were crotch rockets and ADVs and cruisers etc. But nobody made just a regular, and beautiful, bike like the revived Bonnie. By 2006 I had owned a couple of sport bikes, and wanted something different. I was considering a late 60’s Norton Commando until I discovered the Triumph Thruxton 900. And I’ve been in love with my 2007 Thruxton ever since. Then Triumph introduced the 1200 Thruxton and I was fortunate enough to purchase a 2019 R model. I don’t know why people thought it would be like a sport bike. It’s just a Thruxton on steroids. And I’m sad to see it leave the lineup. I guess im only one of very few that actually like the clip on handle bars and rear set footpegs. I’ve used my Thruxton 900 as a touring bike! In different trips it’s been across the country. It’s been on the “Tail of the Dragon” a couple of times. It’s jot the fastest, most comfortable bike but nothing makes me smile like my 2 Triumph motorcycles. Also welcome ARI! Keep up the great work Zack and Sperg
Eddie Lawson 1200.
Tuned one for a friend and enjoyed the test ride.
You guys hit the nail on the head with the GB500 bring one of the earliest “retro” bikes on the market. These were perfect for urban use and saw them all over in cities in early 90’s. Looking on this bike I think Honda was almost too-soon with a retro bike in 89.
Do you guys not get the Suzuki VanVan in North America?
76 year old Sportster rider here, motorcycling age maybe less than that. Been eyeing a 05 Suzuki but am drooling over the Busa club although when I sit on a Gen 2 ZX-14 I might prefer that-
I am 59 years old. My mind says I'm 25, but my body says I'm crazy. Been riding since I was 10 and I also see my taste change.
So I am a old man that started riding in 1969. It seems a lot of young people want a bike that does everything with no rider effort. Just turn the grip and push buttons. I had a Bultaco 360 with a 12 to 1 compression ratio and the kickstart on the left side or a iron head sportster with worn points that likes to kickback. Well you guys buy your modern tech bikes and when we have a EMP bomb goes off. When you roll to the ditch with fried electronics I will give you a ride home on my vintage kickstart H1. 😂 Its kinda funny, I am not aware of any modern 500 that will run with my H1 triple? Maybe there is ??? But I haven't seen one on the street yet.
Kawasaki W800 is where it's at if you want a true New/Retro bike
I just purchased a W800 as my 1st bike ever for the reasons discussed in the podcast. A reliable new bike that has as much of the character of vintage bikes, it’s air cooled, has no modes, not even a gear indicator and has a 360° crank twin that no one else does and it has an aesthetic matched by few in the modern retro market.
Moto Guzzi V7 is also a good representation of a classic bike. It's got so much character and is actually quite a bit of fun when you give it some
@@clanky44 I got my 2023 last year and it's an absolute charm to ride and I've had Supermoto's and Naked sports bike for 16 years.
Royal Enfield 👑
I bought a 2015, 6 months ago as a returning rider to get my skills back up again on before "upgrading" to a more powerful bike. That's not happening, now. I've found my dream bike.
I've ridden a lot of bikes over the last thirty years ranging from 250 gp replicas to ST1100's and a lot in between. The W800 is, in my opinion, the "goldilocks" bike. Just right.
It's the only bike that I've ever ridden that you can round up the cows for dairy on, commute to work on, and then go for a B road blast on, and have it perform all those tasks with aplomb. Kawasaki kicked the ball out of the park with this one and nobody seemed to notice. In my opinion, it's one of the best kept secrets in the history of motorcycles.
Ducatis are right up my alley - In 2006, after 15 years away from riding, I bought a new Monster S2R 1000. Quite a change from the RD350LC I had been riding 15 years earlier. I then went through several Ducs - a Sport 1000(bad riding position), and a Multistrada all with the 1000cc L-Twin, then a 749R, 999S, finally a Monster RS. The Monsters were by far the best to ride on the daily, and I rode them the most miles. If I was to buy brand new again, it would likely be the new Scrambler Nightshift.
I started on a 1973 Honda 350 scrambler. I miss the old visuals. But I'll never choose classic imagery if it includes ANY of the classic mechanical issues.
In my opinion the Moto Guzzi v7 and the Kawasaki w650 are the truest retro vintage bikes. You have to love the Honda mini 125 range too. Lol.
I bought my first bike, a 20 some year old Harley WLA for $75.00 (because it was broken) in 1964. I turned 77 last month, and there is a 2024 SV 650 sitting out front in Sparkle Black with 74 miles on it, 73 of which are mine. I can barely walk, but I'll tell you what. If I didn't have a motorcycle, why not just go ahead and die? I need that wind in my face. I just can't see why they have the rear end 9 feet in the air. I mean, what the heck is that? Great show guys. God, I love motorcycles. If I was taller, a KTM would be out there instead. Strike a Blow for Liberty. Ride a motorcycle. It's an entirely personal endeavor that reaps good fruit.
Re: Triumph Thruxton and Ducati Sport Classics - riding position vs comfort.
Not forgetting the Triumph Thunderbird/Legend/Adventurer triples. Oh, and any number of Harleys since, well, forever. 😂
I owned a 2009 Bonneville quite a few years ago with the 17 inch cast wheels. Was after some mods a fun thing to ride. I fitted decent suspension, 6 piston caliper on the front, some engine mods which resulted in 77hp at the engine from 67hp standard. Some cosmetic mods and you could just hold the throttle open everywhere. Fun times
Had the same for 5 years. The following revision, Speed twin, was a total shite bike, 54 bhp, all show - no go.
I know it’s not a standard style motorcycle, but I would like to submit for your consideration the 1999 to 2005 Kawasaki Vulcan drifter. It was made to look like the 1950’s Indian super chief. I would say that it was imitation however, it was more like a facsimile. I don’t think you could get much closer to retro styled than that!
So I think it's interesting that you guys brought up Kawasaki and not having smaller versions of classic bikes were in Japan. They actually do sell the w250 and the w400 as well as their w800.
Old monsters were definitely beloved by older gentlemen when they were still the air cooled s2r generations. My dad loved the monster, and probably would have loved the sport classic even more, but it was never an “edgy” pick for him.
I'd like to see manufacturers aiming for the aesthetic of late 80's early 90's sportbikes. Drop the spaceship angles and winglets. Give us twin round or foxeye headlights. Smoother fairings, more boxed off tail sections with solo cowls. Splashes of pastel colors. Think RC30, original Fireblade, FZR etc.
At 46:00, I got a bandit with an oil cooled gsxr1100 motor. Choking it honestly ain't bad, and takes like two minutes 😂. Plus self tuning is much easier than newer bikes with ecus and I injection
54:40 adjusted for inflation they are cheaper now
Just a minor correction. The Yamaha SR 400/500 was in continuous production from 1978 until 2023 for the Japanese market. They only each
had short runs here in the US.
And another modern retro that may not have hit the mark in the US was the reintroduction of the Suzuki Katana in 2020.
The modern retro movement isn’t just a North American phenomenon. Kawasaki in Japan has recently reissued the Meguro K3 which is a parts bin W800 with rebranding and slightly higher output, and these bikes sell out in Japan every year. Shame we can’t get the Meguro here in NA.
I bought the SV650X because it had just a touch of retro style. The round headlight and the small fairing really did it for me.
Was the Gladius derived from the sv?
I agree with you on the Meteor 350 when I seen that bike on Tomboy a bit's TH-cam channel I thought that looked like a small displacement sportster and from her review I thought it would be a good beginner bike for HD. I also had the thought that it would improve HD reputation for reliablity.🤣🤣🤣
Usually my comments are pretty dumb but today I came across an especially good-looking 1998 Excelsior-Henderson, they deserve an honorable mention
I feel like the Harley XLCR from the late ‘70s was the first modern vintage bike, because it was a nod to 1960s motorcycles from England of all places
Forgot....katana!
I agree. I owned an 80's 1000 & own a 2020.
The first true New Vintage that I can think of was the Kawasaki Vulcan that look like an Indian chief
I own two of the bikes mentioned, a Trail 125 and a Ural. The Ural is probably the 'oldest' new motorcyce you can buy and it isn't cheap. It smells like oil, sounds like a tractor, takes forever to warm up (even with EFI), is nearly impossible to kickstart and is incredibly slow. It also tries to kill you every time you ride it. The Trail 125 is even slower but significantly cheaper, kickstarts easily and is thoroughly modern Honda that is easy to ride. I'd say the Trail is the modern vintage I ride everyday and the Ural is a current-production vintage motorcycle I ride once in a while.
What about the Honda Nighthawk 750? It is based off of the CB750 of the days gone by. It is a modern classic, that made it into the early 2000s.
Or for a more modern version of the same, the 2013-2017 Honda CB 1100. Looks just like a mid-'70s CB750, but with the '79 and onward twin cam engine. Still an air-cooled inline 4, twin rear springs/shocks, can be had with twin exhaust and spoked wheels...but injected instead of 4 temperamental carbs. I know they claimed it doesn't have enough "character"...but that's a very subjective stance that's going to vary from rider to rider. Personally, I found it to be a pretty close match between modern and retro/vintage...and if you need a little more power (they're somewhat detuned for emissions/noise compliance), the Power Commander mod seems to be a very common one on these bikes.
How about the Kawasaki Drifter from 1999+? Personally, I’d love for manufacturers to replicate 1930-40’s styles rather than 1960’s.
I thought the same thing. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then I would say the drifter was about as flattering as you can get.
Re the electric road, I've also been wondering if it's possible to add small recharging wind generator turbines to electric vehicles? That would be super.
Having owned a 2007 Scrambler with the lime green tank and a 2008 and 2010 Bonnie, the 865cc Triumphs are great, would fully recommend.
I’d give Honda credit not for the Monkey or the Cub (since they stretch the definition of motorcycle) but the GB350/CB350 bikes they sell in Asia. They are nice little bikes without being too compromised like the Monkey
I picked up a 2011 triumph thruxton two summers ago because I wanted a simple lighter bike than my Harley king. really enjoy it more comfortable than its first impression can be riden all day.
nuts and bolts simple maintenance. 😊
Its so funny how Zack and Ari get so annoyed by Spurg. Zack and Ari are Great , love the content, thanks guys!!
Watching this episode and just chuckling to myself. I own an 08 Triumph Speed Triple that honestly is kinda beat. Bought a 2013 Speed Triple R with the Ohlins and all. Sold it a few months later and kept my 08 because the 13 didn’t have the “character” of the older bike.
Also have a Moto Guzzi V85TT and Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 and love them all!
You skipped over the Triumph Legend/Thunderbird which predates the Bonneville reissue. Those Hinckley triples were awesome.I'd also say that the allure is that people want to ride a motorcycle that 'looks' like a motorcycle if you know what I mean. Simple and fun.
Pre-dating the Bonneville, Hinckley Triumph had a similarly styled retro, the Thunderbird 900, launched in the mid 1990s. But as you all said, it really didn’t kick off the trend like the Bonneville did.
Hey guys what do you think of Motoul chain paste I use it on my chains and like it also I think it would be good for touring
If you want the most nostalgia , The most vintage bike feeling and look. Get A SPORTSTER with Evolution Engine. Mod it out Cafe or Bobber.
The most characterful and with old school charm motorcycles that are still in production are the Norton Commando 961, RE Interceptor 650s, Kawasaki W800, RE Classic 350,Moto Guzzi 850, BMW R12 nineT /R nine T , Triumph Bonnevilles and BSA Gold Star 650 last two being liquid cooled.
Awesome episode!