Topic: 1970's alternative iconic bikes ??

[750cafe]

Scam for sure. Ask to SEE it. 

Eric

[ascanio1]

Scam it is...
1. Offered to go see/pay cash - replied not necessary, he offered 100% refund if not happy. Never heard of before.
2. The shipping aggregator/consolidator company won't accept PayPal.
Too bad... I was hoping...

[simon#42]

New member on here has a 458cc 400 four.. And a 73 v7 Guzzi.. We need his thoughts.

Ask him to post pics of his Guzzi. I really want to see them.

I found a Jota with a damaged engine, no lights, ceriani suspensions, dunlop brakes (even rear) and a non original fairing. All for 3,000€: a very good price. If it's genuine. I am checking if the chassis/engine numbers match and are actually Jota: he claims it's a racer. There are 3 problems:
1. Seller seems very dodgy: I found the same pic online doing a google search + (sounds even more dodgy) he offers either that I pay shipping + bike to him or I pay for shipping separately and for bike directly to him. The dodgy bit is that he offers refund the bike price if the bike is not original... ( weird... never heard of such arrangement). I decided to offer to pick up the bike (UK) and pay cash in hand: I'll see what he replies. If he's genuine he should have no problems with that.
2. I don't want a racer so I would have to put it back to street configuration and that may cost a bomb: need to check for parts availability.
3. Online search shows that dunlop stopped making brakes in the 1960s. Why would a racer employ older technology brakes?

@ Simon Can you help? Did Dunlop make racing brakes in '76?

dunlop never made bike brakes at all as far as i am aware , in the 60's people modified dunlop car brakes to fit bikes with limited success
in 1976 the best brakes to have were either lockheed or brembo and as the jota came with brembo brakes why on earth would anyone change them

[ascanio1]

I thought as much...
Too bad. I was really hoping... the poll puts the 2 Kawa way ahead of anything else, so one of them + a Laverda would be marvellous.
Simon, please vote in my poll! :-)

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

[kwbikr]

Really? You left the 1979 CBX out of this list? Fastest thing on wheels at the time it was released...

[strynboen]

yes he dont have the "nosser" to bay one...or drive it... ..danish for meat balls

[ekpent]

yes he dont have the "nosser" to bay one...or drive it... ..danish for meat balls

If 6 is good then 12 has to be better.      Where was that bike built Stringbean ?  There was a guy over in England I believe at one time adding cylinders to Kaw Triples that came out pretty cool.  http://www.motorcycleclassics.com/classic-japanese-motorcycles/custom-5-cylinder-kawasaki-motorcycles.aspx#axzz3OM2Wq2J6

[flatlander]

underneath the pic it says it was built by a bunch of honda engineers in their spare time, from 2 cbx1000 engines and some custom made parts.

[Stev-o]

yes he dont have the "nosser" to bay one...or drive it... ..danish for meat balls

If 6 is good then 12 has to be better.      Where was that bike built Stringbean ?  There was a guy over in England I believe at one time adding cylinders to Kaw Triples that came out pretty cool.  http://www.motorcycleclassics.com/classic-japanese-motorcycles/custom-5-cylinder-kawasaki-motorcycles.aspx#axzz3OM2Wq2J6

Thats wild.....love the exhaust, looks well done. 

[754]

Was this thread about  iconic.......or cartoonish??

[ascanio1]

Really? You left the 1979 CBX out of this list? Fastest thing on wheels at the time it was released...

I didn't include it only because it's more of an 80'sbike than a 70's bike... otherwise it certainly would fit.

EDIT:
They're super cheap here... might get one for the cost of a dinner date in an expensive restaurant...
Is this the bike that you're talking about?

[754]

It wasn't the fastest..nothing came close to the TC
For
A
Long
Time

[ascanio1]

It wasn't the fastest..nothing came close to the TC For A Long Time

TC? What bike is that short for?

[754]

Z1R TC

[ascanio1]

It wasn't the fastest..nothing came close to the TC For A Long Time

Retro Rockets says that the GS1000 was way faster than the Z1. I'm confused... which is it?

[Retro Rocket]

It wasn't the fastest..nothing came close to the TC For A Long Time

Retro Rockets says that the GS1000 was way faster than the Z1. I'm confused... which is it?

The Z1R TC was a turbo bike, stick a turbo on anything and it'll be faster, they handled like a pig and were quite rare, the GS was faster and the benchmark for handling, we've already gone over this.... The CBX was a 70's bike, 78/79...

[Stev-o]

Tom - I think we all agree that the Z1 is the iconic bike to buy....start shopping!


http://m.freeclassifieds.com/details.aspx?adID=oGl1iH9NjlJu0O-GwJseTw==

[martin99]

Interesting thread. I remember my first ride on a Jap four, a Kawa Z650B1 around about 1978-79. It seemed a monster compared to the Bonnie I had been running. I remember a long run to the 1980 British GP at Silverstone with my mates - a couple of GS 750s, a Z1, GS1000, CB750 (K4 I think), CB400, a DOHC 750 and a Guzzi Le Mans. Without exception, we all thought the Guzzi was the most sexy bike out of the lot. We didn't hang about on that ride, all of us two-up and loaded with camping gear. We were stopped by the police going through a little village - he said 'Right, where shall I start - breaking the 30, 40, 50, 60 or 70 mile limits?' I think he realised he would be there all day booking us, and he was on his own, so he let us off with a warning. Just as well, two of my mates didn't even have licences

By far the quickest bike on that ride, the one that left everyone else for dead, was the DOHC 750. Which I think says more about the rider than the bike.

[ascanio1]

It wasn't the fastest..nothing came close to the TC For A Long Time

Retro Rockets says that the GS1000 was way faster than the Z1. I'm confused... which is it?

The Z1R TC was a turbo bike, stick a turbo on anything and it'll be faster, they handled like a pig and were quite rare, the GS was faster and the benchmark for handling, we've already gone over this.... The CBX was a 70's bike, 78/79...

I did not remember/realize that the TC was the turbo version. I read Z1 and got confused. As you correctly said: "I don't know what I'm talking about" and that's exactly why I keep asking here: to learn. If it irritates you that I don't know or forget what a "TC" is, I am very sorry, but forums exist also to allow for less knowledgeable members (me) to benefit from more expert ones (you or others). I have nothing against the GS1000 simply because I don't know anything about it! My aesthetic preferences are not related to my question [TC vs Z1 confusion]. Don't take comments personally because my OP's intention was to gather opinions and, by their very nature, opinions are personal: it's not a competition, just a discussion.

[ascanio1]

Interesting thread. I remember my first ride on a Jap four, a Kawa Z650B1 around about 1978-79. It seemed a monster compared to the Bonnie I had been running. I remember a long run to the 1980 British GP at Silverstone with my mates - a couple of GS 750s, a Z1, GS1000, CB750 (K4 I think), CB400, a DOHC 750 and a Guzzi Le Mans. Without exception, we all thought the Guzzi was the most sexy bike out of the lot. We didn't hang about on that ride, all of us two-up and loaded with camping gear. We were stopped by the police going through a little village - he said 'Right, where shall I start - breaking the 30, 40, 50, 60 or 70 mile limits?' I think he realised he would be there all day booking us, and he was on his own, so he let us off with a warning. Just as well, two of my mates didn't even have licences By far the quickest bike on that ride, the one that left everyone else for dead, was the DOHC 750. Which I think says more about the rider than the bike.

what bike was the policeman riding?

[ascanio1]

Tom - I think we all agree that the Z1 is the iconic bike to buy....start shopping!http://m.freeclassifieds.com/details.aspx?adID=oGl1iH9NjlJu0O-GwJseTw==

This bike looks awesome. Unfortunately I have to add 3,000$ to ride it in Tokyo so I made him an offer.

[754]

I don't mind teaching and enjoy discussing all this. Sorry about the brief TC answer, but the CBX won't run near it.
 I did not vote.. What I did find odd though is how hard some fought for their favorites on the strength of only a single attribute.
 The GS for example.. So apparently. It set the world on its ear... But seems like most respondents on here hardly even mention it.... Whatever.,
 I still think that in the sea of UJM,s in the 70,s....... The R90 S, Laverdas and Guzzis with the low bars...made their mark..

[ascanio1]

I don't mind teaching and enjoy discussing all this. Sorry about the brief TC answer, but the CBX won't run near it.
 I did not vote.. What I did find odd though is how hard some fought for their favorites on the strength of only a single attribute.
 The GS for example.. So apparently. It set the world on its ear... But seems like most respondents on here hardly even mention it.... Whatever.,
 I still think that in the sea of UJM,s in the 70,s....... The R90 S, Laverdas and Guzzis with the low bars...made their mark..

I'll add the Guzzis and the R90S to the list. You have direct experience and, if you sincerely think that the Guzzis/BMWs were a match on the road, not only I respect your opinion, I value it. So, please vote.

As for the GS1000, I really don't know what else or more to say! I repeated it 5 or 6 times and I will say it once more: besides aesthetics I have absolutely nothing against that bike. In fact, on the poll, voters obviously like it and think that it turned more heads than both the Ducati or the Laverda.

Please vote!

[754]

Wait a second, I am not saying they were a match for the others per se,  and in case I got the word iconic wrong, I am saying they were very memorable and large part of the 70,s scene.

[Retro Rocket]

You do realize that the Kawasaki Z1Rtc wasn't a production bike at all, actually neither was the Laverda Jota, the Z1Rtc was a dealer special that had a turbo stuck on a completely standard Z1R and the Jota started life as a Laverda 3C, the Jota was built by Roger Slater, Britain's Laverda importer... Both should be left out of this list... Most people on here are Honda people so it doesn't surprise me that few know about the GS, I knew plenty of guys that had them as soon as they were released, one successfully raced one in its first year, he now owns a Suzuki dealership, Talk to member 750cafe, he has a shed full of GS's....