Topic: 1970's alternative iconic bikes ??

[754]

Scott just how long have you had that bike..?
 The guy beside you.. It it a Z1R?

[scottly]

That's not me; I took the pic. I guess that was a Z1?? (It was 1000cc with a bikini fairing and sort of a coffin tank?) I'd owned the Seeley for about two months before those pics were taken, and had taken it apart and put it back together and on the road only three days before.

[flatlander]

cal, just to be technical: that picture was of her face not her arse 

[flatlander]

sorry, didn't read all of ascanio's post. chuckled on your comment, though.

[flatlander]

by the time my brain boots up it will be spring here... gonna see if google translate can pick up on which dialect of any of your languages your post contains 

[ascanio1]

@ calj737 & flatlander...

Do you guys always bicker at each other like this or are you just in love with each other!
  LOL

Jokes apart, calj737, I don't dispute your interpretation of iconic. It's perfect for you. I'm just saying that mine is different: outside the bar we were not looking for a beautiful girl to marry and have a stable relationship with. We were more into a different kind of girl... the kind that would go "WOW!!!" for a 4 cylinder jap and "EUCH...!" for the R90...

I want 3 or 4 bikes which were trendy, cool, wow and damn fast, at the time. Not the "best" bike but the most head turning object.

[flatlander]

no worries indeed. i'm going back to hibernating.
in the meantime carry on deciding on the best chick magnet.

p.s.
ascanio i'm gald you came to your senses and are again considering the guzzi

[Stev-o]

Tom - start a new poll here so we can pick your new bikes!

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?action=post;board=24.0


Then link it here in this thread

[Wobbly]

@ Retro
Nothing to do with fitness but enduring the initial discomfort: I believe, that the position is something you can get use to over time and with a little patience (and, perhaps, some Ibuprofen) until it won't bother your wrists. That's what I meant. I love the low bars now. I never had a better "touring bike" than my RR (mostly up and down passes all day  in the Alps and Dolomites) with my wife (and her backpack) pushing against me downhill, and thus with tremendous pressure on the wrists. When I took my CB750 across the Sahara, I did so with clip-on handlebars. Naturally, I don't have a problems with my wrists on the Katana. It's the more upright position that kills my back (injury).
@ascanio1
For the price of one MV Agusta America, you could almost purchase all the other bikes combined. The last time I saw one on EBay, it was priced at 24,000 Euros.

[simon#42]

you should have bought that one wobbly , they are double that now .

[Retro Rocket]

@ Retro
Nothing to do with fitness but enduring the initial discomfort: I believe, that the position is something you can get use to over time and with a little patience (and, perhaps, some Ibuprofen) until it won't bother your wrists. That's what I meant. I love the low bars now. I never had a better "touring bike" than my RR (mostly up and down passes all day  in the Alps and Dolomites) with my wife (and her backpack) pushing against me downhill, and thus with tremendous pressure on the wrists. When I took my CB750 across the Sahara, I did so with clip-on handlebars. Naturally, I don't have a problems with my wrists on the Katana. It's the more upright position that kills my back (injury).

I hear you on the bad back......   Brickies laboring, brick paving and concreting put paid to that ..

[Retro Rocket]

@ RR

We're not comparing the "impact" on motorcycling. We're comparing "desirability". Hillary Clinton certainly has a greater impact than Rihanna... but, which one would you prefer in bed?

I would bet a Guzzi Sport would turn more heads even in Italy, than an early GS1000.....

That's for sure: look at the prices...

It would be the GS thousand rider turning his  head , looking for the Guzzi....

It would take someone with pretty poor taste not to like the look of this Suzuki GS1000S, thats half the problem, Guzzi has some nice bikies but some are just butt ugly...

I'm not so sure that it would be the Guzzi to be left behind... again, I was not there, so that's for you, 754, calj, Steve-o, simon etc to dispute which would be faster on an open road.

As for looks... whaaaaaat?? LM 850 butt ugly? Really?!?!?!
C'mon... comparing a GS to a LM 850 it's like comparing Hillary Clinton's butt to Rihanna's butt!!!

No, we weren't comparing desirability, the thread title says "1970's alternative iconic bikes ??" with a question mark and thats exactly what i'm talking about, to be an iconic anything you have to have made an "impact" of sorts, thats what i've been saying all along,  its as simple as that... Dude, the Guzzi had 20 less HP and a shaft drive, even though it had a sporting stance, which was typically European at the time, the Guzzi was a slow steerer with a long wheelbase and did about 125mph flat out, the Suzuki stock did about 140 MPH and steered perfectly in comparison, it was a NO contest, and you are absolutely right,  Simon  is a racer and knows this too...  I'm glad you like the looks of the 850LM , I don't mind them either but  there were far prettier bikes around at the time and i never said it was ugly, I said "some Guzzies were butt ugly", the second bike you pictured is a GS850G shaft drive, not a GS1000.......
 I don't care really if you like it or not,  the title of the thread asked for  "1970's alternative iconic bikes ??", like it or lump it, the GS, in the motorcycle world at the time, was iconic, a simple search of the road tests of the day will say the same things i've said, and I've never even owned one, i'm just saying whats quite commonly known to the older guys that rode Japanese bikes in the damn 70's, why is that so hard to understand....? Something doesn't even have to be popular or desirable to be "iconic" , thats all up to personal taste, i'm just giving you the facts....

[754]

The Guzzi I speak of was out in 74 or 75 the GS Suzi was not yet a recognizeable glimmer in any dealers eye.
 I think to be fair here we should split this,  70-75.  And 76-80...... Then it would all be in more closer perspective. Put an end to..... well 4 years later this one had 20 more hp (bit less torque), and any complaining that the Z1R TC came out, thus ending the hp race for about a good halfdecade or longer... But if he he MV Augusta is in.... then the Z1R TC. Has to be in too.

[Retro Rocket]

The Guzzi I speak of was out in 74 or 75 the GS Suzi was not yet a recognizeable glimmer in any dealers eye.
 I think to be fair here we should split this,  70-75.  And 76-80...... Then it would all be in more closer perspective. Put an end to..... well 4 years later this one had 20 more hp (bit less torque), and any complaining that the Z1R TC came out, thus ending the hp race for about a good halfdecade or longer... But if he he MV Augusta is in.... then the Z1R TC. Has to be in too.

Missing the point Frank, I haven't tried to make it a pissing contest, some here seem to lack the ability to digest the information presented that made certain bikes stand out , the op hasn't got a clue and speculates like its fact with statements like, "I'm not so sure that it would be the Guzzi to be left behind", clearly he has no clue, The GS1000 will absolutely flog it in every aspect, everything i've posted is FACT. There's no need to split the 70's, seriously, there were plenty of bikes but only a few that were of any note, the Z1R turbo wasn't one, it was a big pig as a road bike, it was blindingly fast and that was its only claim to fame, it was a pig of a bike to ride, terrible geometry and handled horribly, thats probably why it hasn't been mentioned yet, Those points are also well documented. I did think about it but it isn't really worth a mention. Don't you guys know what google is...?  Its all there to be read whenever you decide to become more informed, all the original articles, all the stats, all the expert comments, I've told you before Frank, we weren't much into drag racing down here, we are good at producing road racing world champions, motorcycle circuit racing was massive here in the 70's and 80's, drag racing was its poor second cousin and offered little feedback to manufacturers about making changes to new models, unlike circuit racing, just another fact...
So i'm out of this stupid "chick magnet" thread as its become glaringly obvious the OP doesn't like being presented with rational relevant points, from guys that actually rode these bikes, he wants something pretty so he can finally get sex......Good luck with that, kinda reminds me of Fenders.... 

[754]

Like I said many times over a lot of years, your market was not like our market, and it can be as fickle as not having a high volume dealer in our area.

 He asked for input, and he is getting in from a few different countries, which had their differences.

 To bad you don't live near Seattle,  a nice 78 GS1000. On craigs for 1200.00 bux right now..

[Stev-o]

Hey Mick - I agree with you about the GS, iconic bike, surprised you don't have one. 

My buddy's Father had one and he passed last year, I knew him, he was a super cool guy.  I had a chance to buy it, but it was the shaft model (L?) and I lost interest when I found that out.

[750cafe]

Ride one and you will want one.   

[ascanio1]

@ RR,
I created a new poll to cater for your correct critique about my thread title. Please, vote, I would appreciate it.

I really didn't mean to be vexing or exasperating when I better specified my parameters and I'm sorry if I don't I don't have a clue of what I'm talking about, but that's exactly why I asked for help in this forum! RR, you're perfectly right that I have no understanding of those bikes and I'm not ashamed at all to admit it: I was not around in those times. Simple as that.

But you're wrong when you say that I don't like to be "presented with rational relevant points, from guys that actually rode these bikes" because that's actually the very thing which I'm trying to do! It is you who don't seem to like the fact that other "guys that actually rode these bikes" don't agree with you. And to prove that you're wrong I even created a poll to "sterilize" the topic from my own ideas and bias which are in favour of Guzzi, Laverda & Ducati.

Don't feel that I'm scanting the GS because I'm not: I'm simply reading and learning from forum members' opinions, including yours. But so far not everyone agrees with you that the GS turned heads as much as the Honda CB750K or Laverda1000 did,in their times. But I'm happy to consider the GS when sufficient people, who know what they're talking about (and I don't, as we agreed), will concur with you that it was the fastest AND turned heads more than its competitors, when it came out.

As for the thread title, again, you're right: it reads "iconic". And I already explained in many posts, before this one, that your understanding of "iconic" is probably closer to the dictionary while mine is childish, silly or whatever... ok, so, I made a mistake in the title. Point taken and granted.

But the reason why I posted this question was not to start a flame about which was the best bike but to get help to recreate a feeling which absolutely must include these characteristics: "desirable", "popular" and "head turner". So Let me rectify and offer a new title, more specific to country, era, style of life, etc:

"I want help to decide which 2 or 3 bikes, not more (budget constraints), were alternative to a CB750 K and would help rekindle the feeling of a specific era, the '70s, in Italy, when riders enjoyed to race each other on the open streets and then pose outside cafés to show off their bikes. Somewhat like the British motorcycle world of cafe racers of the time, but stock."

---------------------------------------
@ wobbly,

@ascanio1
For the price of one MV Agusta America, you could almost purchase all the other bikes combined. The last time I saw one on EBay, it was priced at 24,000 Euros.

Yep... can you tell us what the sale price was, compared to a 900SS or Z1 or CB750K, in those days?


@754,

The Guzzi I speak of was out in 74 or 75 the GS Suzi was not yet a recognizeable glimmer in any dealers eye. I think to be fair here we should split this,  70-75.  And 76-80...... Then it would all be in more closer perspective. Put an end to..... well 4 years later this one had 20 more hp (bit less torque), and any complaining that the Z1R TC came out, thus ending the hp race for about a good halfdecade or longer... But if he he MV Augusta is in.... then the Z1R TC. Has to be in too.

This is another important point. Thanks 754. Every new model will always appeal more than an older one but that does not make it iconic. You say that the GS could flog the 850LM (I believe you) but then, probably, the 850LM could flog the CB750K (I don't know, as we agreed I don't have a clue) but that would not make the LM850 more iconic than the CB750K. It's not enough to be faster or better. To be iconic a bike must also be appealing, desirable and turn heads.

[ascanio1]

Please vote in my new poll:http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=144002.msg1637637#msg1637637.

The poll in this thread is closed due to a misleading title.

Which were the 2 fastest, most iconic & desirable alternatives to the CB750K in the 70s? I would like help to decide which 2 or 3 bikes, not more (budget constraints), were alternative to the CB750 K and would help rekindle the feeling of a specific era, the '70s when riders enjoyed to race each other on the open streets and then pose outside cafés to show off their bikes. Somewhat like the British motorcycle world of cafe racers of the time, but stock."

The bike must fit the following parameters:
1. Fastest on the street;
2. Turned more heads / desirable;
3. Accessibly priced;
4. Sold from 1969 to 1979;

It's obvious that a 1980's bike would be faster and more desirable than a 1970 one. So please consider each bike in its own time.

[754]

I just looked for Guzzi info. Wikipedia claims the 76 850 Lemans to be of the top 5 most powerful Motorcycles.   Hmm
 The one that I knew as a Burgundy 74? V7 Sport.  Lists them at 62 hp..I imagine pretty good torque..oversquare engine.. Probably revved nicely..
 Can't bring up any pics of a burgundy one.

[ekpent]

The original Black Bomber 450 from the 60's did make a few waves at the time and was Honda's big bike. Back to the 70's folks--------------------------

[754]

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

[Stev-o]

The original Black Bomber 450 from the 60's....

That is the IMPRESSIVE 450 I'd like to have.

[ascanio1]

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?

[754]

Sounds like a scammer. About three things pointing to that direction.
 Regardless of where he bike is,  tell them you will send someone to look at it, if they can't let go hat happen.. Not so good.
 If he is scamming, you will never look at it thru him, cuz he does not have it.