With the introduction of the Blade the Japanese manufacturers scuttled off and redesigned their idea of a Superbike, the larger machines in their respective stables being consigned to sports-tourer status while most had to start from the ground up just to stay on a par with Honda. Some great machines came out of the time however all spurred on by the CBR900RR.

It is important not only to look at what came after the Blade but also what preceded this ground-breaking machine. The class leading Superbikes of the late 80s and early 90s all saw huge increases in power year-on-year, but with it came equally large all up weights. The head of the class before the CBR900RR, the Yamaha FZR1000, thought by all at the time to be a very advanced machine, weighed in at over 200kgs making it one big lump of a bike when it came to throwing it around. Honda Design engineer Tadao Baba, the man who single-handedly penned the CBR900RR knew that saving weight was the answer for the next generation of Superbike, effectively he created a racer on the road, an ethos that has lasted 20 years to date.

First seen in 1992, the Fireblade was in existence many years before its arrival on the world scene, an internal competition, between Honda design departments to create the ultimate 750cc sports bike during 1887, led to two designs being taken forward, one a V4 that we now know as the RC30 and the then unsuccessful CBR750. The latter machine was not chosen as it was too similar in many ways to the opposition, but it did share more than a passing resemblance to the bike that became the Blade, basically a scaled up, and far more powerful CBR400RR, a machine that pre dates the first Fireblade by four years. Incidentally the CBr400 was forst of all named the hurricane but gained the Fireblade tag too later in the machines life.

Tadao Baba, the head of that competition, was later rewarded a year later when a full-blown version was given the go ahead, this resulted in the first CBR900RR model of 1992. It was also among the first machines to have a real name instead of a set of numbers and digits indicating its model designation, soon everyone know what a Fireblade was and, despite costing over 7K, most wanted one too.

The first model broke several moulds, seeing a return to the early 80s thinking of a 16inch front wheel for lighter steering and huge savings in weight seeing the finished model tipping the scales just 4kgs more than Hondas own CBR600F. The Yamaha FZR1000 of 1991 weighed in around 36kgs more than that first CBR900RR, leaving the Honda engine with far less work to do and the rider even less so.

Upside down forks where forsaken for a much lighter pair of conventional tubes, although the lower castings did look, from a distance, like a pair of upside downers just to stay fashionable. The engine stayed true to the general Honda thinking of the time, a relatively simple 893cc four cylinder DOHC affair that produced 122bhp but thanks to clever design work the power plant was little larger than a CBR600F. The chassis, once again broke few rules looking much like that of any other leading machine of the early 90s but there was a handful of innovations tucked away in the dark recesses. Mass centralisation became the watchword (before this point it had been a purely Italian thing to do) and Tadao Baba produced a road machine that was stable at speed and yet supremely agile and easy to throw around.

Baba used a single-minded approach to the design, personally track testing each and every incarnation during that four-year development period, usually alongside the top Honda race pilots of the time. Clearly Baba is no mean rider as the first Blade took the world by the scruff of the neck and changed the expectations sports bikes riders forever. Baba remained on the Fireblade project for the next twelve years until the 2004 version, even now, overseeing every new model and helping out the designers in his position as quality controller of all Honda two wheeled machines.

As each and every new model marched on, usually following a two year development pattern, the Fireblade developed into the hi-tech machine it is today, the first models were raw and brash so much so that few could really appreciate or even use its full potential. These days however the Blade is a different animal, not sanitised or fully tamed into submission but more approachable to a wider audience. Even so if one were to sample a 1992 model against a 2007 version the basic elements would still be evident, light weight, superb manoeuvrability, but in more recent times these attributes have been joined by comfort and a wider talent base.

To keep the CBR at the front of its game the engine capacity grew in 2000 from the original 893cc to 929, then again two years later when the RR-2 model stretched out to 954cc. Following the two year development and revamp cycle the engine yet again swelled to 998cc in 2004 making CBR RR-4 series a full on 1000. By this time the Fireblade was one of the most technologically advanced street machines as an electronic steering damper joined the well-sorted engine management systems to create a bike that is so easy to ride it beggars belief.

High mileages aren’t a problem providing the engine has been well looked after, a 10,000 miler will be barely run in making a 3-4 year old bike as good as new, while the oldest of the breed are cheaply available and still ride like a fresh machine. All Fireblades offer stunning speed and acceleration no matter the age the older version do it in an aggressive and uncivilised manner while the newer you go the power feels less but is actually well tamed and controlled. Used prices are ridiculously cheap for such performance and build quality with ten year old bikes tipping the price scales a shade over the two grand mark while few examples will be over mileage for its age either.

Fireblade History, the first decade

1992 – CBR900RR FireBlade debuts.
Featuring an aggressive Supersports-styled bodywork highlighted by tiger-stripe pattern paint job.
All-new 893cc inline-4 engine features one-piece crankcase and cylinder running race like slipper pistons for a compact and lightweight configuration.
38mm CV carburettors.

Lightweight and rigid twin-spar aluminium frame designed for optimised mass centralisation.
Quick-handling 45mm hybrid cartridge-type front fork with lightweight forged bottom cases.
Lightweight ‘Yagura’-style aluminium swingarm with CIVSIII remote reservoir damper.
Responsive 4-piston calliper brakes with 296mm floating rotors.

1994
New front cowl with new dual multi-reflector headlights behind one-piece flush-surface lens.
Aluminium finish silencer.
Lighter weight magnesium head cover.
Fully adjustable cartridge-type front fork.

1996
Newly designed main fairing and front fender feature thinner and lighter construction.
Engine displacement boosted to 918.5cm3 for a stronger rush of power and a wider, more useful band of torque.
Map-type computerised ignition system.
Stainless steel exhaust system with aluminium canister-style silencer.
Triple-box-section twin-spar aluminium frame.
More robust Yagura swingarm.

1998
Wider-looking front cowl improves air management and reduces air resistance.
Newly improved engine realises stronger power and torque output.
Tapered box-section aluminium swingarm optimises balance of rigidity for lighter handling.
Front brake callipers and larger 310mm floating rotors
Fully electronic instrument panel.
HISS (Honda Ignition Security System) theft-deterring immobiliser

2000
More compact and sharply angled fairing design with 3-bulb headlight.
All-new engine delivers stronger power and torque for more aggressive performance.
PGM-FI fuel-injection system with bypass starter for quicker and easier starts.
Titanium exhaust system features H-TEV (Honda Titanium Exhaust Valve) for enhanced high-speed performance.

Lighter and more rigid aluminium twin-spar frame.
43mm inverted front fork.
17″ triple-spoke front wheel mounts new wide-carcass tyre.

2002
More aggressively designed bodywork.
Larger-displacement 954cm3 fuel-injected engine.
Larger yet lighter new ‘Works’ type hybrid aluminium swingarm.

Specifications 1992 Honda Fireblade

• Engine – Liquid-cooled inline-four four-stroke DOHC
• Capacity – 893cc
• Bore/stroke – 70 x 58mm
• Power – 122bhp @ 10500rpm
• Torque – 65ft-lb @ 8500rpm ft-lb @ rpm
• Carburetion – 4 x 38mm Keihin CV
• Transmission – 6-Speed wet clutch chain final drive
• Frame – Alloy twin spar
• Suspension – 45mm telescopic forks, Pro Link single shock rear
• Brakes – 296mm discs 4-piston calipers, 220mm disc single piston floating caliper
• Wheels – 130/70 x 16 180/55 x 17
• Weight – 185kgs
• Top speed – 167mph
• Wheelbase – 1405mm
• Fuel capacity – 18lts

Honda CBR900RR Fireblade

The starting drill is as simple and straightforward as the bike itself. Fuel and oil taps on, retard the ignition slightly using the lever on the left handlebar, pull in the de-compressor to get that 79mm piston moving up and down its long, 100mm stroke, and swing on the folding kick starter like you mean it. I’m rewarded first time by an, only slightly muffled, bark from the gleaming, high level pipe snaking down the right hand flank of the bike. This is clearly a well-prepared and set up machine.

After a few moments to warm the bike up, I hook the sweet acting gearbox up into first and nudge the advance retard forward as I pull away, marvelling at the lightness of the clutch action. Cracking along some back lanes out in the Leicester countryside, the bike is in its element. These are the sorts of roads that time seems to have forgotten and the Model 18 is made for them.

A builders’ van swinging out of a side road brings me back to the 21st century with a jolt and gives me a rapid demonstration of the effectiveness of the 7in drum brakes. Like everything else on the bike, they’re not only well set-up, they’re also remarkably effective and I’m soon safely back in the Thirties. Winding open the throttle brings the lusty urge of the long stroke engine into play and I enjoy the sound of the exhaust bouncing back at me from the rich red Leicestershire brick of a farmyard wall. Summers are made for bikes like this.

The gearbox is a delight. It is essential to take gear changes slowly and even precisely, I did find third gear slightly difficult to engage sometimes but I would put that down to my lack of experience on the type rather than a common problem. And as for the clutch, Even after repeated, feet-up U-turns for the camera in a narrow lane, dragging the back brake and slipping the clutch, it still steadfastly refuses to slip, drag or otherwise misbehave.

Back on more open roads, I can explore the trials replica’s performance at higher speeds. Out of respect for the age and condition of this superb machine, I’m not tempted to see if our top speed estimate of 80mph is realistic, but I’m impressed by the Model 18’s willingness to whip up to 55-60mph in no time. Who needs more than that for an hour or two on proper English country roads like these anyway?

Performance is not what a bike like this is all about anyway; leave that to the Gold Stars and Vincents. What this bike does so well is to transport its rider into the past. A past where there’s less traffic, lass hassle and more time to enjoy the simple pleasures of life. Pleasures like having no particular place to go on a beautifully restored and impeccably behaved British single. And if that single looks as good as this superb Model 18 trials replica, then that’s just a bonus.

On the rough – Norton’s pre-war trials option

The Model 18 was a significant machine in Norton’s line-up, being their first overhead valve model when it was introduced in 1926. But, by 1932, the Model 18 had moved out of the vintage era into a brave new world between the wars. With dry-sump lubrication and the magneto re-sited behind the cylinder barrel, the bike looked positively modern in comparison to its predecessor. And, by 1938, a four-speed, foot-change gearbox and enclosed valve gear could be added to the list of refinements.

But if, as a sporting type, you wanted more than the standard Model 18, from 1935 Norton offered a Competition option for an extra five quid. Your fiver bought you a diamond-type frame, offering extra ground clearance, a stylish, high-level pipe, narrow forks and a non-QD front hub gleaned from the cammy model parts bin, a folding gear lever and slim, chrome-plated mudguards, together with trials ratios in the gearbox and knobbly tyres. That might not sound too impressive, but that would bring your bike very close in specification to the works machines of Norton trials ace Jack Williams, Ralph Dee and others. In other words, it was enough for a gentler era of trials.

Nortons OHC engines

The Norton overhead camshaft engine is probably one of the most famous motorcycle engines ever made, spanning 5 decades.

The OHC engine was designed by Walter Moore during the winter of 1926/27 with its familiar dimensions of 79 x l00mm and was initially tried out by Stanley Woods in Germany in early 1927. One part of the design which never changed was the use of bevels for the camshaft drive, but early on tooth failure was a problem, a problem which was to reappear later.

The bottom half of the engine was based on the existing Model 18s but there the similarity ended. The camshaft was driven by two pairs of bevel gears and a hollow vertical shaft. The bottom gears were contained in a blister on the crank case and the top pair were encased in an aluminium cambox with the magneto placed behind the engine.

It is generally understood that Walter Moore received a better financial offer from NSU, which he decided to accept. He personally owned the design of the OHC engine, which he proceeded to make available to them and they later produced a Norton look-alike OHC engine, this in turn prompted Norton to redesign their own engine.

Arthur Carroll took over as Chief Designer, assisted by Edgar Franks and a Norton rider/development engineer, Joe Craig. Carroll, a draughtsman, together with Craig designed the now famous ‘Carroll’ engine, which first appeared at the North West 200 in the spring of 1930.

This engine incorporated extensive changes from the Moore design but still retained the original bore and stroke. Then for 1932 the International appeared in both 490 and 350cc classes, and a name which was to represent world-wide sporting success was established.

During the 1930s the design changed little although coil valve springs were replaced by hairpin springs on the works bikes because of breakage (to be followed later on production models). Different materials such as magnesium and ally-bronze were used, helping to improve engine performance by reducing its overall weight and rolling resistance.

For 1935, hairpin valve springs were specified and the petrol tank was increased to 4 gallons and the oil tank to 7 pints. The gearboxes were now of a new type built by Burman and virtually copied from the Sturmey-Archer design except for a fully enclosed positive stop mechanism. This cluster was to be used virtually the same in the Commandos during the 1970s.

During 1936, the works bikes used a plunger-type rear suspension but for all others solid rear ends were the norm. From late 1937, selected riders were given the new plunger type rear suspension but without all the lightening holes.

In January 1939, Joe Craig who had been involved in the development of the OHC engines since 1929, left Norton to join BSA and Norton eventually pulled out of racing. A racing International with telescopic forks was catalogued for 1940 but never produced. The ‘over-the-counter’ Model 30 (500cc) and the Model 40 (350cc) Internationals continued with steady sales and were more popular than the CS1 and CJ versions which were dropped from production after 1939.

Specification: 1938 Norton Model 18 Trials replica

• Engine type - ohv single
• Bore and stroke - 79 x 100mm
• Capacity – 490cc
• Compression ratio – 6.5:1 (6.2:1 standard)
• Carburettor – Amal Type 76
• Lubrication – dry sump, gear oil pump
• Claimed power – 21bhp @ 5000rpm (for 1946 engine fitted)
• Transmission – four-speed
• Ignition – Lucas magneto (magdyno)
• Electrical system – 6 volt dynamo
• Wheelbase – 54.5in
• Front tyre – 3.00 x 21in
• Rear tyre – 4.00 x 19in
• Front brake – 7in sls drum
• Rear brake – 7in sls drum
• Dry weight – 360lb (est)
• Fuel capacity – 2.75gal
• Top speed - 80mph (est)

Norton Model 18 Gallery

During the birth of the modern day motorcycle, no one had any hard and fast ideas about its perfect shape and form. When Honda created the inline four cylinder Superbike in 1968, the rest of the leading protagonists shot off in different directions simply to avoid copying, all to return at some point, some within a few short years and others around ten years later. In between times all began creating various guises of machinery, lets just say it was hard to become bored with the variety on offer.

Kawasaki’s bent, following the crazy 500 triple of 1969, and with nothing but aged twin-cylinder two-strokes to call a small capacity line up, was to create a whole range of similar looking machines, all using the same basic layout of an air-cooled, inline, piston-ported, triple motor. The engine being the dominant feature of all of these new three-cylinder machines, sticking out level with the riders feet, and with a brace of exhaust pipes winding their way from the front of the cylinders down and under the cases before flowering into a lop sided array of chrome work by the rear wheel. One feature this new line up had that stuck however was the seat fairing, a common sight nowadays, but really advanced and radical thinking back in 1972, this plastic extension to the rear of the seat also allowed a small storage area to be built in as the 70’s biker found himself carrying bottles of oil and the like. This short period of design excellence aside , nothing else really stood out as advanced thinking, the chassis being of basic construction and, while the rest of the two wheel world was waking up to hydraulic disc brakes, the small Kwaks made do with drum stoppers all round, albeit with a reasonably powerful, 180mm twin-leading-shoe affair on the front. In 1973 the S1’s big bore brother the 350cc S2 did get the disc treatment but for some reason the S1 didn’t. This could have done little to help sales of the type in the UK as by this time the learner brigade had been introduced to this technology by other manufacturers, in fact the Kawasaki would have to wait a further three years for this to be implemented.

The engine layout, with its smooth power delivery so typical of a 120 degree crankshaft, worked well with the larger capacity machinery in the range, especially the stunning H2 750, but when utilised in a smaller package the 250 and 350 versions were left wanting, still, it was enough to make the Kawasaki two stroke range stand out from the twin cylinder bikes of Yamaha and Suzuki, certainly in looks, even if the performance was left somewhat lacking. The Kawasaki triple engine is standard fare for any one who has ever stripped a horizontally cast power plant. The gears sit in the bottom case along with the crank with just the added cylinder sticking out on the timing side. Twin lipped, rubber seals provide the seals between each crank, this adds to the friction losses greatly, Yamaha had a lot of things right with their frictionless, labyrinth seal design but, of course this couldn’t have been used, even if patents etc allowed it, due to the uneven firing order that would see one side of the crank with a differential in pressure to the other two. Instead Kawasaki chose to run straight cut primary gears, these are far noisier than the opposition helical designs but at least they transferred the power from the crank to the gearbox with minimal losses. The outright power was there, the S1 produced around the same as the equivalent Suzuki and Yamaha 250’s of the period, but the internal friction losses were higher and the peak torque far lower. The result is a peaky engine that never really gets a move on until the revs are way up around the dusty end of the tacho and to keep it on the boil does take some fancy clutch and footwork, not really the stuff of the learner market place.

Getting a leg over the S1 reveals it to be a small machine, the engine dominates the image but, once sat in the low saddle it is barely noticeable. A short prod to the kick-start lever has the triple burbling away, unevenly at first as the pistons and rings heat up and swell to fit snugly in the bores but, within a few short blips of the throttle, all is well and the engine happy to go. Select first and start to release the clutch to provide forward go and it soon becomes clear that at low speed and in traffic the clutch lever is going to become a close friend. It feels like an age until it can be fully released or risk stalling the engine. Anywhere below 6k on the tacho is of little use in the real world, its ok if you are in second or higher as a quick stomp down on the lever has the piston-port engine buzzing and raring to go but, if you are already as low as you can go in the five speed box, it is time to call on your new found friend, the clutch for some help getting away.

Although the sound the three pipes makes is a speedy one, on the road the S1 doesn’t feel fast and that is simply because it isn’t, top speeds near the ton have been claimed but in reality high 80’s and low 90’s are the norm for a well cared for S1 or KH250, and way less than those figures if ridden two up. A standing start from the lights will have the Kwak lagging behind too, with a standing quarter around the 17 second mark the triple is likely to have a good go at the Honda twins of the period but anyone with any sense would shy away from taking on the RD and GT at their own game. Even then when well on the move it is still a good idea to give those two a wide berth as they excel in all areas except looks, park up alongside outside the chippie by all means but, when the engines fire up, find a good excuse and head the opposite direction, or even better still stay behind and talk to the girls at the bus stop about how nice the bike looks.

Sharing the same chassis, engine bottom end and dimensions as its larger capacity brother, the 350cc S2, the baby of the three-cylinder family is too heavy for the few horses it does create. There is no power to be had, or used in anger, below 6000rpm and even then things are a little slow developing, the engine starting to show some interest around the peak of the torque before running out of puff less than a grand later. Keeping the engine on song with three of every thing to contend with was never an easy task, the slightest upset in multi carb and contact breaker set up would create an uneven engine and considerably sap the power, the difference between a finely tuned and not so fettled version is immense when sampled alongside each other. Get it all right, stomping gears in as required and the cat takes off as if mildly scalded, however allow just one of the many permutations to wander out of sync and the disinterested pussy is left with a lot less go. The same can be said of the front brake too, get it set up as the book says and it is capable of a convincing stooping experience over short periods, let it wear or get out of adjustment and be ready for clean set of pants especially when trying to stop in a hurry from the bikes top speed.

The chassis is more than capable of holding the engine in check during normal upright use and, were it not for the pipes bulking up the midriff, the S1 would have a decent amount of ground clearance, as it is however, the Kwak does drag itself around corners when ridden with a sporting enthusiasm. This is no bad thing as it acts as a limiter to the way the bike is ridden, but it is a shame as the short wheelbase should have yielded a snappy and exciting ride however, at speed, and with fast changes of direction the bike appears to have a change of mind mid corner, the front end follows the riders inputs with accuracy but something is lacking mid chassis, it feels as if a small hinge is built in and the rear end isn’t so firmly attached.

As a bike of its generation the Kawasaki certainly had the looks to beat the rest, however the big K did chicken out when compared to the other motorcycles they had produced both at the time, before and since. Gone was the adventurous and daring ethos seen in the big bikes of the range; instead we got a mild mannered and not so hot 250cc machine that got slower as tie passed, no doubt the US market played no small part in this as well as the impending UK learner laws and Kawasaki simply milked the deign for all it was worth over the next 8 years until the type finally disappeared from the showrooms in 1980.

Kawasaki S1 and KH250 Timeline

1972 – S1 chassis number S1F-00001
The first of the quarter-litre triples and, with a claimed 30bhp, by far the most powerful. Kawasaki were keen to establish a reputation in the smaller capacity classes and thought the mini 500 would do just that. Front mudguard colour is matched to the bodywork for this early model.

1973 – S1A chassis number S1F-04691
A chrome front mudguard was the only significant external change, the S1A was offered in three different colour ways, however a drop in power to 28bhp was also implemented.

1974 – S1B chassis number S1F-12001
Now minus the friction steering damper but sporting a new design seat and the locking filler cap from the Z1. This model, with the new switchgear allowing the choke to be mounted on the left handle bar, was only offered in one shade, Candy Green.

1975 – S1C chassis number S1F-16300
The chrome side panel badges were replaced by stickers and the wheels now sported wider tyres with 3.25 and 3.50 front and rear respectively. Halibut blue being the only colour for this year.

1976 – KH250 A5 chassis number S1F-24400
Revised clutch actuating mechanism marked the major change for this short lived interim model, noise and emission regs started the decline of the type too as restrictive exhausts introduced across the triples range dampened the engines enthusiasm.

1976 – KH250 B1 B2 chassis number KH250B-000001
The steel fork lowers were replaced for lighter, alloy items that now sported a 277mm single disc brake grabbed by a single piston-floating caliper.

1977 – KH250 B2 chassis number KH250B-008601
Although externally identical to the B1 the total power was knocked down a further 2bhp to just 26, making competing with the ever-faster machinery from Yamaha and Suzuki even more difficult for the heavy triple.

1978 – KH250 B3 chassis number KH250B-018501
Minor updates, the shape of the seat, and a new design, triangular shaped, front brake master cylinder set this version apart from the earlier models.

1979 KH250 B4 chassis number KH250B-025001
The side panels were no longer colour matched to the rest of the bike, being finished in plain black, three scheme were offered White, Lime green and plain red although the latter is extremely rare.

1980 KH250 B5 chassis number KH250B-028701
The end of the line for the triple two stroke. Now offered only in Kawasaki racing green as a mark of their series of wins in the 250 and 350 world championships, the road machine bearing no resemblance to the race bike however. The KH was dropped from the side panel logos and now printed in large white lettering on the seat cover

Kawasaki S1 250 triple Specifications

Kawasaki S1 250 Gallery

The Suzuki GT550 is often viewed as the poor relative of the water-cooled GT750, or even little more than an overbored 380 but it is a valid motorcycle in its own right.

On paper, the GT550 should be a perfect match for the 500 Kawasaki, it shares the same basic configuration and before actually viewing each beast you could be forgiven for thinking they would go head to head just nicely. Based on the race track like performance of the Suzuki T500 twin, the GT series should have been a rip roaring line up of motorcycles but, the reality was very much different with the power delivery being aimed squarely at mid range acceleration and legal speed cruising.

It shares few components with either of the other triples and other than the basic silhouette and looks it could be from a different school of thinking. Despite looking very similar to the GT380, the 550 is in fact larger in every area, not least the size of the front discs being 20mm wider to give a stronger stopping sensation, although this is still grabbed by the same size caliper, and a wheelbase increased by 40mm. Never one of Suzuki’s finest moments, the floating single piston caliper design is a poor performer, especially on such a heavy machine like the GT550. On the test bike, contempt for Suzuki’s best work has been shown by fitting a left hand fork leg, disc and caliper from a GT750, effectively giving the 550 the stopping power it both needs and deserves. The feel that is fed back up through the lever is transformed from wooden, into a real brake that can be used with complete control, while bringing the stopping power up to a safe and sustainable amount.

The 550 engine differs quite considerably from the smaller, six-speed, version too, although similar in basic layout, the main differences are to be found on either end of the crankshaft, the busiest end being the right hand side that has the take off for the contact breaker cam and tacho drive whereas on the 380cc engine the tacho is driven from the rear of the engine. The Suzuki inline triple is a silky smooth power plant. akin to a six cylinder four stroke in its approach to making good and pulse free power. The result is a turbine like machine that is nice to ride not at all behaving like a piston-port two-stroke should, the engine easing itself into a sort of power band but one not as strong as two strokes from the likes of Kawasaki and Yamaha. As two strokes go this one makes a good hit at impersonating a middleweight four-stroke, its big and bulky although to be fair it does carry this weight well particularly at a stand still when the bulk of the low slung motor never makes its presence known.

Deep into a bend the heavy triple isn’t the happiest of machines, the spindly steel tube frame and swing arm are right at the edge of their game while the twin shocks at the rear are easily pushed beyond their combined capabilities. With such a wide and low slung power plant ground clearance is always going to be an issue, to further compound this the wide, four-exhaust pipe set up grounds easily while the non-folding footrests make you pay heavily for any extra angle of lean. Even in a straight line the GT isn’t totally happy, the lengthy, 1430mm wheelbase should help out in the high speed stability stakes but it fails miserably, the frame never really settling down even when allowed too.

It is hard to pigeon hole the GT550, it isn’t a sports bike and really, with its thirst for petrol, stops well short of being a viable tourer too but lets not forget this machine comes from a time when the definitions where considerably less well defined. The differing classes of motorcycle had hardly been decided, with most classes and types that we are familiar with today not even having been thought of. It is a good motorcycle, predictable in most scenarios, never a true sporting machine but then again the ride rarely goads you on to pushing to such lengths. The critical factor in its pretence as a tourer is the heavy fuel consumption, the three pistons have a voracious appetite for petrol and on a long journey, with the bike returning around 30-35 mpg, stops for a fill up get both repetitious and plentiful. This trait aside however, and in the saddle the ride is as good as it gets for a seventies machine with a wide, plush seat and plenty of room for two people; the engine doesn’t mind lugging a load either and has torque to spare. The power delivery of the engine makes for a great twisty back road machine but this is let down by the severe lack of ground clearance and its high all up weight.

With such a smooth engine it is crucial to have a similarly silky clutch and gearbox, the six-plate clutch certainly doesn’t disappoint and is one of the very best from the decade, positive in its engagement while feeling strong and totally bullet proof. Likewise with the five-speed gearbox, which is easy to use and has well selected ratios, although the engines wide spread of power means you wont be shifting up and down too often. Of all the Suzuki’s to be fitted with a gear indicator light this is one model that rarely needs such a thing as the engine has scant regard for being in the wrong ratio, it will happily pull a gear either side if the one you really ought to be in should you get it wrong making the digital readout all but redundant.

With 50 bhp on tap and a surprising amount of torque too the engine pulls nicely around a 1000rpm below the redline and this is were the most fun is to be had. The best compromise between pulling power and outright horse power is had around the 5000rpm spot trouble is there is an annoying buzz about the whole bike at this point on the tacho restricting the amount of time you would want to be there to a very short one. The tacho redlines at 7500rpm but the engine doesn’t respond well to such lofty expectations, the best results are to be had by revving the engine to its maximum horse power output at 6500rpm, around this mark a top speed around 95mph is indicated, it will go further but not in any hurry. The top speed, once you finally arrive, isn’t so impressive with a real world figure around the 110mph mark on the speedo but the lardy all up weight is largely to blame for he poor performance in this area. The engine isn’t a highly tuned or as peaky to ride as a Kawasaki triple from the same period but it does still get a move on, the midrange push is strong and wide, completely removing the sense of a rush into the power band that most other two-strokes exhibit, but the acceleration away from the lights or a low speed corner is far stronger, on the arms at least.

In keeping with most of their air cooled two strokes, Suzuki saw fit to envelope the head with the Ram air shroud and to some this might seem a little on the crazy side, I mean why cover something up that needs to be open to the air to cool down? Well the answer is a simple one, the barrels and cylinder heads do not cool by simple radiation with the outside, they cool by convection into the air so by directing the flow directly to the head it creates a better cooling effect, add to that the fact that by forcing the wind blast into the duct it looses pressure which, in turn, makes the air cooler still, the effects and bonuses of such a design are clear. With the engine being placed so low, the front wheel and the mudguard deflect much of the air blast away from where it is most needed, the ram air shroud does much to correct this by gathering in the airflow and heading it in the right direction before letting it go again at the rear of the cylinder head. The effect is so efficient that Suzuki claimed there was no noticeable loss of power as the engine gets to full working temperature, an asset most welcome in such a touring based design.

In typical 70’s Suzuki style the GT550 engine must be in neutral before the kick-start will work but, unlike its smaller brother, the 550 also has an electric starter, so a simple press of the button is all that is required to get the triple into action. The electric starter motor sits under the engine between the frame tubes and drives via a sprag clutch onto the primary drive of the clutch basket, this soon has the motor spinning away. Once life has been given the engine burbles away sweetly; the smoothness of the 120-degree crank evident by its complete lack of vibrations low down in the rev range and a quick check of the tacho needle is often required just to prove it has actually started. A strange, uneven sound is produced by the exhaust system the two large pipes working to create the same tone while the lower smaller pipes have a slightly higher pitch as they share the flow from the middle cylinder. The four pipes are there purely for show as three are perfectly adequate for doing the job, the decision by Kawasaki and Honda to fit four pipes to each of there top Superbikes being the most likely reason for Suzuki to do the same even though it flies in the face of two-stroke performances thinking. The centre pipe would work a whole lot more efficiently at higher revs if a conventional expansion chamber type design was employed but then one side of the bike wouldn’t look so cool would it?

The initial drum braked version apart, there were no significant modifications made to the GT550 design, proof of the engine and chassis capability from the very early days of its design, although in the end stringent US emissions regulations marked the death knell for all of the Suzuki two-stroke triples. The old piston port engines having a liking for throwing out, completely unburnt, a good deal of the fuel they consume, whereas the new range of middleweight four-stroke-fours that appeared from Suzuki in 1977 didn’t emulate this bad habit.

Comparative weights

Honda CB500K2 – 203kgs
Kawasaki KH500 – 191kgs
Kawasaki H1 – 174kgs
Yamaha RD400 – 174kgs
Yamaha XS500 – 210kgs
Suzuki GT550 – 200kgs

Suzuki GT550 timeline

1972 GT550 J – blue, gold
Twin leading shoe drum braked version of the two-stroke triple.
Front brake and paint schemes apart the type hardly changed throughout the next 5 years.

1973 GT550 K – Gold Metallic, lime metallic, blue
the aggressive drum brake was replaced by a technically advanced, yet inferior in performance, single hydraulic disc

1974 GT550 L – Hawaii green, marble red, silver

1975 GT550 M – met grey, candy orange, black
Power was increased by 3bhp and the barrels were chrome plated rather than using the earlier iron liners. The previously connected exhaust pipes became separate.

1976 GT550 A – forest green, targa red, candy rose

1977 GT550 B – met blue, spark silver
the last of the GT550 series, this made way for the GS550 model introduced in this year.

Suzuki GT550 Specifications

Suzuki GT550 Gallery

When Honda introduced the first of the GL series at the 1974, Cologne show the rest of the world could never have imagined it would create a whole new breed of motorcyclist and riding style, let alone still be around in one form or another today. Most had considered a larger version of the CB750 to be on the cards, however few had guessed correctly. Now in its fourth decade and its fifth generation of continued production the Goldwing is a true phenomenon of modern motorcycling. The machine combined what appeared to be a perfectly normal, conventional chassis and cycle parts wrapped around nothing less than a car engine to create a perfectly well behaved machine. The overhead camshaft flat-four resembled something out of the back of a Volkswagen car and is technically nothing out of the ordinary, just good sound engineering practise put together in typical Honda style. Despite looking like an automobile engine inside the flat four was all pure motorcycle with large valves and hemispherical combustion chambers producing a healthy output for the period, pumping four large pistons that sat on top of a CB750 like five speed gearbox.

Although often ridiculed for being too big and heavy in reality the GL1000 is a surprisingly nimble machine, hiding its not inconsiderable mass well thanks to the low slung fuel tank and flat layout of the horizontally opposed engine, in effect there is little of any weight above ankle height, even the gearbox is situated deep in the bilges, making the machine easy to throw around even at speed. Whilst on the subject of speed for its time the GL was no slouch either being as fast as the benchmark sports motorcycles with a top speed a shade over the 125mph mark and a 12.73 second standing quarter, faster than a Porsche 911. In use the early GL1000 is a real doddle to get the hang of with few vices, save for the spongy rear shocks that once loaded up are little problem. With a wheelbase a shade longer than a “normal” motorcycle the general handling is impressive, combine this with good brakes and a laid-back demeanour and riding the wing is addictive fun. It does feel at times however like the brakes could snap the front forks such is the combined power of them and the weight backing up behind the front wheel, it is all in the mind however and I cant recall an instance of any Goldwings snapping in half at the squeeze of the front bake lever, none the less Honda did fit larger and larger diameter forks as the model developed over the years. A strange idea is the size of the rear brake being 12mm larger in diameter than the front rotors and also grabbed by a more powerful twin opposed caliper rather than the single piston floating type used on the front. The rear disc effectively has a twenty percent bigger swept area for the pads to grip than the front discs making it way too powerful especially when stomped on by your best size nines.

Ground clearance is the limiting factor in cornering but one soon learns to ride accordingly by going in that little bit steadier before using the torque to stomp out, exiting probably as fast as if you had tried to go around on your knee but without decking the can covers. Of course many degrees of lean angle are eaten up by those hungry shocks and fitting a longer stronger pair will aid the situation no end.

The flat-four engine is a silkily smooth delight, even now some thirty years on, so one can only imagine the impact upon the biking community way back at the types launch, pulling from way down low in the rev range and maintaining a smooth power curve all the way to its redline with peak power being made a seven thousand rpm. The power is continuous and certainly up there with the Superbikes of the day with acceleration times and indeed top speeds equal to the mighty Z1 et al. Five perfectly chosen ratios seamlessly slot into the rev range to give the big machine yet another nudge with every shift towards its impressive three figure top speed. If you look in the biking bible under the entry for smooth gearboxes, nine times out of ten it will say “see Honda” and that is certainly the case here, aided by a clutch so light it would be better served on a middleweight machine, not a big heavy weight bike like this.

You can move weight around within a structure to help, or indeed totally destroy its balance, but you cannot ever lose that weight, it will always be there. It is this bulk that totally destroys the rear suspensions best plans of keeping the plot in shape, being a very basic design of unit the damping fails miserably when passing all but the very smoothest if tarmac. In typical Japanese testing style no doubt this bike did thousands of miles around a race track being tested by professional riders, this practice common in the sixties and seventies almost without exception failed to highlight a machines worst handling habits and really only served to push horse power limits to the maximum. Consequently we saw a generation of Jap machines that looked and went superbly yet handled relatively poorly particularly when compared to the Latin machines that were usually developed in a more laid back and hands on style. The GL’s general demeanour is fine in a straight line, providing cats eyes and thick white lines are steered away from but get in a bit of a mess mid corner and the big Wing gets all squirrely with the rear trying to do a better job of steering than the front, for a while it manages this challenge and the worse thing you can do is back off the throttle. The best thing you can do however is junk the original shocks and fit a pair of more heavily damped units.

Shocks apart, the only real tangible fault that you can find with the GL1000, bearing in mind its age and status in the biking world, is the rather pessimistic electric fuel gauge, the fitting of which was yet another first in the biking scheme of things. To be fair it was good of Honda to fit one where it is, smack bang in the middle of the faux tank where it would grab your attention at the right moment and had it been blessed with stunning or even half accuracy it would have been a good thing however the reading does drop, both suddenly and erratically, leading you into thinking you had better find a gas station pretty soon, the reality of the situation is however that you will have many more miles left in the tank.

Honda GL1000 Goldwing Model History

The Goldwing project began in 1970, soon after the completion and subsequent launch of the radical CB750 four, the design brief was simple it must have a bigger capacity than both the Z1 Kawasaki and BMW R90 and produce more power and carry a greater load than the 1200 Electroglide. The aim was clear, challenge and overcome the domination of Harley Davidson in the US cruiser market. The Honda research people were keen to explore the possibilities of ever increasing capacities taking the 750cc concept, first seen with the 1968 CB, onto greater things with more power and torque being produced to good effect. The prototype GL nicknamed the M1 or king of motorcycles was an elaborate design featuring a 1400cc six cylinder engine not unlike the later 1500cc Goldwing and Valkyrie of the mid 1980’s.

Once the basics of the design were forged the rest took care of itself mainly out of necessity, of course a flat engine whether it be four or six cylinder either has to be liquid cooled or feature huge ducting to direct air to the rear cylinders as they sit behind their hot mates up front. The huge torque forces created by the crank spinning in line with the frame was cleverly offset, unlike the similarly powered Guzzi and BMW’s, by driving the weighted alternator in the opposite direction (the crank spins clockwise when viewed from the front) effectively dissipating the energy to reduce to nothing the negative impact upon the bike. The engine was quiet too with rubber belts driving the camshafts and the water jackets hiding any extraneous sounds from the top end. The perfect primary balance kept everything smooth while a five-speed gearbox, driving a wet multi plate clutch, handled the transmission via a large shaft to the rear wheel. Ignition wise once again there was nothing spectacular providing the sparks, no CDI or the like just a pair of good old fashion points although the advance retard mechanism was actuated via a vacuum system to take into account engine load.

Build quality was superb featuring wheels laced with wire spokes attached to aluminium rims, later models soon had the cheaper to make Comstar design, while the fake fuel tank up top opened up to reveal the electrics and also some storage space. The real fuel tank is situated below the seat very near the centre of gravity and helps melt away those 584 pounds of excess baggage far better than if the five gallons had been balanced on top of the frame like a normal bike.

The type, despite a slow start with a mere four thousand sold in its debut year against a prediction far higher than that, did eventually take off in the states and this in turn led to the opening and subsequent production of GL1000’s in America although considered a risky move the first American built Wings left the factory in September 1979. That year the model also was increased in capacity via a 3mm larger bore size to 1083cc and with this change cam a new CDI ignition system greatly helping the types reliability. Smaller carburettors were continually fitted year on year to aid fuel consumption, this was a regular area for criticism in the press at the time with some journos reporting figures as low as 15 mpg during sustained high speed use, the tank was also small for a long distance cruiser greatly exacerbating the problem of a heavy right wrist. The gearbox was revised too, making the towing of trailers and low speed pottering easier, along with a lowered seat and a lengthened wheelbase all aimed at making the king of tourers even more capable of the job in hand.

Honda wandered off a few years after the types introduction to fully develop the sportier models like the CBX and the CB1100R but they did return and the GL grew in both capacity and stature within the two-wheeled community. The Goldwing is a massively popular lifestyle motorcycle possessing one of the largest followings, if not the largest, of any machine ever made and is without doubt the most developed with an unbroken production run that has seen the basic GL1000 grow from an unfaired Superbike to the gargantuan long range six cylinder super cruiser we know today.

Honda GL1000 1975 Specifications

Honda GL1000 Goldwing Gallery

Yes, there was one!

It may well come as a bit of a shock but there was a perfectly good and happy life to be had before the arrival of the Yamaha RD series of machines all those years back in 1973. The Yamaha 250cc twin cylinder dynasty actually began as far back as the winter of 1964 with the YDS3, with a 350cc version, the YR3, joining this a little over four years later. These very early models were just like over grown 125cc machines with their vertically split casings and lightly finned heads and barrels, performance wise, whilst generally being a match for British designs, they certainly were no competition for some of the hotter machines being made by other oriental producers.

The YDS7 and R5 appeared on the scene at the turn of the seventies, not only to counter the threat from Suzuki, who were also making some pretty impressive small capacity two strokes, but also out of a need to save money for the middleweight race projects. Not that the factory racers needed cheaper parts for their machines, the OW’s that did all of the winning in the hands of the various Grand prix stars that rode for the tuning fork brand were vastly different, it was the production bikes that had to be built to a price. The cheapness of the air-cooled TR and later water-cooled TZ’s was directly attributable to the many similarities found in cycle parts and engine castings of the roadsters.

It wasn’t only the engine that bore a remarkable resemblance to the race bikes, the chassis too was strikingly similar to the Yamaha racers of the period, hence the new roadsters rating as a fine handling and eminently manoeuvrable piece of kit. Much store is placed in the RD’s family heritage, but as gene pools go, the YDS7 and R5 are far more closely related to the piston port race machines than the later roadsters ever could be.

Within a few short weeks of their launch the road going twins, and in particular the 350 version, were being ranked as giant killers with staggering superiority around the twisty bits and with a top speed in treble figures, at least some of the time, almost unmatchable straight line ability too. The combination of light weight and good reliable horsepower figures giving a sprightly performance in all areas.

They are very stylish machines, with lines so much sleeker and all up weight considerably lighter than their immediate successor, the more bulbous RD A and B series. In actual fact the RD series continued to pile on the pounds with each and every new version right up until the launch of the featherweight LC range in 1980. Despite very similar design features, and an almost identical looking engine unit, the bike actually shares very few components with the later RD version. The five-speed gearbox is not directly interchangeable, despite the early RD’s having the use of only five of the six gears ratios available (another story for another day!), and many other engine parts are not useable between the two types.

Riding any of the piston port twins is a rewarding experience once the idiosyncrasies of the type are mastered. The need to keep the engine buzzing, and with it the engine comfortably up in the power band, can sound to innocent bystanders as reckless, loutish behaviour but its all part of living with an early seventies two stroke. Once up onto the pipe the little Yam, with its lack of reed valve induction, gives a far bigger kick to the seat of the pants than the same capacity RD ever could despite putting out less power at the rear wheel. The sensation remains all the way throughout the arc of the speedo, providing you keep throwing in those gear ratios with sufficient speed the acceleration remains constant and even by today’s standards, impressive. It is crucial not to short shift as once the revs have dropped off the pipe then all the engine does is bellow at you until you clutch it and downshift eventually getting the bike buzzing again.

It is important to mention that the noise created at tick over is not in any way confidence inspiring, the early air-cooled engines certainly do make some mechanical noise. We have, in the last twenty years or so, grown too cosseted with the water-cooling and body work serving to cocoon the whirling and clattering engine components and effectively damping any engine noise. With the Yams a heady mix of piston slap, small end bearing jangle, exhaust ding and fin rattle combine to create a din, not too dissimilar to a bag of spanners being thrown around an empty industrial unit. Once the engine is given the go ahead however the mechanical noise either diminishes or takes more of a back seat, making way instead for the hollow resonating roar of the tiny metal air filter box and the sharp cackling dissonance of the one piece, cigar shaped silencers.

Corners appear quite quickly and the need to slow the whole plot down a bit soon becomes a matter of urgency. A quick squeeze of the most important lever on the right yields little initial response worth calling a brake as the 180mm diameter, twin leading shoe, drum set up found at the bottom end of the cable needs some waking up. The first thought is always that the brake has failed to operate in some way as the cable gives a fair bit of spongey feel to the lever but, keep hold of it and the initial grab that was so lacking at speed makes itself apparent in a more subdued way as the shoes begin to heat up and consume the kinetic energy. Judicious amounts of the identical diameter, albeit a single leading shoe design, rear drum adds to the stopping experience no end, unlike a more modern disc rear that have little impact upon the trajectory of a speeding bike the Yamaha drum actually does something. Although not as immediately efficient as the later race replica cast iron, twin piston, disc stopper, a well set up Yamaha drum brake can be ridiculously fierce at pedestrian pace and once hot, full of feel at the higher end of the velocity spectrum.

With the speed comfortably scrubbed off the story found with the later RD’s is all too evident with the bike that started it all, you have to get the front working very hard. The forks are not happy when slack, the front wheel has to be relied on fully for the sharp handling that the type is renowned for. On both models a primitive, friction type steering damper, running directly through the headstock, is fitted but in reality its use was never really necessary on the smaller version and only very light settings useful with the 350.

Tyre sizes are small by modern day standards but this adds to the general manoeuvrability both at low and high speeds, these tyre sizes are perfectly adequate for the power of the engine with the 250 machine never giving cause for concern although the R5 can be a bit more of a handful. Of course with such little power on tap you are never going to light the rear up so there are few if any problems to speak of with that end. Even so the small horsepower outputs that are evident do create some problems especially with the standard rear shocks and their total inability to damp and spring at the same time once a few miles had passed underneath the little twin. Fortunately Japanese suspension has moved on, literally in leaps and not so many bounds, from those early days. Those YDS7’s and R5’s that are in use either have replacement units or rebuilt Yam items those, hopefully, work better than the original 1970’s jobs.

Any capacity Yamaha twin is a simple machine to live with, easy to work on and cheap to run. I feel the YDS and R5 have just that little bit more of an air of mystery and attractiveness, providing a far better insight into the world of the racing two stroke than any of the later RD series. Finding one in original condition could prove difficult as most were modified with after market and later RD parts to create a mismatch of bikes that effectively is worthless as a collectors item but will be a rewarding ride none the less.

Yamaha YDS7 Specifications

Yamaha YDS7 Gallery

Braking is the one area that does take some getting used to, no matter how hard or aggressive you squeeze the front brake lever the front end hardly moves, the entire braking force is transfer horizontally back into the chassis and never gets up into the headstock area like on a conventional bike. The end result is the suspension is left to get on with its job without the brakes trying the bend the forks back into the engine block and as the front end no longer dives down and sharpen the steering up during this process the steering can be sharp all of the time instead of being a bit lazy when the brakes aren’t on.

Purists would say the front-end lacks feel, holding on to any feedback that the tyre may offer and stopping it making its way to the rider. This would be accurate and a problem addressed in late models of the Tesi but you really do have to be flying around on it to get into this phase of the process. At sane levels of performance the bike is like any other, just a darn sight lighter to the touch and easier to punt around.

The Tesi can trace its roots back to a race machine originally built in the mid 80’s. This was the result of a university degree course completed by Bimota designer Pierluigi Marconi that saw the design used as part of the subject matter. The first tesi ( or thesis) featured radical hydraulically operated steering which although effective in use added to the complexity and weight. The first example also used Honda V-4 power plants that proved both heavy and bulky, causing the frame to be too wide and the engine to be mounted far too high in the chassis. The first road going machine was planned for release in 1987 but the boom and bust of the Italian motorcycle industry saw Bimota doing the latter and the project was shelved in favour of more profitable and financially less risky projects. 3 years down the line and the Tesi resurfaced this time with a Ducati V-Twin power plant that fitted in the Omega chassis as if made for it, the marriage was made in heaven and the Tesi suddenly made sense. The two plate that make up the chassis could now run far closer together while the engine could remain at a reasonable height from the deck keeping the weight low and the C of G as intended when the design was first penned way back in the early 80’s. Everyone agreed the new Tesi looked and went well, the only down fall, as is often the case with Bimota, was the huge price tag attached to bike.

There is nothing quite like the Tesi on the road at least. Even the best of the race tackle fails to come close to the speed and agility of the tesi during the cornering process. Honda has a good go at foring the masses to accept something different with its Elf race project but the only thing of note that came out of that was the idea of mass centralisation and the single sided swing arm as seen on the RC30 and 45, and later licensed to Aprilia for use on the AF1 125. There has been the odd attempt at mass-producing the hub centre steering cause and theory, the most prevalent being the Yamaha GTS1000 first seen in 1992 although this was aimed squarely at the touring market and the price was prohibitive when compared to other production tourers like the VFR750.

With its highly stressed Ducati engine and typically Italian electrics its more a case of what doesn’t go wrong. The Tesi, as it left the factory at least, certainly isn’t a lot of use on a day-to-day basis as faults can be both annoying and commonplace. The most obvious of these is the futuristic digital dash board that give a readout of every vital sign concerning the bikes well being, this can shut down, give temporary erroneous readings or even wipe out the mileage of the odometer forever such is the fragility of the design.

Deeper into the mechanics of the chassis, the pushrods and bearings that make up the steering are also prone to wear and its subsequent effect upon the way the bike handles. Outside of these areas the overall simplicity of the rest of the bike make for an easy life.

Bimota Test 1D Timeline

1982
Pierluigi Marconi pens the design as part of his degree course

1984
The first Tesi unveiled at the Milan show, it had hydraulically operated steering and met with some success on the racetrack

1987
The first road going Tesi was announced but halted due to Bimota being on the brink of bankruptcy

1991
This time it was for real and the Ducati powered Tesi 1D was made available to all with the necessary cash.

1996
Production of the original Tesi was ceased after just 200 units had been assembled

Bimota Test 1D Specifications

Bimota Tesi 1D Gallery

Externally The Rebel is exactly the same size as the T250 in every respect, the same chassis, clean lines, brakes, all except the piston and carburettor dimensions, are carried over to the 350. The extra power and torque on tap from the 350, make the front end unpredictable when hard on the gas, while at any kind of lean the front wheel washes out and calls for a great deal of respect to be given.

Switching the ignition on and getting ready to start the T350 reveals the only fault found with the design, both the switch and kick-starter are placed on the left hand side making it difficult for those more accustomed to having these on the top yoke and right hand side respectively. It never feels natural to be kicking with the left boot, the Suzuki is a sprightly starter but none the less, it is clumsy and fraught with bruised shins until mastered.

Power comes on strong and healthily from a shade over 3500 and for the next 1500 revs this is the best place to be for pottering around and minding your own business. The bike has little to say for itself within this range and is happy to keep up this pretence all day long, let the revs rise however and a second wind is achieved, the engine takes off again on its way to the redline around 8000 rpm. Unlike its gearbox happy 250cc stable mate the 350 will stay in one gear right down into the lower reaches of the tacho and then back up again, gear shifts are few unless you really want to race something else.

Looking at the frame reveals a conventional and hefty looking, twin down tube design that is echoed at the rear end as the loops meet the top rail at the mid point of the seat. There is a distinct absence of any tubes doing any serious work in the middle of all this however and the hole left between the headstock and rear swing arm pivot is vast in comparison with other designs. With so little metal work in the chassis one could be forgiven for thinking the ride could be compromised, in truth however, the handling is as sharp and predictable as anything else in its age group, with only the powerful engine sticking its nose in and ruining the show.

Quite strange in modern times is the feel from the front forks, they are very soft and compliant but, have very little in the way of travel, with a mere three inches of usable movement the result is more like ten, such is the way they handle bumps and unevenness. This is totally at odds with the rear that, by comparison is very stiff, riding out the bumps of the road surface but, rarely removing them before they reach the rider perched on the slimly padded, and not at all soft, seat. A twist or two of the friction damper that runs down the centre of the steering stem, soon has the Suzuki playing ball again although, this in turn spoils the low speed handling once back in traffic, so constant adjustment of this damper is needed to get the ride just ride for the relevant surroundings. It isn’t all-good when on the move, at speed the twin leading shoe front brake does lose much of its composure, the initial grab that is so keen below 50mph is almost none existent above it. The bike does slow but, with no sense of urgency, until down shifts and rear brake is thrown into the equation to ease the poor guy up fronts work load.

The engine is so torquey, thanks to Suzuki’s desire not to produce a true fire breathing monster, the bore sizes may well be increased from the T250’s 54mm but, the all important ports, by comparison, are not enlarged to the same extent. Using Suzuki’s “ Vol-U-Matic” porting technique has created an engine with tons of usable grunt that doesn’t get out of hand like a one might expect a powerful piston-port stroker to do. The capacity actually adds up to 315cc which is a good 32cc’s shy of the Yamaha R5, even with such a disadvantage the T350 gives a good account of itself especially with that extra ratio in the box compared to the Yamaha’s five speeds.

Aesthetically the T series is very pleasing to the eye, on its side stand the 350 is pert and willing with a tail down and head up attitude. The overall design is simple and not in any way ostentatious, not bristling with chrome like many from the period but rather functional and business like with every thing in the right amount. This doesn’t diminish once on the move and the twin is eager to go. For a little machine the 350 Suzuki is a real mover, feeling like a 250 but going and pulling far stronger. The carburetion is complex, using instruments of a size previously unseen with this capacity of engine the potential for an over rich mixture, and with it bogging down low in the rev range, in use however the 32mm Mikunis are smooth and well controlled, creating a low down grunt not normally associated with piston-port, two-stroke engines.

It isn’t just aesthetics the ergonomics are pretty good too, the bars fall to hand exactly where they should for a comfy ride while the footrests and seat are just spot on. Looking back at magazine tests etc from the period and Suzuki did indeed place great store in this model and has to get every aspect right for the super competitive, and choosey, US market place.

We in the UK didn’t get a good shot at this model and few will have actually seen, let alone ridden one. This is a great shame as the T350, had they have ever met, would have been a worthy challenger for the now legendary RD350. If things had been different, Suzuki may well have developed the 350 twin along the same lines as the RD series and, with that scenario, would have come greater strides in two-stroke technology. We will of course never know as the middleweight T350 was axed before it could ever flourish to make way for the GT triples.

Suzuki T350 Rebel Model History

In the mid 60’s the general consensus within the motorcycle press was that the production of a two-stroke over 250cc was highly unlikely, the belief being that the two stroke engine was little more than a fragile toy on the road, and a small capacity machine for race use only. Suzuki broke that mould in the latter part of 1967, first with the T500 twin and, despite serious doubt being placed upon that machines mechanical integrity, began the emergence of the type as a serious motorcycle. The first of the middleweight Suzuki twins, the 305 Raider appeared a year after the donor machine the T20 in 1969, identical in every way to the 250cc bike but featured a larger 60mm bore size to give a capacity of 305cc. Even when fighting shy of the full 350cc engine size, the Raider gave a good account of itself against other machines in its class and was well received by all who rode it.

For the original Raider, the gearbox remained the same as the 250 donor bottom end but for the Rebel, introduced a year later in 1969, it was soon recognised that a slight “touring” edge would be desirable in the US market that the type was created for. The whole gearbox came in for revision with a lower top speed being the result but with a good deal more fun to be had in the midrange.

The capacity was increased yet again by taking the piston diameter out to 62mm to give a total volume of 315cc, still well short of the rest of the middleweight bunch on paper but not evident in use. The T350 remained in the line up as the 70’s arrived and looked like staying too, however when the GT range emerged the middleweight was sadly missing. Suzuki had pampered to the US market once again and replaced the bike with the GT380 triple, the smallest of a whole range of such designs culminating in the water-cooled GT750. If the T350 had grown into a disc brake GT, and been allowed to develop like the 250cc version was, Yamaha may well have not had such an easy ride in the two stroke twin stakes, it pure conjecture, but just imagine a GT400 to keep the RD400 honest throughout the 70’s.

Suzuki T305/350 timeline

1968 T305 Raider model code 180
Basically, an over bored T20, the chassis and cycle parts are identical with only the panel badges giving the game away.

1969 T350 I Rebel model code 181
Suzuki introduce the 315cc machine les than a year after the 305, once again it shared looks and dimensions with th new T250 machine.

1970 T350 II Rebel model code 185
Rear grab rail was the only distinguishing component between this and the first model.

1971 T350 R Rebel model code 185
Very much the same machine although the tank has lost its 60’s feel and looks more like the upcoming GT series. 2 kgs was also lost in the detail, making it slightly faster away from a standstill. A restricted GT version was produced for the Japanese market, identical in every way to the T’s but with around 6bhp less.

1972 T350 J Rebel model code 185
The last of the series and destined for axing from the line up to make way for the GT380 triple, the twin never did get the chance to don hydraulic brakes and take on the RD350.

Suzuki T350 Rebel Specifications

Suzuki T350 Rebel Gallery

The ZXR750, first seen in 1989, is a beautiful machine even by today’s standards. It is sleek and very business like looking. Lavishly finished in a thick coating of paint that is so typical of Kawasaki’s top bikes from the period, the livery mimics the racing styling perfectly. Even at a standstill the ZXR takes on an aggressive stance. It looks every bit a racer on the road with its large section aluminium beam frame and sexy air vents tucked away just below the mirrors, feeding the hungry air box, via a pair of space age vacuum cleaners hoses that disappear into the petrol tank.

In keeping with Kawasaki’s wild and raucous two-stroke machines, the ZXR750 is a thoroughly raw and untamed beast. The engine develops its 100 plus horses in way that never fails to excite while the chassis barely keeps it all in check, adding up to a breath taking journey every inch of the way. It is hard, if not impossible, to ride the ZXR in a manner less than the pure lunatic. The experience is harsh and solid, with few times during the journey upon which to take a breath and catch up with the proceedings. Pulling strongly from as low as 2000 revs, the inline four rises rapidly, up through the rev range, hardening with every increment, ripping your arms out of their sockets by the redline. Despite the tacho dial indicating otherwise, the power does cease to increase at 10,500rpm. However, the engine is willing, and indeed happy, to rev on through this to a searing redline 1500revs further around the dial. This makes for a huge adrenaline rush as the tacho dial speeds clockwise and the air box joins in with tuneful, four-into-one exhaust pipes, chorus.

Rider comfort takes a back seat with an intense attack on the senses, bum up and head down all of the way, making every journey a lap of the TT course. The steering is heavy at low speeds while the rear end is under damped and yet over sprung in a way that only late 80’s Japanese machines ever could be. The rear suspension is fatally flawed on the early H models and is a result of a badly designed linkage system, coupled to an inefficient and ridiculously stiff, damper unit.

At its best on smooth surfaces, the inadequate rear suspension and lengthy wheelbase, are easily upset, so choose roads that won’t annoy the ZXR. Having said that the front end is one of the most confident of any bike of the period. Even the benchmark Bimota YB6 from the same year, doesn’t exude the sure-footedness that the ZXR does when on the brakes and tipping into corners. The big and beefy, 43mm forks, are well damped and hold the front wheel rock steady as the engine comes off the throttle and the weight shifts and centres around the small contact patch of the front tyre. This feeling is addictive and when faced with a set of S bends the temptation is to just dive in far too hot and hope for the best. Thankfully the ZXR copes very well and makes the best of a bad, or ham-fisted job, on the way into a tight corner, but falls by the way side a few yards further on when a change of direction is called for.

Kawasaki, mindful of the homologation rules in World Superbike racing, equipped the ZXR750 with as much trick kit as they could get away with for the price. Remote master cylinders and adjustable levers are among the armoury, as is a primitive, yet still effective, reverse torque limiter. This in reality is an early form of slipper clutch and can make the ZXR just as much fun to go down the box, as it is to climb up it in the first place. Great big dollops of down shift soon has the rear end way out of line and performing all manner of tail sliding. Another handy gadget is Kawasaki’s positive neutral finder, a device that prevents the rider from snicking into second gear while at a standstill, hence making neutral a doddle to engage, just drop into first and lift up all the way and there it is, every time.

Looking back, it is clear to see that the original ZXR750 was far from prefect. A heady mix of 80’s thinking, and a desperate desire to create a winning machine on the cheap, is the result of Kawasaki’s labours while others, like Honda, could see a little further into the future. Kawasaki did perfect the beast however, and in a very short space of time but the original H version is there and can’t be erased. It still evokes strong memories among bikes from the period though. During the shoot people were transfixed by the Green Meanie it is difficult to imagine the same effect happening with a red and black version.

ZXR750 Model History

The creation of the World Superbike series in 1988, left Kawasaki seriously lacking when it came to a high performance, road based machine upon which to base a competitive racer. That first year they did compete with a highly developed, but still not quite good enough, version of the dated GPX750. With serious and costly lessons learnt in that first season, a new machine was developed based heavily upon the bikes that had seen much success in the heat of world endurance racing, the ZX7R, and the result was the ZXR750H model. Surprisingly the end result, with its alloy beam frame and race bred construction was heavier than the steel framed GPX by around 5kgs. The factory resisted the temptation to build an exotic, and prohibitively costly, pure bred, race machine as was the case with Honda’s RC30, choosing instead to make a good basis for further modification and create an affordable road machine for the masses. Although the same basic engine layout was retained power was increased by redesigning the head, incorporating huge valves to improve breathing and upping the size of the Keihin carburettors from 34 to 36mm. The use of the old design of engine did save much cost but was the limiting factor in the ZXR’s initial design. It wasn’t until a new power plant was developed and introduced that the bike started to show its true potential.

This format remained relatively unchanged for the next two years and, even if the racers weren’t successful, generally customers where happy with the ZXR750. For the H2 model power was upped and weight was shaved ,but with little impact on the scoreboard of the WSB races. In 1991 something had to be done as on the track the Kawasaki was showing lacklustre form. A new, short stroke, 71 x 47.3 mm engine was built, leaving the GPX heritage behind forever, upping power by a good degree while the chassis came in for a good deal of attention too. The wheelbase lost 35mm to aid agility while a diet lost 10kgs from the all up weight. The steering head was steepened, regaining some of the lost agility experienced in the GPX chassis while upside down forks added to the modern feel and looks. For 1991 a pukka race version the ZXR750R was also released, this freed up the designers obligations towards the race homologations requirements and left the standard road going ZXR to meet the customers demands free of the needs of the race track, something the Honda RC30 was incapable of doing.

Kawasaki’s decision to build, and continually develop, the ZXR750 was vindicated completely in 1993 when American Scott Russell clinched the World Superbike title. After a season long battle with Carl Fogarty on his 996cc Ducati the four cylinder 750cc machine emerged as victor. The ZXR continued to be improved throughout the early 90’s eventually becoming a 120bhp plus fire breathing machine. It lost the ZXR moniker during the early part of 1996 becoming equally the popular ZX7R series. The ethos was still the same however, loads of Kawasaki attitude couple with a desire to win races and selling a cart load of roadster machines off the back of this success.

ZXR750 Timeline

1988 GPX750
Kawasaki struggle to hold their own with the dated, steel frame, GPX machine, both on track and in the world of road going street bikes. Something had to be done and fast if the brand were to maintain their image of total performance motorcycles. A road gong replica of the successful ZX7R endurance racers was planned.

1989 ZXR750H1 chassis number starting ZX750H-000001
A new machine is developed, the ZXR750H. It uses the GPX engine wrapped in an aluminium beam frame. It looked good but was heavy, long, and didn’t go as well as was hoped.

1990 ZXR750H2 chassis number starting ZX750H-015001
The H2 model remained largely unchanged for the following year save for some work inside the engine to get the top end breathing a little stronger.

1991 ZXR750 J1 chassis number starting ZX750J-000001, ZXR750R K1 chassis number starting ZX750K-000001
An all-new machine is announced with a shorter and sharper chassis, upside down forks and a totally redesigned power plant. For the first time, a hotter R version was produced the ZXR750 K1 This proved to be the real McKoy, a real racer on the road.

1992 ZXR750 J2 chassis number starting ZX750J- 013901
Basically the same as the J1, although the rear suspension was sorted out, making for the best ZXR to date.

1993 ZXR750 L1 chassis number starting ZX750L-000001
This was the first ZXR to have Ram-air (one intake on the left hand side of the headlights).
The L is a different beast to the earlier versions and now Kawasaki were “on the money”. A single nose vent fed a pressurised air box and weight was well down. The engine of the previous years Race version (K models) was now fitted to all L models (minus the flatslides and the Close Ratio Gearbox).

1994 ZXR750 L2 chassis number starting ZX750L-020001
Having got the L1 model pretty much spot on little was changed over the next two variants.

1995 ZXR750 L3 chassis number starting ZX750L-030001
this marked the end of the line for the ZXR

1996 ZX7R
The name ZXR was dropped and both in Europe and the US the standard bike was now called ZX7R. The new bike had a shorter stroke/wider bore engine, which gave it much more midrange than previous models, Twin Ram-air intakes, 6 pot Tokiko brakes and suspension was now fully adjustable front and rear.

Kawasaki ZXR750 Specifications

Kawasaki ZXR750 Gallery

It is difficult, at first to take the whole concept seriously, particularly with one of the original un-sprung machines. Despite being lightweight, the old style Monkeys are sluggish and hard to get right at first, being so compact and having the same gear change mechanism as the Cub 90 that sees the clutch disengage with every depression of the gear lever. Low speed gear changes risk the whole show going vertical if carried out too quickly while higher speeds do calm the engine down considerably but at the expense of the chassis getting more than a shade wobbly. Once on the move, and settled into the cramped and awkward seating position, the ride is secure and handling controllable. The engine needs to be revved hard to make any head way, or keep up with the traffic flow and it can be quite disconcerting riding along below the level of most car windows. Stooping can be a fraught affair too, especially once up at the bikes top speed around 30mph, the single leading shoe drum brakes on each wheel, have a tough time impacting upon the machine and you do have to adjust your thinking distances, just in case.

The one overriding feature of the monkey has to be the fun of riding one, you cant go fast, but you can have a whale of a time getting around and you certainly do attract some considerably attention as you ride though towns and stop at traffic lights. It isn’t hard to see why the monkey was so popular back in the 60’s and it must have rivalled the Italian scooter in its practicality and novelty value too. With a standard Z50A model sampled, it was too great a temptation to resist when a couple of tricked up models were presented to me.

The Monkey bike stands out as a unique and hard to pigeonhole machine. It isn’t fast, or powerful, certainly not in its original format at least, it doesn’t set any new trends styling wise and yet it remains a desirable machine that most bikers would simply love to have in their garage. To most the type has stayed true to the original concept of horizontal, single-cylinder, four-stroke engine wrapped up in a simple chassis and with next to nothing in the way of social graces.

The first Monkey bike was never intended to be a production item, rather a kids plaything for getting around the vast fairground at the newly opened Tama Tech amusement park, on the outskirts of Tokyo. The theme park being aimed at all aspects of mobility and so the diminutive bike fitted in nicely with the concept and soon became a popular attraction. It was here where the name Monkey was first coined as people looked rather ape like as they rode around with arms stretched out low in order to reach the bars.

The idea proved popular and within a year the model was rolling off the production lines. Aimed at the US market, the Monkey sold in huge numbers, improvements were made each and every year with the most noticeable being the folding handlebars and seat introduced in 1968. Often thought to be a mod to get the bikes into a car boot in actual fact this was to enable the Monkey to fit into the luggage space of a Cessna 172 light aircraft, the thinking being that this workhorse of the air was soon to be owned by everyone in the US and the occupants would need transportation once back on the ground. The fold away features allowed the bike to slide into the side luggage door of the Cessna without interruption.

1973 marked the last year for the type in the UK, and the Monkey was no longer imported into this country officially. Since then however the cult has grown with many machines having been imported or indeed built from parts to create new bikes. Each year in Japan Honda release a new Monkey usually to celebrate one of the many successes of the huge corporation, this year sees the 40th anniversary model complete with a tartan seat like the original 60’s version while others in the past have included paint schemes to recognise various successes in competition and racing.

Useful Contacts

www.Monkeybike.co.uk

Honda Z50A 1972 Specifications

Engine – air-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke

Capacity – 49cc

Bore & stroke – 39 x 41.4 mm

Carburetion – 13mm Keihin

Max Power – 3hp @ 7500rpm

Torque – 2.3ft-lbs @ 6000rpm

Ignition – contact breaker

Transmission – four-speed, automatic clutch

Frame – steel tube

Suspension – 26mm telescopic forks, solid rear end

Wheels – 3.50 x 8

Brakes – 110 mm single leading drum front and rear

Wheelbase – 895mm

Weight – 58kgs

Fuel capacity – 4.5ltrs

Top speed – 30mph

Honda Monkey bike Timeline

1961 Z100
The first Monkey bike, the Z100, was launched in 1961; this was sold only on continental Europe & not in the UK. The pushrod engine from the 50cc C100 commuter bike was bolted into a rigid frame to create a fun runabout

1963 CZ100
The CZ100 was the first Monkey Bike imported into the UK featuring a 49cc ohv single cylinder engine, three-speed semi-automatic gearbox, 5-inch wheels with fat tyres and no suspension the machines came three to a crate and listed at £67.15s.5d each.

1967 Z50M
In 1967 the CZ100 got replaced with an all-new Monkey Bike, the Z50M. Designed to be more practical with separately folding handlebars, a higher seat (also folding) and a 49cc ohc engine. This was also the first model to be officially sold into the Japanese market and has since become a highly sought after version.

1968 Z50 AK0
The Z50M lasted only two years and was replaced in 1969 by the Z50A series. It has the same basic frame as the M but now with front suspension and 8-inch wheels, no lights were fitted as this was pure leisure and recreational machine.

1969 Z50 AK1 Mini trail
The first of the off road Mini Trail Monkeys arrives greatly increasing the appeal as a leisure tool and selling in vast numbers particularly in the US.

1970 Z50 AK2
This model marked the end of the line for the Monkey in the UK as during 1973, Honda UK stopped importing Monkeys. The breed did carry on of sorts with the Dax but that was not officially imported after 1978 although this did resume in the later 80’s

1974 Z50 J
In 1974 the Z50J was launched with full front and rear swing arm suspension and it is this model that has remained relatively unchanged in production for over 36 years. The current Z50J uses the basis of the 1974 model with 4-speed box and manual clutch, 12-volt CDI and 8 inch wheels. Current models include a 40-year celebration model complete with a tartan seat.

1978
The Monkey grew up to become a Gorilla for a limited time, with larger fuel tank, front & rear racks, a manual clutch and 4-speed gearbox. In 1991 the Gorilla became near extinct and was replaced by the Baja until 1997 when due to huge demand the Gorilla was then reintroduced in 1998 to the present day.

Honda Z50 Monkey Bike Gallery