1 of the best Sport/Touring models I ever owned, the 1983 CB 900 F Super Sport, 4 in line engine, absolutely amazing smooth ride and very good engine/transmission mix. A good 4 gallon tank good for 150 miles per tank cruising around 70 mph. Comfortable seat and peg location, perfect (for me) bar height and steering. Miss that bomb. 👍🇨🇦
Ah, the Yamaha XJ. When the 650 first came out, I wanted one. All the looks of the RD350, but four-stroke and a shaftie. I was an odd teen. I had a YICS model. Ran it until the gear selector went on holiday ( 138,000 miles-ish. I broke many speedo drives and cables, often taking months to replace ). Until the selector fork pin sheared, it never gave a days trouble. Smooth, comfy, quick. With Hagons front and rear, handled well too. Replaced it with a 750 Maxim. Bought it with ~14,000 miles showing, wrote it off with ~60,000 miles showing, after it had been round the clock 🙂 I fitted lower handlebars and replaced the stupid cable operated master cylinder with a bar mounted one. It broke down as often as the 650 did, ie, never. I'd have another 650 in a heartbeat.
@@bikerdood1100 I could speculate reasons for them, but it'd be just that. I can see no benefit mechanically. Maybe the designers wanted a clean, flat aesthetic to the 'bar area. Who knows. The way it was implemented on the XJ750 was particularly egregious. It was a right twat to fill. Before I replaced it with a 'bar mounted one, I used a syringe and aquarium tubing. Once. It annoyed me. With the 'bar mounted replacement, I ran a single braided line to the offside caliper, then a double banjo to run a line from that over the mudguard to the nearside. A Mity-Vac made bleeding so bloody easy in comparison. Not the worst idea from that time though. A friend had a Honda that featured an enclosed front disk brake. That was a truly shyte idea.
Love it, can never hear enough about the ground breaking, revolutionary CX500, otherwise know as the plastic maggot. Just imagine it in 1978, 46yrs ago a motorbike that was water cooled, shaft drive, had tubeless tyres and was actually cheap to buy. I love mine, at over 45yrs old I still love riding it. A good cheap classic if you can buy it before they've all been made into café racers. I always think of it as the Black knight from Monty python's Holy Grail, you can chop off it's arm's and legs but it will still want to keep fighting, nothing can kill the mighty cx500, at least I hope not. I'm not sure if it's an age thing but as I get older I prefer bikes with fewer cylinders, guess I don't fancy trying to keep 4 carburettors balanced and working with modern fuel. I think it's just a case of keeping things simple, so a classic single or twin has more appeal to me now than back in the day, so for me the best of the five shown has to be the cx500 although I'm sure to be in a minority with this one.
Use to own a ZZR 600 in blue and silver in the 90s . Traded my 450 ltd for it. Had it for 6 months and great fun and frills but my lower back couldant get on with it and so returned to cruisers . Thanks for the content, memory lane always works for me.
I had a CX500 on my way up. It used to develop a weave at an indicated 106mph, but was othwise a dependable workhorse for my daily commute. And so easy to work on. It was eventually sold when I bought my GSX1100E. I then had a CX650 Eurosport on my way down when I had to sell my GPZ900R (A2). I nearly cried as I rode it away and hated it from that point onwards. But I did sell it to part-fund my wedding 32 years ago so some good came of it!
That's a nice selection of bikes - took me back to the day! In 1981 I bought a new Kawasaki Z750 L1 which was, for me, quite a competent machine. I was never the fastest or boldest rider back then - and I'm still not. But, at 78, I'm still enjoying riding my Moto Guzzi Breva 750. Perhaps that sideways V twin is why I liked the Honda CX range, though I felt at the time that the 500 was a bit too slow and the 650 Turbo was too fragile.
I had a ZZR which was great for going fast but it was a heavy bike when going slow, especially around corners. I rode a mate's Bandit once and was amazed how fast and comparatively nimble it felt.
Narrow bars for you Bandits wide bars make life easier at lower speeds Not so great into a strong head wind All bikes are I compromise really Agree about the bandit found min very nimble
I had a first year, 1983 Yamaha XJ900F. A good bike but it put my hands to sleep at above 80 MPH. That said, I recall a courier who did over 300,000 miles on his with no engine troubles. The next year, Yamaha dropped the anti dive on the forks and increased the engine capacity to just under 900cc, curing the buzziness. They did drop and ability to alter the angle of the clip on type bars, which I actually never used on my own bike. I recall having a frightening tank slapper at 120 MPH, before a factory recall altered the nosecone fairing mounts, from handlebar to frame.
Yes contrary to popular belief these days four cylinder engines to have some buzzy vibration On many engines the basic dimensions can effect smoothness a great example of this is the K series BMW over square dimensions with very short con rods made for a notoriously buzzy engine
@@bikerdood1100 Carbs blocked solid, would only run on choke,had them off about 4 times for cleaning,paid £550 probably spent another 200 to get it on the road.
Have owned XJ600, XJ750, CX500Euro, all used for long distance commuting in the 80's/90's, 105 miles each way. The CX was competent, would stand up in a corner if you had to brake for a twat in a car getting in the way, a bit heavy on fuel for the performance but reliable with regular servicing. The XJ750 was quicker, about the same on fuel, no chain issues and still reliable with servicing - that one was stolen recovered, then used by someone else as a courier bike and still going, albeit in a very tatty but smoke free state some 4 years later. The XJ600 was a good all round bike, quick enough when ridden enthusiastically, reliable, nimble and in my view very underrated.
I had 2 standard CX500's, a custom, and a Eurosport. On the early 80's, they were decently quick economical and dead reliable. By far the best was the Eurosport. A big comfy mile eater.
Well I did have both at the same time I found the CX a use but of kit Bit the fact that I sold it after 2 years and kept the V50 for 11 years and replaced it with another Guzzi says something about the level of enjoyment they provide
I owned the rarest of the Yamaha XJ series; the XJ650RJC Seca. Whilethe XJ650RJ was a common model, what made mine rare and unique was that last C in the model designation. It identified the very special Canada-only version. Mine may be the only one who spent time on your side of the pond as my future wife and I took it on a European tour in the summer of 1982. I also happen to have a CX500C sitting on the lift at the moment as it undergoes an admittedly slow recommissioning. A couple of other interesting, rare but very affordable (for now) 1980s Hondas are the dirt-track styled FT500 Ascot single and VT500 Ascot shaft-driven V-twin. Each was only available for two model years (19282-3 and 1983-4, respectively) and only in Canada and the US. They are currently undergoing a regain in interest, but the values have remained low. Another rare, but still very affordable, classic is the Suzuki GR650 Tempter vertical twin, another two year only model in Canada and the US, though it was sold for a few more years in other markets.
had the 500 and the 700 while the 500 engine was totally friendly as the 700 ( detuned street bike), it's frame was perfect, unlike the 700. Both a pleasure to ride hard. That gsxr engine is something else, specially the 1123 cc in a 750 chassis. Used the CX messengering in the SF bay area, talk about bullet proof!
A great choice of some under rated machines. There was a Turbo XJ at Squires a few days ago. Don’t ever remember seeing one on the road before. Had my CX for 24 years now, not the most inspiring machine to ride, but have done a decent number of miles on it recently without fault. A once only design from Honda, & up to that chop & cafe craze could be picked up really cheaply. Still a good number of Bandits about.
I had a XJ 650 Turbo for a couple of years. Rode about 40.000 km on it. It was a great bike, a real competent GT-bike. The fairing was fantastic, good comfort and a reasonable fine topspeed as well.
@@bikerdood1100 Yes I agree, they could have done so much more with it. That said, I thought it was hideous when introduced, to replace the ‘fours’. Mine is a Deluxe model, so doesn’t have that binnacle contraption, lol.
had a 79 cx500 as my first big bike, pulled it out of a mates shed went all around the country with it. and have my old 89 xj600 still in the back of my garage, the engine ran out of compression.
Well a 1200s generally have a drink problem The ZzR was a Very popular bike in their time that proves you don’t necessarily need a massive engine to massive quickly over long distances
All great bikes! I had an '89 XJ900F and it did everything I wanted, a very underrated bike in my opinion. I have to confess to being a huge CX500 fan, can't explain why, I just love 'em!
Back in the dau the dispatch riders loved the CX 500. In London in the late 80's early 90's it was wall to wall Kawasaki GT 550's usually in blue. Maybe that's a theme for a future video the golden age of dispatch riders and their bikes ?
I can remember going to Claycross Kawasaki for a test ride on their ZZR1100. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived at our allotted time for a quick blast round the country roads, some keen test rider had already put it to a wall, dry stoned at that. 🤭
I found the early cx better handling than euro models as standard mono shock was terrible , the twin shocks were easy to change for better ones and a fork brace helped one end . I have a GL650 now and threw standard shock away due to bouncy ride that bottomed out , replaced with a fazer 600 shock modded and its sooo much better than standard prolink
I always liked the ZZR's never owned one though although I did own a Suzuki 750F which had the oil cooled GSXR engine like the Bandits & it was a great bike with questionable styling, the only thing I didn't like about it was how it was tuned making it really easy to stall at junctions which caught me out on more than one occasion. Other than that it were pretty much bullet proof.
I went for the CBR in the day Considering the miles I covered a ZZR would have been better I think Suzukis oils cooled unit is one of my favourite Japanese 4s bags of character
As you righlty said an overlooked decade, XJ900 is definately a bulletproof tourer. VFR750 prices here in Oz seem to be rising possibly due to the release of RC30 tyga bodywork kits & many being turned into replicas. And the 'plastic maggot' ermmm.
The Yamaha XJ series was the Toyota Corollas of the motorcycles. Wasn’t the best in any classes but they did what they should do without being a disappoitment.
The VFR is a bit of a double NT650 GT Hawk / Bross. Almost acceptable! Where it indeed not for the weight. I like the look of the red ‘96 most. Very close to the NR 750.
Close to but thankfully not the NR with its expense and questionable design Seriously considered getting that exact model very recently Would love to test one at some point Haven’t ridden a Honda V4 for some time
@@bikerdood1100 I actually like the NR’s design. The typical Japanese sports bike in a purified form. Better not try such a 96 VFR though. Might be too tempting. Just like the Yamaha GTS 1000 I rode last year. “Too powerful and heavy” suddenly becomes less of a point when you are on one. 😁
The styling was certainly of its time, still works today The Oval pistons cost a fortune to design but didn’t actually achieve too much Must have pissed off NR owners when the applied very similar styling to the VFR
! Having had the xj 650, the 750 Seca and the xj900 I can say the 650 was the nicest to ride the 750 & 900 ran out of breath to early around 105/110 mph 750 had rubber mounted bars and pegs very nice, I removed the silly cruiser bars and replaced with 'jota' bars and the piss poor cable operated master cylinder. The 900 was solid all round and buzzy on the feet, front end far to soft and bottom outy could be remedied with stiffer springs and thicker fork oil. The 650 is a more compact riding bike the engine was certainly more revable when desired handling wise more nimble than the other two and to my eyes at least much more appealing. Most of the survivors sadly have suffered from the rust both mudguards were steel of a particularly dissolving variety and the Yamaha paint did a poor job on the tanks. I never fancied to xj 600, it not having a shaft. My mates that had them and dispatched them loved 'em as a sporty handler with a real world riding position and fast enough when 'needed' ps; both the 750+900 were not exactly good on petrol ridden firmly both of them could be provoked into the mid 30's and low 40's was typical, the 650 however could be encouraged into the mid/high 50's easily enough and riding with a firm had was mid 40's. edit: thinking more about it, comparing the 750 seca to the Kawa GT 750 I had much later that was more tractable than the seca and had better top end also with better fuel consumption to boot....
Some companies did make use of cable operators red master cylinders Guzzi V50 2 did on the front Replaced it and breaking was much better You do wonder why it was a thing 🤷🏻
I had the XJ600 from new - I took it touring it was a lot lighter than my old XS750E but was rather peaky - very subdue like a 250 below 6500r/m but after that, it took off - which could push the frame beyond its limits and get into a slapper if ratting - I'd say it was a sports tuned engine in a touring frame - the tyres were thin and sometimes only lasted a week on tour 2 up. Build quality was not the best by 40 thou parts were starting to look tired.
Wait tyres lasted a week What were you using ? Had a lot of bikes it that period and never suffered anything like that and I did a lot of miles even then
@@bikerdood1100 I put a Micheline Tour on the back Saturday morning took my army mate from Essex to the Isles of Sky 2 up and was back in the shop the following Saturday it was on its canvas - I had a Continental fitted after that which lasted way longer - the Michelline lasted 1300 miles - even the lads in the tyre shop were shocked - I bought an FJ1200 after that and went all over Europe - it was built for 2 up-mile munching - I now ride an SRX600
I owned also a XJ600. Rode it on a circuit day at Zandvoort the Netherlands. At high speed i enjoyed a speed woble. After that i mounted White Power front springs and it was a huge difference. After that i rode the bike several times at circuit days at Zolder, Zandvoort and the old Nurnburgring. I was proud to be faster than some bigger bikes. Also i did a long holiday in the mountains of Austria. Great times.
I’ve always felt the cb400 /4 is a bit overrated The four cylinders don’t equal good performance in a bike that small, 400 twins were better really and 550 is a much more workable capacity for a 4
The early CX's didn't look too bad. Subsequent models couldn't have looked more 1980s if they had backcombed hair, a headband and leg warmers. Their claim to fame was the courier market, in which they excelled. Throwover panniers, huge hand muffs, a bag full of bungee straps and you were ready for six figure mileages.
Given a good cam chain Mine lasted 30 odd thousand miles only and that was a Eurosport Definitely its Achilles heal everything else seems bomb proof Mostly
@@bikerdood1100 Yes, Honda had lots of cam chain issues at the time. Courier mechanics worked on little else, so I assume they developed workarounds for the primitive tensioners to enable round the clock mileages.
Stator failure that is all too common on Japanese bikes in my experience It’s just a major pain in the ass on the CX because of access, failure rates weren’t any higher than say other Hondas but the poor access makes for a miserable experience
Diversions, Bandits and plastic maggots aren't affordable classics. They're just cheap bikes. I like Bandits, I've had 3 over the past 20+ years, but they are not, and will never be, classic bikes. My father had a CX500 as a commute hack way back and has said the same about them. A CBR600F2 is a better choice for an affordable classic than any of those three, for the same money.
Not in my experience with early CBRs faster sure Better no Also an XJ isn’t a diversion that was later and slower 🙄 Had a CBR for about 6 years and it remains the least favourite bike I’ve owned Terrible in cross winds Crap two up And my God why don’t Honda put sufficient grease on anything in the factory It was 2 years old and an absolute pig to work on Traded my CX in on it Shouldn’t have bothered Faster doesn’t equal better I quickly found A trip to Scotland on the thing soon proves that
@@bikerdood1100 well by your example my RGV250 is a terrible bike, no one would want to buy them and they're not a valuable classic. A big part of what makes a bike a classic is the image, and those bikes don't have that image when it's parked in a garage. Park an RGV250 and a Bandit side by side and no one will look at the Bandit, but I'd rather ride the Bandit across Europe having done it on both
A great bike really should be a great all rounder, assuming you can only afford one. Incidentally the most fun bike I ever owned was an NSR250 fantastic thing at what it was good at, crap at a lot of things, but that’s a Very different thing from a CBR600F which was. Not really an out and out Sportster but was very much marketed as an all things to all people kind of bike and any bike of that nature should be able to competently carry a passenger surely? And doesn’t change the fact it was a pig to work on either
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1 of the best Sport/Touring models I ever owned, the 1983 CB 900 F Super Sport, 4 in line engine, absolutely amazing smooth ride and very good engine/transmission mix. A good 4 gallon tank good for 150 miles per tank cruising around 70 mph. Comfortable seat and peg location, perfect (for me) bar height and steering. Miss that bomb. 👍🇨🇦
Nice
Do like my Guzzis I have to say for touring
Bags of torque, smooth at speed and a 200mike tank range
Fully agree with you there... 👍🏻👍🏻
@@bikerdood1100Yes love my 1992 Lemans. Guzzi are so beautiful, art on wheels
👍🏻
Ah, the Yamaha XJ. When the 650 first came out, I wanted one. All the looks of the RD350, but four-stroke and a shaftie. I was an odd teen. I had a YICS model. Ran it until the gear selector went on holiday ( 138,000 miles-ish. I broke many speedo drives and cables, often taking months to replace ). Until the selector fork pin sheared, it never gave a days trouble. Smooth, comfy, quick. With Hagons front and rear, handled well too.
Replaced it with a 750 Maxim. Bought it with ~14,000 miles showing, wrote it off with ~60,000 miles showing, after it had been round the clock 🙂
I fitted lower handlebars and replaced the stupid cable operated master cylinder with a bar mounted one. It broke down as often as the 650 did, ie, never.
I'd have another 650 in a heartbeat.
What was it with cable operated master cylinders back then
A plain dum idea ?
@@bikerdood1100 I could speculate reasons for them, but it'd be just that. I can see no benefit mechanically. Maybe the designers wanted a clean, flat aesthetic to the 'bar area. Who knows.
The way it was implemented on the XJ750 was particularly egregious. It was a right twat to fill. Before I replaced it with a 'bar mounted one, I used a syringe and aquarium tubing. Once. It annoyed me.
With the 'bar mounted replacement, I ran a single braided line to the offside caliper, then a double banjo to run a line from that over the mudguard to the nearside. A Mity-Vac made bleeding so bloody easy in comparison.
Not the worst idea from that time though. A friend had a Honda that featured an enclosed front disk brake. That was a truly shyte idea.
Had a couple of bikes with in board discs
Poor braking performance and a pain in the ass to service
Looked cool though
I used to really like the Yam 750 Seca. Loved my 2000 Honda VFR 800 & 98 Bandit 1200.
All good bikes
Love it, can never hear enough about the ground breaking, revolutionary CX500, otherwise know as the plastic maggot. Just imagine it in 1978, 46yrs ago a motorbike that was water cooled, shaft drive, had tubeless tyres and was actually cheap to buy. I love mine, at over 45yrs old I still love riding it. A good cheap classic if you can buy it before they've all been made into café racers. I always think of it as the Black knight from Monty python's Holy Grail, you can chop off it's arm's and legs but it will still want to keep fighting, nothing can kill the mighty cx500, at least I hope not. I'm not sure if it's an age thing but as I get older I prefer bikes with fewer cylinders, guess I don't fancy trying to keep 4 carburettors balanced and working with modern fuel. I think it's just a case of keeping things simple, so a classic single or twin has more appeal to me now than back in the day, so for me the best of the five shown has to be the cx500 although I'm sure to be in a minority with this one.
Well ground breaking for Honda
Familia to others
Use to own a ZZR 600 in blue and silver in the 90s . Traded my 450 ltd for it. Had it for 6 months and great fun and frills but my lower back couldant get on with it and so returned to cruisers . Thanks for the content, memory lane always works for me.
Glad your enjoying it
I had a CX500 on my way up. It used to develop a weave at an indicated 106mph, but was othwise a dependable workhorse for my daily commute. And so easy to work on. It was eventually sold when I bought my GSX1100E. I then had a CX650 Eurosport on my way down when I had to sell my GPZ900R (A2). I nearly cried as I rode it away and hated it from that point onwards. But I did sell it to part-fund my wedding 32 years ago so some good came of it!
Selling a bike to pay for a wedding
😱
😂
I had a 82 Yamaha XJ 750 Maxim absolutely loved it! Fast,great handling and very comfortable! Wish I could find another one!
Nice 👍
Great collection of bikes. Brings back so many memories. Thanks for sharing guys. Ride safe. Cheers from the States.
Thanks
Excellent video, I've owned a Honda GL650 Silverwing for about 30 years and also know a guy who owns 2 Cx650 turbos, they are fantastic bikes
2?
That’s just greedy 😂
My VF500F2 was a blast. It loved to rev, often banging straight into the rev limiter.
Had the vf400 very nice little bike
And what about that Laverda RGS behind that CX? Ooooooooooh! Talking about heavy beautiful bikes! 😍
Not today
Another video another day
Perhaps
That's a nice selection of bikes - took me back to the day! In 1981 I bought a new Kawasaki Z750 L1 which was, for me, quite a competent machine. I was never the fastest or boldest rider back then - and I'm still not. But, at 78, I'm still enjoying riding my Moto Guzzi Breva 750. Perhaps that sideways V twin is why I liked the Honda CX range, though I felt at the time that the 500 was a bit too slow and the 650 Turbo was too fragile.
Turbo was a strange choice
A 750 version would have been a better use of their time
I had a ZZR which was great for going fast but it was a heavy bike when going slow, especially around corners.
I rode a mate's Bandit once and was amazed how fast and comparatively nimble it felt.
Narrow bars for you
Bandits wide bars make life easier at lower speeds
Not so great into a strong head wind
All bikes are I compromise really
Agree about the bandit found min very nimble
I had a first year, 1983 Yamaha XJ900F. A good bike but it put my hands to sleep at above 80 MPH. That said, I recall a courier who did over 300,000 miles on his with no engine troubles. The next year, Yamaha dropped the anti dive on the forks and increased the engine capacity to just under 900cc, curing the buzziness. They did drop and ability to alter the angle of the clip on type bars, which I actually never used on my own bike. I recall having a frightening tank slapper at 120 MPH, before a factory recall altered the nosecone fairing mounts, from handlebar to frame.
Yes contrary to popular belief these days four cylinder engines to have some buzzy vibration
On many engines the basic dimensions can effect smoothness a great example of this is the K series BMW over square dimensions with very short con rods made for a notoriously buzzy engine
I think the earlier XJ 900 was a much nicer looking bike then the Diversion ever was.
The diversion definitely fits in the worthy but a little dull category
Detuning them didn’t help but they were cheap and dependable
@@bikerdood1100 Yes, they did have stouter frame tubing and better weight distribution but the detuning seemed like a bit of a backward step.
I never understood why
That zzr600 is my bike I bought last year as a project it ran very poorly fine now though been on the road since March.
Video taken at the Raven a few weeks ago.
Indeed it was
Carb set up ?
@@bikerdood1100
Carbs blocked solid, would only run on choke,had them off about 4 times for cleaning,paid £550 probably spent another 200 to get it on the road.
Still a bargain,it's in memory of a GPZ600R I had back in 1985😀
Nice 👍🏻
Have owned XJ600, XJ750, CX500Euro, all used for long distance commuting in the 80's/90's, 105 miles each way. The CX was competent, would stand up in a corner if you had to brake for a twat in a car getting in the way, a bit heavy on fuel for the performance but reliable with regular servicing. The XJ750 was quicker, about the same on fuel, no chain issues and still reliable with servicing - that one was stolen recovered, then used by someone else as a courier bike and still going, albeit in a very tatty but smoke free state some 4 years later. The XJ600 was a good all round bike, quick enough when ridden enthusiastically, reliable, nimble and in my view very underrated.
Definitely agree
Especially about the XJ which I recently included in a video on underrated Japanese classics
I had 2 standard CX500's, a custom, and a Eurosport. On the early 80's, they were decently quick economical and dead reliable. By far the best was the Eurosport. A big comfy mile eater.
Have own one and ridden both and would agree
I had a new Moto Guzzi V50 Mk3 Monza, my M8 had a CX500. We swapped bikes. He did admit to liking the Monza more than his own CX500.
Well I did have both at the same time
I found the CX a use but of kit
Bit the fact that I sold it after 2 years and kept the V50 for 11 years and replaced it with another Guzzi says something about the level of enjoyment they provide
@@bikerdood1100 - exactly. I’ve owned my current V50 Monza for over 24 years now.
I owned the rarest of the Yamaha XJ series; the XJ650RJC Seca. Whilethe XJ650RJ was a common model, what made mine rare and unique was that last C in the model designation. It identified the very special Canada-only version. Mine may be the only one who spent time on your side of the pond as my future wife and I took it on a European tour in the summer of 1982. I also happen to have a CX500C sitting on the lift at the moment as it undergoes an admittedly slow recommissioning. A couple of other interesting, rare but very affordable (for now) 1980s Hondas are the dirt-track styled FT500 Ascot single and VT500 Ascot shaft-driven V-twin. Each was only available for two model years (19282-3 and 1983-4, respectively) and only in Canada and the US. They are currently undergoing a regain in interest, but the values have remained low. Another rare, but still very affordable, classic is the Suzuki GR650 Tempter vertical twin, another two year only model in Canada and the US, though it was sold for a few more years in other markets.
I suspect the rarest would be the Turbos
Your actual hens teeth
We had the VT and the FT in Europe although we didn’t call it the ascot
It wouldn’t have made sense in the UK because it’s a horse racing venue
had the 500 and the 700 while the 500 engine was totally friendly as the 700 ( detuned street bike), it's frame was perfect, unlike the 700. Both a pleasure to ride hard.
That gsxr engine is something else, specially the 1123 cc in a 750 chassis.
Used the CX messengering in the SF bay area, talk about bullet proof!
Interesting selection of bikes over the years
A great choice of some under rated machines. There was a Turbo XJ at Squires a few days ago. Don’t ever remember seeing one on the road before. Had my CX for 24 years now, not the most inspiring machine to ride, but have done a decent number of miles on it recently without fault. A once only design from Honda, & up to that chop & cafe craze could be picked up really cheaply. Still a good number of Bandits about.
I’ve seen one turbo XJ in recent years
I wonder what parts supply is like
I was always disappointed Honda did not keep going with the CX
750 or larger would have been very good
We got the VT500 instead
I had a XJ 650 Turbo for a couple of years. Rode about 40.000 km on it. It was a great bike, a real competent GT-bike. The fairing was fantastic, good comfort and a reasonable fine topspeed as well.
@@bikerdood1100 Yes I agree, they could have done so much more with it. That said, I thought it was hideous when introduced, to replace the ‘fours’. Mine is a Deluxe model, so doesn’t have that binnacle contraption, lol.
had a 79 cx500 as my first big bike, pulled it out of a mates shed went all around the country with it.
and have my old 89 xj600 still in the back of my garage, the engine ran out of compression.
Sounds like a project
I had a 1200 Bandit mk 1 a bit greedy in fuel, I've still got a ZZR 600 97 model ,i think they were still selling them until about 2004 👍
Well a 1200s generally have a drink problem
The ZzR was a Very popular bike in their time that proves you don’t necessarily need a massive engine to massive quickly over long distances
All great bikes! I had an '89 XJ900F and it did everything I wanted, a very underrated bike in my opinion. I have to confess to being a huge CX500 fan, can't explain why, I just love 'em!
Maybe because it’s different
A Honda with a reasonable amount of character about it
Back in the dau the dispatch riders loved the CX 500. In London in the late 80's early 90's it was wall to wall Kawasaki GT 550's usually in blue. Maybe that's a theme for a future video the golden age of dispatch riders and their bikes ?
Not a bad idea at all
How about covering Kawasaki's phenominal GPZ series including the only good turbo bike ever made for production, air cooled and with a steel frame?
Hmm 🤔
@@bikerdood1100
There is much to be found, the turbo variant prototypes had sheetmetal prototypes with rivets. I only know because I have one.
I can remember going to Claycross Kawasaki for a test ride on their ZZR1100. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived at our allotted time for a quick blast round the country roads, some keen test rider had already put it to a wall, dry stoned at that. 🤭
@@61js that is a pity. Dumbass rider I would think. Kawasaki makes great bikes but you need to be a great rider too.
Beware showing off on a bike
Pride really does come before a fall 😂
I found the early cx better handling than euro models as standard mono shock was terrible , the twin shocks were easy to change for better ones and a fork brace helped one end . I have a GL650 now and threw standard shock away due to bouncy ride that bottomed out , replaced with a fazer 600 shock modded and its sooo much better than standard prolink
Can’t say that’s my experience having ridden both to be honest
I always liked the ZZR's never owned one though although I did own a Suzuki 750F which had the oil cooled GSXR engine like the Bandits & it was a great bike with questionable styling, the only thing I didn't like about it was how it was tuned making it really easy to stall at junctions which caught me out on more than one occasion. Other than that it were pretty much bullet proof.
I went for the CBR in the day
Considering the miles I covered a ZZR would have been better I think
Suzukis oils cooled unit is one of my favourite Japanese 4s bags of character
As you righlty said an overlooked decade, XJ900 is definately a bulletproof tourer. VFR750 prices here in Oz seem to be rising possibly due to the release of RC30 tyga bodywork kits & many being turned into replicas. And the 'plastic maggot' ermmm.
Thankfully still dirt cheap hear
Kit sounds interesting, Tom fancied a VFR but he of course wanted it to look like an RC30 🙄
Of course he did
@@bikerdood1100 so do I! the Tyga kit is US$2307 or 1835 quid, cough cough... Still, an RC30 would be nice...
That would almost double the UK value 😟
didn't the cx have chrome bores that if scored knakered the block as barrels and block where one piece?
Guzzi used em I know
That said the plated bores last a very long time.
Common practice in two strokes
No not chrome bores, but you are correct in that the cylinder barrel is part of the block.
They often use ceramic coating now
That’s why a lot of modern engines, mostly cats don’t need to be run in anymore
The Yamaha XJ series was the Toyota Corollas of the motorcycles. Wasn’t the best in any classes but they did what they should do without being a disappoitment.
Thats one way of putting it 😂
The VFR is a bit of a double NT650 GT Hawk / Bross. Almost acceptable! Where it indeed not for the weight. I like the look of the red ‘96 most. Very close to the NR 750.
Close to but thankfully not the NR with its expense and questionable design
Seriously considered getting that exact model very recently
Would love to test one at some point
Haven’t ridden a Honda V4 for some time
@@bikerdood1100 I actually like the NR’s design. The typical Japanese sports bike in a purified form. Better not try such a 96 VFR though. Might be too tempting. Just like the Yamaha GTS 1000 I rode last year. “Too powerful and heavy” suddenly becomes less of a point when you are on one. 😁
The styling was certainly of its time, still works today
The Oval pistons cost a fortune to design but didn’t actually achieve too much
Must have pissed off NR owners when the applied very similar styling to the VFR
I suppose by modern standards they aren’t that powerful really
Or even that heavy
! Having had the xj 650, the 750 Seca and the xj900 I can say the 650 was the nicest to ride the 750 & 900 ran out of breath to early around 105/110 mph 750 had rubber mounted bars and pegs very nice, I removed the silly cruiser bars and replaced with 'jota' bars and the piss poor cable operated master cylinder. The 900 was solid all round and buzzy on the feet, front end far to soft and bottom outy could be remedied with stiffer springs and thicker fork oil.
The 650 is a more compact riding bike the engine was certainly more revable when desired handling wise more nimble than the other two and to my eyes at least much more appealing. Most of the survivors sadly have suffered from the rust both mudguards were steel of a particularly dissolving variety and the Yamaha paint did a poor job on the tanks.
I never fancied to xj 600, it not having a shaft. My mates that had them and dispatched them loved 'em as a sporty handler with a real world riding position and fast enough when 'needed'
ps; both the 750+900 were not exactly good on petrol ridden firmly both of them could be provoked into the mid 30's and low 40's was typical, the 650 however could be encouraged into the mid/high 50's easily enough and riding with a firm had was mid 40's.
edit: thinking more about it, comparing the 750 seca to the Kawa GT 750 I had much later that was more tractable than the seca and had better top end also with better fuel consumption to boot....
Some companies did make use of cable operators red master cylinders
Guzzi V50 2 did on the front
Replaced it and breaking was much better
You do wonder why it was a thing 🤷🏻
I had the XJ600 from new - I took it touring it was a lot lighter than my old XS750E but was rather peaky - very subdue like a 250 below 6500r/m but after that, it took off - which could push the frame beyond its limits and get into a slapper if ratting - I'd say it was a sports tuned engine in a touring frame - the tyres were thin and sometimes only lasted a week on tour 2 up. Build quality was not the best by 40 thou parts were starting to look tired.
Well it was a four cylinder 600
They got a lot more peaky later
My CBR had very little going on low down them bonkers at the top
Wait tyres lasted a week
What were you using ?
Had a lot of bikes it that period and never suffered anything like that and I did a lot of miles even then
@@bikerdood1100 I put a Micheline Tour on the back Saturday morning took my army mate from Essex to the Isles of Sky 2 up and was back in the shop the following Saturday it was on its canvas - I had a Continental fitted after that which lasted way longer - the Michelline lasted 1300 miles - even the lads in the tyre shop were shocked - I bought an FJ1200 after that and went all over Europe - it was built for 2 up-mile munching - I now ride an SRX600
Single cylinder is a big change from the Fj
I owned also a XJ600. Rode it on a circuit day at Zandvoort the Netherlands. At high speed i enjoyed a speed woble. After that i mounted White Power front springs and it was a huge difference. After that i rode the bike several times at circuit days at Zolder, Zandvoort and the old Nurnburgring. I was proud to be faster than some bigger bikes. Also i did a long holiday in the mountains of Austria. Great times.
When are you going to cover the late 1980's two stroke bikes? GT250 X7 RG250 RGV250 VJ21? Kawasaki and Honda equivelents?
Eventually
There is a whole world of bikes out there after all
Have covered a lot of these in previous videos though
My XJ550 was a great all round motorcycle. It was about the same size and weight as my Honda CB400F but had far superior performance.
I’ve always felt the cb400 /4 is a bit overrated
The four cylinders don’t equal good performance in a bike that small, 400 twins were better really and 550 is a much more workable capacity for a 4
Racing sidevalve machines could be worth a go....
🤔
@@bikerdood1100 There's some seriously hot ones out there....
Very true
Definitely a possibility then
Them flat track hardly doodles were for ages side valves are surprisingly good at constant revs
The 400/500vf's did not have the engine problems of the larger engines. My vf500 has 30,000miles with no problems.
Yes indeed oil supply is less of a problem
The early CX's didn't look too bad. Subsequent models couldn't have looked more 1980s if they had backcombed hair, a headband and leg warmers. Their claim to fame was the courier market, in which they excelled. Throwover panniers, huge hand muffs, a bag full of bungee straps and you were ready for six figure mileages.
Given a good cam chain
Mine lasted 30 odd thousand miles only and that was a Eurosport
Definitely its Achilles heal everything else seems bomb proof
Mostly
@@bikerdood1100 Yes, Honda had lots of cam chain issues at the time. Courier mechanics worked on little else, so I assume they developed workarounds for the primitive tensioners to enable round the clock mileages.
Thank fully
I do wonder why it became a Honda thing for a while
@@bikerdood1100 stator failure is also a well documented issue. As you will be aware, it’s an engine out job to change.
Stator failure that is all too common on Japanese bikes in my experience
It’s just a major pain in the ass on the CX because of access, failure rates weren’t any higher than say other Hondas but the poor access makes for a miserable experience
The zzr600 arrived in 1990, not 1994
Omg no 😱
Broke my CB900F2 Borrowed mates XJ 900 quicker smoother linear power delivery i thought the Yamaha was superior
Was a slightly later design by a couple of years I think but definitely an underrated bike
If you live in a bad neighborhood ,buy a CX500. Nobody will steal it….
🙄
180.......again 🙂
Got to keep you on your toes 😂
@@bikerdood1100 Glad someone does!!
Diversions, Bandits and plastic maggots aren't affordable classics. They're just cheap bikes. I like Bandits, I've had 3 over the past 20+ years, but they are not, and will never be, classic bikes. My father had a CX500 as a commute hack way back and has said the same about them.
A CBR600F2 is a better choice for an affordable classic than any of those three, for the same money.
Not in my experience with early CBRs faster sure
Better no
Also an XJ isn’t a diversion that was later and slower 🙄
Had a CBR for about 6 years and it remains the least favourite bike I’ve owned
Terrible in cross winds
Crap two up
And my God why don’t Honda put sufficient grease on anything in the factory
It was 2 years old and an absolute pig to work on
Traded my CX in on it
Shouldn’t have bothered
Faster doesn’t equal better I quickly found
A trip to Scotland on the thing soon proves that
@@bikerdood1100 you're the expert
Well hardly but I do well remember my CBR
If we ever do a video on our least favourite bikes it’s a shoe in 😂
Unfortunately
@@bikerdood1100 well by your example my RGV250 is a terrible bike, no one would want to buy them and they're not a valuable classic. A big part of what makes a bike a classic is the image, and those bikes don't have that image when it's parked in a garage.
Park an RGV250 and a Bandit side by side and no one will look at the Bandit, but I'd rather ride the Bandit across Europe having done it on both
A great bike really should be a great all rounder, assuming you can only afford one. Incidentally the most fun bike I ever owned was an NSR250 fantastic thing at what it was good at, crap at a lot of things, but that’s a Very different thing from a CBR600F which was. Not really an out and out Sportster but was very much marketed as an all things to all people kind of bike and any bike of that nature should be able to competently carry a passenger surely?
And doesn’t change the fact it was a pig to work on either
A GUZZI is not an affordable Japanese bike! 😉
Nope that’s why it isn’t in the video
In the intro we ride what ever we like because we can 😂