This time we look back to a period when engines were getting bigger and the chassis was little more than an after thought, welcome to the beginning of the 1980s
@@bikerdood1100 . Look at Sports Bikes these days . They Have That Profile . It was certainly a " Different " look in the day . But worked well , especially as a Fast Mile-Eater . A thick Sheepskin was a Great Idea though . For the Seat .
I know what you mean Looks very purposeful But comfortably at the same time Proportions are just right withe the massive tank offsetting the huge motor
@@bikerdood1100 I ended up owning virtually every Yamaha model over the following 20 yrs from Rd125, 250 and 400, XS 400, 500 (great bike) 750 and 850 triples with a few LCs in amongst them, closest I got to an XS1100 was an FJ1200 (5 yrs and 62k miles). Would still love a 1.1 and restore to as new!
A fabulous selection. I could smell the burnt rubber and hear the cam chains rattling. I owned none of those; I rode a couple and gloried in the instant tsunami of oomph. But all of them are seared into my mind as beasts of their time. The motorcycle market was a confused and confusing place on the cusp of the 80s and remained so for a few years. An excellent selection of examples from a time when engineers and marketing folk were bravely marching forward... but hadn't yet chosen a direction. A very enjoyable video. Bravo!
In South Africa the Yamaha 1.1 shaftie was tested at 224kmh which is around 140 mph. I had an American specced bike that kept up with both my mates Katanas. My 1.1 regularly got 20km per litre touring and a bit better if it was nursed a bit on the long open roads. It was a bruiser with its torque and gear for gear roll ons against the Katanas of my mates they would have to drop a gear to keep up with the massive roll on torque of the 1.1 I modified it heavily to come up with 140hp on the back wheel and then it absolutely destroyed everything. I had upgraded the suspension front and back and had Marzocchi shocks fitted on the rear. Hot degreed cams, titanium cam followers, balanced internals saw the bike (unable to change final drive because of shaft drive) pulling a heady 11,000rpm in 5th gear. Was timed at 281 kmh in 1981, which destroyed everything. We built a second one with nitreous, torched the motor 2x untill we figured out how to nitrous a bike. That was timed at 303kmh. Those years the street racing scene here was big. I had 3x 1.1 's, first one covered 187,000 km without any engine work, maintenance only. Also had 90's FJ 1200 and a 2023 FJR1300 amongst all my other bikes. I will still today take any of the Yamaha's i owned. The 1.1 i regularly rode 1600 km to my mates in Cape Town in a day, partied, visited, and a day later make the 1600 km trip back, and then go to work the day after. It absolutely annihilated long distances with out ever breaking on the road. Oh yes, and no chain lubing or adjustment because of the shaft drive. Thomaselli adjustable handlebars and a full fairing kept you out the wind and reasonably dry. With the big tank you rode the long distances resting on your elbows. The bike was incredibly stable so resting you right arm while holding throttle with left hand and elbow on tank was easy. I will never ever forget them. Laid down over 350,000 reliable trouble free miles with the 1.1's Thanks for the memories
You surely remember the one Rod Gray raced . Also clocked 280km/h under the Dunlop bridge old Kayalami. Had 1188 Wiseco kit and 11 Special head ( bigger valves) on mine. Big torque was lovely out of the corners on the South Cape passes. It used to ping below 4 k revs on 98 octane. Sometimes scored aviation juice to mix.! Had mine for 16jr should have kept it😪
I rode my TS185 and my GS1000 today. One saw a little mud, the other a little rain. Nothing a rag can't fix. I love old bikes. The 185 can barely do 40mph and you're always in a state of don't wipe out! The GS is a Diamond.
In Australia the Yamaha was called the 1.1. I hired one for a weekend and I was so impressed. I had ridden the Katana and it was a brute because of the low bars. Getting back to the Yam, that weekend I hired it I blew my license because I was clocked at 210kph in a 100kph lol. It wasn’t good at the time, but even today my Mate still talks about it as he was sitting behind me lol.
The Yamaha XS 1100 S with the small fuel tank and bikini fairing was marked 1.1 on the side cover. The “normal” model kept the XS 1100 sidecover except for the american version which had “XS eleven” on the side cover.
I had the 1.1 version of the XS eleven. When I bought it the dealer told me that it was just the later version of the XS eleven, it had no fairings or any other add on's and when compared to my mates older XS eleven, we couldn't find any differences apart from the fact that mine had a beautiful two tone factory maroon and silver paint job and the 1.1 badge. It was a brilliant bike, nippy enough, as my highly pissed of brother learned while he was flat out on his Suzi GS1000, and a great tourer. If I had one niggle with it, it tended do do a bit of snaking at low speeds, which was a bit annoying in busy rush hour Johannesburg traffic. I fitted Pirelli Phantoms which helped a bit but they only seemed to last about three breakfast runs.There aren't too many main roads here in South Africa that me and my Yammie didn't go down at some point. A great bike for happier days.
My third bike (also in Aust) was a 79 XS 1100. When I went in to the dealer with the exact model number to get some parts, the chap behind the counter said mine was one of three police models to be imported to Australia.
Thanks for the walk down memory lane. Back in 1981 I bought the XS 1.1 Yamaha. I was living in South Africa then. I traveled the country a lot on that bike. Most comfortable bike I have ever toured with. Then and since. I miss it.
Being in SA as well, I lusted after a XS1100 ! Walked in to the local Yamaha agent to purchase one and asked the salesman the price. He flippantly gave me a brochure & walked off,as if to say 'what does this snotkop want'! Well I turned around & went to Kawasaki & bought a Z1000ST with which I was extremely happy and rode until the GPZ900 Ninja came out & bought one of those😁
@@bruceparfitt3639 10-11 hour stretch from Jo'burg to the South Coast in South Africa. I did it several times a year. Did the Kalahari once also. The bike was planted and solid all day long. Effortless riding. And I got totally spoiled with the shaft. Never bought a chain bike again.
In 1980 I was on the motorway being driven by a non-motorcycling girl friend. We were heading in the same direction as a race meeting or something and were passed by many groups of bikes, typically bobbing and twitching about. Then three rock steady bikes passed us as if on rails. "Why are they so different?" she asked. Yes, they were Laverdas.
Still have my '79 CBX I bought new from Honda in late '83! It is now turbocharged and will still scare the bejeezus out of anyone not used to 190 HP out of a 44 year old bike. It will go with me to my grave.
I had the FJ1100 which was definitely a muscle bike….developed from the XS1100 but chain drive and a fairing. It rode and handled fabulously and was a really comfortable bike. Power was up on the XS as was torque.
I've got a 1983 Yamaha Midnight Maxim 750 in my collection of Japanese bikes. It's still quite impressive as far as speed, handling, and comfort are concerned. Not to mention, it's a damn good-looking bike.
In the late 60's when I started riding it was on Honda 50's and 90's . The most fun bike for me though was the lowly Triumph Cub, 200 CC. It was pure two wheeled enjoyment. Easy to ride with more HP than the single cylinder Honda's. If you could review the everyday bikes of the 60's & 70's. Thanks for all the videos!
@bikerdood1100 No bud, I mean just out of school and while studying, I bought myself my CBX. Leaving school, most are 18 years old and have a license to dtive a car and bike with a capacity over 50cc.
In the UK I owned both a maroon XS1100 and later a 1979 silver CBX1000 and loved them both. In fact I had two XS1100s as I wrote one off. The low down torque was astonishing and I used to love the way the back wheel hopped when you braked really hard. The sound and feel though of the CBXs 6 cylinders outclassed everything, and how could you not be impressed by those 6 pipes. Magic.
Damn near bought a CBX when they were new but then took a test ride on CB900F Bol D Or and fell in love with that. Got it planed and ported and put a Yoshi exhaust on it and terrorised the neighborhood with that for a couple of years before several near death experiences convinced me a change of death wish would be rewarded and bought a brand new and outstandingly beautiful Yamaha XS650 Heritage Special in black and gold, which I had for 32 years. Great video thanks
All lovely bikes and none of them bland . I liked them all and still do. For some reason I saw a Yamaha TR1 V Twin, and was drawn to this . I count myself fortunate to have been there when these bikes were introduced. Thank You.
I was only 18yo when one day from out of the blue I was requested to come and test ride the Z1300 by the owner of a local Kawasaki dealership. It had just arrived in my hometown in Australia and even made the local newspapers. At the time I was a short skinny lad who owned a Z400, the biggest motorcycle I had ever ridden up to that point. The dealer had a large group of 'interested' Harley Davidson owners present (bikie gang) who would also be going along for the short ride with me down a nearby highway. Upon viewing the beast for the very first time, I was afraid that I would not be able to even hold the bike up, yet alone ride it! I was surrounded by Harley's when I got it onto the highway and was taking it easy as per the manager's strict instruction, when one bikie yelled at me to 'gun-it'. Thinking I would never live this down if I didn't, I twisted the throttle and rapidly left them all eating my dust. The power of this incredible motorcycle was thrilling for me to experience (not so much the fear!). The look on the bikies grizzled faces when they finally caught up with me was priceless. When I returned the bike to the shop, the manager asked me how it felt to ride. Still surrounded by these intimidating HD aficionados, I told him that it was a very comfortable and smooth ride, however it did feel a little sluggish on acceleration! The bikies in my hometown treated me quite differently from that day on (in a good way)!😅 Thanks so much for the great video and the wonderful memories.
Hi Dood, Great video and an impressive line-up of desirous machines. I liked the close-ups showing the details, but was a bit disappointed you didn't step back very often to show the whole bike. Can't please everyone I reckon. Thanks for sharing. Stay safe and keep up the good work. PS I'll have the Z. 😊👍✌
Well I liked them my self And it’s kind of matured well too But anything as striking and different as the Katana will generate strong opinions both ways
Had a 72 kawi h2,,a z1 900,,a Yamaha xs1100 and God dam it,,a 85 Yamaha VMax ..had that vmax for 30 yrs--reluctantly sold a few years ago,,all great bikes if you had the balls to ride them!!
The Suzie Katana actually handled pretty well, although the riding position made it marginal for anything over an hour or so (and, yes, that was when I was a lot younger)...but nothing like the GSXRs! I took a Z13 in on trade for a 1200 Goldwing and rode it myself for almost a year: smooth, quiet but not very sporting in the twisties, a genuine motorway flyer however. The guy who traded it to me took quite some time to get used to the difference in speed between the Z and his Goldwing! The fuel mileage was quite a bit better than a CBX, but it was even harder on tyres because of all that weight. I sold it to a friend who rode it until the mid-1990s, putting over 150K miles on it without a bit of trouble (but he was meticulous about doing his maintenance). My friend's son was then an engineering student at university, and he took the drivetrain and built a tiny sports car with it (and trust me, that was more work than it sounds like) and went amateur racing. To my knowledge, he never won anything, but that big Kwaker made an absolutely glorious sound at 7000+ rpm. Cheers,
@@bikerdood1100 Mine was black, and I always thought it handsome; it looked rather Italian to me. Mind you, it was one CLUMSY beast in corners, even after I upgraded the rear dampers/springs. It always felt to me like the swingarm and the rear of the frame were flexing...and I wasn't riding it like a sports bike! But, man, when you finally got it pointed straight ahead, it was glorious, and smoooooooth. I never had the urge to find another one, though...and this from a guy who's had 4 CBXs.
Great video i remember when the katana was released down at the local dealer where i spent half my childhood ogling all the bikes and the other half down the local river on my cheap dirt bikes starting with a ag90
I remember most of those from my youth. I couldn't afford any of them and am probably still alive for that reason . I had a propensity to push all of my bikes to their limits . That xs 11 was a dream I never obtained . I always had a yearning for a gpz and never had one of those either .
The Katana in this vid sounds like a fighter jet. But nothing on earth sounds as beautifully frightening and stops any passer-by dead in their tracks than Honda's CBX1000. Even the sound of thunder doesn't compare! Lol 😂
I had a chance to ride the KZ1300 on twisty back-roads and it handled very well considering it's bulk. One big problem with earlier models was that the centrally located cam chain stretched prematurely resulting in a complete engine tear-down to replace it. Very expensive!
@@rsrobboman Me too. I bought mine new, it handled very well and I soon started grinding the crankcases away as the lean angle wasn't great, but it'd go flat out all day irrespective of the conditions or any hill - it was also quite good on dirt, blasting along Australian dirt roads with a tremendous dust cloud following me - those were the days.
I was rocking the GS1100 Suzuki. It would turn 5.00 in second gear at 99mph at the drag strip 1/8 mile. Today I’m riding a 1980 Honda Cb900c that my Son restored for me . Very nice bike even today and it will out ride 90% if every bike built today with its air ride. Like being in a boat going through waves ! Smoothest bike made probably . Did the 1100 Yamaha. Most everything. Those Nike were bullit proof . Dependable, today the quality has played second place to buttons and computers doing the riding.
Back in the late 70s I went to watch the racing at my local circuit, Knockhill, on a dreich day. The highlight was a bloke on a Laverda 1200 Mirage, racing. He washed out in the middle of the hairpin, stuck his right foot onto the track and took the rest of the corner speedway style. He got a massive response from the crowd, but got boos on his next lap, as he went round the hairpin in the conventional manner.
Z1300 was my second ever bike. Big and heavy And with a six into one exhaust system had a glorious sound. Certainly got you noticed💯👍😎 How about testing the two stroke GP replica bikes I had an RG 500 Gama Oh how I wish I still had it now. For loads of reasons 👍👍👍😎
Nice selection! About the long living muscle bike Z1300… Don't forget the 1st gen Yamaha VMax which was on the market from 1985 all the way to 2007 which is 22 years with minor modification only.
@@kiwialfa2083 Do you still have the Kat? I love 80s bikes, have a 86 GSX-R1100 and a 87 FZR1000 thats getting a full restoration at the moment, plus a couple of other bikes.
@@uhtred7860 Yep, 3 Kats. The 11, a 650 and a 750, all 82s. Just finished restoring the 750. A Gixxer 11 and an FZR Thou. That's awesome. Lusted over both, still do.
@@bikerdood1100 They did very well in production racing in Oz, especially in the Castrol Six Hour (which they won). A relatively big tank and brave riders helped, of course.
You put the gs1100 but not the gs1150 which was a wicked beast. And as much as I love the cbx no mention of the cb1000c dual transmission which was a true brute and a commercial success. Also I routinely smoked all these bikes with cb900f, which is probably the absolute best bike I've ever owned. Today I still put a couple of hundred miles a week on my 2nd vfr800. I've had a motorcycle since 1974 so I've a bit more experience than most and so I'm just guessing these models just weren't sold across the pond
Had a Z1300 "The flying kettle" my mates called it, wound up writing it off after losing it in the wet on "Overband" repairs (Remember them) rebuilt it and did a straight swap for a GpZ1100
I had a friend with a cbx1000. He added a nice set of pipes to it. It made a glorious sound, it sounded just like an F1 car. I had a V4 Honda at the time but it did not stack up in the sound department.
Had a XS midnight special, bit dull. Had 2 big Kat, anything but dull! The 2nd was 1260 Wiseco with a Harris with a comp baffle. In still air you could hear it nearly a quarter of a mile away..... happy days..
I loved my '83 Suzuki GS 1100E. The problem with the Yamaha XS 1100 shaft drive was the pinion would want to climb the ring gear on hard accelleration. The Honda CBX was so smooth, you had to look at the teach to see if it was running if it had the stock exhaust. Add a custom exhaust and it sounded like an Indy car.
The Yamaha was the biggest seller of these and it had issues, heavy, early shaft drive pogo stick rear end on and off the gas. The Kawasaki was a HEAVIER shaft drive and mileage was in the low 30’s at best. The Kantana looked interesting at first glance but the unusual looks killed sales on what was a pretty good bike all around but no better than the other air cooled inline 4’s available from all the manufacturers. The CBX was the most interesting with the best walk up look of just about any motorcycle with no frame down tubes in front of the engine, and a six pack of cylinders with the bundle of snake looks. But it would overheat the inner cylinders quickly in traffic and the petcock was prone to leaking and hydrolocking the low cylinder when on the side stand. Leading to bent connecting rods. It still was the best looking and sounding motorcycle ever, but the inline 4’s could do the same thing cheaper and more reliably.
Kawasaki Z1000st I bought the first one in the uk , what a great bike although it did have a slight weave on long fast bends but I cured that with a heavier oil in the front forks , then it was wonderful.
the xs11 raced here in australia was chain drive conversion and highly modified and highly illegal. oh and bloody fast. katanas were ball crushers but wow. also still laugh at the time my best mate went past me one handed waving on the back wheel on a z1300. near bailed off my 750]4 in fright. still got the 4 too.
The Original Katana is one of my very favourite bikes. (early CBR600, just like playing a video game, Ducati 916, steered better on one wheel than GSX-R 1100 did on two) Original Katana came stock with Pirrelli Phantoms and could actually use them properly. (most bikes couldn't get enough heat into them) First big Suzuki I could drift at 90+mph (I was lead mechanic at Suzuki Dealers when they were launched) You don't need wide bars, learn to 'counter steer', one hand drifting around a left hand bend, waving to a friend coming opposite direction (Simon is still around and can verify) He said he knew it was me as no one else was crazy enough to do what I was doing and wave to him XS1100, another bike with great drift ability, although at much lower speeds. Massive torque, dump clutch at 1,500¬2,000rpm, shift to second and whack throttle then ride it like a 'flat track Harley' The Martini version was a bit weird but still OK to ride sideways. XS750 with Hitachi carbs was horrible, (no parts available even though 'we' were dealers) plus had the usual 'Yamaha can't make a bike with second gear' (did a lot of recall for replacement, second year was OK) Yamaha usually brought bikes into country without any service parts, (not even oil filters, clutch or throttle cables) XS850 was much much better bike. (same second gear issue with EXUP 1000, XV1100 first year) I remember fitting a six into one exhaust on a Z1300, cut weight a bit but it was still heavy. Had basically the same twin choke carbs as the Suzuki GSX550, 3 instead of 2) GSX550 had a TERRIBLE regulator rectifier, burned out regularly, I usually fitted Honda CB250 N R/R to them CBX was a little wheelie prone and could bend chassis if dropped from one wheel (had to pick one up in Cardiff, guy wheelied at lights and 'fell down'). Doing a top end re-build, valves and guides was no fun at all (I started in a Honda Dealers) CB900F was quite a horrible bike and often sawed the cylinder in half if not serviced at correct intervals, I spent several years fitting new cam chains in them. For some reason, the cam chain adjuster under carbs didn't get checked? Never got to ride Jota, only the 750 don't remember much about it
The CBX Honda is a neat bike. However the famous sound clip of the CBX ripping along is of a modified bike. Stock Honda CBXs did not sound like a Formula 1 race car.
The XS11 was raced in Australia earlier than 1981, I know that Len Atlee was racing one in 1979 because I was lucky enough to sit on the back of it for two laps of Amaroo Park!
Had a 1100 Katana back in the 80s my friend ran into the side of a Fiat punto, the tank split his pelvis with a 6" gap, he spent a long time in hospital, never had any kids
Never owned a Katana but instead i had a Hayabusa. But i remember that Jerry Williams used to travel with his Katana when playing Rock n Roll in the country.😄❤️👍
Where ? In the Uk it was often referred as the Zed 13 In fact a guy named his daughter as such 🙄 He had her Christened. Zed Thirteen . The world is a big old place Assuming that the same name is used the world over is rather silly isn’t it
That’s actually funny, I owned 2 of them, a 1981 Yamaha XS11 and a 1978 Kawasaki KZ1300 … both bikes were absolute beasts but my favourite was the XS11
Good selection of bikes. The only problem is they were each at the top of the price range which limited their sale. Now any Kawasaki kz bike which ranged from 900 to 1100 cc would fit your platform and they were priced so that everyone could have one. I've owned several of them. I own a 1982 kz1100d now. I was also the owner of 1979 Honda CBX back in the day. I loved it but my kz bikes out handled and out performed it.
The Katana is the demarcation line between old school and new. As far as looks go, I would rather an early Katana over a new almost anything else in the market. The new bikes are over styled far to busy. The Katana is clean and purposeful.
Well no it was to some extent a design blind ally because by 84 sporty bikes were going full race rep. I really liked the Katana but bike design moved on quite quickly
From 1978 to 1979 I owned and road a XS650 twin and then a XS750 triple. Both very reliable machines. Then in 1980 I bought a KZ 1300 thinking bigger is better. What a mistake. Clutch cable end broke off at the lever. A replacement was not available for more than a month. Then the front brake master cylinder leaked while on a ride and damaged the paint on the fuel tank. The dealer replaced it with one on a showroom bike. Then while on a tour the rear brake caliper bolt fell off and the next time I applied the brakes the caliper spun around with the rotor blowing the rear shock off of its lower mount bolt. That was the last straw. My dealer and I took a financial loss to trade it on a 1981 XS1100 Special which I rode across the US and eventually put over 80,000 trouble free miles on it. I didnt buy another Kawasaki until 2003 when I purchased a KLR 650. In my opinion the 1300 was a poorly engineered motorcycle. Thats not to say other manufacturers havent had their lemons too. Despite its power it was such a bulky and heavy machine I would not have included it in this list.
@bikerdood1100 you are so right on that. I was younger back then and had to learn the hard way. A good kick in the bank account brought that lesson home to me. KLR 650 , Sportster and a Pan America are my rides at this time. Although the PA weighs in at 560 with a full fuel tank it is surprisingly nimble .
The XS1.1 model of...er,1981? Svelte lines,bikini fairing,black livery. 'I want one of dem,me!' I'd think,as I smoked along on a little Puch VZ50. But,in order to have afforded such a piece of two-wheeler exotica,I'd have to have robbed a bank! 😊
I would love to see the Kawasaki GT 750 tested, also how a little video on "come back" bikes seeing the 11 kat, reminded me of the the 250 version they brought out
We've come full circle. Back then you could thrash a bike to within an inch of your bravest day.... now you have no chance. Foggy got given a V4 panigale. His comment. " I'm not riding That on the road it's bloody mental" from.Foggy !!!😮
Don’t always agree with Foggy but his comment is spot on Anything over 100bhp on a road bike is a waste really, only useful for pub talk I’d sooner sacrifice top end power for mid range punch any day
@@bikerdood1100 I'd agree. One of the fastest, point A to point B bikes ive ever ridden was a 02 CBR600S, An British Doctor brought it out to NZ with him, he had bought it from Ten Kate Racing (the multiple WSS champs) when they sold 10 of their 02 CBR's and started using the later CBR600RR, it was built to world supersport spec and he had put all the road gear back on, probably made a bit more than 100hp but not much, it was a sublime road bike. 😃
Down south in the Antipides We got the wire wheel Katana 1135cc instead of the 1050?cc in non wire wheeled Katanas Raced one in a Speedway Sidechair (1135cc sleeved to 1050cc for capacity rules) Phenomenal engine Tech tip Katana motors accept GSXR 750 flat slide carbs from the H model (first model GSXR 750)
@@bikerdood1100 They were a lot lighter, they were very similar to the spoked wheels Suzuki ran on the Mk1 RG500 gp bikes, Suzuki and the NZ importer, built a batch of special Katanas to beat the CB1100R's in production races, they came with hotter cams (reportedly Yoshimura) beefed up clutch, braided brake lines, bigger bore exhausts, and upgraded carbs. These were homologated as Production bikes, not race specials, It was all to do with NZ and Australia being THE hotbed of production based racing at the time, and the Japanese factories all got heavily involved, but especially Suzuki as they had a 42% market share in NZ at that time, and had won the prestigious yearly 6 hour production race 4 years on the trot.
The GSX1100SXZ "Wire-Wheeler" Katanas came with the standard 1074cc 72mm bore as all other GSX1100 engines, if you had an engine that was 1135cc someone has put a big bore in it themselves. They came with different wheels, exhausts (but still 4 into 2) carbs, cams, clutch and brake lines, but standard bores and pistons.
I had a 1983 Honda CB1100F that would easily smoke and out handle a CBX! Wish I still had it! When it came out, it had the fastest 1/4 mile time while the V65 Magna beat it it out in top speed but I never tested this out for myself!
I was working at a Kawasaki dealership when the KZ1300 came out. Through a leg I’ve one and you instantly felt it’s massive weight. Weight and price put most off them. It was not a muscle bike,it was designed as a touring bike.
@@othgmark1 I wouldnt even call those bikes "muscle bike" they were all the sports bikes of their era. The GPz 900R especially, was a very successful production race bike. If i had to use the term "muscle bike" for any machines it would be the likes of Kawasaki's Eliminators, Yamahas V-Max, Suzuki's Madura.
@@uhtred7860 Vmax yes it was a muscle bike. Only the 1000 and 1100 Kawasaki's to me would qualify as muscle bikes and l do not recall the Suzuki Maduras being particularly entertaining it all. Heavy,ugly, and not especially fast. Also has that weird octagon frame. The engine was torquey and smooth in the Cavalcade though.
@@othgmark1 But it was pitched a muscle cruiser and a direct competitor to the V-max/Eliminator/Magna bikes, they claimed 117hp for the 1200 cc version🤣 In reality they flopped, and were quietly dropped after 2 years. American mag cycle clocked them with almost identical quarter mile times as the 1100 magna, with very close terminal speeds.
Love the idea of muscle bikes but having owned one, they are better to look at than ride. Tall, heavy, wide and naked, is an impractical combo. A barn door fairing makes for a practical motorway tourer, but defeats the image.
I own a 75 Z1b and test ride a used Z1300 for my brother in law who was interested buying one. I’m in Kansas he’s in Colorado. Well I test rode the 1300 and was not that impressed, it in no way felt like a muscle bike to me. It was big heavy but smooth. My Z1 felt like a ripper in comparison. Quick to rev, rev’d higher and much easier to ride aggressively. I favored my smaller 900 over the 13. I wish I’d get the chance to buy a ZRX.
The XS1100 was available with a 'Martini' fairing at one point. A fairing painted in the Martini company colours... I had the great pleasure of riding a breathed on example rather briskly on a motorway ( Obviously closed. Ahem. Or an Autobahn. Not the M1. No. Not the M1 ) one fine spring morning. As I drew alongside a Mercedes. The driver looked at me, smiled, and floored it. The speedo needle of the XS was wavering somewhere past the end of the scale. The rev counter showing *just* into the red. The noise from the ( IIRC ) Alfa 4-1 competing with the wind roar and induction chaos. The Mercedes buggered off into the distance. With a modified airbox, jetted up carbs, mild head porting and a free-ish pipe, the XS was capable of a genuine 150MPH. It was rock steady at that speed too. There aren't many Martini variants out there. They do look very dated now. Comfy, quick, heavy on fuel. It was real come-down switching back to my Z400T. The owner of the XS1100 was rather pleased though. Ah, the eighties. Low traffic volumes on the motorways, drivers with lane discipline and big, dumb, brutish bikes.
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There was absolutely NOTHING " Marmite " about the Katana's Styling . You could re-release those today without them being Out of Place . Timeless .
A work of two wheel art 👍
I think he means you either 'love it or hate it'.
Well I love but I’ve certainly met some people that hate it
Good seller either way
@@bikerdood1100 . Look at Sports Bikes these days . They Have That Profile .
It was certainly a " Different " look in the day . But worked well , especially as a Fast Mile-Eater . A thick Sheepskin was a Great Idea though . For the Seat .
Bang on mate 👏 👌
What a great selection of bikes. Don't know why but I love the look of the Yamaha XS11. The sound of the 6 cylinder bikes is magnificent.
I know what you mean
Looks very purposeful
But comfortably at the same time
Proportions are just right withe the massive tank offsetting the huge motor
I love the subtle, classic styling of the Yamaha XS-11. It will look beautiful in perpetuity.
True
It could never be described as over the top
That metallic red XS 1100 was the stuff of dreams when I was blatting about on an FS1E in the late seventies 😀
Bit of a step up
@@bikerdood1100 I ended up owning virtually every Yamaha model over the following 20 yrs from Rd125, 250 and 400, XS 400, 500 (great bike) 750 and 850 triples with a few LCs in amongst them, closest I got to an XS1100 was an FJ1200 (5 yrs and 62k miles). Would still love a 1.1 and restore to as new!
A fabulous selection. I could smell the burnt rubber and hear the cam chains rattling.
I owned none of those; I rode a couple and gloried in the instant tsunami of oomph. But all of them are seared into my mind as beasts of their time. The motorcycle market was a confused and confusing place on the cusp of the 80s and remained so for a few years. An excellent selection of examples from a time when engineers and marketing folk were bravely marching forward... but hadn't yet chosen a direction. A very enjoyable video. Bravo!
They are just so imposing
In South Africa the Yamaha 1.1 shaftie was tested at 224kmh which is around 140 mph. I had an American specced bike that kept up with both my mates Katanas. My 1.1 regularly got 20km per litre touring and a bit better if it was nursed a bit on the long open roads. It was a bruiser with its torque and gear for gear roll ons against the Katanas of my mates they would have to drop a gear to keep up with the massive roll on torque of the 1.1
I modified it heavily to come up with 140hp on the back wheel and then it absolutely destroyed everything. I had upgraded the suspension front and back and had Marzocchi shocks fitted on the rear. Hot degreed cams, titanium cam followers, balanced internals saw the bike (unable to change final drive because of shaft drive) pulling a heady 11,000rpm in 5th gear. Was timed at 281 kmh in 1981, which destroyed everything. We built a second one with nitreous, torched the motor 2x untill we figured out how to nitrous a bike. That was timed at 303kmh.
Those years the street racing scene here was big.
I had 3x 1.1 's, first one covered 187,000 km without any engine work, maintenance only.
Also had 90's FJ 1200 and a 2023 FJR1300 amongst all my other bikes. I will still today take any of the Yamaha's i owned. The 1.1 i regularly rode 1600 km to my mates in Cape Town in a day, partied, visited, and a day later make the 1600 km trip back, and then go to work the day after. It absolutely annihilated long distances with out ever breaking on the road. Oh yes, and no chain lubing or adjustment because of the shaft drive. Thomaselli adjustable handlebars and a full fairing kept you out the wind and reasonably dry. With the big tank you rode the long distances resting on your elbows. The bike was incredibly stable so resting you right arm while holding throttle with left hand and elbow on tank was easy.
I will never ever forget them. Laid down over 350,000 reliable trouble free miles with the 1.1's
Thanks for the memories
Big and under stressed then
You surely remember the one Rod Gray raced . Also clocked 280km/h under the Dunlop bridge old Kayalami.
Had 1188 Wiseco kit and 11 Special head ( bigger valves) on mine.
Big torque was lovely out of the corners on the South Cape passes. It used to ping below 4 k revs on 98 octane. Sometimes scored aviation juice to mix.!
Had mine for 16jr should have kept it😪
I rode my TS185 and my GS1000 today. One saw a little mud, the other a little rain. Nothing a rag can't fix. I love old bikes. The 185 can barely do 40mph and you're always in a state of don't wipe out! The GS is a Diamond.
Suzukis GS range we’re cracking bikes
I had a 1980 GS 1000. I still miss Her.😢 Wonderful bike..
In Australia the Yamaha was called the 1.1. I hired one for a weekend and I was so impressed. I had ridden the Katana and it was a brute because of the low bars. Getting back to the Yam, that weekend I hired it I blew my license because I was clocked at 210kph in a 100kph lol. It wasn’t good at the time, but even today my Mate still talks about it as he was sitting behind me lol.
I have seen badged as a 1.1 here two oddly enough
The Yamaha XS 1100 S with the small fuel tank and bikini fairing was marked 1.1 on the side cover. The “normal” model kept the XS 1100 sidecover except for the american version which had “XS eleven” on the side cover.
I had the 1.1 version of the XS eleven. When I bought it the dealer told me that it was just the later version of the XS eleven, it had no fairings or any other add on's and when compared to my mates older XS eleven, we couldn't find any differences apart from the fact that mine had a beautiful two tone factory maroon and silver paint job and the 1.1 badge. It was a brilliant bike, nippy enough, as my highly pissed of brother learned while he was flat out on his Suzi GS1000, and a great tourer. If I had one niggle with it, it tended do do a bit of snaking at low speeds, which was a bit annoying in busy rush hour Johannesburg traffic. I fitted Pirelli Phantoms which helped a bit but they only seemed to last about three breakfast runs.There aren't too many main roads here in South Africa that me and my Yammie didn't go down at some point. A great bike for happier days.
My third bike (also in Aust) was a 79 XS 1100. When I went in to the dealer with the exact model number to get some parts, the chap behind the counter said mine was one of three police models to be imported to Australia.
@@KakuiKujira hmmm
Makes sense I suppose, very CHIPs
Thanks for the walk down memory lane. Back in 1981 I bought the XS 1.1 Yamaha. I was living in South Africa then. I traveled the country a lot on that bike. Most comfortable bike I have ever toured with. Then and since. I miss it.
They were very popular as heavyweight tourers I think
Being in SA as well, I lusted after a XS1100 ! Walked in to the local Yamaha agent to purchase one and asked the salesman the price. He flippantly gave me a brochure & walked off,as if to say 'what does this snotkop want'! Well I turned around & went to Kawasaki & bought a Z1000ST with which I was extremely happy and rode until the GPZ900 Ninja came out & bought one of those😁
hi youb are right i had mine back in 1980 fantastic bike very comfortable .
@@bruceparfitt3639 10-11 hour stretch from Jo'burg to the South Coast in South Africa. I did it several times a year. Did the Kalahari once also. The bike was planted and solid all day long. Effortless riding. And I got totally spoiled with the shaft. Never bought a chain bike again.
@@peterkoning21 I bought mine in 1982 when they were selling out the 81 models. Got it for 3600 rands. Traded my CB750 F in on it.
In 1980 I was on the motorway being driven by a non-motorcycling girl friend. We were heading in the same direction as a race meeting or something and were passed by many groups of bikes, typically bobbing and twitching about. Then three rock steady bikes passed us as if on rails. "Why are they so different?" she asked. Yes, they were Laverdas.
Thy were and are class items
Love them, and they sound amazing
Jota👍👍👍
Yip, all the Jap bikes could have done with better handling. But if you were 20 years young at the time.....handling was good enough.....lmao
Still have my '79 CBX I bought new from Honda in late '83! It is now turbocharged and will still scare the bejeezus out of anyone not used to 190 HP out of a 44 year old bike.
It will go with me to my grave.
Mad
You madman lol
Good list. Man, I can still remember seeing the Katana for the first time
Yeah always wanted to ride one
Me too, totally gobsmacked when I saw one back in 81. It looked like something from the future.
I had the FJ1100 which was definitely a muscle bike….developed from the XS1100 but chain drive and a fairing. It rode and handled fabulously and was a really comfortable bike. Power was up on the XS as was torque.
Early 80s
FJ would come in later
@@bikerdood1100 err, the FJ1100 came in early 80’s. 1984 saw the first one😀. Mine was 1985. 1200 was later.
@@ReferenceFidelityComponents that’s mid
And there’s always time for another video
I did include the Vmax in a later instillment too incidentally
beautiful bikes. ive been riding since 1978 and still have my 1989 GSXR Slingshot 750 and 1994 Yamaha XJ 900 . stay upright my friends😊
XJ9
Must fit that into a video at some point 🤔
@@bikerdood1100 very comfortable to ride with riser
One of the hilarious things about this era of bikes is that all of them in the USA had 85mph speedometers.
Cars too I believe
What a completely idiotic idea
Only in America as they say 😂
I've got a 1983 Yamaha Midnight Maxim 750 in my collection of Japanese bikes. It's still quite impressive as far as speed, handling, and comfort are concerned. Not to mention, it's a damn good-looking bike.
The early 80s remains a good source of excellent and very low cost bikes
In the late 60's when I started riding it was on Honda 50's and 90's . The most fun bike for me though was the lowly Triumph Cub, 200 CC. It was pure two wheeled enjoyment. Easy to ride with more HP than the single cylinder Honda's.
If you could review the everyday bikes of the 60's & 70's.
Thanks for all the videos!
That’s the plan
Looking at 60s 250 leaner bikes soon
From the UK first, of course
These lists are great. Anything on Italian bikes is fine with me.
Can do
A splendid comprehensive selection, well done with the narrative and history 👍👌👏
Thanks
Owned a 1979 Honda CBX 1000.....red. Put on S&W rear shocks and RC street performer exhaust system.
My bike out of school and varsity......loved it.
You had a CBX in school
Hmm
@bikerdood1100 No bud, I mean just out of school and while studying, I bought myself my CBX. Leaving school, most are 18 years old and have a license to dtive a car and bike with a capacity over 50cc.
In the UK I owned both a maroon XS1100 and later a 1979 silver CBX1000 and loved them both. In fact I had two XS1100s as I wrote one off. The low down torque was astonishing and I used to love the way the back wheel hopped when you braked really hard. The sound and feel though of the CBXs 6 cylinders outclassed everything, and how could you not be impressed by those 6 pipes. Magic.
Those 2 valve fours felt quite a bit different than the more modern 4 valve motors
Definitely had a fatter mid range
Damn near bought a CBX when they were new but then took a test ride on CB900F Bol D Or and fell in love with that. Got it planed and ported and put a Yoshi exhaust on it and terrorised the neighborhood with that for a couple of years before several near death experiences convinced me a change of death wish would be rewarded and bought a brand new and outstandingly beautiful Yamaha XS650 Heritage Special in black and gold, which I had for 32 years. Great video thanks
In reality the 900 was the better choice
But that sound
I made a choice to not own fast bikes after a fzr 1000 in 1980s couldn't go anywhere slowly 🙄
@@bikerdood1100 yep the sound nearly got me. But then I knew I wouldn't be hearing it.
@@nigelthomas8315 I'm restoring an 87 FZR1000 at the moment, i love those 5 valve Yamahas.
Brings back memories, when I was 17 , had a ride on a xs1100, pillion , and also the kz1300 , they were the days , cheers shane uk 🇬🇧
Shane as a Brit we get to call it a Zed
All lovely bikes and none of them bland . I liked them all and still do. For some reason I saw a Yamaha TR1 V Twin, and was drawn to this . I count myself fortunate to have been there when these bikes were introduced. Thank You.
Exciting time
loved the TR1...............
I was only 18yo when one day from out of the blue I was requested to come and test ride the Z1300 by the owner of a local Kawasaki dealership. It had just arrived in my hometown in Australia and even made the local newspapers. At the time I was a short skinny lad who owned a Z400, the biggest motorcycle I had ever ridden up to that point. The dealer had a large group of 'interested' Harley Davidson owners present (bikie gang) who would also be going along for the short ride with me down a nearby highway. Upon viewing the beast for the very first time, I was afraid that I would not be able to even hold the bike up, yet alone ride it! I was surrounded by Harley's when I got it onto the highway and was taking it easy as per the manager's strict instruction, when one bikie yelled at me to 'gun-it'. Thinking I would never live this down if I didn't, I twisted the throttle and rapidly left them all eating my dust. The power of this incredible motorcycle was thrilling for me to experience (not so much the fear!). The look on the bikies grizzled faces when they finally caught up with me was priceless. When I returned the bike to the shop, the manager asked me how it felt to ride. Still surrounded by these intimidating HD aficionados, I told him that it was a very comfortable and smooth ride, however it did feel a little sluggish on acceleration! The bikies in my hometown treated me quite differently from that day on (in a good way)!😅 Thanks so much for the great video and the wonderful memories.
Glad it brought back memories
In 1982 I was in the Navy and bought a 1982 GPZ1100.. at 140 I could easily pull a wheelie.. crazy fast for it's day
Oh the Madness
Hi Dood, Great video and an impressive line-up of desirous machines. I liked the close-ups showing the details, but was a bit disappointed you didn't step back very often to show the whole bike. Can't please everyone I reckon. Thanks for sharing. Stay safe and keep up the good work. PS I'll have the Z. 😊👍✌
Well I’m not filming so you have to go with what’s out there
It’s a pain but that’s what’s available
If I’m filming my self I do indeed do just that
Who can forget the looks and performance of the CB1100R (1980 to 1983), they were standout bikes.
Different kinda a bike
Everything everyone says! The Katanas when they came out were just magnificent!
Well I liked them my self
And it’s kind of matured well too
But anything as striking and different as the Katana will generate strong opinions both ways
I got a 80 Xs11, always a blast to ride around town.
Oh I can imagine
Chain drive and that exhaust note of the CBX trumps these others for me. Finding and restoring any of them would be a daunting task where I live.
Not too bothered about the duty old chain
Amazing sound
Just about to bring home a XS1100, all original... complete, 34000 kms on it.
Hope it goes well
The CBX1000 is the ultimate muscle bike IMO. It has a magic no other motorcycle can match.
Well it was wide
Had a 72 kawi h2,,a z1 900,,a Yamaha xs1100 and God dam it,,a 85 Yamaha VMax ..had that vmax for 30 yrs--reluctantly sold a few years ago,,all great bikes if you had the balls to ride them!!
Doesn’t take balls to ride them
Riding em fast is another matter however 😂
The Suzie Katana actually handled pretty well, although the riding position made it marginal for anything over an hour or so (and, yes, that was when I was a lot younger)...but nothing like the GSXRs! I took a Z13 in on trade for a 1200 Goldwing and rode it myself for almost a year: smooth, quiet but not very sporting in the twisties, a genuine motorway flyer however. The guy who traded it to me took quite some time to get used to the difference in speed between the Z and his Goldwing! The fuel mileage was quite a bit better than a CBX, but it was even harder on tyres because of all that weight. I sold it to a friend who rode it until the mid-1990s, putting over 150K miles on it without a bit of trouble (but he was meticulous about doing his maintenance). My friend's son was then an engineering student at university, and he took the drivetrain and built a tiny sports car with it (and trust me, that was more work than it sounds like) and went amateur racing. To my knowledge, he never won anything, but that big Kwaker made an absolutely glorious sound at 7000+ rpm. Cheers,
Certainly was a different beast
I always liked the styling
But I’m odd that way
@@bikerdood1100 Mine was black, and I always thought it handsome; it looked rather Italian to me. Mind you, it was one CLUMSY beast in corners, even after I upgraded the rear dampers/springs. It always felt to me like the swingarm and the rear of the frame were flexing...and I wasn't riding it like a sports bike! But, man, when you finally got it pointed straight ahead, it was glorious, and smoooooooth. I never had the urge to find another one, though...and this from a guy who's had 4 CBXs.
Great video i remember when the katana was released down at the local dealer where i spent half my childhood ogling all the bikes and the other half down the local river on my cheap dirt bikes starting with a ag90
It does look amazing
I have a Yammie 1.1, lovely engine. Just gets on with it. 🙂
Can’t imagine it works too hard
I remember most of those from my youth. I couldn't afford any of them and am probably still alive for that reason .
I had a propensity to push all of my bikes to their limits .
That xs 11 was a dream I never obtained .
I always had a yearning for a gpz and never had one of those either .
Well the limit could be reached pretty quickly on these things
@@bikerdood1100 their limits exceeded mine 😆
@@charliepatterson9321 well perfect them 😂
@@scottbrown71260 those 550 and 750 gpzs were absolutely stunning to look at . They looked like they were moving when they were on the kickstand . 😍
Love the selection!!!!
Thanks they are monsters aren’t they
I'd like to see the 1200 Bandit covered tracing it's history from the GSXR1100 😊
Or the Bandit in general 🤔
@bikerdood1100 yeah as a 1200 owner I love them, such a lot of fun to ride. You have to be careful though, not easy to ride well!
The Katana in this vid sounds like a fighter jet. But nothing on earth sounds as beautifully frightening and stops any passer-by dead in their tracks than Honda's CBX1000. Even the sound of thunder doesn't compare! Lol 😂
Well I don’t know about thunder but it does sound incredible
I had a chance to ride the KZ1300 on twisty back-roads and it handled very well considering it's bulk. One big problem with earlier models was that the centrally located cam chain stretched prematurely resulting in a complete engine tear-down to replace it. Very expensive!
I can imagine
Saw a stunt guy wheeling one around oulton park in late 1970s I was very impressed at the time they were massive
roy robson
1 second ago
Yeah i agree i had the z1300 same as the 1 in the video i loved it and used to race round the country lanes on it no problems
@@rsrobboman Me too. I bought mine new, it handled very well and I soon started grinding the crankcases away as the lean angle wasn't great, but it'd go flat out all day irrespective of the conditions or any hill - it was also quite good on dirt, blasting along Australian dirt roads with a tremendous dust cloud following me - those were the days.
Great work again 👏
Thanks
The XS 11 midnight special was a beautiful bike for its time
Was a pretty nice looking bike
Prettier than a V max
I was rocking the GS1100 Suzuki. It would turn 5.00 in second gear at 99mph at the drag strip 1/8 mile. Today I’m riding a 1980 Honda Cb900c that my Son restored for me . Very nice bike even today and it will out ride 90% if every bike built today with its air ride. Like being in a boat going through waves ! Smoothest bike made probably . Did the 1100 Yamaha. Most everything. Those Nike were bullit proof . Dependable, today the quality has played second place to buttons and computers doing the riding.
There has been a down turn in quality, especially paint and finish
It wasn't superbikes that the XS1100 had success in Australia, it was production endurance racing, namely the Castrol 6 hours races.
Still a big beast for racing
Back in the late 70s I went to watch the racing at my local circuit, Knockhill, on a dreich day. The highlight was a bloke on a Laverda 1200 Mirage, racing. He washed out in the middle of the hairpin, stuck his right foot onto the track and took the rest of the corner speedway style. He got a massive response from the crowd, but got boos on his next lap, as he went round the hairpin in the conventional manner.
What a guy
Or maybe lucky
Either way bet he needed new under where
Never been to knockhill
Long way north from out midland base nice layout I think
Another interesting and well presented vid👍
Thanks
What a beast. Good ride.
No dought
I still have my Honda CB1100f. Only take it out on sunny weekends!
Nice
Z1300 was my second ever bike. Big and heavy
And with a six into one exhaust system had a glorious sound.
Certainly got you noticed💯👍😎
How about testing the two stroke GP replica bikes
I had an RG 500 Gama
Oh how I wish I still had it now. For loads of reasons 👍👍👍😎
Definitely not as cheap run about though 😂
Nice selection!
About the long living muscle bike Z1300…
Don't forget the 1st gen Yamaha VMax which was on the market from 1985 all the way to 2007 which is 22 years with minor modification only.
V max is a video on its own
I loved CBX Hondas, still do, naked, no fairing.
Fairing way more practical but not as pretty for sure
Great video
Well done 👏
Thanks
Nice to see my bike on your vid (3:45) 😊 Love your work 👍🏾
Glad you enjoyed it
HA! as soon as i saw that bit i thought "Thats NZ" Taranaki boy here😆
@@uhtred7860 You'd be right, Roads in the northwest of Auckland City. Go the Naki. Got family in Hawera.
@@kiwialfa2083 Do you still have the Kat? I love 80s bikes, have a 86 GSX-R1100 and a 87 FZR1000 thats getting a full restoration at the moment, plus a couple of other bikes.
@@uhtred7860 Yep, 3 Kats. The 11, a 650 and a 750, all 82s. Just finished restoring the 750. A Gixxer 11 and an FZR Thou. That's awesome. Lusted over both, still do.
I had 3 XS-11s .1 tour model and 2 specials. all 1979, massive engine hard runner really a good bike.
Always had the look of a bike that would run forever
Far better than the modern shit we have now.
Unfortunately these now classic bikes are rare & cost a bloody fortune.
Well not sure about that
Build quality has taken a dive of late though
In local SA superbike racing, they conerted a Yamaha XS1100 to chain drive and it saw a great deal of success in racing
I’d imagine it was a real handful
@@bikerdood1100 They did very well in production racing in Oz, especially in the Castrol Six Hour (which they won). A relatively big tank and brave riders helped, of course.
Nice bucket list to have
If you like em big that is
Kawi 750 triples are really good burnout bikes and a good 3rd gear wheelie machine. Scary tho.
Not much use for anything else though
I have memories of a local rider breaking on a Z 13 and seeing the front forks visibly bend.
Actually not that surprising
Great video!
Thanks
You put the gs1100 but not the gs1150 which was a wicked beast. And as much as I love the cbx no mention of the cb1000c dual transmission which was a true brute and a commercial success. Also I routinely smoked all these bikes with cb900f, which is probably the absolute best bike I've ever owned. Today I still put a couple of hundred miles a week on my 2nd vfr800. I've had a motorcycle since 1974 so I've a bit more experience than most and so I'm just guessing these models just weren't sold across the pond
On fit so many in
Oh
wow Superb Bike
Nostalgic
Cool
Glad you enjoyed it
Had a Z1300 "The flying kettle" my mates called it, wound up writing it off after losing it in the wet on "Overband" repairs (Remember them) rebuilt it and did a straight swap for a GpZ1100
Some how I can imagine the simple GPZ was a bit more nimble
I had a friend with a cbx1000. He added a nice set of pipes to it. It made a glorious sound, it sounded just like an F1 car. I had a V4 Honda at the time but it did not stack up in the sound department.
They do sound amazing on the loud pipes
I do like the sound on the Honda V4 , unique really
I still have and ride my 1985 Yamaha fj1100.
That’s owner loyalty
Had a XS midnight special, bit dull.
Had 2 big Kat, anything but dull! The 2nd was 1260 Wiseco with a Harris with a comp baffle. In still air you could hear it nearly a quarter of a mile away..... happy days..
Very contrasting style bikes
I loved my '83 Suzuki GS 1100E. The problem with the Yamaha XS 1100 shaft drive was the pinion would want to climb the ring gear on hard accelleration. The Honda CBX was so smooth, you had to look at the teach to see if it was running if it had the stock exhaust. Add a custom exhaust and it sounded like an Indy car.
And it was so expensive you had to sell your soul and
The CBX of course
Suzuki is a real period peace and some looks even bigger than it really is
The Yamaha was the biggest seller of these and it had issues, heavy, early shaft drive pogo stick rear end on and off the gas. The Kawasaki was a HEAVIER shaft drive and mileage was in the low 30’s at best. The Kantana looked interesting at first glance but the unusual looks killed sales on what was a pretty good bike all around but no better than the other air cooled inline 4’s available from all the manufacturers. The CBX was the most interesting with the best walk up look of just about any motorcycle with no frame down tubes in front of the engine, and a six pack of cylinders with the bundle of snake looks. But it would overheat the inner cylinders quickly in traffic and the petcock was prone to leaking and hydrolocking the low cylinder when on the side stand. Leading to bent connecting rods. It still was the best looking and sounding motorcycle ever, but the inline 4’s could do the same thing cheaper and more reliably.
Well heating remains a problem for 6s, BMW have had similar problems despite liquid cooling
Kawasaki Z1000st I bought the first one in the uk , what a great bike although it did have a slight weave on long fast bends but I cured that with a heavier oil in the front forks , then it was wonderful.
Japanese really struggled for a long time to get suspension and chassis set ups right
the xs11 raced here in australia was chain drive conversion and highly modified and highly illegal. oh and bloody fast. katanas were ball crushers but wow. also still laugh at the time my best mate went past me one handed waving on the back wheel on a z1300. near bailed off my 750]4 in fright. still got the 4 too.
I did mention it’s racing in Australia I believe
Bit of a beast
The XS 1100's that raced (and won it in 78) in the Castrol 6 hour races were stock production bikes with the shaft drive.
The Original Katana is one of my very favourite bikes. (early CBR600, just like playing a video game, Ducati 916, steered better on one wheel than GSX-R 1100 did on two)
Original Katana came stock with Pirrelli Phantoms and could actually use them properly. (most bikes couldn't get enough heat into them)
First big Suzuki I could drift at 90+mph (I was lead mechanic at Suzuki Dealers when they were launched)
You don't need wide bars, learn to 'counter steer', one hand drifting around a left hand bend, waving to a friend coming opposite direction (Simon is still around and can verify) He said he knew it was me as no one else was crazy enough to do what I was doing and wave to him
XS1100, another bike with great drift ability, although at much lower speeds.
Massive torque, dump clutch at 1,500¬2,000rpm, shift to second and whack throttle then ride it like a 'flat track Harley'
The Martini version was a bit weird but still OK to ride sideways.
XS750 with Hitachi carbs was horrible, (no parts available even though 'we' were dealers) plus had the usual 'Yamaha can't make a bike with second gear' (did a lot of recall for replacement, second year was OK)
Yamaha usually brought bikes into country without any service parts, (not even oil filters, clutch or throttle cables)
XS850 was much much better bike. (same second gear issue with EXUP 1000, XV1100 first year)
I remember fitting a six into one exhaust on a Z1300, cut weight a bit but it was still heavy. Had basically the same twin choke carbs as the Suzuki GSX550, 3 instead of 2) GSX550 had a TERRIBLE regulator rectifier, burned out regularly, I usually fitted Honda CB250 N R/R to them
CBX was a little wheelie prone and could bend chassis if dropped from one wheel (had to pick one up in Cardiff, guy wheelied at lights and 'fell down'). Doing a top end re-build, valves and guides was no fun at all (I started in a Honda Dealers)
CB900F was quite a horrible bike and often sawed the cylinder in half if not serviced at correct intervals, I spent several years fitting new cam chains in them.
For some reason, the cam chain adjuster under carbs didn't get checked?
Never got to ride Jota, only the 750 don't remember much about it
Interesting stuff there
Thanks for you input
The CBX Honda is a neat bike. However the famous sound clip of the CBX ripping along is of a modified bike. Stock Honda CBXs did not sound like a Formula 1 race car.
Shhh
Don’t ruin the clip
It’s cool
The XS11 was raced in Australia earlier than 1981, I know that Len Atlee was racing one in 1979 because I was lucky enough to sit on the back of it for two laps of Amaroo Park!
I believe that is in the video
Been mentioned by some other Australias previously
@@bikerdood1100 Cheers, and thanks for the video!
There it is. Big 2nd gear burnouts man.
Tut tut
Is all I can say 😂
Had a 1100 Katana back in the 80s my friend ran into the side of a Fiat punto, the tank split his pelvis with a 6" gap, he spent a long time in hospital, never had any kids
Double ouch
The KZ900 I learned on, would leave these bikes in the dust.
Would it 🤔
@bikerdood1100 It probably would. It wasn't stock though.
Never owned a Katana but instead i had a Hayabusa. But i remember that Jerry Williams used to travel with his Katana when playing Rock n Roll in the country.😄❤️👍
A very different animal the Busa
Not sure how old you are but I rode bikes in the 1980s and I can say for sure that the Kwak was never referred to as the Z 13. It was always the Z1300
Where ?
In the Uk it was often referred as the Zed 13
In fact a guy named his daughter as such 🙄
He had her Christened. Zed Thirteen .
The world is a big old place
Assuming that the same name is used the world over is rather silly isn’t it
i had that Z1300 and absolutely loved it..
Big things not too good if your 5”3
I drove a XS11 special for 20 years. Not the greatest handling bike, but I still miss the insane torque and acceleration in that heavy of a bike.
Those old two valve fours made much better torque that the multi valve machines of today where it’s all at the top end
That’s actually funny, I owned 2 of them, a 1981 Yamaha XS11 and a 1978 Kawasaki KZ1300 … both bikes were absolute beasts but my favourite was the XS11
Interesting 🤔
Never been a fan of the Katana..just odd looking to me. But I appreciate many love it. each to their own an all that 💁🏻♂️
That’s bikes for you
Just like the style to what we've got now
That I do understand
Good selection of bikes. The only problem is they were each at the top of the price range which limited their sale. Now any Kawasaki kz bike which ranged from 900 to 1100 cc would fit your platform and they were priced so that everyone could have one. I've owned several of them. I own a 1982 kz1100d now. I was also the owner of 1979 Honda CBX back in the day. I loved it but my kz bikes out handled and out performed it.
Performance isn’t really the point here
It’s the vulgar display of excess 😂
The Katana is the demarcation line between old school and new. As far as looks go, I would rather an early Katana over a new almost anything else in the market. The new bikes are over styled far to busy. The Katana is clean and purposeful.
Well no it was to some extent a design blind ally because by 84 sporty bikes were going full race rep. I really liked the Katana but bike design moved on quite quickly
From 1978 to 1979 I owned and road a XS650 twin and then a XS750 triple.
Both very reliable machines.
Then in 1980 I bought a KZ 1300 thinking bigger is better.
What a mistake.
Clutch cable end broke off at the lever. A replacement was not available for more than a month.
Then the front brake master cylinder leaked while on a ride and damaged the paint on the fuel tank.
The dealer replaced it with one on a showroom bike.
Then while on a tour the rear brake caliper bolt fell off and the next time I applied the brakes the caliper spun around with the rotor blowing the rear shock off of its lower mount bolt.
That was the last straw. My dealer and I took a financial loss to trade it on a 1981 XS1100 Special which I rode across the US and eventually put over 80,000 trouble free miles on it.
I didnt buy another Kawasaki until 2003 when I purchased a KLR 650.
In my opinion the 1300 was a poorly engineered motorcycle.
Thats not to say other manufacturers havent had their lemons too.
Despite its power it was such a bulky and heavy machine I would not have included it in this list.
I don’t really believe that bigger is better to be honest
I found over the years that the opposite is often true
@bikerdood1100 you are so right on that.
I was younger back then and had to learn the hard way.
A good kick in the bank account brought that lesson home to me.
KLR 650 , Sportster and a Pan America are my rides at this time.
Although the PA weighs in at 560 with a full fuel tank it is surprisingly nimble .
The XS1.1 model of...er,1981? Svelte lines,bikini fairing,black livery. 'I want one of dem,me!' I'd think,as I smoked along on a little Puch VZ50. But,in order to have afforded such a piece of two-wheeler exotica,I'd have to have robbed a bank! 😊
Me too to be honest
I would love to see the Kawasaki GT 750 tested, also how a little video on "come back" bikes seeing the 11 kat, reminded me of the the 250 version they brought out
It was a JDM model but I expect Australia got it too
Not an official import here
I had an XSEleven that I never could get better than 25MPG on. I had a car at the time that beat that thing on gas mileage by 10MPG!
Was that the bike, the rider or both 😂
That XS1100 is in NZ and it’s still on the road today.
Brilliant
We've come full circle. Back then you could thrash a bike to within an inch of your bravest day.... now you have no chance. Foggy got given a V4 panigale. His comment. " I'm not riding That on the road it's bloody mental" from.Foggy !!!😮
Don’t always agree with Foggy but his comment is spot on
Anything over 100bhp on a road bike is a waste really, only useful for pub talk
I’d sooner sacrifice top end power for mid range punch any day
@@bikerdood1100 I'd agree. One of the fastest, point A to point B bikes ive ever ridden was a 02 CBR600S, An British Doctor brought it out to NZ with him, he had bought it from Ten Kate Racing (the multiple WSS champs) when they sold 10 of their 02 CBR's and started using the later CBR600RR, it was built to world supersport spec and he had put all the road gear back on, probably made a bit more than 100hp but not much, it was a sublime road bike. 😃
Down south in the Antipides
We got the wire wheel Katana
1135cc instead of the 1050?cc in non wire wheeled Katanas
Raced one in a Speedway Sidechair (1135cc sleeved to 1050cc for capacity rules)
Phenomenal engine
Tech tip Katana motors accept GSXR 750 flat slide carbs from the H model (first model GSXR 750)
Wire wheels on a Katana, I wonder why
@@bikerdood1100 They were a lot lighter, they were very similar to the spoked wheels Suzuki ran on the Mk1 RG500 gp bikes, Suzuki and the NZ importer, built a batch of special Katanas to beat the CB1100R's in production races, they came with hotter cams (reportedly Yoshimura) beefed up clutch, braided brake lines, bigger bore exhausts, and upgraded carbs. These were homologated as Production bikes, not race specials, It was all to do with NZ and Australia being THE hotbed of production based racing at the time, and the Japanese factories all got heavily involved, but especially Suzuki as they had a 42% market share in NZ at that time, and had won the prestigious yearly 6 hour production race 4 years on the trot.
The GSX1100SXZ "Wire-Wheeler" Katanas came with the standard 1074cc 72mm bore as all other GSX1100 engines, if you had an engine that was 1135cc someone has put a big bore in it themselves. They came with different wheels, exhausts (but still 4 into 2) carbs, cams, clutch and brake lines, but standard bores and pistons.
I had a 1983 Honda CB1100F that would easily smoke and out handle a CBX! Wish I still had it! When it came out, it had the fastest 1/4 mile time while the V65 Magna beat it it out in top speed but I never tested this out for myself!
Well it did replace it after all
I was working at a Kawasaki dealership when the KZ1300 came out. Through a leg I’ve one and you instantly felt it’s massive weight. Weight and price put most off them. It was not a muscle bike,it was designed as a touring bike.
It was 120hp
In 1980 !
Yeah and over 600 pounds. Agree high speed tourer not muscle bike. Z1r or Gpz1100 were the Kawasaki muscle bikes. Then the 900 Ninja
@@othgmark1 I wouldnt even call those bikes "muscle bike" they were all the sports bikes of their era. The GPz 900R especially, was a very successful production race bike. If i had to use the term "muscle bike" for any machines it would be the likes of Kawasaki's Eliminators, Yamahas V-Max, Suzuki's Madura.
@@uhtred7860 Vmax yes it was a muscle bike. Only the 1000 and 1100 Kawasaki's to me would qualify as muscle bikes and l do not recall the Suzuki Maduras being particularly entertaining it all. Heavy,ugly, and not especially fast. Also has that weird octagon frame. The engine was torquey and smooth in the Cavalcade though.
@@othgmark1 But it was pitched a muscle cruiser and a direct competitor to the V-max/Eliminator/Magna bikes, they claimed 117hp for the 1200 cc version🤣 In reality they flopped, and were quietly dropped after 2 years. American mag cycle clocked them with almost identical quarter mile times as the 1100 magna, with very close terminal speeds.
Be great if you could do a post on the Honda CB900F range.
Nice idea
Love the idea of muscle bikes but having owned one, they are better to look at than ride. Tall, heavy, wide and naked, is an impractical combo. A barn door fairing makes for a practical motorway tourer, but defeats the image.
Yeh you can’t really have both
Never understood the point 125 hp naked bike when you head is being pulled off at anything past 70
I own a 75 Z1b and test ride a used Z1300 for my brother in law who was interested buying one. I’m in Kansas he’s in Colorado. Well I test rode the 1300 and was not that impressed, it in no way felt like a muscle bike to me. It was big heavy but smooth. My Z1 felt like a ripper in comparison. Quick to rev, rev’d higher and much easier to ride aggressively. I favored my smaller 900 over the 13. I wish I’d get the chance to buy a ZRX.
I think the point about these bikes is that they were getting crazy big, and big doesn’t = better in all cases
The XS1100 was available with a 'Martini' fairing at one point. A fairing painted in the Martini company colours...
I had the great pleasure of riding a breathed on example rather briskly on a motorway ( Obviously closed. Ahem. Or an Autobahn. Not the M1. No. Not the M1 ) one fine spring morning.
As I drew alongside a Mercedes. The driver looked at me, smiled, and floored it. The speedo needle of the XS was wavering somewhere past the end of the scale. The rev counter showing *just* into the red. The noise from the ( IIRC ) Alfa 4-1 competing with the wind roar and induction chaos. The Mercedes buggered off into the distance.
With a modified airbox, jetted up carbs, mild head porting and a free-ish pipe, the XS was capable of a genuine 150MPH. It was rock steady at that speed too. There aren't many Martini variants out there. They do look very dated now. Comfy, quick, heavy on fuel.
It was real come-down switching back to my Z400T. The owner of the XS1100 was rather pleased though.
Ah, the eighties. Low traffic volumes on the motorways, drivers with lane discipline and big, dumb, brutish bikes.
I remember seeing that paint job
Very striking it was too
@@bikerdood1100 Styled by Mockett............