I know that current technology is much better, but the variety and character of the bikes during the 70's and 80's was something really special. The visceral sound and smell of a big cc two stroke, the hard acceleration of your first 4 cylinder machine, the roll on power of a 1000 cc's and the stopping power of hyd disc brakes. It was a good time to be into motorcycles.
Agree totally. I have ridden since 1977 & it’s core to my identity even if others don’t know it. I had a Yamaha YDS7, similar in style to the first two stroke featured here. Mine was gold & black. And bloody fast!
I always drooled over the early seventies ujm's. I wanted a Honda 750 so bad! Still luv all these bikes today...some are worth a lot $$$$ now, I'm no expert!
The 70's was a great time to be a biker. I had a 1975 GT 250m Ram Air. Great memories of me and my mates ( all on RD's and KH 250's ) in a convoy tearing up the A1. I can even smell the two stroke now !!
Very true peter there's definately something appealing about an older bike made from chrome and steel and not something that's hidden behind plastic. Thanks for your comments and thanks for watching my content stay safe my friend.
I had a ' 75 RD 400C in a metallic turquoise and it was favourite , nimble handling , turbine-smoothness and went like a rocket !.That GT 380 is incredibly handsome with the feature ' dog-bone ' rear light and certainly the first half of the 70s produced some fantastic looking bikes from Japan .
Looking at this I can identify many bikes I owned. Wish I still had them now as they would be worth a fortune. The RD 350 s ( I had 2 of them ) the RD400, the Kawasaki H400, the Suzuki GT 750, the Kawasaki Z1r MK11, the LC250, and a few others that I have forgotten were all great bikes. Back then bikes had a lot more soul . I have owned many of the latest and greatest and came to the conclusion that the current crop of bikes with all their electronic aids have diluted the true experience of motorcycling. To that effect I procured a bike that has no aids and is a 1000'v twin with carbs. I enjoy riding this bike more than the latter models that I have owned. Great to see these bikes, and it has restored many memories.
Oh the memories. The sight of these bikes are all connected to so many of my rites of passage: first love, first pay packet, independence, the feeling of being handed the keys of a brand new bike at the dealers, first serious accident, holidays on the south coast with mates, Sundays on the water front at Weston-Super-Mare....Garelli Rekord, then a Yamaha YDS7, then a Kawasaki H1, then a Yamaha XS 650B..........Halcyon days!...however the weather in this film reminded me why I emigrated to South Africa in 1978. :-D
Had a 380 with ocelot expansion chambers, the idle was like a impatient box of static and had a gs 1000 with a kerker 4 to 1 that idled like a oldsmobile v8 , these bikes had style you seldom see now in anything let alone bikes.
A nice video. The rain on the clocks and ignition barrels takes me back to those terrible times in the rain, after dark, stabbing away at the kickstart. No spark? No fuel? Water on the electrics? Always alright in the end.... One forgets what a demon the RD400 was, before the even madder Elsie 350 arrived. And the "ram air" triples.... Faster than they seemed. As I saw it I thought the Lemon was a V50 Monza. Now... That was a bike that never got its due praise. A fraction of the weight of a Lemon and physically much smaller, but could be ridden on the stops all day and if the tyres were good there was little that could keep up. But it was "only a 500" and had shaft drive, so it was ignored.... Anyway... Nice video. Made by someone who clearly likes this stuff.
Being an old helmet now at 69, I've just purchased its little brother the yds7 250 , one of my first bikes as a 16 year old, takes me back to my youth😅
New bikes may rock but you cant neat the looks sounds and smell of 1969 -1979 kawasakis. Suzukis and yamahas just cant be beat !oh that 2stroke smell brings back memories
I had a 1984 Moto Guzzi Le Mans III - it was an amazing machine. Dr John Wgitner took a bone stock Le Mans III and entered it in the WERA endurance series in a field of pretty much all Japanese superbikes. They competition sort of laughed him off. Well the Guzzi came 2nd overall and won the middleweight series (if memory services me right). The next year they used a Le Mans IV 1000 and won outright. Then he went on to win other championships. As an owner they let me come into the pits a couple of times. It was awesome!
I was a teenager back in the 70's and really loved the look of those Suzuki GT Triples. Those early 70's ones especially with their metallic colours. My Favourites of that era were, the Suzuki triples, 380, 550 and the 750 "Kettle" Also the Kawaski triples. If I could narrow them down, I would have to say that my favourites from that era had to be the Kawasaki 900 Z1, the Suzuki GT750 "Kettle" and the mighty Honda CBX1000 six. That motor looked Awesome from every angle. I believe Honda have one mounted on a display stand at their factory in Japan.
Music to my ears. Oh man, I had an RD 200 back in 75. Gold, teardrop tank. A thief stole away those years and my hair when I blinked. That GT 380 is a beauty.
Guess what my favourite Suzuki triple is? I still own my original GT380B, 1977. I bought it from a dealer in Portsmouth in 1978. I literally love it. My last possession to go, hopefully after I do….
When I started riding my Honda 90 "Sport" I thought the Triumph Bonneville was a monster and I would never be able to handle such a big bike. Now days they consider a 650cc bike to be a good beginner bike! My wife and I ride a Harley Ultra now after owning all kinds of Japanese, Spanish and American bikes over the years. Great fun. Thanks for posting, takes me back.
Anyone who rode a bike in 1976, the very hot summer, learnt to carry a bit of wood under the seat for the stand or else the centre stand left the wheels on the floor and side stand tipped the bike over. Melting roads such good fun,not!
classic rice burners more like.i've had loads,but the best bike i ever owned what a BSA Gold Star that had a Norton tank.i bought it as a build up project for £100,built it,rode it then sold it for £1500!
Your dead right I remember hearing bikes from a far and we'd bet on what was coming 9 time out of ten they were where i lived RD250s with L plates , by far the best sounding 2 strokes has to be the KH 250 and the H2 750
Hi Chris, thank you for this excellent video production of an exciting and wonderful time of motorcycling history. I share your feelings towards "classic bikes" of the seventy-eighties era. I would say that that period of history was the "Golden Age of Japanese Motorcycling" for the amazing designs and productions that the Japanese manufacturers offered the motorcycling enthusiasts. What a decade of innovation, invention, and developments! Ride safe, Ciao, L ("Classic guy" riding classics since 1969)!
lancelot1953 Thanks Lancelot for your feedback although classic dirt bikes is really what my You Tube Channel is really about. Although I enjoyed this day out and the reminiscing of these bikes from the 1980’s era as I had a few of them myself back in the day.
Hi Chris - I noticed your library of dirt bike and motocross videos - that is quite an impressive and such a valuable resource for amateurs, researchers, and/or collectors! I have a couple of "classic" dual-purpose Hondas that I enjoy for getting off the beaten path. Be safe, thank you again for all the time and effort assembling these videos and sharing them for the benefit of the YT motorcycling community, Ciao L (Maine, USA)
Tommy - by the late 1970s the Triumphs (Bonnie and Trident) were regarded as two-wheeled equivalents of the (four-wheeler) Morgan car by some magazine journalists.
I had the rounded-fin 1968 Yamaha 305 that was only made briefly before the square-fin RD 350 came out. I've only seen one 305 since 1969, and have never seen one for sale.
This video reminds me so much of the halcyon days of the seventies when every summer weekend the roads were full of bikes. And every town or city had it's biker's pubs. OK so a bit of 'rose tinted glasses' here but I think the seventies were the golden age of biking. Not like now where a few youngsters get a bike and happily ride it till their first winter when they think ' It's too cold'. And give in to their parent's 'motorbikes are dangerous. Get a car' nagging. I think it is only the 'born-agains' who started riding in the seventies or later, had kids. then found they had the money to get a bike again that are keeping it going. Biking is dying.
Just got a 75 400/4 going today, starting on a 72 GT750 J engine rebuild tomorrow. Lined up next after that, is a 72 H2, followed by a 73 H1. Going to be a great Christmas break this year!
The Z900 was the icon as it was the original. Went like stink but didn’t stop too well, single fro t disc and drum rear and, wasn’t too clever on tight twisty roads either.
I'm easy to please when it comes to viewing motorcycles so of course I enjoyed every second. That Suzuki GS380 two stroke triple is spooky. Looks very fast but with that short wheelbase and mild steel frame I bet it's a handful. I remember looking at those at the local Suzuki shop ( Jorgy's in Stockton California) and just kind of feel a chill when I'd look one over. . .it just looked intimidating with that Ram Air head. To this day I've not seen many of them and I never did get to ride one.
Tom - There were quite a few in the UK. Suzuki built it to look big for its capacity - four exhaust pipes on a triple, for example - but its handling was no better nor worse than many of its contemporaries. Top speed was just under the ton.
The GT380 models were underpowered for their near full size dimensions & weight. I’m 6’ 2” & needed the larger frame (I still look like a circus bear on it!). Only 38 hp but what’s great about them is the sheer smoothness. Unlike the later Kettles, which were only enjoyable under moderate or more throttle, and bucking on the overrun, lumpy at walking speed & horrible in queues of traffic, the littlest triple was just a jewel. The box is the best I’ve ever had. Fast it isn’t, though. Joyous to accelerate briskly through the gears, but becomes hard work over 70mph to maintain pace. The biggest triple with 70 hp is a completely different beast. They’re the last two bikes I’ve left. Sold the rest as life’s too short to keep lots of old machines going.
Just came across this video, I am almost certain that the GS1000 at the end of the clip is the one I bought in Pitenweem Fife in 2018, I still have it :)
yamaha rd 250 lc range was what did it . faster than a super car for a 17 year old on L plates . the funerals i went to was sickening. the technology back then was so advanced for its time .
I know somebody who bought one of the 1977 triumph Bonny 750 jubilee versions as an investment they were about £1000 as I remember. He did not ride it. I wonder what happened to it? Warren
They WERE bad in retrospect. You could probably make a standard T140V more reliable these days with modern advances in engine technology, but if the same alterations were made to a Jubilee Bonneville it would no longer be deemed as "original" and could consequently attract a far lower selling price.
these are all the reason the driving licence was changed so quickly . grave yards filled up so fast in the 70s . the 250 range for learners was stupid. Bikes that ran faster than sports cars on l plates .
David Harrison Absolutely right David the RD Yamaha’s of the day were very quick for a 250 twin, in fact one of my mates was killed riding his RD 350 which were lightening fast for such a small machine.
Chris Montignani sorry mate . i look back at a time that was fun and fast but life was cheap . i lost a lot of good mates . the engines where way faster than the skill set for a young lad . may your mate find peace . i think of them all when i see the machines . they scare me now . must be to old !!!!!
Chris Montignani they could be modified so cheaply as well . after market extras available for buttons if you visited the bike shows ! re jet carbs , Exhaust swaps etc etc . all for more speed but no one wanted up grade brakes or an advanced riding course ! lol we all where crazy back then . im amazed anyone made it into their 30s !
@@davidharrison6615 I did now 60 and still ride I too lost alot of friends but they were crazy times an was lucky enough to have been there an survived 😊
I think you would be hard pushed to find as many well maintained or restored classics in the USA. Thanks for video it was my era in the uk (70's) even though I was riding 20 year old British ...... Cheers Warren Ps my brother inlaw has and rides an unrestored Z-1000.about 76 I think.
I was going to buy an rd200dx off a mate I rode it for a mile or so n thought its running bad until I realized the choke was on and then a rocket ship I didn't buy it I preferred the lc.
harry g. - The Yam 350 to which you refer is commonly known as the "YR-5" model and it had a separate oil tank. I think all Yamaha 2-stokes from 1963 featured this "Autolube" system. global.yamaha-motor.com/about/history/stories/0009.html
I really like that combo. My 1977 GT380B is Stardust Silver (fine metallic) with thin, twin blue stripes, light & dark blue. It’s classy & underspoken. Looks great on the big GSs. In fact I think it was a brochure picture of a GS1000 in that colour which made me pick out the actual GT380B I bought.
Hab mal ein Bericht gesehen über VW Bullis in England.Autos vor Bj.1960 ca brauchen kein TÜV,kannst machen was du willst,auch ohne Bemsen fahren sagte der Typ.Denke gilt bei Motorräder genau so. 70er Motorräder gibt's bestimmt auch Ausnahmen.
My first dirt bike was a Bultaco Lobito 100. My first street bike was a Suzuki GT380. I have owned more than 50 bikes since age 16, and every single one of them has been carbureted with no abs or computer. They have all been reliable. Some were more fun to ride than others. Current technology is complete and absolute GARBAGE. You might as well play a video game than ride a modern "motorcycle" It would probably be more realistic. I prefer '60s British bikes, '70s Japanese bikes, and Harleys all the way up to the end of the EVO engine. I also like Ironhead Sportsters, and Royal Enfields through 2008. I much prefer character and soul over outright speed and performance. I almost bought a new 1979 Yamaha RD400 Daytona Special, but wound up buying a 1979 XS650 instead. It was my first new bike.
There are bound to be a few worthy bikes that miss out. :-( As a memory jogger, I'd like to see a video featuring those bikes from the era which were OK but have been forgotten by almost everyone, at least in the UK: Kawasaki Z200, BMW R45, Yamaha XS 400 (not the XS 500 [TX 500 in North America] which was truly dreadful), Honda CM 125 T, Suzuki GS 425 (not the bland and boring GS 550), MZ TS 150 and so on.
Disappointed! All these classic Japanese strokers and not one Kawasaki triple?? I had a KH400 for a while. That thing went like stink but the hairy assed H2 750 had to be the baddest bike in town. My mate had one and I took it for a spin one day. One of the scariest rides of my life. I wound the throttle on from low revs and it was like a switch, one moment it's purring along, next moment there's a howling and WHACK! The front end is blocking my view of main street and I'm fighting to get it back under control. I had ridden quite a few two strokes before so I though I knew what to expect but I don't know how I managed to stay on board that day. That thing was seriously dangerous. Anyway, nice video Chris. Shame the totally shit music is so at odds with the images.
@@dennisloobman8013 the 500 was known as the widow maker the brakes were like a fs1 e the 400 came with a front disc and lower gearing the 500 would put the front up from forth to fifth at 90 mph you truly did shit yourself when you got it down then came the speed wobble the chain and sprockets only lasted 1000 miles as did the back wheel spokes a true flying machine most that had them were lucky to survive and sum are alive to tell the tale my self included i ran mine on castrol r and for star fuel and it drank it like a 3.5 rover 25 to a gallon
There were hardly any of them! Seriously, I think I saw just one all my teens / 20s riding years. I’ve seen more in static shows in the last ten years than back in the day. Funny thing is how few of anything survives. Ok, plenty of the 250-750 of most mass manufacturers, but I often wonder what a tiny % are still being used? Maybe 1%?
I know that current technology is much better, but the variety and character of the bikes during the 70's and 80's was something really special. The visceral sound and smell of a big cc two stroke, the hard acceleration of your first 4 cylinder machine, the roll on power of a 1000 cc's and the stopping power of hyd disc brakes. It was a good time to be into motorcycles.
Agree totally. I have ridden since 1977 & it’s core to my identity even if others don’t know it.
I had a Yamaha YDS7, similar in style to the first two stroke featured here. Mine was gold & black. And bloody fast!
I always drooled over the early seventies ujm's. I wanted a Honda 750 so bad! Still luv all these bikes today...some are worth a lot $$$$ now, I'm no expert!
The 70's was a great time to be a biker. I had a 1975 GT 250m Ram Air. Great memories of me and my mates ( all on RD's and KH 250's ) in a convoy tearing up the A1. I can even smell the two stroke now !!
Nowadays the smoke from two-strokes would have the enviromentalists choking on their herbal tea!
The exciting character of these bikes doesn't exist among todays bikes !!!!
Very true peter there's definately something appealing about an older bike made from chrome and steel and not something that's hidden behind plastic. Thanks for your comments and thanks for watching my content stay safe my friend.
Oh that crisp sound of a Yamaha two stroke.
I had a ' 75 RD 400C in a metallic turquoise and it was favourite , nimble handling , turbine-smoothness and went like a rocket !.That GT 380 is incredibly handsome with the feature ' dog-bone ' rear light and certainly the first half of the 70s produced some fantastic looking bikes from Japan .
at that time i know the bikes very well it was a great time 70/80 and the motorbikes were beautiful... .👍👍👍👍
Looking at this I can identify many bikes I owned.
Wish I still had them now as they would be worth a fortune.
The RD 350 s ( I had 2 of them ) the RD400, the Kawasaki H400, the Suzuki GT 750, the Kawasaki Z1r MK11, the LC250, and a few others that I have forgotten were all great bikes.
Back then bikes had a lot more soul .
I have owned many of the latest and greatest and came to the conclusion that the current crop of bikes with all their electronic aids have diluted the true experience of motorcycling.
To that effect I procured a bike that has no aids and is a 1000'v twin with carbs. I enjoy riding this bike more than the latter models that I have owned.
Great to see these bikes, and it has restored many memories.
Oh the memories. The sight of these bikes are all connected to so many of my rites of passage: first love, first pay packet, independence, the feeling of being handed the keys of a brand new bike at the dealers, first serious accident, holidays on the south coast with mates, Sundays on the water front at Weston-Super-Mare....Garelli Rekord, then a Yamaha YDS7, then a Kawasaki H1, then a Yamaha XS 650B..........Halcyon days!...however the weather in this film reminded me why I emigrated to South Africa in 1978. :-D
Had a 380 with ocelot expansion chambers, the idle was like a impatient box of static and had a gs 1000 with a kerker 4 to 1 that idled like a oldsmobile v8 , these bikes had style you seldom see now in anything let alone bikes.
A nice video. The rain on the clocks and ignition barrels takes me back to those terrible times in the rain, after dark, stabbing away at the kickstart. No spark? No fuel? Water on the electrics? Always alright in the end....
One forgets what a demon the RD400 was, before the even madder Elsie 350 arrived.
And the "ram air" triples.... Faster than they seemed.
As I saw it I thought the Lemon was a V50 Monza. Now... That was a bike that never got its due praise. A fraction of the weight of a Lemon and physically much smaller, but could be ridden on the stops all day and if the tyres were good there was little that could keep up. But it was "only a 500" and had shaft drive, so it was ignored.... Anyway...
Nice video. Made by someone who clearly likes this stuff.
I left school in 1979 and looked at the RD 250 & 400 in awe as these were the Big boy’s bikes, now they look tiny LOL.
I still miss my Suzuki GT550. 😪
The first bike is a Yamaha YR5, much like the RD 350 but without the reed valves.
Being an old helmet now at 69, I've just purchased its little brother the yds7 250 , one of my first bikes as a 16 year old, takes me back to my youth😅
Ahhh, great memories.
Some beautiful bikes there 😊
I survived the 70s 2,strokers - made me a better car driver - needed your wits about you !!!!!
Same here the safest car driver is a retired or current cycle driver my 02
New bikes may rock but you cant neat the looks sounds and smell of 1969 -1979 kawasakis. Suzukis and yamahas just cant be beat !oh that 2stroke smell brings back memories
Kh250 then GS1000 was I, the best days of my life
I had a 1984 Moto Guzzi Le Mans III - it was an amazing machine. Dr John Wgitner took a bone stock Le Mans III and entered it in the WERA endurance series in a field of pretty much all Japanese superbikes. They competition sort of laughed him off. Well the Guzzi came 2nd overall and won the middleweight series (if memory services me right). The next year they used a Le Mans IV 1000 and won outright. Then he went on to win other championships. As an owner they let me come into the pits a couple of times. It was awesome!
I was a teenager back in the 70's and really loved the look of those Suzuki GT Triples.
Those early 70's ones especially with their metallic colours. My Favourites of that
era were, the Suzuki triples, 380, 550 and the 750 "Kettle" Also the Kawaski triples.
If I could narrow them down, I would have to say that my favourites from that era
had to be the Kawasaki 900 Z1, the Suzuki GT750 "Kettle" and the mighty Honda
CBX1000 six. That motor looked Awesome from every angle. I believe Honda
have one mounted on a display stand at their factory in Japan.
Music to my ears. Oh man, I had an RD 200 back in 75. Gold, teardrop tank. A thief stole away those years and my hair when I blinked. That GT 380 is a beauty.
Guess what my favourite Suzuki triple is? I still own my original GT380B, 1977. I bought it from a dealer in Portsmouth in 1978. I literally love it. My last possession to go, hopefully after I do….
@@GT380man If only I had room in the garage. The money to buy one. And the quickness of thought to ride it.
When I started riding my Honda 90 "Sport" I thought the Triumph Bonneville was a monster and I would never be able to handle such a big bike. Now days they consider a 650cc bike to be a good beginner bike! My wife and I ride a Harley Ultra now after owning all kinds of Japanese, Spanish and American bikes over the years. Great fun. Thanks for posting, takes me back.
I had a Honda 350 what a fun little bike that was !!
My coffin tank RD 250 was Stan Stevens tuned and took off at 5k revs, such good memories :)
Good to see they're getting used, that's what they were made for
This Yamaha RD350 is a really fun bike around town. I need to get another one and rev it up for my neighbors that have gone electric.
Can't believe the Honda 400four isn't there. Loved racing it against 380 Suzuki`s.....still have it from new!
I had once a Yamaha RD 250...regdengdengdeng Ah the sound of youth :-)
The RD is, indeed, superb ... as are the others! Sweetly-shot and -paced video.
So many happy memories of my teenage years Yamaha rd 250 and my first big bike the iconic Z1000 even the Same colour as mine
Anyone who rode a bike in 1976, the very hot summer, learnt to carry a bit of wood under the seat for the stand or else the centre stand left the wheels on the floor and side stand tipped the bike over. Melting roads such good fun,not!
classic rice burners more like.i've had loads,but the best bike i ever owned what a BSA Gold Star that had a Norton tank.i bought it as a build up project for £100,built it,rode it then sold it for £1500!
up on the stand and running
Tasteful custom work on the RD-400!
All the 2 stroke bikes of the 1960 s -1970s have their unique sound ,Suzuki, Yamaha , Kawasaki ,you can tell what they are just by listing to them .
Your dead right I remember hearing bikes from a far and we'd bet on what was coming 9 time out of ten they were where i lived RD250s with L plates , by far the best sounding 2 strokes has to be the KH 250 and the H2 750
YAMAHA is the best! 👊
I love YAMAHA bikes! 👍
To bad I remember them all new. I'm an old bastard but getting a new litre bike soon.
1st bike 250 Yamaha YDS7 amazing
2nd bike 750 Trident T160 (always breaking down)
Now FJR 1300, back to Yamaha for reliability.
Hi Chris, thank you for this excellent video production of an exciting and wonderful time of motorcycling history. I share your feelings towards "classic bikes" of the seventy-eighties era.
I would say that that period of history was the "Golden Age of Japanese Motorcycling" for the amazing designs and productions that the Japanese manufacturers offered the motorcycling enthusiasts. What a decade of innovation, invention, and developments!
Ride safe, Ciao, L ("Classic guy" riding classics since 1969)!
lancelot1953 Thanks Lancelot for your feedback although classic dirt bikes is really what my You Tube Channel is really about. Although I enjoyed this day out and the reminiscing of these bikes from the 1980’s era as I had a few of them myself back in the day.
Hi Chris - I noticed your library of dirt bike and motocross videos - that is quite an impressive and such a valuable resource for amateurs, researchers, and/or collectors! I have a couple of "classic" dual-purpose Hondas that I enjoy for getting off the beaten path. Be safe, thank you again for all the time and effort assembling these videos and sharing them for the benefit of the YT motorcycling community, Ciao L (Maine, USA)
I can't help thinking that the Bonneville looks old-fashioned and completely out-dated amongst those Japanese and Italian machines.
Tommy - by the late 1970s the Triumphs (Bonnie and Trident) were regarded as two-wheeled equivalents of the (four-wheeler) Morgan car by some magazine journalists.
I had the rounded-fin 1968 Yamaha 305 that was only made briefly before the square-fin RD 350 came out. I've only seen one 305 since 1969, and have never seen one for sale.
I had a YM1 also ! Great bike
This video reminds me so much of the halcyon days of the seventies when every summer weekend the roads were full of bikes. And every town or city had it's biker's pubs. OK so a bit of 'rose tinted glasses' here but I think the seventies were the golden age of biking. Not like now where a few youngsters get a bike and happily ride it till their first winter when they think ' It's too cold'. And give in to their parent's 'motorbikes are dangerous. Get a car' nagging. I think it is only the 'born-agains' who started riding in the seventies or later, had kids. then found they had the money to get a bike again that are keeping it going. Biking is dying.
0:55 A typical summer day in Scotland!
Been riding since the 60s came up until now I own a Honda CB 1100 excellent ride
The newest gen cb1100 is one of the most beautiful bikes ive ever seen!! Congrats
Just got a 75 400/4 going today, starting on a 72 GT750 J engine rebuild tomorrow. Lined up next after that, is a 72 H2, followed by a 73 H1. Going to be a great Christmas break this year!
The Z900 was the icon as it was the original. Went like stink but didn’t stop too well, single fro t disc and drum rear and, wasn’t too clever on tight twisty roads either.
I'm easy to please when it comes to viewing motorcycles so of course I enjoyed every second. That Suzuki GS380 two stroke triple is spooky. Looks very fast but with that short wheelbase and mild steel frame I bet it's a handful. I remember looking at those at the local Suzuki shop ( Jorgy's in Stockton California) and just kind of feel a chill when I'd look one over. . .it just looked intimidating with that Ram Air head. To this day I've not seen many of them and I never did get to ride one.
Tom - There were quite a few in the UK. Suzuki built it to look big for its capacity - four exhaust pipes on a triple, for example - but its handling was no better nor worse than many of its contemporaries. Top speed was just under the ton.
As I recall the GT380 was only fractional faster than the GT250...
The GT380 models were underpowered for their near full size dimensions & weight. I’m 6’ 2” & needed the larger frame (I still look like a circus bear on it!). Only 38 hp but what’s great about them is the sheer smoothness. Unlike the later Kettles, which were only enjoyable under moderate or more throttle, and bucking on the overrun, lumpy at walking speed & horrible in queues of traffic, the littlest triple was just a jewel. The box is the best I’ve ever had. Fast it isn’t, though. Joyous to accelerate briskly through the gears, but becomes hard work over 70mph to maintain pace. The biggest triple with 70 hp is a completely different beast. They’re the last two bikes I’ve left. Sold the rest as life’s too short to keep lots of old machines going.
Just came across this video, I am almost certain that the GS1000 at the end of the clip is the one I bought in Pitenweem Fife in 2018, I still have it :)
Damn the ol KZ1000 sets the mind to drifting, 🤔
The 70s Rules you newbee fools!!!
3:46 is actually an RD400 F as it has a rear disc brake. The RD400 E had a rear drum brake.
Utter rubbish.
yamaha rd 250 lc range was what did it . faster than a super car for a 17 year old on L plates . the funerals i went to was sickening. the technology back then was so advanced for its time .
No smoke, no poke.
Period bikes and authentic rain
VERY NICE ..!! THANKS
I noticed alot of these used the Dunlop K 87 tire
the first bike is 1972 r5 not a 73 rd350 the rd had a front disc brake and reed cages but it's still beautifully restored
Yes. Those early exhausts with seams on the YR5 and YDS7 are very rare and hard to come by.
@@peteterry2877 I recall that, I think, on the YDS7. That really was a fierce accelerator! Broke my arm crashing mine. Still got the plate & screws.
My favrot bike is yamaha
The one I had was not on the video. It’s the “widowmaker”.
H1 MACH III 500 triple, with race chambers.
im digging that 73 yamadog
RD 400 E, this was the last of a genartion of the rd 400.. next was rd 350 LC Liquid cooled
RD 400 F was the last.
Beautiful
I know somebody who bought one of the 1977 triumph Bonny 750 jubilee versions as an investment they were about £1000 as I remember.
He did not ride it. I wonder what happened to it? Warren
I know someone who did that too in Norwich. Crap bikes though.
They WERE bad in retrospect. You could probably make a standard T140V more reliable these days with modern advances in engine technology, but if the same alterations were made to a Jubilee Bonneville it would no longer be deemed as "original" and could consequently attract a far lower selling price.
Not a single kwack triple!
That's what I was looking for
My dad had the first bike shown. Yamaha R5B 350 two stroke. Same orange color.
these are all the reason the driving licence was changed so quickly . grave yards filled up so fast in the 70s . the 250 range for learners was stupid. Bikes that ran faster than sports cars on l plates .
David Harrison Absolutely right David the RD Yamaha’s of the day were very quick for a 250 twin, in fact one of my mates was killed riding his RD 350 which were lightening fast for such a small machine.
Chris Montignani sorry mate . i look back at a time that was fun and fast but life was cheap . i lost a lot of good mates . the engines where way faster than the skill set for a young lad . may your mate find peace . i think of them all when i see the machines . they scare me now . must be to old !!!!!
Chris Montignani they could be modified so cheaply as well . after market extras available for buttons if you visited the bike shows ! re jet carbs , Exhaust swaps etc etc . all for more speed but no one wanted up grade brakes or an advanced riding course ! lol we all where crazy back then . im amazed anyone made it into their 30s !
@@davidharrison6615 I did now 60 and still ride I too lost alot of friends but they were crazy times an was lucky enough to have been there an survived 😊
The widow maker is awesome
Smokey and they banned it 😪
Hahaha nice
I think you would be hard pushed to find as many well maintained or restored classics in the USA.
Thanks for video it was my era in the uk (70's) even though I was riding 20 year old British ......
Cheers Warren
Ps my brother inlaw has and rides an unrestored Z-1000.about 76 I think.
Not true man, we have vintage clubs here as well. I can name a number of machines that are super rare and low mile too.
R5 is 72 model, at latest.
RD250 is a C/76 model.
Where's part 2?
Was this a Lichfield event ?
No it was held in Kirkcaldy Fife Scotland
I was going to buy an rd200dx off a mate I rode it for a mile or so n thought its running bad until I realized the choke was on and then a rocket ship I didn't buy it I preferred the lc.
Is that Yamaha 350 (the first bike) oil in petrol or does it have a separate oil tank?
harry g. - The Yam 350 to which you refer is commonly known as the "YR-5" model and it had a separate oil tank. I think all Yamaha 2-stokes from 1963 featured this "Autolube" system.
global.yamaha-motor.com/about/history/stories/0009.html
as soon as a cool and rare bike shows up you get 5 sec then off to some mundane every day stuff
The Music people ?
have a suzuki gs 1100 1980 silver with blue stripes 19,000 miles 👍🏼😅
I really like that combo. My 1977 GT380B is Stardust Silver (fine metallic) with thin, twin blue stripes, light & dark blue. It’s classy & underspoken. Looks great on the big GSs. In fact I think it was a brochure picture of a GS1000 in that colour which made me pick out the actual GT380B I bought.
What , no Z1 or Z1b , owned one for 26 years , should have never sold it 🙈
It's a good video but you can tell it was made in the UK, and not only because of the Saltire in the introduction.
RAIN... :-(
I have a vintage collection. I can fix any part, but I have no refinishing skills peace
Gibt es eigentlich in Grossbritanien keine TÜV ?
Hab mal ein Bericht gesehen über VW Bullis in England.Autos vor Bj.1960 ca brauchen kein TÜV,kannst machen was du willst,auch ohne Bemsen fahren sagte der Typ.Denke gilt bei Motorräder genau so.
70er Motorräder gibt's bestimmt auch Ausnahmen.
suzuki gs 1000 wow
Nice bikes, but where's the suzuki 250 X7? and the KH250 triple
seized probably.
I had an x7, it was scary for a 250, racing Reed valves.
Hi are you still into 70s motorcycles if yes I have two Kawasaki z650 projects for sale
Where's the Kawasaki H2 750 ?! :)
Paul O'C - It probably crashed at 100 mph on the way to the display. Handling was never the strong point of the H2.
It's not the X files
My first dirt bike was a Bultaco Lobito 100. My first street bike was a Suzuki GT380. I have owned more than 50 bikes since age 16, and every single one of them has been carbureted with no abs or computer. They have all been reliable. Some were more fun to ride than others. Current technology is complete and absolute GARBAGE. You might as well play a video game than ride a modern "motorcycle" It would probably be more realistic. I prefer '60s British bikes, '70s Japanese bikes, and Harleys all the way up to the end of the EVO engine. I also like Ironhead Sportsters, and Royal Enfields through 2008. I much prefer character and soul over outright speed and performance. I almost bought a new 1979 Yamaha RD400 Daytona Special, but wound up buying a 1979 XS650 instead. It was my first new bike.
What no KZ650/750's??? Seriously...
There are bound to be a few worthy bikes that miss out. :-(
As a memory jogger, I'd like to see a video featuring those bikes from the era which were OK but have been forgotten by almost everyone, at least in the UK: Kawasaki Z200, BMW R45, Yamaha XS 400 (not the XS 500 [TX 500 in North America] which was truly dreadful), Honda CM 125 T, Suzuki GS 425 (not the bland and boring GS 550), MZ TS 150 and so on.
Disappointed! All these classic Japanese strokers and not one Kawasaki triple??
I had a KH400 for a while. That thing went like stink but the hairy assed H2 750 had to be the baddest bike in town.
My mate had one and I took it for a spin one day. One of the scariest rides of my life. I wound the throttle on from low revs and it was like a switch, one moment it's purring along, next moment there's a howling and WHACK! The front end is blocking my view of main street and I'm fighting to get it back under control.
I had ridden quite a few two strokes before so I though I knew what to expect but I don't know how I managed to stay on board that day. That thing was seriously dangerous.
Anyway, nice video Chris. Shame the totally shit music is so at odds with the images.
The H2 750 had to be the most exciting bike to ride in the 70s.
You were lucky to survive riding one.
@@Bobby-fj8mk Yes I was lucky to have got the front end down without falling off, but I had to go home and change my underpants.afterwards.
@@dennisloobman8013 the 500 was known as the widow maker the brakes were like a fs1 e the 400 came with a front disc and lower gearing the 500 would put the front up from forth to fifth at 90 mph you truly did shit yourself when you got it down then came the speed wobble the chain and sprockets only lasted 1000 miles as did the back wheel spokes a true flying machine most that had them were lucky to survive and sum are alive to tell the tale my self included i ran mine on castrol r and for star fuel and it drank it like a 3.5 rover 25 to a gallon
I liked the sound of the kawasaki triples but the centre pot was prone to overheating and seizing
Sounds like my one ride on a mates Honda CB900……cripes!
no H2 really?
no benelli 750 six
There were hardly any of them! Seriously, I think I saw just one all my teens / 20s riding years. I’ve seen more in static shows in the last ten years than back in the day. Funny thing is how few of anything survives. Ok, plenty of the 250-750 of most mass manufacturers, but I often wonder what a tiny % are still being used? Maybe 1%?
Yamaha = Garbage