November 19th, 2011 | Japanese classics |
This rare Yamaha TZ750 above and it’s sister the TZ700 would make wicked streetfighters, but who would put something as valuable as that on the street? Well, I’ve yet to see it.
But the two-stroker Yamaha below is something probably equally as rare and definitely streetable if you can ever get the carburation right. Nice tin work on this bike. 
This 1984 Yamaha RD350 Streetfighter sports a frame and wheels blasted and powder coated, tank stripped to bare metal ,all painted by racepaint. Rebuilt using either mint used parts or new. New parts include rear disc, seatcover, grips, pads, chain, sprockets, levers, screen and tires (160 rear).
Looks like a brand new factory effort!
Lovely Yamaha RD YPVS with RGV front and rear ends. It has all the running gear, wheels and brakes of the famous RGV, giving the handling and stopping power that the RD lacks.
Seems the RD350 is a favourite for streetfighter builders to use as a foundation for some really professional projects!
We’ll see more of these sweet rides here no doubt, as they seem to lend themselves nicely to transformation to streetfighter machines.
Check out some more Yamaha streetfighters below.
Just as Kawasaki came out with the modern iteration of the Z1 with the Z1000, and made it into a factory streetfighter to boot, so too has Yamaha prouced a factory fighter/power-cruiser.
Wouldn’t take much to make this baby a mean machine. Start by lopping off those cow-horn mirrors. Please.
It will be interesting to see if Yamaha goes streetfighter with this unit. Those of you reading this no doubt hope so!
Then get rid of some visual bulk at the rear end. A general lightening of the MT-01 and you start to get the idea.
No doubt it’s already been done somewhere. Love to see the results!
“The frame has been removed of all unsightly and unnecessary brackets and mounts, sandblasted and anti-corrosion sealed before painting. The engine has been disassembled, all clearances and OEM tolerances checked and refined prior to reassembly. Engine cases are hand polished while the barrel and cam cover are treated with a high temperature coating before hand finishing of the aluminum cylinder cooling fins.
Whilst a great deal of the bike’s accessories are hand-made, there are also several unique and off the shelf items newly purchased including blinkers, handle-bars, LED warning lights, digital multi-function speedometer, braided brake lines, mirrors, rear-a-set billet aluminum foot-peg assemblies, coil-over gas shocks, seat & upholstery, new Michelin tyres, wiring and battery, and of course, new custom paint”.
November 19th, 2011 | Japanese classics |
Production of the Suzuki RG500 Gamma lasted from 1985 to the 1987 RG500H. The 1987 year’s RG500H was the last model year although late registrations of ’87 prodution models in some countries resulted in bikes advertised as 88′s and 89′s but were in fact lightly modified 87′s. Later Suzuki RG500 service manuals from only mention two models, the 1985-1986 year’s RG500G and the slighly modified 1987 RG500H.
A very rare limited edition Walter Wolf Special was released in 1987 and described in Suzuki Canada brochures of the day as such;“The 1987 RG500 Walter Wolf Special – a very limited, very distinctive edition of the 500cc Suzuki machine that has won seven consecutive championships in world-class Grand Prix racing. That racing heritage continued in 1986 with the RG500 winning the Canadian National Pro & Amateur 600 Production Championships.The 498cc square four two-stroke engine is unrivalled and unbelievely light. Handling is simply incredible. The unique Posi-Damp forks can be pre-adjusted to suit load, road surface and riding preference; the Full Floater rear has been specially constructed to give superior shock absorption and power delivery.Stopping power is terriffic, thanks to the Deca Piston brake system front and rear, for safe, stable braking – the perfect system to control 95 horse-power.”
The Big Four Japanese manufacturers built dozens upon dozens of two-strokers in their early years as they sought to break out of the home market.
From the remarkable RD and RZ smokers, Kawasakis green meanies and more, we’ll look at loads of ‘em here but primarily the Yamahas and Kawasakis, just because they were everywhere back then. If you could find them in that big blue smoky cloud of speed!
In 1969 Kawasaki started to develop a name for itself with 2-stroke bikes sporting very high performance, beginning with the H1 model (500cc), also known as the Mach III. The H1 was excellent for wheelies due to its rearward weight bias. It gulped a lot of fuel and had a hard core reputation.
Two smaller versions were also released. The S1 (250cc) and the S2 (350cc). In 1972 a bigger version of the original was produced called the H1 or Mach IV (748cc). Production stopped when emissions legislation beacme too strict in the mid 70s.
Today Kawasaki 2-strokers are rare birds indeed. But you wouldn’t know it if you visited perhaps the worlds premier Kawi 2-stroke expert, Rick Brett at Classickawasaki.com.
Honda produced its first real motorcycle, powered by a 98cc two-stroke motor. When an employee sees the first one assembled and it is ridden outside the factory, he says, “It’s like a dream.” The name “Dream” was adopted for the bike, officially known as Model D.
Apparently Mr. Honda was infuriated by the noise, smell and fumes from the two-stroke motorbikes (including his own) that crowd Japanese city streets. In response, the company creates its first four-stroke motorcycle, the Dream.
Despite the fact that he despises such “primitive” powerplants, Honda flirts with his original notion of auxiliary motors for bicycles. The Cub F (two-stroke, 50cc) clip-on motor is sold through thousands of independent bicycle shops across Japan. It is only manufactured for two years, but it introduces the “Cub” trademark, which will be popular for decades in various guises.
Unfortunately, not much more was to come from Honda in the two stroke realm unless you count the dirt-bikes and motocrossers that we don’t cover here.
Unless of course you count the circa 1985 NSR400 and its sisters. So unless you fill me in on the years between, that’s about all there is.
November 19th, 2011 | Japanese classics |
Definitely some of the coolest bikes on the road. Classic Japanese Bobber motorcycles are generally the smaller displacement bikes taken by enthusiasts with little money and lots of imagination and motivation, and turned into something like this XS650 Bobber. This Yamaha shows really nice style and skill.
From what I’ve seen, a great many Japanese bobber motorcycles are derived from the Yamaha XS series of bikes, with most of them being the XS650. It’s an easy build because a couple of quick cuts on the back frame loop, add a saddle or bobber seat, chop the pipes back a ways and you’re half-way there.
A lot of bobber motorcycle builds depend mostly on the details rather than huge modifications. Some folks like a hard-tail look and so need to find a suitable frame and that gets to be like work! So most use the original frame and change out the shocks, seat, handlebars, and put same-size wheels on both ends.
Paint, tiny head and brake lights, fat tires and an abbreviated fender, and bob’s yer uncle so to speak.
Check out more Bobbers here.
Classic Japanese Bikes includes a section on Café Racers. With emphasis on the Honda CB line and Kawasakis’ Z1, KZ900 and KZ1000 specials,as well as the Yamaha XS models etc, this is where shadetree mechanics and backyard bodgers are at their most creative and inspired.
Lately smaller displacement Hondas are becoming popular cafe racer conversion favourites. Simply put they’re cheap to buy, Honda still has lots of OEM parts available and with cc restrictions in Japan, they’re the only alternative.
There are some real pros doing amazing things with ratty barn bikes and these can serve as an inspiration to those thinking of ditching their old, neglected rides.
A sizeable cottage industry has grown around products for this popular art form. Pretty much any old Japanese four-stroke and many two-stroke bikes lend themselves readily to cafe conversions simply by checking out all the cafe bike sites out there selling bolt-on stuff for you name it!
Handlebars, seat-pans in fibreglass or aluminum, wild tanks in carbon fibre, fenders galore! Strip your old ride down to the basics and you can simply order up a cafe look as easy as you can pull your credit card out of your wallet. It’s FUN!
We also take a look at lesser known but admired types such as the Yamaha RZ/RD two strokes, Kawasaki’s Green Meanie triples, Honda’s CBX1000 and other motorcycles of note. And we’ll have a look at some old racers like the Yamaha TZ750, RC Hondas and more obscure but cool stuff.
The Honda VF1000R shown here marks a transition to full-fairing bikes that would dominate the sportbike scene for years to come. Remember the original Honda Hurricane? I remember seeing the red and white Hurricane 600 with the outlandish tear-striped graphics and being awestruck!
It was clear as day the future was here and the old naked super-bikes of the 70s were soon to be gone forever. Alas, they’re back with a vengeance, catering to nostalgic memories of a simpler, less flashy time.
In fact, other than the touring and cruiser market, which are not covered here, The full-faired sport bikes and soon to be dubbed super-sports would constitute the bulk of future classics.
Kawasaki GPZ750s and 1100s, Suzuki GSXR 750s and 1000s, the Hurricanes and Yamaha FZ750s and 1000s are the new generation of classic Japanese bikes, pushing those from the 60s and 70s into vintage territory.
It was clear as day the future was here and the old naked super-bikes of the 70s were soon to be gone forever. Alas, they’re back with a vengeance, catering to nostalgic memories of a simpler, less flashy time, but with fuel-injection, modern rubber and modern price-tags!
The first Japanese 2-stroke motorcycles hearken back to this 1946 Honda Type A. When engineer Soichiro Honda got his hands on some tiny war-surplus 2-stroke engines, he bolted them to his in-house bicycle frames and thus was born the Japanese motorcycle industry!
Post-war, Japan was short on everything from petrol, to steel and rubber, so bicycles were a major source of transport. But the public needed more serious get-around and powered bicycles were increasingly popular, if unwieldy, smoky and crude.
Honda’s Type A begot Type B and so on, until the famous Honda Dream became a four-stroke step-through scooter sold everywhere by the millions. And they still are sold in the developing world by the ship-load
Later on, the other big three of Japanese motorcycling would all contribute to the two-stroke pantheon. With such famous marks as the Kawasaki H1 500 triple, and the rather infamous 750 cc “Green Meanie”, as well as Yamaha RD350 and RZ350 series pocket-rockets, the sweet smell of Castrol “R” would cloud horizons the world over.
Suzuki’s lineup of two-strokes such as the GT250, GT380 and the aptly nick-named Water Buffalo GT750, as well as the wicked and late-lamented RG500 Gamma would add to the cacophony and the hooliganism until clean-air laws brought the fun to a screeching halt in the mid-late 1970′s.
Just how many young hooligans do you think got hooked on two-stroke Japanese bikes and most particularly machines just like this very Yamaha RD350 or one of it’s many iterations? Methinks there were millions! Were you one?
So let’s have a closer look at the many 2-stroke classic Japanese bikes that captured the imaginations of a generation of bike enthusiasts. Just put on your Bell helmet and keep the blue smoke out of your eyes.
Here you’ll find many of the classic and renowned lightweight bikes like this Yamaha SR400 pictured here that started the Big Four on the road to complete world domination.
A good selection from Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki and Yamaha for enthusiasts of the four-strokers that weren’t always huge sellers in the west, but gave the Japanese factory engineers and stylists the experience and motivation to go after established big-bike makers like Norton, Triumph, Ducati and Harley Davidson.
Of course, after the legends-in-the-making such as the Honda 400-four, Yamaha RD350/400, and the Kawasaki middleweight KZs, and such, the poor Brit bike industry was under the gun.
It’s the same old sad story and we’ve heard it all before but at least we got our greasy hands on some reliable, fast and fun new bikes that would shape the future of the industry and our very lives!
And hey, let’s not get too down for the British. Triumph is ressurected and with newfound respect for the customer and some very tasty retro models for those die-hard fans to sink their teeth into. Go Brittania!
Four-stroke middleweight such as the Kawasaki KZ650, Suzuki GS650, and more… we’ll take a closer look at popular and classic Japanese bikes commonly referred to as middleweights. Bikes like the Honda CB750Four, Yamaha XS650 etc.
Most Japanese motorcycles sold in Europe and North America in the late 60’s and early seventies were small displacement two-strokes. Aside from the 1969 introduction of the awesome Honda 750Four, in fact there simply were no “middleweight” classic Japanese bikes.
But with the success of larger displacement bikes, particularly in the great expanses of North America, the big Four sought to flesh out their line-ups with models like the Kawasaki KZ650 and Suzuki GS650 Yamaha XS1 and others.
For you dreamers, here be some tastefully presented pics of the motorcycle racing world’s most gorgeous eye candy. More pics will be added from time to time, so be sure to have a look back every now and then to see what you might have missed.
Here’s some computer “wallpaper” to jazz up your monitor backgrounds. Classic Japanese motorcycle magazines and clubs worldwide are also listed here for enthusiasts to check out.
For those looking for products and services for a particular machine, you’ll find links to sites that cater to your needs. There is an amazingly extensive original equipment and aftermarket range of companies that can supply you with virtually anything you might want. And with links to Motorcycle Clubs and magazines, you can get lost browsing. So, after all that…
November 19th, 2011 | Japanese classics |
From the first 1955 Yamaha YA1, through the ubiquitous Honda Cub, and the Honda Superhawk , all the way to the early eighties Kawasaki GPZ305, and Suzuki GS500, the Big Four have sold hundreds of millions of lightweight motorcycles. In fact the best selling motor-vehicle of all time is the Cub in it’s various forms. Still in production today, Honda has sold well over 60 million of these scooters and so have introduced countless people everywhere to the world of two-wheeled fun.
In this section we’ll look at the four-stroke models only. Because Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha have produced so many different two-stroke bikes in the lightweight segment, they deserve their own section just to scratch the surface. Many of you have your favourites because you cut your motorcycling teeth on a specific model and remember it fondly, but there sure were some forgettable Japanese motorcycles made over the years. Remember the Honda CB400a Hondamatic? Um…I don’t think so!
1975 Super Sport 400 CB400F We won’t dwell too much on the Honda Cub/Supercub here since it’s clearly a scooter. But it deserves a place in the classic pantheon, not only because of the enormous numbers sold, but because of it’s longevity and toughness. And the fact that we met so many nice people on a Honda! So hats off to the Cub! But Honda did very well with models such as the CB400F, or 400Four, Honda CB450 Black Bomber, CB 77 Superhawk, CB 500 and Honda Dream. 
While Kawasaki didn’t exactly set the world on fire with it’s lightweight four-strokes, there are several very decent, competent and quick models to admire. In fact the KZ series has a handsome, recognizable look from the KZ200 and 250, through the KZ400 and 500 to the KZ1000.
Later, Kawasaki rolled out the GPZ250 and 305, bringing a modern look to its lightweight lineup. 
Suzuki came to the four-stroke game last among the Big Four. But they made good on that late start by bringing us the GS series. And starting with the Suzuki GS 400, a dizzying array of lightweights followed in the 425’s, 450’s, and the Suzuki GS500.Handsome bikes all, and like the Kawasaki KZ lineup, the GS series has a recognizable lineage all the way to the mighty Suzuki GS1100.Honourable mention must be made of Suzuki’s attempt at a rotary enigined motorcycle in the RE5. Though not a success, it showed Suzuki has imagination and engineering to match the other big Japanese manufacturers.
In the 1970’s Yamaha had developed a range of twins and some singles that became the mainstays of its four-stroke lineup. After emissions legislation had effectively put the kibosh on two-stroke bikes and development, (except for racing of course), Yamaha needed competitive street machines.
So have a look here at the Yamaha XS lightweights such as the XS250, XS360 and XS500. As well, there were a couple of excellent thumpers of note; the Yamaha SR500 and little bro 400. These two bikes led to development of the revered SRX600, a truly modern classic Yamaha motorcycle!
