All Time Greatest Motorcycle

[LBPete]

Gentlemen, although all of the bikes mentioned (especially the Vincents) have way more coolness, none of them had close to the impact on the motorcycling world as the Honda cub and all it's variants.

What did they say, over 14 million sold? It put the world on wheels.

- Pete

 

[skippy_ps]

40 million. Incredible!

Murray

 

[outlawmws]

i have dial up so i can't wait is it a honda step thru 50-90 cc from the 60's i had a 305 dream early 70's till my DAD WRECKED FOR ME WISH I HAD VIDEO OF THAT ?????LOL

The step thru Hondas are still in production an sold just about everywhere except the US. Very popular in SE asia. Whu wouldn’t they be? Around 100 MPG, and able to pull 50 MPH when running right. They were also made with 110 cc engines and had everything from 3 speeds to 8 speeds (Hi/Lo street trail gears) in the trial 90 and 110 versions. Australia uses them extensively for “postie bikes” contract mail delivery bikes.

There are two popular Yahell groups that support these bikes one mainly US based and another for Australian Postie bike sand these guys race them. Probably some of the most fun racing there is.

I have 2, one hunting setup and a bike I bought for parts that may someday be resurrected.

 

[onepixel]

I want one!

I was gonna say Ducati 916.

 

[Wornears]

As far as social impact of motorcycles -- have to agree on the Scout. But another Honda had a greater impact on bikes (and eventually cars) to me -- the original Honda CB750. This is the bike that "killed" the British motorcycle industry, and established Honda's credibility as a mass producer of engines.

But if my money were on the line today, I'd find a Norton Commando for real world riding and a Vincent (OK, so I would have to hit the lotto) to fire up on the weekend.

 

[thedelihaus]

Honda really socked it to the motorcycle world. At the time of many good companies from Japan, like suzuki, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and other makers, like the company Bridgestone (now of Tire fame) and Lilac (tough name to sell to the americans and europeans), the honda, with the 305 Hawk, Scrambler and Dream, the 350 CB and CL, the 450 Black Bomber, the Mini Trail "Monkeys:, the Cubs, and the 750/4, well, they knew what to bring to the party.

I've loved working and riding on those old Hondas, and took them everywhere- something special about riding a bike that's 30+ years old. Took the little CL125 on the highway once, layed flat on the tank, pseudo-Rollie Free style, and got just about 65 out of it.

Fun!!!

Still, a Vincent Black Shadow (or Lightning) would be very nice to have. As would a Triton, a Laverda, a BSA Victor, ect...

 

[Fisherdude]

I was hoping it would be a Triumph Bonneville.

Absolutely, positively in the top three. It's an icon.

As far as the Honda, I'm pretty sure my first ride ever was on a Honda 50.

How many of you have ridden one as well?

And you have to hum "Little Honda" while you type your answer!

 

[thedelihaus]

I've thought of building a Honda Trail "trike" so I could ride again. I don't recall if the Trail 50 or 70 has electric start though. My 125 is a kickstart only, and since I can't "kick", it's pretty useless to me now.

I could graft a cub 50 electric start onto one, and then be able to ride it as a "moped".

Although I wasn't the cause of the accident, and the other guy was witnessed by others as the cause of the accident and cited (but got off anyway), it was my and my passenger's (my father) licence that got taken away.

I'd like to be able to zip around again!

 

[Fisherdude]

I rode my 305 Scrambler from Fresno to Death Valley for the final AMA Death Valley Road Run in, iirc, 1967.

Good friend had a 441 Victor. Fun bike, but the only way to start it was to hold on to somebody's door handle and get a pull. Even the dealer couldn't kickstart it. Not a compression thing, fecker just wouldn't start.

 

[Sandy G]

Never had a Honda, but I sure did have a LOT of fun on a Velosolex moped summer '73....

 

[Steve-H]

I have to agree with the old Honda's. My first street bike was a CB360G. Single disc in the front, 6 speed, 34hp of fury. That bike taught me just about everything I know about motorcycling and repair (Ok - the RS250 track days helped out too ). Anyway, I bought the bike for $100, as it sat in a barn full of gas/oil/mice/filth since 1977. After about a 1 year restoration in my 2nd floor apartment, I was ready for the road.
Naturally I sold it a short time thereafter, I sold the bike and purchased what I believe was Honda's WORST motorcycle ever - the CX500. Thankfully a super clean CB650SC came along, and I had that up until the end of last year (Which BTW - is a *real* fast bike with some flat-slides, pipe, and cam). Guess what ? I now have a CL360 sitting awaiting some love and work.
However, I wouldn't kick a Vincent out of the garage for dripping oil on the floor. I really REALLY like these too:

 

[thedelihaus]

I rode my 305 Scrambler from Fresno to Death Valley for the final AMA Death Valley Road Run in, iirc, 1967.

Good friend had a 441 Victor. Fun bike, but the only way to start it was to hold on to somebody's door handle and get a pull. Even the dealer couldn't kickstart it. Not a compression thing, fecker just wouldn't start.

The Victor was an almost-purchase a few times for me. The "Prince of Darkness" Lucas electronics was a turnoff though, and the starting issues. I could care less about the oil leak past the rope seals. Funny, the single cylinder Yammie SR500 was easily kick-started by me, without even needing to look into the "TDC" window on the engine, or without even needing to pull in the decompression lever. and it was a 551(?) big-bore, too. Just much easier to start that bike than a Victor.

I rode the hell out of the CL350 scrambler I owned the most, followed by the CL125 scrambler, and finally the VT500 twin. Hundreds of miles, all types of weather, all sorts of places. Plum Island, Provincetown, Hyannis, Laconia bike week, everywhere.

I always wanted to go ride Death Valley. Plan was to do it on a Cafe Racer modified Yammie SR500, or a Dirt-Track modified Yammie XS650.

 

[thedelihaus]

Never had a Honda, but I sure did have a LOT of fun on a Velosolex moped summer '73....

In the summer of 1978 this fellow undertook a 3-month 11,500-mile (18,660 km) journey by moped from Toronto (Ontario, Canada) to Yukon (Canada), Alaska (USA), and up the Dempster Highway to Inuvik, NWT (Canada), and back to Toronto.

http://wmuma.com/moped78/

 

[thedelihaus]

Vintage Honda Motorcycle links, from Monkeys, Trails, 50s, 70s, 305s, up to 75os, and later 650 Hawk GT-650 v-twins.


http://www.honda-monkey.com/

http://www.monkeyprep.com/honda.htm

http://www.hondatrailbikes.com/

http://members.aol.com/classjap/

http://www.hondaminitrail.com/

http://www.honda305.com/

http://sohc4.us/?q=node/199

http://www.triumf.ca/people/baartman/bike/cb750-77.html

http://www.realclassic.co.uk/hon03112800.html

http://sohc4.us/?q=node/199

http://www.cvmg-gpr.ca/hondamatic/

http://www.hawkgt.com/

http://www.hawkland.de/beatty/

 

[thedelihaus]

classic Japanes bikes, all makes-

http://vjmc.org/

http://www.vjmw.org/

http://www.vintage-motorcycles.com/

 

[thedelihaus]

Classic vintage Yamahas-

the Yamaha SR500 single-

http://www.sr500club.org/

http://www.thumperstuff.com/

http://www.siue.edu/~rsutton/SR/


The Yamaha xs650- the engine was a direct copy of the earlier Triumph engine, with modern, updated design improvements applied to it, such as a hirizontally-split crankcase vs the vertically split crankcase, among other mods...

http://www.xs650.de/

http://www.650central.com/

http://www.mikesxs.com/

http://159.218.3.3/650.htm

http://www.xs650parts.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?

http://www.650motorcycles.com/

 

[Raputa the Buta]

http://www.joe-ks.com/archives_jun2004/PoorKidInMiddle.jpg

 

[slow_jazz]

i always liked those honda turbo 500's with the nice fairing. etc.. they were even fuel injected back in the early 80's when they made them.

 

[thedelihaus]

http://www.joe-ks.com/archives_jun2004/PoorKidInMiddle.jpg

That's a case of the big guy upstairs being taunted. A case of road rash will cure this imbecile's stupidity for a little while, 'buta.

 

[skippy_ps]

Yep, Honda turned the British mortocycle industry upside down with those 305 scramblers and then the CB750. BSA died in the mid '70's, iirc, then Norton a few years later and then Triumph was pretty much gone in the U.S. in the early '80's.

From kings of the industry to locked doors in about 10 years.

Murray