Retro Motorcycles vs the Classic Motorcycles they're trying to copy

[@paulbunyon6324]

The Kawasaki really hits the mark with its stunning build quality and gorgeous looks. Even the side panels are metal as are the fenders. The Classic model in red, green or blue are show stoppers. IMO it is by far the most correct looking bike of all them.

[@frenchenstein]

Totally agree👌🏽

[@victorvannatter312]

Ya it’s a very nice looking motorcycle. But that engine is a bit too mild

[@jimruark4274]

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[@EstebanDVO]

I have a 2023 and I can tell you that I can't stop anywhere without someone asking me what year it is.

[@FBRR2]

As a current 72 year old rider that's owned "a lot" of bikes. I don't remember fondly the old bikes of the 60's. Motorcycles were not get on and ride, they were see how far you can ride before your on one knee on the side of the road trying to get it running again. Hondas/Kawasaki/Yamaha brought in bikes that you could ride all day and not spend time "in repair." I've owned a W2TT Kawasaki as well Triumph and BSA in the 60's and early 70s. When the H1 came out we thought that was "reliable"....Modern bike are so much better, only someone that didn't live through those bikes could think they are "nostalgic" ....lol At this age I ride a nice reliable quick Harley V Rod Muscle that starts with every push of the button, and takes me on all day rides where ever I chose to go. And I know it will running at the end of the day!!! I may miss some of the "styling" of the 60's and 70's bikes but not the "experience" of actually owning and riding them.

[@grahamtodd2335]

Yeah me too,I'm 70 and am now riding a Yamaha Virago and an Enfield Meteor 350. I sold my Honda vfr750 to buy the Enfield I sometimes miss the power of the Honda but not very often and only then briefly. I had a couple of Triumph 500's and 650 Trophy T110. All of which had engine problems at one time or another and the ignitions and switch gear were diabolical when it was wet weather. Especially when you were relying on them for transport to work all year round. Drying everything off when you got home from work every night made for a very long tedious day. I don't miss that at all. And My first Hondas were a complete revelation The little K2 250 twins had 30hp and would put the 500 triumphs to shame on long journeys, a bit less torque but more smooth accelleration and comfort.

[@Titan500J]

I'm over 70 now (and I still ride). Back in the 60's there were many talented writers working for Cycle, Cycle World, Cycle Guide etc. One article concerned the amateur road racers that rode the BSA Gold Star or similar bikes. They would gear these bikes so high that it was a challenge in first gear not stalling it or burning out the clutch. It was all about top end speed. Thanks for the video.

[@michaelgillett5477]

If you have a look at the history of the Kawasaki you find originally Kawasaki bought the rights to manufacture a bike on the BSA A10 configuration so yes it looks so much like a Trimph But you’ll find it is actually closer to the good old A10 bsa Which I think is a pretty looking bike also the earlier Kawasaki the W6 50 absolutely nailed it and I’m looking to buy one of those moment myself enjoy channel thanks very much. Michael

[@chrisgraham5186]

Actually, it was Meguro who built BSA based twins under licence. Kawasaki Heavy Industries bought out Meguro when they wanted to diversify into motorcycles. Bikes were first re-badged, then later developed further, and new designs were developed as Kawasakis.

[@whalesong999]

I was working in the field for a Kawasaki/Suzuki dealer at the time the W1 and W2 models were being sold in the U.S. While the external looks appear much like the BSA A series twins, the internals were improved to the point where there was little comparison. The W series machines were strong, dependable, and oil tight and held their tune for many miles more than Beezers would. Only recall I have of servicing them was that they were rather harsh feeling overall, somewhat of a common trait of most Kawasakis at the time.

[@paulblouin6955]

@@whalesong999 The 650 was fully designed when Kawasaki bought Meguro. It was actually based on a 500 BSA and Meguro redesigned it. I had a neighbor mid 70s with two Kawasaki 650s in his garage. Way better built than a BSA. In the mid 70s though, parts were already an issue. I understand that in Japan they were popular as police and parade bikes.

[@andrewgent5887]

@@whalesong999 I know one or two people who own W1 and W2 versions and see them quite often at shows around the UK. All I can say is having owned an A7SS they are the bikes BSA should have made and if they had done so, it might have been a different story for the British motorcycle industry.

[@davidrenn6897]

The RGS was one of the best looking bikes ever made! 😉

[@doctorseruzawa175]

I bought a Kawasaki W-bike when I was in Japan in 1970. I brought it to the states and rode the wheels off of it. If you look up a photo of the BSA A10 you'll see that there is a much closer resemblance to the A10 than the Triumph. There was a W1 650 that was single carb. The W2SS was dual carb. There was also a W2-TT that had high pipes but was otherwise the same. They were very rare. When looking for parts I once went to a Kawasaki shop in Santa Monica where they told me that there was no such bike ever made and that I was lying. They even said that I had taken the side case off a BSA and engraved Kawasaki on it. Lol. Why would I do that? I think I saw 5 other W650s over the years. They didn't sell very well. They were pretty heavy and not as desirable as a Bonneville. My first bike was a Honda 50cc Cub. The first thing you did on that bike was take off the fairing. It was so gutless that the strong sea breeze where I lived would slow the bike ridiculously and it felt like you might be pushed backwards.

[@brucebirnbaum6152]

Excellent Comparisons. Great INFO again. I'll always will love The classic Ones that were fast and cool. The Bikes that look good and handles well. Cruisers and sport. Beautiful and ugly one's with characters that you can love. Today's retro AND new bike's are always fun to ride and enjoy AND Compare. Let's always enjoy our Freedom. 🏍

[@nevadastronghold]

I saw a Japanese A10 as a teenager in the 80s when I worked at a motorcycle shop. The mechanics knew what they were looking at and were very impressed.

[@nevadastronghold]

The ohc bevel drive of the new Kawasaki is a copy of the Ducati singles although the w line are twins

[@andyb.1026]

Should have mentioned Reliability,, and retro's dont leak oil

[@TheYorkie1954]

even as a confirmed Triumph man owning two Hinckleys and one Meriden I think that old Continental is the best looking of the era

[@ananthakrishnan8484]

Royal Enfield is the oldest motorcycle brand producing classic motorcycles still existing today, their models have barely any adjustments other than modernization.

[@markbarber7839]

I've got 9,500kms on my new W800. It has a quality that's hard to describe. It's just a good basic motorcycle which in the pursuit performance numbers most riders and OEMs have forgotten this quality

[@williambarringer6513]

no-one is making anything close to this in quality its like a piece of jewelry, I watched videos about these and the first gen w800s are the ones to get I guess even more metal parts they made plastic on the later ones, theres a ton of plastic on my z900rs its light tho

[@derangeddwayne5532]

Couldn't agree more! I have a 2020 W800 and it is my favorite bike that I've ever owned. Everything about it seems sturdy and solidly built. Everywhere I ride someone is always coming up to me and asking about it and most can't believe it's a new bike.

[@Jodyrides]

I have resurrected early 70s Yamaha RDs, late 60s Kawasaki 500 triple, Yamaha 70sXS 750 triple, Yamaha XS 650 twin motorcycles. They were stock. They were sitting for years, that Kawasaki triple two-stroke was the toughest, the carburetors were lacquered shut. I had to soak them for almost a week.. I was surprised that it started because I expected the crank seals to be brittle.. I was also pleased that the Yamaha XS 750 triple still had second gear. They were buttery strong. All of them blew on those triple 750s and 850s sooner or later.. One of the Yamaha dealer mechanics I worked with actually could change the second gear parts that failed on a Yamaha triple by going through the clutch basket cover somehow. I never watched him do it but he never pulled the engine and split the cases to fix them.. so I got all of these bikes back up and running, I found rust inside the tanks, dirty carburetors, but at least they all turned over when I was considering buying them. I don’t buy bikes that the engine is frozen.. every one of these machines, once I got it running, new tires new battery in time fresh gas fresh fuel lines fuel filters air filters, oil, spark plugs, fork oil, wheelbearings, lube the brake shoe backing plates/cams, all the angles correct, lube the cables. Get them running, smooth idle.. they start right up. Then I take them for a ride. every time I ride one of those dinosaurs that I just resurrected, I wonder what the hell I bothered for. It feels old, outdated, low on power, it just feels slow and over its head if you push one through the twisties.. I am an experienced mechanic …I have won 6 road racing championships on bikes from this era, RDs, TZ 250, the single cam 750 Hondas, I have raced on those machines. I know how to get them running, how to set them up.. when I ride them I feel like, how could I ride this thing back in the day? I remember riding a resurrected Honda 450 from the 70s that a friend of mine had at the time. It was beautiful, it was so clean it was not actually resurrected, it was just maintained his whole life which it sat most of the time. I remember motorcycle magazines back in those days saying, we have reached a physical limit as to how much power we can extract from these engines, which is laughable today. But I remember taking that CB 450 twin out for a ride a few years ago, it felt like it couldn’t get out of its own way.. it was running correctly, but motorcycles today are so much better than they were just 15 years ago.. don’t lament the passing of those old two strokes and those early Hondas like the CB 350 twin. Those things were garbage. Camshaft eaters. I was a mechanic at a Honda dealership, I got so fast at changing the camshaft in those things, I could do two of them a day. And I went to work at 9 AM and I left at three before rush-hour every day.. I was a flat rate mechanic, so I think I got paid eight hours for each camshaft replacement. So I would work six hours and make 16 hours pay. Those were the good old days for working on motorcycles that weren’t that great. That was the pre-Harley tariff years. That Harley tariff changed motorcycling forever, and the market has still never recovered..Harley got president Reagan to put a tariff on motorcycles to save 600 jobs at the Harley factory. But nobody mentions the fact that within two years, more than 1100 motorcycle shops in this country went out of business permanently because of the tariff/high price on motorcycles, and the average number of employees at those 1100 shops was seven. What about those 7700 jobs that were lost. enough of that Anyway today’s motorcycles and cars, these are the good old days.. if you want to resurrect your dad‘s old motorcycle it’s been sitting for 25 years that’s one thing, but if you think you’re gonna resurrect something like the old CB 350 Honda twin and ride it around daily, good luck. I have never seen one of them with more than 20,000 miles on it with the original camshaft.. The 650 Yamaha twins weren’t that bad. You had to make sure you had a good ground connection between the battery in the frame or it would use the wire harness grounds and melt those tiny wires in the wire harness every time you use the electric starter because of a bad ground from the battery to the frame. I have replaced three wire harnesses on those motorcycles. Those harnesses back years ago were over $400, just for the harness..I would stay away from any Yamaha 750 or 850 triple. I would stay away from the first generation of the Venture royale. They all had weak second gears.. so did the first FJ1100 have a weak second gear.. not a small job or a cheap job even if you do it yourself.. those Kawasaki triples, were probably the worst handling motorcycle I ever saw at a race track for those that tried to race those evil things. A combination of skinny frame tubes, skinny swingarm tubes, skinny fork tubes, on wire wheels..They were horrible wigglers which caused the rider to crash, and they did not survive crashes very well because of how wide the engine was. The 250 triple, 350 triple, 400 triple were excellent handlers, but the 1972 350 triple with four main bearings on the crankshaft would burn the thrust washers on the primary gear side rod because the crank flexed too much. kawasaki fixed that-The 73 and 74 350 triples had six main bearings. But two-stroke crank seals get a old. and need replaced often..They not only hold oil in, but they have to hold/withstand compression as the piston goes down through the stroke and pressurize the crank case to force the charge up the transfer ports into the cylinder.. crank seals on two strokes are a weak link.. if I was gonna resurrect an old motorcycle today, I would go for a moto guzzi , BSA, Triumph,English royal Enfield, Norton, BMW. I would stay away from the old Jap stuff.. i’m just thinking of the resale value when you’re done .. you will get more for the British bikes than you will for the Japanese bikes, especially the Nortons and the Italian Ducati’s and Moto Guzzi‘s.. I never owned a British motorcycle. I have had four Moto Guzzi‘s. They are sound as the dollar used to be but they have their little glitches like weak relays and those damn oil pressure sensor switches. I’ve had to replace three of them. That is quite a heart stopper when you’re riding home at night alone on the interstate and that oil light comes on and you’re 200 miles from home… only to find out that it was simply a switch called a sending unit that senses oil pressure. if you want to resurrect a japanese motorcycle worth resurrecting, resurrect a Honda C 90. I believe Honda is still making them even if they increased the displacement, but they have made over 100 million of that motorcycle a few years ago they passed that landmark number.. There is a guy that travels around the world alone on his Honda C90.. he is a big celebrity in the motorcycling world in Europe and Great Britain because of it. He chooses the Honda C 90 because it is so reliable and no matter where it breaks down he can get parts for it The name of his videos is C 90 adventures.. those are my favorite videos on KZbin.. his videos are not about the motorcycle, or himself, they are about places, food, Travel behind bars..

[@barrycooper9451]

I admire you sir! I knew these bikes from my father's and brother's garage. 😁

[@paulblouin6955]

Didn't know about the CB350 oiling issues. I did know about the Yamaha triple issues. I think they had a problem with the starter which caused a crank case failure. Personally, I preferred the vertical twin vibration with a 360 degree twin to the lower amplitude higher frequency rocking couple vibration of a 180 degree twin.

[@Jodyrides]

@@paulblouin6955 The Yamaha 750 and 850 triples did not have a starter problem that I know of, that was the 750, 700, 1000, 920, 1100 virago V twin that had that starter clutch that sounded like a machine that grinds up cars.. they were humiliatingly terrible sounding. Almost as humiliating as starting up a BMW K 1200, and have the entire area filled with white oil smoke.. I was a mechanic at a Honda dealership in the 70s. Honda sent a bulletin/notice to every dealership. In that notice, they notified every service department and parts department to stock 7 cam shaft/top end kits for every 10 CB 350 twins that dealership sold… I was the young new mechanic, so I did not get the big jobs, they started me out pulling engines, 750s, 500s, TX 750s, TX 500s, CB 350 and 450 engines for the other six mechanics. One of those other mechanics was Eric Buell.. later on, I got the job of replacing the camshafts in the Honda CB 350 which was warranty work. Every mechanic I ever met hated doing warranty work because it did not pay as much as the flat rate manual pays. Honda actually new to the minute how long it should take to replace a camshaft… The camshaft were soft, the rockers were always scored, the camshaft set in aluminum bearing blocks. There were skinny thrust washers on each end of the cam shaft made of copper I think. The camshaft would walk side to side and shoe into those bearing blocks.. to top it off, those engines did not have oil filters, so all of that debris kept recirculating.. I think the CB 350 twin was probably the worst designed engine Honda ever made that I know of. The problem with a company like Honda having a bad design like that, is, they sold tens of thousands of those bikes before they caught it.. it’s a little bit unforgivable because of how well-made the Honda 305 engines were.. in that bulletin from Honda about stocking up on the cams and gaskets for rebuilding the top end of the CB 350 twins. There was another bulletin that I use that information to this day.. Honda said to get a can of rust oleum aluminum paint. do not stir the paint can ever. Open the can, and dig the gooey thick paint at the bottom of the can. When reassembling a Honda CB 350 or any Honda engine at that time is that used dry base gaskets and head gaskets and valve cover gaskets, take that goo from the bottom of the rust oleum aluminum paint can, and coat those gaskets with that gooey paint from the bottom of the can, and put them on the engine and assemble the engine with that paint still wet on the gaskets. I have been doing that for decades, I actually still have the quart can of rust oleum aluminum paint, and I still apply that to dry gaskets, such as on my Moto guzzi valve cover gaskets. You adjust the valves on those things every 2000 miles, at least I always did, that was the recommendation. It only takes about 45 minutes to adjust the valves on a guzzi.. after I coated those valve cover gaskets with the aluminum paint goo.. those gaskets never stuck to the head or the valve cover gasket. They never leaked, and I never had to buy new gaskets… there were mechanics back then that would put engines together with this stuff called Permatex..I don’t know what that stuff was made of, but I have tried to disassemble more than a few engines that the previous mechanic used that glue/sealant on base gaskets or head gaskets, you have to blast to get the head off of some of those machines and it always destroys the gaskets. That’s the only way you can get them apart, is if the gasket splits in half down the middle, half stuck to the cylinders, half stuck to the head, and then you have a couple hours of careful scraping ..I actually knew mechanics that refused to work on engines that had that brown Permatex oozing out in places.. The flat rate manual does not account for scraping that stuff off in preparation of an engine for reassembly.. that Honda / Yamaha shop I worked at had 17 employees. Seven mechanics, two full-time builders, a service department manager, a full-time notary/accountant, a secretary, a parts department manager, two full-time salesman, and two owners.. they let us take motorcycles home on the weekend and at night/demos. there was no set schedule. The mechanics could show up two days a week, or they could come in six days a week. Eric was going to pit for engineering school while he was a mechanic there. I used to go in at 9 AM and leave at 3 PM.. they could not build the bikes fast enough.. that was the same story at other dealerships I worked at, when I got a real job with benefits and a pension, I worked part time for 17 years in three different shops. I worked from February to the end of May, part-time, evenings and Saturday selling brand new bikes. I made more money selling bikes than I did at my day job.I would work an average of 15 hours a week, and I averaged about $700 a week. One of my paychecks after taxes was $1350. I had a bunch of layaways go out that week. That was 1979 $1350.. One of the shops I worked in, the boss bought lunch every day for everybody. It was like a Buffay back in the service department. One day it would be four large pizzas and the refrigerator was always stocked with Coke, Gingerale, orange juice, water, and Popsicles. The next day it would be two buckets of Kentucky fried chicken, or it would be Chinese takeout delivered. Back before the Harley tariff, those were happy times for motorcycle buyers and people that worked in the industry in the dealerships.. I worked for one dealer, it was actually the first dealership I ever worked for, I started as a builder. It was a party at work every day, the PA system throughout the shop was playing 60s rock ‘n’ roll, the Rolling Stones, cream the Beatles Hendrix, we could take bikes home on the weekends, the owner was a young guy they came to work sometimes wearing flip-flops call me when he was a dirtbike rider on the weekends like the rest of us.. he had just bought a five bedroom beautiful home on I don’t know how many acres with a barn and horses. Honda had its new model introduction that year in Las Vegas. Honda had all the dealers come to Las Vegas and be their guest. That’s where you had to go if you were a dealer to put in your big order for the next year.. The more bikes you ordered, the longer Honda would pay the interest on the floor plan, that’s the bikes that are sitting unsold in crates and on the showroom floor. If you want to get more of the hot sellers, you had to take more of the slow sellers. Honda would pay the interest for six months, if you took a bigger bite, they’d pay it for a year and give you so many billboards, so many radio commercials, so many newspaper ads… things were really great if you owned a Honda dealership or a Yamaha or a Kawasaki or a Suzuki dealership in those days. my boss went to Las Vegas to put his order in. he lost the shop gambling in Las Vegas..

[@mtwseneca]

Wonderful comment! I never head of all those issues 50 years ago.

[@chiragal]

Royal Enfield will be launching the Super Meteor 650 in India this year, with the Interceptor's engine in an enlarged Meteor 350 frame.

[@bartoszpajak2285]

Great video! However, when talking about retro bikes, one of the greatest is consequently ignored, I have no idea why: the HONDA CB1100 EX! It's a grandiose tribute to the revolutionary four-cylinders that whipped the British motorcycle industry from the surface of our planet back in the '70, built in a quality only Honda can deliver. By the way, one of the most underrated motorcycles of the last two decades in my opinion.

[@richardahola692]

Never rode one of these new classics. I ride a 1967 Bonneville often. When I got to the US this year my old Wing had a dead battery. The Bonne started right up and I rode it til my new battery arrived. What a blast.

[@retiredinbali9565]

I also had a 67 Bonnie in my teenage years back in the early 1970s. Good memories.

[@Kaavin_dixit]

the super meteor you were talking about will be back with 650 cc engine and will be called super meteor. it has been testing in Indian highways for months now . A newer himalayan is also on the way soon

[@franklins6644]

I recently rented an interceptor 650 and meteor 350. The 350 meteor ergonomics and handing were great. Interceptor not so much, but I liked the engine. So, if the 650 super meteor rides and handles like the 350 I will own one.

[@Kaavin_dixit]

@@franklins6644 yea definitely , i have friends with some RE officials (i am from india) it will be launched around early 23 or mid 23 . They are also recently testing a new bike called a 350 hunter . Also the complete new redesign will be 450 himalayan which will be on completely new platform .

[@andrewgent5887]

The Kawasaki W1 was based on the BSA A series 500 and 650 twins not the Triumph Bonneville.

[@TravisTerrell]

I think he was focusing particularly on the styling here, rather than the lineage.

[@andypants1000]

it still looks a lot like the original W1 in my opinion, moreso that the bonneville looks like the original Bonneville.

[@Edam-Channel]

the W1 was a Meguro licence built BSA A7 and if you compare the two they look close to identical, the W1 was a revamped A7

[@andypants1000]

@@Edam-Channel you can buy a modern meguro here in Japan. It's basically a reskin for a grand more, but it exists.

[@mikeyshoemagoo0384]

And it would beat a Honda Grom in a race

[@jons78733]

I love this presentation! I am an older guy who has had MANY motorcycles. I recently sold my last two “go fast” motorcycles and purchased a Royal Enfield Int 650. I absolutely love it! Other than the modern brakes with ABS, the electronic speedo and tach and the EFI, it is a very simple motorcycle. Like my firs bike, a BMW r 75/6, I can work on this motorcycle. I have done my own valve adjustments and made some retro mods such as turn indicators and the tail light swap. This segment of the MC market is very interesting to me. I hope it isn’t just a fad and that manufacturers continue down this pure riding experience pathway. Again, thanks for this video. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

[@hardpiet]

I own the Honda CB 1100 EX which is a very good re-creation of the good old CB 750 models. It is also sold in the U.S . Also the Jawa 300 CL from India is a great reference to the classic Jawa bikes of the 50ties

[@keeponcruisin7876]

I'm currently riding an 82 CB750 Nighthawk. Picked it up for $600. Been riding it 2 months now. The only thing I've had to replace on it is a rear turn signal bulb.

[@tompas11A3n52KkX]

The Kawasaki 650 from the 60's was a copy of BSA. I friend of mine owned a Kawa 650 in the 70's and I ride the bike one time up to 180 kmph. A really nice bike I think. He then sold the Kawa and got an older AJS 500. A great bike too.

[@madcat5965]

I love my W800 Cafe. It’s like a real friend to me and reliable. All around great bike. Sounds great too.

[@tibettenballs4962]

you are a cat... how is this all possible?

[@44357514]

The first bike I ever purchased was the 1971 Honda CB750 and it was an awesome bike. I think it was a better bike than the ones they made just a few years later with their updated engines. I also purchased a few years later a 1981 Kawasaki 1000 LTD. It was super fast and light. Although it was more unstable than my 1971 Honda CB750. The Kawasaki sort of scared me.

[@crotchetychris]

No, the Kawasaki W is not made to look like a Triumph, it is a copy of a BSA. In 1960 the Akashi-based Kawasaki Aircraft Company acquired an interest in the Meguro motorcycle company, which had obtained a license to produce a copy of the 500 cc BSA A7

[@AsmodeusT]

The reason some of these newer bikes have lower horsepower, specifically 47-48hp, is that in the UK (and some other countries), you can only ride up to a 47-48hp bike until you turn 21 years old. So if an engine is going to be, let's say, 53hp, they may as well limit it to the A2 license limit as that will make it available for a larger market.

[@Beanerds]

I have and love the Interceptor from 2022 , it will stay with me forever .But that Z900 Kawasaki would look so cool in the shed parked up beside the RE 650 Interceptor . In my home country ( NZ ) I also have a 1966 Triumph Saint 650 ( TR6 ) I have not ridden it for 4 years thanks to the couf , but my Interceptor keeps the cravings at bay , I like your Daytona , it's very like my Saint . Great video as well Bart .

[@allans7281]

The Bonneville brushed aluminum exhaust is so gorgeous you have to see it in person. The new Royal Enfield meteor 350 is super smooth all the way through the rev range you would be shocked

[@victorvannatter312]

And that meteor 350cc engine is the best 20hp on the market. A cracker of an engine

[@paulblouin6955]

I had a Moto Guzzi 850. Didn't know when I picked it up that it didn't charge. It had a Bosch charging system and a Marelli distributor ignition. Rain would sometimes get the distributor wet. I took the generator to a dune buggy shop and they rebuilt it. It was a 6 volt VW bug housing with a 12 volt VW armature. They sold me a Brazilian Bosch regulator for around $13. The Guzzi shop wanted like $150. Every time I needed a part, even as simple as a throttle cable. had to take the old one in. "They came with three different ones that year". My Alfa Romeo was like that too. Needed a clutch slave cylinder "Crawl underneath and see which one it is". No thanks. The Guzzi shown is the small block that as I recall was originally a 500. I test rode one in Kansas or Texas or when it was new, considering trading in an RD400. It was horribly laughably slow. . Like Moto Morini, they came with Heron heads. Those heads are easier to make, but they require heavier pistons and the parallel valves don't flow well. Later ones ditched the Heron heads and make better power.

[@backontheroad8778]

The V7 Special of the 60's is the V750 Ambassador. It was sold as the Ambassador and then the Eldorado in the US market. The V7 Sport came out in 1972. The current V7 Special is really more retro to the V7 Sport than the Special. But if you want to get really technical, the current V7 is really closer to the V50/V65. I own a 71 Ambo/ V7 Special and a 22 V7 Special 850. They are two totally different bikes.

[@littleshopofelectrons4014]

My cousin had a Royal Enfield Interceptor in the mid-1960s. I remember dreaming about owning one. It seemed huge at the time. He blew it up one day racing a Pontiac GTO. One weird thing about the engine is that the cylinders are separate unlike other British twins. This occasionally caused oil leakage problems. Indian also sold the Interceptor in the USA with the Indian name on it.

[@JamesSmith-op7yc]

I owned a 73' Z-1. Bought it from the original owner in 1988 and yes the thing was nasty quick! The engine power was way ahead of the suspension and and frame geometry technology of the time making it very spooky to ride on the edge! I sold it a couple of years ago for a good price but I miss it... I really like the new one, brand new and improved you know. Anyone want to loan me 13 large?! (simple vig, I'll pay you back? really!) Thanks for sharing.

[@wotertool]

Some countries have different insurance and licence steps. Usually they split low power and cheaper bikes from the high power and more expensive ones at .... 48 PS. Which is the magic number that came up again and again when stating that the newer bike has less power. It's all about the money

[@davidbesant]

A "full english breakfast" is still english even if you order it in Tokyo,(Clarkson, 1998).

[@jarhead6153]

You may have mentioned that the Kawasaki W1 was originally a clone of the BSA A7, thus morphing in the future into the W650/W800 line of motorcycles. Great vid….

[@Juliang61]

I must be old, I own 2 of the bikes in this video. I have the Kawasaki Z900rs café, in green and white. I also have a Royal Enfield Interceptor. I love them both, they're different but I really like them.

[@michaellawrence5492]

Yamaha did their first 650 twin as the SX650. Even today many are running. Review a few years of the years they produced Bart.

[@Edam-Channel]

Actually the Kawasaki W800 that can trace it's lineage all the way back to the BSA A7 twin of the 1950's. After the Kawasaki takeover of Meguro motorcycles in the 1960's they ended up in possession of a licensing agreement with BSA to make a version of the A7. They then revamped the design in typical Japanese fashion and the result was the W1 Kawasaki a licence built revamped BSA A7 - which as you point out was the first of a long series of "W" series bikes all the way down to the current W800. Basically the W800 is a BSA.

[@tommallon4052]

I was not aware that BSA built transverse vertical twins with bevel drive overhead cams, fuel injection, and , AFAIK, ABS. The 60's W series were BSA's built under license. The newer W650 and W800 are all original designs. They have nothing to do with anything else on the road today. And yes, I owned a W650 for five years. I have a RE GT650 now. And it's as much a clean-sheet design as anything that ever came out of Briton or Japan.

[@robertwatson4833]

Is not the W650/800 engine design more like a Jawa 500 ohc circa 1952 than any BSA ever was?

[@johnjriggsarchery2457]

I ran across a guy that had a Moto Guzzi with over 200,000 miles without having to have rebuilt the motor. That sold me on their durability.

[@erik_dk842]

Ha. Owning an 850 California T3 convinced me of many things. Do not buy Italian

[@randyolan1273]

Thank you for the research. It was interesting and very informative. Having been the proud owner of a 1967 triumph ,I now own a 2021 royal Enfield interceptor which I really like. It handles and sounds like my old triumph. With out the vibrations of course. The new triumphs are way out of my price range. The interceptor is fantastic value for the money. Again thanks for all the great old memories. Well done!

[@timgeary1084]

In 1973 I was driving from Arizona to Iowa, my 650 triumph broke down. Denver was unfamiliar to me, along with other bike brands. I knew Triumph, BSA, and Norton. This Triumph repair shop wasn’t like anything I had seen in Phoenix (P & D Motorcycles.) It wasn’t lite, dark, and thick dust. An old railway building, it had an opening out back to railway tracks. A part of Denver’s historical railway system. The dark rooms where lined with English motorcycles. Triumphs, BSA, Nortons, and Royals. They seemed to be motorcycles from the end of the war to present day. Or at least 1960’s. They were arranged by brands, Triumph on one wall, BSA on another. So I spent time cleaning the dust off. It was out of this world. I was taken by the Royals, Meteors, 700cc, all of them.

[@yakacm]

I'm the opposite, I just did a search on Enfield Interceptor, as I like the original bike and found out there was a new version, lol.

[@davidrenn6897]

The Gold Star came in in a number of configurations as per individual order. The Clubmans high spec was difficult to start if not set up correctly with it's GP carb with not tickover circuit! The "softer" specs were far easier to live with!

[@varmastiko2908]

I never understood why they would make a carb without tickover circuit. What is the benefit? For racing you wouldn't need one that much but surely it wouldn't hurt to be able to idle.

[@mmuller199]

The z900rs looks really sweet. I feel like Kawasaki could've captured more of the essence of the Z1 if they gave the RS a longer muffler (or a 4-into-4, though that would add a lot of weight) as well as twin shocks instead of the mono shock. But it seems like they wanted it to look more modern, while also keeping the focus on performance, both of which they definitely accomplished.

[@broncosgjn]

Yep. It looks like the marketing people said don't make it look too retro so we can sell it to younger folks and double the sales. But I think this is a mistake. Most younger folks just don't care about a retro look but the young people who do are just as interested in the classic look as the old people like me. The new bike is nice but the original Z900 is a work of art and in anther class altogether. No matter how much better the new bike is on the road.

[@mmuller199]

@@broncosgjn I fully agree. I am one of the few young people who has very little interest in modern sport bikes, and the new z900 looks retro enough to pique my interest, but not enough to get me to buy one.

[@williambarringer6513]

@@mmuller199 I paid 10k for a 2019 cafe edition, the only other bikes I could get are a triumph or a Yamaha and its was lockdown so I said fuck it and bought the kawasaki theres nothing else to buy and I didn't want another Honda I thought I would like a 2014 interceptor, hated it and they wanted 7k for it

[@retro_grade]

I have a Z900RS and it's great. I agree it could look a little more retro possibly but honestly, it's a great representation of what the original Z1 was, morphed into today. If that makes any sense. I'd rather have that personally, than what Triumph had been doing for so long on theirs. Great looking and cool sounding machines, but not really any better riding or much faster than the orignal 1960's and 1970's models they were making them look like. (They have improved on that latetly it seems).

[@SephiMasamune]

Own a 2018 all-green Z900rs Café and i’m loving it everytime i ride it. I agree on the exhaust, however the stubby conical muffler makes a great stock exhaust noise so i’m not too bothered. As for the suspension, the new nigh-horizontal single shocks are just straight up better, i don’t see Kawa designing a pair of slimmer, worse shocks just for 1 model because people want their bike to look more retro…

[@kensnape599]

I had a Norton Commando scrambler.

[@quentingazziola]

Interesting comparisons between the old versions and new versions of some modern-retro bikes we all know today You mentioned Royal Enfield, perhaps you could have included the Bullet (and make a sort of triple comparison between the original bullet, the EFI models and the new Classic 350). Nonetheless, still a very good video!

[@Jodyrides]

The Indian made bullet was intended to be an insult to the British empire when they named the bullet. earlier in history, some indians thought that the bullet casings packed in pig grease was an attempt to undermine their Hindu religion .. so when they got the rights from enfield, they changed the name to Indian enfield, and called the motorcycle the bullet as a little dig….

[@chrisgraham5186]

@@Jodyrides Sorry Jody, but you've got that all wrong. The RE Bullet was a UK and export market bike from the start (in the thirties). After India's independence, following WW2, and the partition where Muslims got Pakistan, the new Indian army needed motorcycles to patrol the borders (it was Muslim soldiers in the British army in India long ago, who believed, due to rumours spread by rebels, that rifle balls were packed in pig fat, rather than the old butter which was actually used - all religions were fine with butter, even the vegetarian Jaines and Hindus). RE's rugged 350 Bullet model, with its revolutionary swinging arm rear suspension, was chosen, and RE set up a factory, jointly with their Indian importer, Madras Motors, in Madras to assemble them. The jointly owned factory, as Royal Enfield India, then started to manufacture the bikes in India, rather than import the parts, because demand had increased due to the public wanting them too. When the UK parent company went tits up, assets, including the Royal Enfield name, were sold to outside bidders, but due to Indian law, the jointly owned business in Madras had to be 51% Indian so couldn't be touched by the UK liquidators. For a period, exported bikes to the UK were badged as 'Enfield', and the company called Enfield India, ’til Eicher motors bought the company and fought in the UK courts for the right to use the old name as its 'new' owner hadn't used it at all and Eicher argued that the products were still basically the same as had held the name before. The British courts found in Eicher's favour, hence the bikes now being Royal Enfield again.

[@Jodyrides]

@@chrisgraham5186 Chris, I think we may be talking about two different Times in history of Enfield and two different motorcycles called bullets made by that company.. you believe me and I’ll Believe you! back in 1981 or 82, and English man named David messent planned a trip to ride from the city in India that they make Indian enfield bullets. I think the name of that city was madras.He wrote a fascinating story that was in One of the motorcycle magazines, I think it was either cycle guide, or one of those types of magazines. I made the mistake of lending that magazine to a friend of mine and I never got it back. I don’t remember which friend I loaned it to.. this david flew into India, and he described buying the brand new bullet motorcycle. everyone that he asked for directions to the place where he could buy a bullet, tried to persuade him to buy a motorcycle called the yesdi or yezdi.. they would ask him why do you want to buy a bullet when the yesdi os cheaper and faster.. even the woman that handled the legal part of the purchase, I asked him why he is buying a bullet when he could buy a YESDI.. he felt there was some type of a conspiracy going on.. He described how they hand paint the license plate number on the plate. He also described that he ran out of gas when took delivery of the motorcycle, he described that they put just enough gas in with an eyedropper to get the motorcycle too far away for hailing them back for some gas… he rode the bike around very easy for the break in, and when he changed his own oil, a man that loaned him a catch pan for any old oil was happy to get the old oil, and put that old oil in his own motorcycle.. he described how the brakes barely worked until they broke in, and more than a few nuts and bolts were not very tight..he described that he was staying in a hotel near a river one night, and in the middle of the night like 2 AM, they pounded on the door because they raised the rent and wanted the money NOW.. he also had everyone staring at him no matter where he went. he had to do some real talking to not be required to buy something called a sorriguard , that is required by law to prevent ladies dresses from getting caught in the chain while riding as a passenger.. a bicyclist was so Enamored with him while riding his bicycle, that he was turned around while going straight lost control and david hit the guy when the bicyclist crashed right in front of him. A large crowd gathered, the police came, he was able to appease the situation with what amounted to five dollars. He also said that if he had hit a cow, he may not have even gotten out of there alive.. that David explained about India changing the name from Royal infield to Indian Enfield, and he explained the hard feelings that India felt towards the english because of political events when they had British control or something like that and that they used pig grease to keep the rifle cartridges/bullets from corroding. And that the Indians or whoever the people were that worked with the English army, were insulted by that, it was a big deal, and they named the motorcycle the Indian Enfield and called the motorcycle the bullet because of that disagreement that upset some of the Indians on religeous grounds decades earlier. The name of the dealership in India where he bought his brand new india Enfield bullet, was (spelling?) Madrass motors.. The name of that story is “ overland two Aussie” by David messent.. and the motorcycle he bought in the 1980s to make that trip across India for six months and then finally to get on the ship which would take him to Australia, that motorcycle was a 350cc four stroke single India Enfield bullet.. not according to me. That is according to David Messent way back in 1980 or 1981 , That showed up in a motorcycle publication.. I have not been to India yet. but I will never forget what Ed March the creator of the C 90 adventures videos that guy that rides around the world on a Honda C 90 alone said about his ride across india.. he said he had diarrhea for the whole trip across the entire country .. I sent Ed a message suggesting that he carry baby wipes next time..

[@chrisgraham5186]

@@Jodyrides During the eighties, when the bikes were branded as 'Enfield India' ('Bullet' was the model name), quality suffered badly because the tooling was old (before it was sent to India in the fifties) and had become worn. Most parts were hand fettled and bikes were hand assembled. It took the intervention of Eicher Motors corp. in the early nineties to bring about improvements to the long running Bullet model (the RE Bullet is the longest standing vehicle model in the world, being gradually improved from its introduction in the thirties through to the final Bullet Tribute model last year.) Far from being an insult, the name 'Bullet' is cherished in India. The 'Madras Motors' dealership would have been a branch of the original company who partnered with RE (UK) to build bikes in India. Their retail dealerships kept the trading name. The perceived insult by the reported use of animal fat was by deliberate rumourmongering to cause the famous sepoy mutiny, (which I'm sure you were taught about in history lessons at school.) The ammunition for the new Enfield Pattern 1853 rifled musket (No connection to the later bike company. 'Enfield' is a town near London where the British Army's arms were made) was rumoured to use animal fat, to upset either Muslim and Hindu soldiers. These rifles, which fired Minié balls, had a tighter fit than the earlier muskets, and used paper cartridges that came pre-greased. To load the rifle, sepoys had to bite the cartridge open to release the powder. The grease used on these cartridges was rumoured to include tallow derived from beef, which would be offensive to Hindus, and lard derived from pork, which would be offensive to Muslims. To stem the rumours the Military Secretary, ordered that all cartridges issued from depots were to be free from grease, and that sepoys could grease them themselves using whatever mixture "they may prefer". A modification was also made to the drill for loading so that the cartridge was torn with the hands and not bitten. This, however, merely caused many sepoys to be convinced that the rumours were true and that their fears were justified. This was used by revolutionaries to persuade sepoys to desert or turn on their officers. It sounds like either you've mis-remembered parts of the book, or the author got his info from a biased source. The various Indian rebellions, both against the East India Company, who effectively ran India, and later the British Army, were very complicated as at the time there was no 'India' as a nation, but literally hundreds of tribes, and religious factions (the god botherers always have to get their finger in the pie, just like now), all warring against each other as well as foreigners.

[@chrisgraham5186]

PS: Re. the hand painted number plates. At one time all plates were hand painted, either by the dealer or he'd use a local signwriter. My first couple of bikes, registered in the fifties (in the UK) had hand painted number plates, as did our family car (an old Standard 'Flying Nine') and my brother has a couple of his French vintage bikes which still have their original 1920's hand painted plates.

[@caribman10]

The BSA Gold Star was a race bike for the street, period. With the Amal GP carburetor which had no idle circuit, it wouldn't idle unless you held the throttle open the right amount. Tuned versions ran at almost 50 hp. Look up their record at the Isle of Man and elsewhere....

[@steveharrigan7811]

I own a 1975 Kawasaki H1 750cc two stroke.......The only modifications are flat handlebars, a set of Denco expansion chambers, and custom air-cleaners. The exhaust note sends chills up my spine, and I would never part with it.....I have owned several bikes, and this is the only one that is an adventure every time I fire it up.....There's just something magical about it.

[@StevenGreenGuz]

I rode a 69 Bonneville in the 1970/80s. I currently ride an 08 Thruxton that I’ve had from new. The Bonneville was awesome. But the Thruxton is much easier to live with and is comfortable in a wider range of situations - and it reminds me of my old Bonny. The Bonneville was the right bike for me when I was young. But the older me has been happy with the Thruxton.

[@kevindarkstar]

You mentioned the super meteor, and not a lot of people would be going out to buy one, the irony here is that RE is going to produce a super meteor 650 probably next year

[@markhagler9630]

I had two BSA’s 66 Lighting ,71 Thunder Bolt,most miserable,ignorant,evil machines I ever loved,leaning to park on hill became extremely important,starting them was always a project,to this day I still would like another one.

[@TBullCajunbreadmaker]

When you said that the old scrambler didn't feel like it was feeling like it gave up it's power until you got up around 5-6ooo rpm. That is true but keeping these old bikes in that range too much was asking for those old bikes to start shaking themselves apart. You might get that power out of them but the more you did it the faster you headed to some maintenance to put them back together.

[@p.kuansuwan2070]

Just wanted to share that the Dax, Monkey, S.Cub, CT are priced more into the “small premium scooter” range; so, upwards of 80,000 Baht (~2,200 USD.) They are also only sold in Honda’s retro-lifestyle-sometimes-cafe-thingy dealers called CUB Houses. Some even have a zone dedicated to custom CUB-product motorcycles!

[@eldritchshiner]

I keep looking at the Interceptors because they are retro-cool and inexpensive at the same time. If there is ever a decent dealer around the Atlanta area I may well add one to my garage.

[@chrisgraham5186]

Look forward to that dealer opening up, David. I've had my 650 Interceptor for three years now. It's a great bike. They got it right first (or maybe that should be second) time. - Ironically, after RE closed in the UK, a batch of the old Interceptor engines was awaiting shipping to the US to go in new Indians being revived by Floyd Clymer but Clymer died. The motors were assembled into Rickman Metisse frames as Rickman Interceptors in the early seventies. I almost bought one, but decided I didn't want to take out finance to afford one, and stuck with my 650 BSA. In 2019, I finally got an Interceptor. It was worth the wait.

[@eldritchshiner]

@@chrisgraham5186 Cool! Looking forward to acquiring one!

[@chrisgraham5186]

@@eldritchshiner Just one warning… if you take a test ride, leave your credit card at home. These bikes sell themselves. 🙄

[@eldritchshiner]

@@chrisgraham5186 😂 When I walk into a motorcycle dealership and it's not for service, I know what might be about to happen 😃

[@eldritchshiner]

@@chrisgraham5186 I ended up buying one! Love it. Some rides on my channel 🙂

[@ronmason1710]

Interesting look back, but I feel one that was missed is one that isn't shipped to North America . When Honda introduced the CB750 it was a record breaker. It did everything well, and it didn't break down much. It had many good years in North America so you can imagine my disappointment when Honda decided to not bring to our shores the absolutely gorgeous new retro effort of the CB750, and that is the CB1300. If you look at it on KZbin, I find it to be something that my old eyes to be shear beauty. Kawasaki did bring their 900 reincarnation to North America and good on them. Come on Honda, you're missing the boat.

[@allanweseman5433]

I am surprised that this list did not include the CB1100 Honda. I have the 2014 edition which was only sold in black in the USA and is the first year for a 6 speed transmission. It is DOHC so it looks more like an '81 750 but with all the latest improvements like fuel injection. It is the very last air-cooled 4 cylinder bike from Honda as it can no longer meet stricter emissions standards

[@michaelhayward7572]

Enjoyable vid. Some minor untruths in there. I personally find any of the modern retros lack a rawness and soul and character of the older versions, be it smoothness, lack if flywheel effect, whatever. I also think the older ones are a lot peppier, especially thru the gears, power to weight ratio, whatever. I have never understood the designers of the new Enfield twins. An utter bland top end (could be a Superdream Honda), and the "primary" and "timing" covers arse about tit. The original Enfield twins from 500 to 750cc were magnificent, physically large, looking engines. Some of the best looking twin engines ever. And then we have the fashion for 270 degree cranks in parallel twins which turns them into 90 degree v twins. At least the current W800 is still a 360 and a long stroke crank, unlike Triumph and Enfield.....

[@assessor1276]

Key differences are the electric starter and ABS brakes on the modern bikes (which also accounts for the added weight).

[@xtc2v]

Don't forget the added weight of double skinned exhaust with catalysers. The exhausts on the interceptor are very heavy

[@anthonygrodecki7968]

Little note about my gold star I have just changed the gearing as I had it great for top end had to push start as 1st wasn’t up to it but now with straight cut 6 speed works well.

[@antbonyziemiak208]

I wish Motoguzzi would make a retro El Dorado. Most beautiful machine. IRemember an article in a motorcycle magazine about reliability. It said the moto-Guzzi's were more reliable than Bmw's.

[@backontheroad8778]

They did make a new Eldorado. It's 1400cc. They just stopped making it in 2020.

[@paulblouin6955]

I did not particularly like my 1972 850 Eldorado.

[@tyrssen1]

Had an old Guzzi decades ago, and learned to seriously dislike it. When it worked, it was fast, smooth, and comfortable. The rest of the time it was just an expensive repair job.

[@donaldoehl7690]

I remember back in Detroit during the "Energy Crisis" motorheads were unloading their built muscle cars for a Junker car and a Z1 Kaw. The Kaw gave them their speed thrill and beat anything on Telegraph or Woodward and the junker got them through the Michigan winter.

[@retro_grade]

I LOVE my 2018 Z900RS - so far, it's the best retro styled bike I've owned. This is coming from a previously owning a 2013 Honda CB1100 and 2014 Triumph Thruxton. It's also the first bike that I've been thrilled with from the factory, and haven't felt that I needed to instantly change a bunch of things on it. The exhaust note is perfect, and better than most of the aftermarket options made for it - I've had many people say there's "no way that's the factory exhaust". Kawasaki did a good job at paying tribute to the old Z1 and making a cool looking bike, while not trying "too hard" like some of the newer Triumphs and just straight up making it look like a 1960's design. The performance is fantastic, and it actually rides like a more modern motorcycle. I have a Honda Trail125 and while Honda did a fantastic job on the looks of the bike (which is what made me buy one), they really fell short on what the design intention was of the original CT90's and CT110's, as the bike is heavier, more street oriented from the factory (as you said) and lacks the hi/lo range subtransmission of the originals. Well made video on the comparisons and how companies are paying homeage to their old/original models! Nice work.

[@Angryeddie14]

How was the 13 cb? I know those only came in 5 speed so you think a 6 on the kawi helped you switch over?

[@williambarringer6513]

@@Angryeddie14 1st gear is basically non existent on this bike im gonna go up a tooth in the back so I can pull out in 2nd all the time, they almost made 6th even taller which is ok I guess, thats the one complaint I have is 1st gear sucks, and the kickstand sucks

[@williambarringer6513]

im gonna put headers cat delete and tune mine

[@Angryeddie14]

@@williambarringer6513 I guess it could be worse then haha, thanks for letting me know!

[@retro_grade]

@@Angryeddie14 - actually, the 13 CB was an awesome motorcycle and I still like it. I went from riding a Harley Nightster (horrible bike) to that. Couldn't get totally sold on the looks of the CB, but finally the salesman twisted my arm to take it for a test ride and I loved it. It had a decent amount of power, handled fantastic, and stopped on a dime wiht the dual disc brakes. No complaints with it at all, with the exception of it would have been nice to have a 6th gear. Actually, the reason I moved from it was that I was rear ended turning into my driveway. Insurance paid out in full for 'repairs' while allowing me to keep the full title, so in the meantime I purchased a 2014 Triumph Thruxton in Brookland Green that I had been drooling over. No way near the bike that the CB1100 was...super slow, but enjoyable. I always said that the Z900RS would be the one I'd buy when I saw it released, and eventually I found a crazy good deal on a 2018 model used and drove 9 hours to get it. So, I swtich from a Triumph 900 which at that point, was no comparison. I actually previously sold the CB1100 to my friend after putting it back together and he still has the bike and rides it quite a bit. Comparing the two, the Z900RS is very similar in comfort and ride position to the Honda CB, but the engine is way more powerful and snappy. And, it sounds better - the Honda had a 'smooth' quiet sound like an earlier CB750 would, whereas the Z900RS defintely has more of a mean/dirty sound to it getting on the gas. However, a CB1100 would run you about $4500 to $5000 pre-inflation, $6500 or so now, and a Z900RS would run $7500 to $8500 pre-inflation and $9000 or so now. So, there is a price to pay for the upgrade......

[@phillipmitchell5879]

Nice sampling. I understand that the W1 Kawi. was more inspired by the BSA 650 Lightning of the era, v. the Triumph Bonnie. The 700 R.E. of the 60's was the 'Constellation' (earlier version was the 'Meteor') v. the later 750 Interceptor. The Meriden Triumph single-carb. 650's, TR6's, came mainly in 2 versions - 'TR6' Tiger & Trophy - Scrambler 'C' & Road bike - 'R'. Their silencer & their placement were the biggest clue as to which was which. The single carb 650's stayed in tune more easily than the twin carb Bonnevilles. The single carb had about the same torque as the twin carbs & only slightly less top-end HP. Same applies to the BSA 650 Lightning v. the single carb 650 Thunderbolt. Norton had single & dual carb 600, 650, 750 & 850 models too. Thanks & Ride on!!

[@paulblouin6955]

It was not "Inspired" by a BSA. Meguro bought the rights toproduce the BSA A7 500. Meguro greatly improved the BSA, and enlarged it to a 650. Kawasaki bought Meguro and there was the 650.

[@Bob-xc2us]

Hi Bart. The W800 is 52hp at 6500rpm (actually 51.7) in North America and Asia. It is rate at 48hp at a lower 6000rpm in Europe and the UK to sneak under the A2 license limits. The original Meguro and W1s were built under an engine design license from BSA to use the design of the engine from the BSA A7. You are right thought in that the new W800 is more 60s Bonneville than than the current Triumphs that are really Triumphs in name only. They are great bikes though. BJ

[@russcattell955i]

My old dad was a "ton up boy" in the 50's. His best bike was a BSA A10 Gold Flash. I asked him why not a Gold Star, easy he said, the single was temperamental, vibrated badly, expensive and most of all a pig to start. He reckoned he could get 1/2 a mile down the road by the time a Goldie started. I could relate to all that as my early days saw the change from kick to electric start.

[@mlbabineaux]

The blue kawasaki Z900RS is a stunner

[@zdenekoldrichmarek2867]

W! nothing like a Bonnie. I am an EX owner of the early BSA 650 Flash and Bonnie 1973. and 650 SS Norton 750 Atlas Norton. ETC

[@andypants1000]

You seemed kind of meh on it but having ridden a W800 and met owners, it's a phenomenal bike. Super reliable, probably the easiest bike to work on yourself, it's one of the only 360 crank engines so you get a nice burbles through the bars and it has that old style vibration, stock exhaust sounds amazing, comfortable, torque woosh from 3000rpm is great, has a toolkit, centre stand, every bolt is 10mm socket or 6mm alen key.... it's just so simple and well thought out. Looking at a stat sheet fails to tell the whole story. It really is worth a ride.

[@ianrobertson6672]

Great video. I think it also would’ve been neat to see a comparison between the modern and classic Yamaha XSRs. Maybe for another day.

[@ianseddon9347]

The Kawasaki W1 was a licenced copy of a BSA A10 so not surprising it doesn’t look like W850 which was the successor to the W650 which was deliberately made to be like a late 60’s Bonneville. Interesting video - thanks.

[@alphafox400]

Ahhhhh. You missed Norton. I know it died again but it looks like it may be resurrected yet again.

[@deweypug]

The biggest draw for me to move to a retro motorcycle as opposed to the originals: modern and safer suspension, hydraulic disc brakes, better clutch, fuel injection, smoother operation and way better reliability. The originals are terrific, but I've had enough of the worry and maintenance that are required when you just want to go out and ride.

[@mikepopelka2349]

When I was in high school in the early sixties the Kawasaki 650 definitely looked like a BSA 650 but as I recall it was priced at about 2/3 of what the BSA was going for and Kawasaki was not a known quantity at that time. It was tempting pricewise but as I mentioned Kawasaki was not well known like Honda and to a lesser degree Yamaha.

[@rogersmith7396]

Kawasakis always had the reputation of being Dixie Cups. Use them once then throw them away.

[@mikepopelka2349]

@@rogersmith7396 Honda in the sixties changed the whole picture of what was a dependable motorcycle but Kawasaki was an unknown quantity, however I don't think you can fault them too much now.

[@rogersmith7396]

@@mikepopelka2349 I saw some sort of interview where the Kawasaki engineer says they design each engine stronger than the last. Then a crazy manages to break it so they make the next one stronger. Kawasaki was a defense contractor for Japan. The old Hondas were kinda uninspired in my view. CB 750 excepted.

[@mikepopelka2349]

@@rogersmith7396 My first two bikes were Japanese both bought brand new in 1964 and 1965 and neither was "uninspired" imho A 1964 Yamaha YDS2 and a 1965 Honda CL72 (had my first wreck on the Yamaha) and both of those bikes were quite unique for the time especially the Honda. The Honda was an early dirt/street bike and both dependable and "cool" compared to many bikes of the time. I know for sure it was far more dependable for the beating it took compared to any British or American bikes of the time.

[@rogerthat10-47]

For me, it would be the Z900RS, I would prefer the Z1 of course I remember racing them with my Suzuki GT750. the reason, it's got plenty of that "Retro Vibe" it has plenty of touches that tell you it's a Retro bike without ramming it down your throat, I love retro, the looks but not the performance & if it's a bike then for me it's all about that performance, & it performs beautifully, this is going to become as much of a classic as the Z1, partly to what you said, "I'd rather have the Triumph" I think a lot of people will & that's why I would have this, you can recognise all the small things that make it retro but the performance is all modern. I'm currently building a Ford GT40 replica, it's not really a replica it just looks like one from the outside, I have everything out of an Audi R8 going into it so under the skin it will have that beautiful V10 & all the things associated with a modern high performance SportCar, I don't really think they warrant SuperCar status, but maybe I will turbo it at a later date if it's a bit slow. I build Cafe & StreatTrackers for pleasure & pay I used to use 60s/70s bikes but the Trendies have sent the prices beyond the reach of a great many people, even though they can't ride them for shit, now I'm using 80s/90s & even some 00s & some turn out pretty well, obviously, they don't have that look of the 60s but they do have that Vibe you can see what I was going for & I think that is sometimes better because I'm not trying to pass it off as an OG Cafe bike, but what a Cafe bike would look like today, I modify all my builds both externally & more importantly internally I don't build the kit based CX500 that looks exactly the same as every other CX500 & has 1980 performance & breaks, they were never more than mediocre when new, mine are not for the faint hearted or for those that need "Nanny Systems" these are real seat of your pants stuff, my 1972 GT750 does the 1/4 in low 8s & my 91 Genesis is just as fast but corners far better, both are Gassed as is my RGV500 but taken off when I do any classic racing. With regards to bikes being heavier, that's down to buyers & governments, all these "Nanny Systems" add hundreds of pounds to the weight of even the lightest of bikes & thousands to the price, the ABS alone on a Triumph weighs in at 105lbs that's the weight of my beautiful wife, imagine what taking that off does to your Power to Weight ratio, even the Works Racers turn them off & if they don't need them on their Screaming Demons why does little Jimmy on his 125? I won't build a bike for anyone that needs them, I'm not going to lighten the entire bike, cut a new gearbox then leave all that useless "Nanny" shite on it, it would be like you had a passenger every minute of every day on it. An excellent presentation once again.

[@mitsos_306]

The word "Bonneville" still rings in my head!

[@BunyipToldMe]

Why must I be a septuagenarian in love? Because I keep seeing the most beautiful motorcycle ever made, and it's new, it's 100% authentic, it's a 360 degree air cooled parallel twin, it sounds and looks like a 60s cafe racer, it's 100hp, weighs less than Kate Moss's refrigerator and hasn't changed since McQueen had his custom made for him back in the day. It's a "Metisse". The name is French for "mongrel", but they're made in UK using their own engine. Why is it a secret?

[@SirBeauJangles]

The general thrust of this video isn't far off the mark - but there were two 700cc models that predated the very first Interceptors - these were the Super Meteor and the Constellation. They're rarely seen these days. Also - there was a second variety of bikes named Interceptor but they weren't from Enfield. They were sold in a Rickman rolling chassis with the 736cc wet sump motor by R.Enfield. That Rickman chassis was famously a wonderful handling road frame that could accept mainly Triumph motors but also these limited production Rickman Interceptors. They were fast bikes, possibly the fastest Brit bikes then available. The Rickman rolling chassis was lighter by far than most (all?) of the standard Brit factory standard offerings, so associated behaviour like braking and acceleration were improved by having shed a fair chunk of KGs from the bike's dead weight. The board running BSA latterly contained people whose interest in motorcycles was limited to making what seemed at the time to be ludicrous decisions. Like axing some bikes in development that might have given the Japanese factories something to think about. Like the OHC 350cc twins that made it to early test bikes going to magazines but that later were canned, like the idiot move to shift to the far too tall OIF frames for the mainstay twins by both BSA and Triumph. In the post war years, the UK was close to bankruptcy. Tooling for production was not renewed when it should have been, and R&D for new models came to be seen as something for next year, and of course "next year" never really arrived in any meaningful way.. Japan on the other hand had lots of conscience money poured into making it a second Asiatic USA, making it comparatively easy for nascent companies to get up and running. No such equivalent happened here. There was war reparation, yes - but that in no way made up for the shattered economy of having had to wage war with Nazi Germany from 1939 till Pearl Harbour forced the USA to abandon its isolationist stance and take part fully in WW2. The UK's tiny capability was channeled into full war production mode 1939 - 1945 and that status hardly ever receded fully in the post war years - meantime Japan had caught up, largely assisted by US conscience dollars - by that time Britain had lost the battle. But remember that before the outbreak of war, Britain was largely the biggest supplier of all sorts of motorcycles to most of the world. WW2 was very largely the cause of its crippling stagnation and insufficient investment in development. So the models being sold when the sixties became the seventies differed only in detail from those available ten years earlier. But our bikes did overall handle far better than anything from Japan. The Trident - stated here to be a "failure" was faster than the CB750 k1 and could run rings round it on any track. At that time Japanese tyres were still hopelessly short of grip - it was commonplace to buy a Jap bike then tell the dealer to ditch the Japanese tyres in favour of Avons or Dunlops that could be relied on to grip wet roads.

[@steveone]

Hopefully the crew bringing out the Goldstar will offer complete engine tuning kits and the initial low power offering is just for its intoduction and maybe working out the bugs .

[@needparalegal]

My 2005 Honda Shadow has spoke wheels so I have retro flat tires due to inner tubes.

[@greyhorse1211]

Yep the earlier Kawasaki is a dead ringer for the BSA A10 and not the Triumph of the time. Not great that you keep saying the Kawasaki looks like a Bonneville..it doesn’t! Great vid, thanks

[@woodyifhecould4024]

Royal Enfield bought Indians andade Indian Enfield with 500x 16 tires and chief head on front fender.I had a1956 and it was a lot of fun with 700cc constellation motor like the Interceptor but 50cc smaller

[@nathanbanks7091]

I may have to buy a Honda Dax or CT 125. The first motorcycle I ever rode was my Grandfathers CT 70. I probably did 100k laps around his pasture on that thing when I was 8 years old. My grandfather's love of motorcycles (RIP DuWayne) is why I love motorcycles. Inow have fond memories of being absolutely terrified riding pillion on his 1985 Goldwing as he hauled ass on that bike. I have that bike now, but it hadbeen sitting outside for a decade befor eI got it. I would like to restore it, but Ido not think many of the body and electronics parts needed are available. It will probably end up as a naked GL1200. If I could order a CT 125 with the conventional clutch and transmission of the Grom or Monkey, I would already have one.

[@pdm2201]

The 1970 R.E. 750 Interceptor was a beautiful bike.

[@davidmacgregor5193]

The 700cc Royal Enfield wasn't the "Interceptor", it was the "Constellation", the old Interceptor models were always 750cc.

[@andrewwalters4271]

It's difficult to compare horsepower between old and new engines. The original measure of horsepower started off calculated differently than we use now. Up until 1971, the term “gross” horsepower was most common. Now, people calculate horsepower by multiplying torque by maximum speed and dividing by 5252. A new bike rated at 65 HP would have been closer to 75 measured the old way.

[@650Max]

Triumph & Kawasaki have both made the same mistake with their retro efforts. They should have had upswept pipes, that would go a long way to making them look lighter and leaner, also, what's wrong with 4.00-18 on the rear and 3.50-19 on the front? That would help in getting the proportions right.

[@thorsten3558]

A really cool alternative to vulnerable original old bikes. Greatings from Germany

[@Team-fabulous]

The Kawasaki W1 was almost a full copy of a BSA and nothing to do with a Triumph

[@paulblouin6955]

Not a copy. Meguro paid for the rights, then fixed many of the BSA faults.

[@Team-fabulous]

@@paulblouin6955 almost

[@thedolphin5428]

Did you forget RE has been made in India since ~1955. Most of what looks retro in India IS ACTUALLY RETRO!

[@kiakiller6338]

Very nice video, I love your channel. However I must say that the interceptor was not intended for the American market it’s just where it sold the best, wich is why it became this California icon. Have a nice day.

[@onanysundrymule3144]

I think a lot of horsepower denominations back then were "at the crank". More common nowadays is horsepower from the dynamometer, which is brake horsepower at the rear wheel. The difference is that the latter includes and accounts for the transmission losses. Great video Bart, top notch Sir. Kind regards.

[@Balint.T.Siklosi]

Also in most riding situations torque is more important and fun than power. And then again, these bikes are limited to 35kW for the A2 licence.

[@besenwieslersepp1011]

No manufacturer measures the performance for homologation on a dynamometer on the drive wheels. Not today and not back in that days. Look at the SAE-, DIN- or ECE Standards.

[@rolandwheeler4842]

My wife has a 2019 Supercub, and I picked up an all original, one owner '82 Passport. Same color scheme as my wife's. They look so similar and my wife can jump off her new one straight on to the older one with no problem and ride away.

[@bt7843]

I love my W800.

[@kdsowen2882]

The Kawasaki W650 has More power than the 800, plus a kick-start and DOES increase in value , contrary to what was stated. One of the few modern bikes that has already reached its new-price, 'second-hand' . They are already 'Collectable' in most countries and getting harder to find . Kawasaki missed the boat by omitting a kick-start on the W800 , as did RE , with the Interceptor and Continental GT . Most people would be happy with any of the retro's though , once they open-up the exhaust a little , something ALL the originals did . Enjoyed the video , you always learn something . Dave NZ

[@rogerthedodger5788]

Everything you said is absolutely 100% bang on. I've just bought a 6500 mile, 2003 W650 for the reasons you gave. More power than the 800, a kick-start and I won't lose money on it. Its got Motad stainless steel exhausts and sounds awesome.

[@kdsowen2882]

@@rogerthedodger5788 I have an 03 as-well . I took it out for a blast today and it does go well , it's definitely close-enough to my old Bonnies yet has its own thing going-on ,it grows on me a lot and has already appreciated more than 1k since I bought it 2nd-hand . Dave

[@mikesandvig8246]

My first moving violation was on a z-50 with a 112 kit &, motocross handle bars. Rode a wheelie across Main st. in front of a cop I didn't notice. He wrote me an exhibition of speed ticket......Judge threw it out when he asked me what kind of vehicle it was and I told him a mini-bike.

[@DavidHurtadoToran]

Great video. Would really like to hear (or watch!) your opinion on the Ducati Scramblers’ design, specifically the Nightshift (I bought one last month 😀)

[@toomanybears_]

A friend of mine had an "original" Z1 in the same color scheme as the one in the video. It was bone stock and fast as hell. I bought a KZ1000 as soon as it came out but it was not as fast as the original Z1 without some mods. Also, another of out group bought one of the Z1-R of the era, it was even more hideous looking in person that in pictures and slower yet. Pictures just do not do how ugly that bike was justice.

[@rickconstant6106]

I'm afraid retro bikes do nothing for me. They may be better engineered and have all the latest refinements, but they're all imitations and don't have the character of the originals. I've owned my 1978 Triumph T140V for 30 years and recently added a 1980 Suzuki GS550L. I don't have a modern bike, so these are my everyday ride. Neither of them is rare or valuable, but the value will always go up, not down as the years pass, and they are both a lot of fun to ride. An added bonus, here in the UK, is that, as they are both over 40 years old, they are now exempt from annual road tax and MOT tests (vehicle inspections), saving over £200 per year.

[@ivanthompson3648]

Something I noticed with most of the retro bikes based on the British bikes of the 50s and 60s is the that the modern frames just don’t allow the handlebars to be low enough- most of the original bikes have a much lower riding position so they don’t look anything like the modern bikes when you’re on them

[@Jsf-r9o]

I owed a BSA Gold Star DBD34. Beautiful bike which I tuned and run it on Castrol-R. I remember halcyon days in the 60's riding with my friend who owns a Vincent Black Lightning. Today's Gold Star? I dunno, it just doesn't do anything for me. Does it still whistle from the exhaust?

[@bgjb-r1499]

The Royal Enfield with the 850cc conversion is the bike!

[@doylehurt2014]

A true motorcycle maker has a theme, a soul and that’s what separates manufacturers from artists

[@bleighton8994]

The original Kawasaki W1 was basically a BSA A10 knock off, nothing like a Triumph. They had a great sound, weren't specifically a rocket ship of it's time, just a nice standard bike.

[@quaisarsyed2775]

Hi hope you’re fine very very nicely narrated and you have picked all good bikes around the world. even my taste matches with you. Thank you for this great video 👍👍👍

[@tedecker3792]

It’s still hard to wrap my mind around the production numbers of the Honda 50/90/110 singles. One hundred f’n million!