The 10 most important innovations in Motorcycle History

[@deaterk]

I think the universal adoption of a STANDARDIZED CONTROL LAYOUT is a strong contender…Throttle, Brakes, clutch & shifters in the same location across all brands is a great safety and convenience advancement.

[@adiamondforever7890]

Except for those us that only have the old system. Have fun

[@deaterk]

@@adiamondforever7890 - I don’t understand how your comment fits as a response to mine. …In the video they asked for viewer suggestions of important advancements in motorcycling. I referenced the 1975 adoption of a standardized control layout as an important safety and convenience feature. Are you saying it’s not? Are you saying old bikes are cooler? Help me understand.

[@adiamondforever7890]

@@deaterk Originally there was a reason for right shift, left brake, as most riders are right handed, better shift control while moving, and better foot control on the ground while waiting at the light with your left foot on the brake, your only brake light in the day. Circle track let you shift with the right, and skim the ground with the left, each to their own. All of the bikes I rode were "wrong handed" as it was what I learned on. BSA, Ducati, Laverda. All before the switch. I learned to drive in USA, then drove in Japan. It was a learning curve for turn signals, and wipers. Pedals were ok, and shift was ok as the pattern was the same, just different hand. I would think one up five down or one down five up would be a bigger issue. Think racing vs street. To be near tached out and down shift when you meant to up shift could be catastrophic. The Laverda has a limit at 11000, and I never ran into the yellow zone to give me engine longevity, but it also gave me plenty of allowance for shift errors. I am too old to ride what I own (clubman bars put to much load on the arms) I am not going to learn the other way only to never use it. Coolness has nothing to do with it. What you learned on has a lot to do with it, and what form of riding/racing you intend to do. Have fun

[@deaterk]

@@adiamondforever7890 - Thank You for clarifying! Sincerely appreciated! All The Best!🇬🇧✌🏼

[@andreachinaglia5804]

I think that this is a really important point, the reason is that we learn trough training and use, or we'll better do it if we don't, how to react in emergency situations. Let's take and emergency breaking as example, when we need it there is no time to think, only to react to the particular situation with reflexes that have become almost automatic trough training as our natural reaction would be to stomp on the rear wheel brake pedal and squeeze the front wheel one's lever as hard and quick as we can. Only trough training we can learn to squeeze progressively the front brake lever and only trough training, while all our attention is at the environment surrounding us and at the front brake we can manage the pressure on the rear brake pedal, that has to be reduced as the weight is transferred to the front wheel, and on the shift pedal, to end the emergency breaking being in first gear so we can start again quickly if the situation needs it. What our feet do should be almost automatic, conditioned reflexes obtained trough training, having a standardized control layout let's us train ourselves not only for our particular bike, but for almost every bike that is not a vintage one built before that standardization. That standardization is not only a matter of convenience, is a matter of safety, can really save our life when we shift from a bike to an other.

[@8bitorgy]

"forced to catch up" is Harley Davidson's engineering motto.

[@paullangford8179]

Not really; HD are disappearing over the horizon in the rear view mirror.

[@tomnekuda3818]

I cracked up when I read this note.......although not universally true it certainly was true during certain periods.

[@wildcat6669]

It's called heritage, ever heard of it?

[@ShaunieDale]

“Forced to almost catch up” is probably closer.

[@patthewoodboy]

Hardley motorcycles

[@frankmarkovcijr5459]

When I kick start one of my vintage bikes that I ride everyday, I rotate them in turn. People walk past rows of $50,000 Harleys and gawk at one of my $500 bikes, and when I go to kick-start it I have 50 people videotaping me kick-starting the bike. Old school rules new school drools! Old school is cool

[@Cj-yw8cs]

Me too......not! Nobody cares if ya start a sportster! Till them see it run🐿

[@eleventy-seven]

Many people have sprained and busted ankles because of Norton 750 & 850s. There are kits now to put starters on them. In between using loads of locktight to keep parts from falling off I had loads of fun. Wish I still had my orange 750 interceptor.

[@frankmarkovcijr5459]

@@eleventy-seven Norton 750 and 850 Commandos are known to be very hard starting motorcycles the harder you push a parallel twin with more compression and everything like that in search of more horsepower the harder it becomes to kick. Triumphs are an easy motorcycle to kick over. BSA 250 singles are also easy to kick over. Of course the bigger the single you have the harder it becomes to kick over. I tell people who have to jump 10 ft off the ground and yell like Tarzan to start that they need to tune it up.

[@Bellathebear777]

I like kick start. My 82 Suzuki GS 750E, lacks one. That's the only thing I'd change. It's impressively smoooth. Far smoother than any of my Hondas... Including a CBX

[@senatorjosephmccarthy2720]

@@Cj-yw8cs , Starting a cold Sportster likely was the hardest bike to start.

[@RideWithRen]

Tires! Tires have gone through a revolution while looking the same. A modern tire is a wonder of modern chemistry and engineering, although on the surface they look the same as tires of the past.

[@johngunning2123]

What is a "Tire"? Please it is "Tyre"!

[@RideWithRen]

@@johngunning2123 tire, tyre, potato, potatoe... eh 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@barryervin8536]

@@johngunning2123 In the US it's "tire". Just as "aluminium" is "aluminum" in the US, "colour" is "color", etc. Both are correct depending on where you are.

[@barryervin8536]

I'm always amazed when I see somebody buying some 40 year old bike and talking about how it still has the original tires and they are in great shape with lots of useable tread left. Those tires weren't any good the day they came out of the factory. They will keep the rims from scraping on the road but that's about it.

[@G58]

“revolution” 👀😁 All puns aside, the same was actually true in the case of the almost everlasting supposedly plastic OEM Bridgestones fitted to many Japanese bikes from the factory, compared with the TT100s and Avon Roadrunners we fitted as soon as we realised how easily the OEM tyres could kill us on wet corners! So, I guess another sub-innovation would be in the quality of those very Bridgestone tyres themselves. Ride safe.

[@thelongboarddude95]

One I'd add to this list is electronic ignition replacing points. Never had to do a thing to my electronic ignition system. My bikes with points on the other hand... And maybe add automatic spark advance to the list. Can't imagine what it must be like riding a really old bike where you manually adjust the advance while riding 😄

[@barryervin8536]

Without a doubt the biggest improvement I made to my 72 Triumph Bonneville was the Boyer electronic ignition. Easier starting, smoother idle, no maintenance. Even converting it from the conical drum brake to a disc didn't make as much difference.

[@thelongboarddude95]

@@barryervin8536 that's cool! I just got fresh points on my CB350. Let's see how she behaves. I'm just wasn't sure if I should do it as I heard mixed opinions on this

[@redtobertshateshandles]

I remember being sceptical about electronic ignitions. Then realised you never had to take the cdi cover off, ever.

[@redtobertshateshandles]

@@thelongboarddude95 you aren't riding it to work every day and putting huge miles on. Save your money. Points wear and require adjustment that's their main fault. Points work OK, and they're easy to fix. Make sure the contacts touch flat, tweak with pliers if they don't.

[@stevem7868-y4l]

I agree totally, my Mk2 850 Norton, would start and run perfectly with Electronic ignition, with points it put me over the wall !

[@davidburne9477]

I reckon the advent of quality Japanese switchgear is right up there. Having had old Italian bikes, owning my first Japanese bike GT750 Suzuki was a revelation! Switches that actually worked! All the time!

[@timjones8640]

Agree David, I have a 1987 gsxr1100 which I ride pretty spiritedly most weekends. I know its on carbs and sometimes it coughs a little, but its 35 years old now and runs like a diamond, everything works and does what it should. I have modern bikes, an RSV4 Aprilia, new Katana, but most often I'm on the GSXR1100. Motorcycling is all about the connection, man and machine, no matter what you ride

[@fabianmckenna8197]

Agreed, loved my GT550 Suzuki except for the 30 mpg!

[@robertcabrera6232]

I've had both carbureted and fuel injected bikes, since I've been riding since the late 1970s. Thus most of them have used carburetors. My observation is that carburetors are harder to maintain, but easier to tune, especially if you're a shade tree mechanic. Jets are easy to come by, so experimenting for increased performance from stock is just a matter of trial and error until they're dialed-in. But carbs don't like to sit unused for any length of time, and need to be periodically torn down to be cleaned, plus they need to be synchronized and adjusted. Meanwhile, fuel injectors just work. They seldom need any maintenance or adjustments, plus they give the added benefit of increased fuel economy and power. The downside is any tuning to match exhaust or intake upgrades requires a level of expertise that most do-it-yourselfers don't possess.

[@jackvoss5841]

That periodic tear down and clean routine is NOT because it is a carb. It’s the gasoline. Shut off the fuel petcock an run the carb dry. Don’t reopen the fuel petcock until you want to start the engine. Courtesy of Half Vast Flying

[@robertcabrera6232]

@@jackvoss5841 I agree the problem is the fuel, however crappy fuel is unavoidable today unless you live in an area with many stations selling ethanol free Rec 90 gas, and you're willing to pay a fortune to use it. That said, I've never seen a modern fuel injected bike run into problems sitting for a season, where as old carbureted bikes on today's fuels can sometimes gunk up after just a few weeks of not riding, additionally, the ethanol wreaks havoc on the diaphragms, o-rings, and seals. While having little to no effect on fuel injected bikes.

[@jackvoss5841]

@@robertcabrera6232 G’day, Robert. Could be, could be. The recreation fuel is an option, as you said. Fuel preservative is too. The alcohol in the fuel is little to no benefit to operators. But, it is an advantage to those selling the corn! Courtesy of Half Vast Flying

[@paulblouin6955]

I agree. If you keep using your motorcycle, or car, carb maintenance is virtually not needed. I drain mine when they sit, or remove and plug the vacuum line from the petcock and run the engine until it won't run. Synchronization is a thing, but last time I did it, the tested pretty far out. A valve adjustment brought them back into synch. Shim type valves are a PITA. Some bikes require cam removal to get to them. I hear those stay in adjustment longer. CBR600RR 16k interval and is a cam removal job, and you need the shims. I did my CBX and have done a number of air cooled Suzukis. Don't like it even without cam removal. On my cars I remove the fuel line and run it dry or pull a wire off the fuel pump relay. If your carbs are out of synch, check the valve clearance.

[@mikeb46]

It might be the quality of gasoline, or occasional use that caused carb problems for you. My 2000 Harley has the factory carb and it has never been off the bike. It has 88,000 miles now. BUT, I do NOT buy ethanol unless that is all there is. I get 100% gas 90% of the time. I also use sea foam every 10,000 miles when I do oil change. For winter storage I use double the recommended amount of STA-BIL in the 100% gasoline and top the tank completely full. After sitting six months it will fire up in just a few seconds and run smooth. Most years I rode about 10,000 miles, the last few have been fewer due to too many projects at home. Project farm on YT did a comparison of ethanol gas and it was scary what he learned.

[@scotterickson6332]

Great video! 100% agree on your picks. Here's 2 other ones: The use of plastics to lighten the bike, and hugely, BETTER tires.

[@ThiefOfNavarre]

Agreed, modern tyre compounds cannot be understated!

[@robertmoore2527]

Tyres

[@barryervin8536]

Definitely tires. Those old Dunlop K70 tires were, by modern standards, terrible. And the Japanese tires were worse.

[@spaceflight1019]

Oh, c'mon! Who among us hasn't had a Cheng Shin tire from JC Whitney or Dennis Kirk?

[@ThiefOfNavarre]

@@spaceflight1019 I had to google the brand. £40 for a tyre lol, not a chance i'm putting that on something i'm staking my life on xD

[@michaelvachon1334]

I'm in agreement with the list as presented. I've been riding for about 50 years and cut my teeth on those late 60's, early 70's Honda bikes you frequently referenced. I bought a 2014 CB1100-DLX a few years ago. This bike combines ABS, EFI, and has a 6 speed gearbox, but retains that throwback look of the early Honda Fours. The EFI is a godsend for cold weather (or regular weather for that matter) starting. No choke or throttle position to fool with. Put in the key and punch the start button - instant even idle! I have had to use the ABS on a couple occasions and am now a convert. I've owned just a few kick-only bikes and think younger people don't have a full appreciation for electric start! One tiny clarification - the CB750 Honda didn't originally come with a rear disc brake, all of the CB750's from '69 to '78 had front disc/rear drum set up. In 1975, when Honda introduced the 750F (sport) models, they had a rear disc brake. Also I believe that adding liquid cooling is also a factor in achieving emissions compliance as well(?) Great video!

[@bartmotorcycle]

Wow thanks for your feedback! Sounds like a great riding history. And you're correct and the disc brake, it wasn't until the super sport. My bad!

[@EarthSurferUSA]

I agree with doing a good job with his vid, and it is really hard to nail down 100% accurate history today, so I give him a 90 on the grade for history, but a 10 when it comes to emissions. If that argument about the planet were true, communist china would have had epa regulations attached to the redistribution of our wealth making capabilities, the factory, since we gave our liberty to communism min the 80's, (it was 78 when china decided to give "semi private" business a try.). The epa is not about saving the planet, it is about transferring our free enterprise and our opportunity to communism. We should not entertain that. I thought communism hated profit!!! Only when we make if folks, only when we make it. You better stop in Western Culture only, you are killing the planet? Now,---lets talk about "Greed", shall we?

[@EarthSurferUSA]

What we do not understand because of our sabotaged education is free enterprise was created by free people with individual liberty protected by law, and belongs to the free citizens who created-----everything we created. That philosophy that came from the age of reason, the enlightenment period, the advent of science and math which was now possible with individual thought, later creating the USA, (the land of individual liberty and free enterprise,--yes, opportunity), and the industrial revolution that created civility, (trading money instead of blood), and prosperity that no dictatorship or religion ever did,-------------------------------------------------is not compatible with communism, that does not recognize individual liberty at all. That folks---is why we have been losing our azzes over the last 40 years.

[@johncasteel1780]

"Also I believe that adding liquid cooling is also a factor in achieving emissions compliance as well(?)" And noise.

[@acehandler1530]

Had to peruse some images of that 2014 CB1100-DLX - boy Honda sure nailed it with that classic retro styling but with a substantially more powerful engine - double the power of the '74 CB 750? I bet.

[@29madmangaud29]

"DISC-BRAKES"> I shall totally AGREE!

[@mikewho9964]

Great series 👍 Throttle roll off - what a pain - especially the latest ( euro 5 0 ) where the emphasis of the program is to absolutely minimize fuel to the cylinder when the throttle is closed - that leads to the jerking when you add throttle again - my older Japanese bikes with carbs never had that problem - smooth as silk

[@youridv]

you can get this removed with an ecu flash. I agree that it's annoying.I still vastly prefer fuel injection over carbed bikes even though I only own one EFI bike and multiple carbed bikes. EFI systems just work all the time and, after removing emissions with a good tune, are easier to ride.

[@TheRunereaper]

Indicators. Hand signals, especially turning right in town, was a pain in the arse.

[@marcfiore4319]

Good video, and pretty much on point! I’ve ridden since the early 1960’s, and have experienced most of the changes and advancements you’ve talked about. If anybody wants to argue with you about fuel injection, I’ve got a story to tell them about a group ride through the Alps, and an OLD first edition Yamaha Delta Box 1000 that was carbureted. We stopped for a group photo on a mountain pass just below the high point, before it swept down into Titisee. All the Fuel Injected bikes started right up, but four of us had to push that Yamaha about a half-mile down the mountain to get it started, and then the Brit riding it had to keep it revved like crazy to get over the top and down the other side to below 5,000 feet to keep it running! He shut it down at about 60 mph on the way into town, to see if it would start back up at 3000 feet, and it did, just barely!

[@leoanon4429]

Carburetors are known to freeze up at altitude. Also jetting is an important factor. Living in Sydney (Australia) my bike always ran well while in the city and suburbs. Heading up the blue mountains however they would lose power and lack response due to the thinner air. Our mountains (the Blue Mountains) are only 3,00 feet high so I'd hate to think what would happen to a carburetted bike at a higher altitude. Reading an Aus bike magazine recently and one regular journalist Jeff Seddon mentioned having engine oil redirected on his older Ducati to warm the carburetors during winter months via a simple tap. It sounded like a very clever idea. I've been riding over 50 years, had a brand new Honda CB750/4 F2 supersport at 16 and always found the rear disc very harsh while loving the more balanced feel of the twin discs up front. Keeping the rear wheel on the ground during heavy braking was near impossible with the level of bite with the rear disc. ABS has revolutionized maximum braking force releasing brakes when lock up is detected. Not that it ever hurt me, I think the bigger issue was the genuine Bridgestone tyres (Aus), little grip in the dry, hope and pray in the wet, especially if needing emergency braking. I've NEVER put a Japanese tyre on another motorcycle since. I know they are significantly improved but I still run European branded tyres (cars and bikes) Fuel injection vs carburetors, I find fuel injected bikes have much better throttle response, superior acceleration (after owning a Honda CBX1000 with 6 carburetors that had to be tuned and balanced). I like fuel injection but the complexity of pumps failing can be an issue plus, you can't clutch start them with a flat battery, or so I've been told (I may be very wrong), in my 60s I never wanted to clutch start the K100LT I had here for a few years)

[@KristopherNoronha]

@@leoanon4429 oh I know what happens to them at higher altitude: riding from sea level (mumbai) to the himalayas (highest point over 5500m), my carb'd 250 struggled to start and lost power. once I passed 3000m it was tough going. had to turn the air screw to run lean (quarter turn) and it was back to running like a charm. riding back home, I left it running lean and had no problems other than slightly lowered acceleration (I was nowehre near top speed so can't say much about that) - however I showed it to my mechanic who said my spark plugs were showing signs of overheating due to running too lean. turned the air screw back and problem solved!

[@tsbrownie]

As someone who has ridden only carbureted motorcycles, fuel injection is better. I say that because 90% of my bike's problems were the carburetors. The other 10% was something like points or handlebar wiring.

[@ktkace]

I would like to add tire compound(hi-silica etc) and construction ( radial, bias/hybrid and different tension wounding etc ) , single biggest improvement in 10 years.

[@michaeld5888]

I always have a memory of trundling along our A12 road on my basic but very cheap CZ250 and the sun cast a shadow on the road and the way the body of the bike was rock steady and the front wheel was bouncing up and down taking all the bumps was rather magical. This had a carburetor which looked like an Amal carburetor from my C15 many years ago. I remember igniting fuel on the engine block of that latter bike on kicking the start after over judicious tickling. I actually got a couple of stranded CZ riders going again removing and blowing out the idle jet which seemed to be a trick that worked when they ground to a halt for some strange reason. The rock hard Soviet Union tyres were very economical also as they did not grip the road at all so no friction to cause any unnecessary wear and cost for the comrades. The advantage was I could ride the thing on packed snow in the end as it made so little difference. These little dangerous features can actually enhance skills and make life safer with a bit of common sense added in but looking at many motor cyclists today that is a scarce commodity. The required periodic cleaning out the CZ silencer was a very messy job.

[@HegelsOwl]

Is that the A12 road in Waterloo, Indiana?

[@grammahuggytoy1868]

The early Honda cb 350 twin is my all time favorite bike.In my late teens, early 20s, I traveled all up and down the pacific coast, the southern border states, then up the east coast to where I hit I80 and headed back to California through to mid west.That bike never slowed down or showed any problems even though it had over 100,000 miles on it before we finished the trip

[@davidmccaffery7977]

My first of many bikes was a beautiful 71 cb350. Maybe the best of the bunch 👍

[@EmotoZ]

This has to be the best pure motorcycle channel on KZbin. Kudos man! Your knowledge is incredible. A true moto-historian.

[@recoilrob324]

Having jetted many motorcycles over the years, I fully embrace the fuel injection now as it's SO much easier to plug in a cable....then tweak the tune on the PC and it's done. This vs several hours of wrenching to take off the carburetor rack and make the adjustments you need. I had it down to about an hour on my 85 V-Max after doing it about 30 times. And you can run the engine much more precisely with FI so it's easier to get good fuel economy while still running well.

[@TravisTerrell]

Dude, no joke! I remember re-jetting my dirt bikes and ATV after mods back in the day. What a SERIOUS pita. Possibly the initial switch from carbs to FI had a lot to do with emissions, but from a mechanic-ing standpoint, it's just sooo much more reliable and easy to mess with. (Side note, I didn't realize that older moto FI is basically just imitating a carb. It never made sense to me that fueling adjustment was required after mods, since FI should auto-detect the O2 and adjust, but then I learned it was way more rudimentary than in cars, ha. Modern ones less so I think.)

[@thelongboarddude95]

Never had a FI bike, but only ones with carbs. I could definitely pass on the rejetting!

[@frankmarkovcijr5459]

Most of my British bikes have Mark 1 concentric carburetors. I can take one apart clean it up the gaskets put it back together and it works. I don't want to learn how to do any others. I have carburetors that are 50 years old and still work well the Mikuni carburetors on my Ural motorcycle are excellent 25 years old and still work well

[@rickconstant6106]

My bikes are a 1978 Triumph Bonneville and a 1980 Suzuki GS550, both with basic, mechanical slide carbs, and that's the way I wanted it. Although they are not as efficient as modern, fuel injection systems, they don't have all the electrical parts and pressurised pumps and injectors, which are very expensive to replace when they fail.

[@deanbenson6879]

BMW, Bing carbs...no problem.

[@acehandler1530]

Enjoyed your presentation, you're good! I've been riding for over 45 years, I started on a '74 CB750 (pretty crazy starter bike!) with no license - that bike was FUN! Got air time a few times on whoop-de-dos in the road. Then I owned a couple of Triumphs ('70 & '71) - completely different bike, designed (I could imagine) for British country roads with all it's twisties and blind corners - those bikes would have really benefited from disc brakes. Felt bad riding them on the slabs of Alberta! Next up: an '85 Honda Shadow that I loved - under-powered for traveling through the Rockies but otherwise I loved that bike (with it's hydraulic tappets - no valve lash adjustment req'd) - I rode that bike for 15 years, putting 120K kms on it around British Columbia (motorcycle heaven around Salmon Arm/Armstrong area). I found a 2002 BMW R1200C on Kijiji in 2007 (I had always wanted to try one since the James Bond movie of 1998 featuring that bike) but 'demo days' proved elusive so I bought the one I found online. I absolutely loved that bike and fixed it up with every farkle I could find. Illium floorboards were nice. But the bloom was off the rose when the driveshaft stripped - $3500 in repairs at the dealer. And their repair lasted only 12K kms - for another $2200 to fix it the 2nd time (wouldn't do it under warranty 😠 - should've skipped that dealer!). While it was in the shop I bought a '92 K100RS (16-valve) with low kms) it was ok - very high-tech for 1992 and in British Columbia, as it just turned 25 years old, I was able to get a collector plate for it (about 15% of the normal insurance) and so I could leave it insured for the road year-round. Got out on some epic trips with snowbanks on both sides of the highway. Sold all those, moved to the vast and lonely Prairies (SK). Bought a low-kms 2005 Yamaha FJR1300 and really like it. The electric windshield is very handy (the hard bugs were out in droves yesterday, just put the windshield up a bit more and they passed over my head rather than bullets-in-the-face!). Insurance is expensive, even with my 23% discount - $120/month by the month. Once the EV push becomes 'mainstream' I can imagine gasoline will become scarce and prohibitively costly. And I'll be riding and E-Bike too I suppose. Constant evolution - but riding is in my blood since that first test ride of my buddy's (thanks Bert!) CB750. Ride safe, and keep the shiny side upright!

[@MrTPF1]

I was hesitant on going to fuel injection in the early 2000's, but the Harley F.I. systems have been flawless for me, and I'm pretty sold on them. No more cold starting procedures, no coughs and sputters, and just smooth acceleration at all times. I also agree on the disc bakes. Those old drum brakes were TERRIBLE and took a country mile to stop with.

[@QuakeGamerROTMG]

Got my first bike with fuel injection recently and I don't want to ever go back to the pain of carbies lol It's nice to go out to my bike and always have it start without any trouble or fuel up the bike and have it hot start without a moment's hesitation. Also having it not ride like shit until it's fully warmed up.

[@drrob9171]

Oh how I miss my 73 Honda 500 four…. I actually saw it for sale a couple of years ago.. should have bought it! I envy you!

[@vicO1323]

I used the kick start on my 750 maybe once or twice that was enough for me. The front disc brake was a great innovation, it not only stopped you quicker it didn't have that brake fade with a drum brake. I tried to equalize my carburetors once, it was like trying to regulate 4 cups of gas into the engine. I like the older bikes without the body parts surrounding the engine and wheels, it takes away from the mechanicalness of a motorcycle. Yeah I don't think that's a word. A subtle innovation was my 78 Goldwing had cast wheels. Good video *bart.*

[@norfolkdragons866]

very early discs didn't work in the rain - remember squeezing the brake leaver harder and harder coming up to a junction at a T junction and the bike just not slowing down - luckily still had drum on the back and ended up standing on the pedal to just stop before running out in front of traffic. That was c1975

[@zubble7144]

Great list of innovations. Two comments: Clutch - I worked as a motorcycle mechanic in the 60's and one of the bikes that came in for service had the clutch as a foot pedal. Some called it a suicide clutch because when coming up to a stop in gear, if you bike tipped toward the clutch side, taking your foot off the clutch to support the bike caused you to lurch into traffic. Second, some of the old bikes used a stick shift (shift leaver at side of fuel tank). Foot shifting is much better, with some awkwardness when switching from left shift to right shift.

[@barryervin8536]

I've been riding for 58 years and have owned almost 30 bikes. Some of the older ones were great fun and I sometimes wish I still had them, but I don't fool myself into thinking they were actually "better" than modern bikes in any functional way.

[@phlodel]

You have to admit, though, the bad habits of the old machines made riding exciting.

[@melodymakermark]

@Barry Evan, if you’ve been riding that long, I bet you had one of the first CB750 KO models? I was 9 years old when it came out, too young to ride, but old enough to be infatuated, due to my older brother's friends having them. It remains on my want list. My brother unashamedly rode Triumph Bonnies. He couldn’t keep up with the Honda’s, but always figured he looked better getting where he was going. 😂

[@melodymakermark]

Barry “Ervin”, sorry.

[@barryervin8536]

@@melodymakermark I never had a CB750 but I can remember the first time I saw one. I had read about them in the magazines when they came out and then one day I was driving past a Honda dealer on my way to somewhere and I happened to look over and there was a new CB750 on display in the front window. I turned around and went back to look at it. It was green, and about the coolest thing I'd ever seen. It looked so big! When I see one today it looks small compared to most of today's bikes. I did have a Triumph Bonneville a few years later, probably that Triumph was a big part of why I don't think old bikes were really all that great LOL!

[@MartinSage]

Loved when they went water cooled. Much more reliable.

[@Youtube_deleted_my_favourites]

I have neve ridden a bike in my life, but I doesn't stop me admiring these beautiful bikes, I love this channel

[@29madmangaud29]

Hey Bart, something to understand: Back in the '70's and '80's, there were the 1st "CRUISE CONTROLS", which "NOW" > they call "THROTTLE - LOCKS". Back in the '80's they were : indeed> "Cruise-controls"!

[@milojanis4901]

Yup, the Vanda-Cruise

[@norfolkdragons866]

Had a throttle lock on a Yam 850 triple with full fairing - only bike i could roll a cigarette two handed, and smoke it courtesey of the fairing and lock. And yes I've done it at 100+ while passing traffic. (I was young and foolish - smoking is dangerous)

[@wayneroberts4144]

That 68 Triumph 500 you have is the definition of a real motorcycle to me! Nothing sounds or handles any better that that machine! They are just delightful to ride around town on!

[@jeffryyanuar3945]

Motorcycles themselves are also one of the most important innovations at all time

[@tomrodgers6629]

I agree, But sometimes I do miss kickstarting a street bike there is something cool about it.

[@Titan500J]

To me the rear suspension deserves a mention here. The system of a swing arm and two sprung shocks took allot of trial and error to develop. Triumph tried with it's rear sprung hub system in the early 50's. This early type of rear suspension was flawed but a step in the right direction. Just my opinion. Thanks for the video.

[@aaroncutting]

I have a '73 CB450 that I've been working on for awhile. It certainly has some gremlins that I'm trying to track down, but I can attest to how well built the starter is.

[@jackvoss5841]

Another view of starter motors is that, when Honda began to use them, they cobbled on complex, heavy, expensive additions. The bolted on an off the shelf design along with a chain that ran back to the engine. Clumsy. Suzuki had magneto ignition, with magnets cast into the flywheel, an industry standard. Coils rigged around the flywheel completed a generator design. To convert that generator into an electric motor, the ON,Y additional mechanism is a piece of wire, and a button switch. Pushing that button switch completes the circuit in the wire which runs power from the battery to the coils, and voila! A starter motor. Additional weight was a few ounces. Courtesy of Half Vast Flying

[@milojanis4901]

The Honda starters worked, regardless. They didn't appear cobbled in any way at all. I call bullshit on that. Some of the early designs did have a chain. But they worked. No Honda motorcycle EVER looked cobbled.

[@jackvoss5841]

@@milojanis4901 G’day, Milo. In the 60s, Honda starters were a cobbled, bolt on accessory. At the very same time, other manufacturers had the sleek, internal starters I described. In the intervening 50-60 years, Honda got some new engineers. Separately, there was a 4-6 year period when Honda’s mufflers had impurities in the steel that caused inter granular corrosion, limiting their useful life. Honda is good, quite good, but not perfect. My best to you. Courtesy of Half Vast Flying

[@scootergeorge7089]

@@jackvoss5841 My father's CB-160, a mid sixties bike had electric start and it was well integrated into the bike. And as long as the battery had a charge, the started worked.

[@outdoorvideoswithbrad]

I’m in the 80s yet with my Honda rebel, I got long hair, wear leather and bandannas haha, I’ve took that thing off road up in the mountains and all kinds of stuff, I’m like “lost boys” lol

[@Peter-lm3ic]

The use of alloy wheels rather than wire wheels must surely get a mention. Invented in the UK by John Williams the UK motorcycle champion in the 1960's when as a draughtsman in Bromley, Kent, UK.

[@robertmoore2527]

He welcomed disagreement.

[@Chuckles..]

Of all the bikes I've owned the one I wish I hadn't sold was a black 1982 R65 BMW boxer I had put a Corbin seat on. It was fun to just chill around town on and was kind of a head turner. Also handled great.

[@cpuuk]

My old GS750 had electric start, but every once in a while I'd use the kick start just for fun 🙂

[@benywidodo]

How difficult it is to kickstart 750cc engine? I ever kickstarted a 250cc bike and it's tiring after a few attempts.

[@ELPECEE]

@@benywidodo The Suzuki GS750 is an easy kickstart. If the engine was already warm, I could start mine by pushing down on the kickstarter with my hand.

[@benywidodo]

@@ELPECEE Ah that's very nice to hear. I thought those beast is difficult to kickstart

[@andrewthag]

@@ELPECEE jeez, I had a silverwing with a optional kick start, took about my 130lb body and a jump to get it going

[@adolfemmanuelesparas3922]

kickstart is needed to kickstart your day! or at least energize you and wake you up when it fights back! kickstart when cold starting and electric start for traffic and stop overs..

[@jdrosner1]

I owned 3 carb'd bikes before my first FI bike. Two 250 Honda Nighthawks with single carb into 2 cylinders and a '97 BMW F650 with twin Mikunis into a single cylinder. Even at below freezing I never had starting problems with the carbs, except when I forgot to open the choke which I could do seconds after starting. Since I am a year round rider I never had to rebuild them. When they switched the F650 to FI in 2000(?) there were reports of surging at speed. The 2012 and '13 Honda NC700X (my current mount) have given me 100,000 miles of trouble free riding in all conditions despite my rudimentary maintenance skills.

[@Daschickenify]

Carbs are generally reliable if used regularly and with ethanol free gas. The problems start with sitting and ethanol.

[@chris_vk3radio]

Nice one and since you invited comment.. At 15:30 you mention the CB-750 being the first production bike to sport a rear disk brake, basically true but not until the mid 70's on the later "F1 Super Sport" version. From 1969 to the mid/late 70's all "original" K series CB-750's had a rear drum brake (K2's rear disk). Thanks, Great video..

[@theoldbigmoose]

Yep, I cut my teeth on the Teal colored 69 CB750, and it had a drum rear brake and that great disk up front. Great bike!

[@moestrei]

Wasn't that Moto Guzzi?

[@chris_vk3radio]

@@moestrei From what I've read, the 1976 Le Mans 850 was first Guzzi with rear disk. So probably less than a year after the Honda and wouldn't you love one now!

[@chris_vk3radio]

@@moestrei Awesome 👌

[@keanuxu5435]

10 things I am grateful for on today’s motorcycles. After listening to this video, I myself am so glad my 2019 Royal Enfield Classic 500 has front and rear disc breaks, ASB, EFI, and both electric and kick starter.

[@murraykriner9425]

Agree with most of what you said about these innovative changes made over the decades. One has only to wait to see what will alter just how we ride with servo actuators taking the place of many mechanical and hydraulic system nuances. Electricity from it's inception to it's utilization has remapped much of what we know can be done. Thanks for an enjoyable trip down memory lane.

[@debeeriz]

foot gear change and standardising brakes and gear levers to a certain side made motorcycles safer to ride, switching from british to japanese bikes could be dangerous when you changed down instead of braking

[@CathodeRayTube99]

Good point. I once rode a 1940s Harley with non-return throttle (as bart mentioned) foot clutch and gear shift on the side of the tank. Dunno how I got it to move, but I did!

[@harrygatto]

If I remember correctly Triumph had the gear change pedal on the right whilst practically everyone else had it on the left. It was a long time ago so maybe I forgot others with a right side shifter.

[@WilliamEades_Frostbite]

I totally agree with this one. While stationed in England in the 80's I had my Electra Glide and a 6T Thunderbird. It got interesting when I would go from bike to bike as I had to think and remember which bike I was on...Had some interesting incidents when I tried to upshift the brake or brake the shifter.

[@dat2ra]

Is it one down and three up....or one up and three down? Is that the brake or the shifter?

[@frankmarkovcijr5459]

I learn how to ride Japanese motorcycles with the gear shift on the left. When I got my first British bike it's shifted on the right. I could just add myself to just grab the front brake which is in the same location on every motorcycle and has 90% of your braking power therefore I never had any problem with trying to break my stepping on the shift leaver by accident. Some bikes like to cardis you could put the gear shift on whatever side you wanted depending on what country you were in. The government decided that sets the japanese-made more motorcycles and anyone else that everyone was going to conform to the Japanese practice of the gear shift on the left. They also mandated the gear shift pattern 1 down and 4 up with neutral in the middle between first and second. Kawasaki three-cylinder two-stroke neutral was at the bottom. On bridgestone's with a rotary shift you had a 4-speed low-speed or a 5-speed high-speed whichever way you set the transmission. Not really a big problem just Big Brother sticking his nose in

[@kimmer6]

14:00 Honda CBX 6 cylinder engine. It was my first motorcycle engine overhaul with cases split, crankshaft out. Not really recommended as a beginner engine overhaul.

[@bunyuh]

Really enjoyed this, quite accurate, I bought my first motor bike in Oz at the age of 16yrs, when I got my learners and bought a Triumph Tiger/bitza. Still riding, but have gone back to bikes that I can throw my leg over!!

[@noompunk]

You forgot the CVT and/or centrifugal clutch (because CVT uses a variation of it too) It tremendously reduces the difficulty of motorcycling and helps making scooters the most popular two wheeled vehicles in the world

[@martinkeet8373]

Absolutely 👍👍👍

[@donaldoehl7690]

I still meet people that are surprised to find out that the black stuff leaking from their bikes front forks is something that needs changing as part of regular maintenance.

[@Tofu_tim]

Always so happy to see new content from you. Quickly became one of my favorite motorcycle channels.

[@trippontwowheels]

The dude’s in the groove for sure.

[@bartmotorcycle]

Thanks! Means alot

[@theaustralianconundrum]

@@bartmotorcycle It is fun reminiscing. I have sheds full of these bikes. All of them brand new. Cheers.

[@neilreid2298]

Good list and I agree. Would like to see a segment on how riding gear has evolved from a suit and fedora to the amazing jackets, suits, helmets, and gloves we enjoy today. Big impact on the riding and safety experience. Thanks for your vid!

[@victinim2512]

I would say my tiny 125 is technologically very old, I mean for a 2021 bike, carbureted, no abs, rear brake is a drum and I could include no traction control but let's be real, 12HP is already traction control by itself hahaha.

[@yesihavereadit]

Taking a corner full Pelt on a Puch maxi moped was living on the edge

[@KristopherNoronha]

interestingly, most commuter bikes sold in SE asia are about the same.

[@victinim2512]

@@KristopherNoronha Well is actually a Bajaj motorcycle, so makes sense as they are an Indian manufacturer.

[@chipsteiner9128]

Really enjoy your videos and especially your appreciation for older bikes. I haven't ridden a bike in 50 year and probably won't ever again. But back in the day, 1970-72, I flew to England, bought a BSA Royal Star and rode it through Europe. The motorcycle was about as un-modern as they come but it was way fun riding on twisty roads up and down mountains. The only real problem I had was a constantly snapping clutch cable. To replace it required removing the gas tank. I finally gave up, bought five cables and just strung them across the top of the tank as needed. I shipped the bike home, rode it once on an interstate highway, and sold it. It was useless at those high speeds (I also rode it once--just once--on a German autobahn as Mercedes Benz's and BMWs blew by me in the most menacing and unsettling way). Keep thinking of getting a retro something or other but sanity (I finally have a little bit of that now) always steers me away. Incidentally, one of the major differences between modern and vintage/retro modern bikes is the canyon of nothingness between the rear wheel and the rear fender/saddle. Just my opinion but I think it looks absolutely awful! The wheel seems to have no relationship to the rest of the bike--it's just floating back there like an out-of-place appendage. On old and retro bikes, the wheel is right there beneath the rider and very much an integrated part of the whole machine. Anyway, thank you for great stuff.

[@postersm7141]

It’s interesting that you mention the rear wheel relationship to the rear fender. I have a 2021 Kawasaki Z 900 RS café. I’ve been riding bikes for over 40 years. A couple weeks ago an older gentleman pulled up and was admiring my Z 900. We got to talking and he mentioned the same thing, he didn’t like the gap between the rear wheel and the fender. Everything else he loved. It doesn’t seem to bother me but it’s interesting that you point this out as well as the older gentleman that I was talking to a couple weeks ago! I guess possibly it has something to do with the mono shock/rear suspension set up?

[@pvlietstra]

Positive stop/foot operated gear change deserves a mention. Developed and first used by Velocette.

[@christophertanner7579]

Something I noticed. Any time the bike is moving your feet should be on the pegs.

[@jonnyjones7689]

Wow your channel is soooooo underrated. Feel like would be up there with Fortnine, yammie noob and revzilla... Anyways keep it up, I love your channel

[@NinjaKittyBonks]

Don't ride a motorcycle, have ridden some dirt bikes for a time, but I yanked the ABS / TC on my '02 Mustang. Can't speak about how this effects bikes, but was a big improvement on my car. Thanks, bart ❤

[@michaelwaller8275]

You missed out swinging arm suspension, telescopic forks over girder or rigid, 12v lighting over 6v, and road holding all now just "givens" however these where huge leaps forward.

[@bartmotorcycle]

I had an honerable mention section that I left out where I included things like swing arms, tire development and oil circulation but these are really good shouts as well

[@lobolj53]

@@bartmotorcycle there's a lot innovations for bikes through out the years, but we don't mind a part 2 and part 3. 😁

[@erniemathews5085]

Yes! I started riding in 1957, and I fell in love with disc brakes first exposure. Carburetors work good, but if you travel, a 5000 ft elevation change they stink.

[@brianvogt8125]

... unless they're constant vacuum design (which inherently keep the mixture constant). Bing type 64 carbies have had popular use in light aircraft.

[@doodleydoo169]

I just rewatched Fortnine’s video about carbs vs injection the other day, and I agree with him, I personally cannot tell the difference on most bikes I’ve ridden.

[@jfess1911]

Sadly, Ryan was misinformed about fuel injection, since virtually every motorcycle has a feedback loop to change the settings automatically.

[@doodleydoo169]

@@jfess1911 true! But I think his point was mostly that fuel injection in a motorcycle, for the most part, is a dumbed down version of what’s in cars. Still though you’re right

[@jfess1911]

@@doodleydoo169 If your motorcycle has an oxygen sensor, it is a feedback system and does not completely rely on the "lookup table." There is virtually no cost advantage to using the older tech. Besides, the old tech won't meet current European Emission standards. His comments are almost 10 years out of date.

[@ThiefOfNavarre]

@@jfess1911 I love Fortnine videos but I agree he was slightly off the mark with that one.

[@Daschickenify]

@@jfess1911 They do now, but many recent bikes had open loop fuel injection. My 2008 Suzuki SV650 still uses open loop. The california model got an oxygen sensor, but i'm still trying to figure out if it had closed loop or if that was some sort of check engine light thing for them.

[@MotoDeSoto]

Good video. The big differences that I notice between the modern and antique motorcycles that I ride are pressurized oiling systems that no longer need to be continuously monitored, automatic spark advance that no longer needs to be continuously monitored, and clutch controls at the hand rather than to foot.

[@davidlovelady163]

Good list For me I would have tubeless tires and electronic ignition Setting points and not pinching the tube has been a problem for me for years

[@CathodeRayTube99]

YES! You must add that bart! Tubeless tyres mean no blow-outs. Huge safely improvement.

[@Chris_at_Home]

I had a 1972 Honda 350CL.. I put 20,000 miles on it and never had a starter problem. I also had a 1985 Honda 250es that I gave away a few years ago that I rode in mud and water and never had a starter problem unlike some other ATVs I had.

[@deltabluesdavidraye]

One manufacturer more than any other gave us The cush drive hub,the swinging arm ,stressed member construction and other innovations came from Royal Enfield

[@glennschmitz3060]

I bought a Honda 150 in1963, it had an electric start. Good bike.

[@postersm7141]

Well you’re getting more views and more subs because of your hard work. I really have no disagreements with your views in this particular video. Also it’s obvious the level of time and work that you put in your videos, well done.

[@Ganesh.krish0212]

A week before my 13th birthday, the usual track sessions ended with the last race for the season, my uncle had ended the season literally at the last place & the entire family was having fun at his expense & also celebrating his retirement. On my birthday, uncle came home and gifted me a box, opened it to see a bunch of old Carbs. I remember going where’s my PS1(never got one). Amal’s, dell’ orto, Kehin, bing, mikuni.. If only he had gotten me a PS1, I today won’t be so judgemental about motorcycles. Literally nothing new sings my tune.

[@glennt69lol]

Getting back into motorcycles after around 20 years and have been binge watching your channel 🤙 Liked and subbed 👍

[@dontworrybehappy8080]

30 years for me. Started a family so I put riding to the side. Kids are married and on their own now so I bought a brand spanking new HD Breakout. Its been over two years now. Love it. I ride much differently though, : )

[@glennt69lol]

@@dontworrybehappy8080 pretty much same thing with me, kids, mortgage, overworked job 🤣 finally about to take the plunge and buy a big cruiser, Harley Fatboy, Victory high ball or Boulevard m109r are the top contenders

[@WilliamLithgowGuitars]

Had a couple of scooters,and have to say the twist change/clutch lever arrangement on the left bar is so simple to use,but something rarely seen on motorbikes! Victoria used this and elaborated on it with buttons connected to solenoids to change gear!

[@bobreinert4604]

Fuel injection - Advantage if you travel to higher elevations. Disadvantage if you have a dead battery as you can not push start the bike. Absolutely agree on #1, disc brakes are so much better than drum brakes. I know it’s not a part of the bike, but good safety gear, especially helmet technology increases, are high on my list of innovations. Love the video. I started riding in 1964. Sure has been a fun trip from those old bikes, like my BSA 441, to my current Triumph Sprint ST.

[@DANTHETUBEMAN]

The number one innovation in motorcycle 🏍️ history, is the passenger seat for hot chix!!!

[@mortkb]

I totally agree with the electronic ignition comment. I have put them on my 72 CL350 and my 75 RD350 and they run and start so much better I feel. One other thing not sure was mentioned that I appreciate these days are the fancy drive mode and suspension mode settings. Depending on my mood and road and whether I am two-up, those make it a lot easier to change on the fly. I have a KTM 1290 SA and when I ride people I put it into rain mode so it makes the power delivery much smoother when I have a passenger and I can firm up preload on the fly as well for the extra weight. Great, video. I enjoyed it

[@gregorydunn4283]

My old M V Agusta had fontana duel four leading shoe front brakes when set up right they were as good as disk brakes with good feel and stopping power( circa 1974 ).

[@caribman10]

Really? And how many hard stops did it take to make it underwear-changing time? NO drum brake was ever as good as a disc in repeat use. Not one. That's why MV Agusta went over to, well, disc brakes....

[@gregorydunn4283]

@@caribman10 yes that's true but in 1974 most bikes had drum brakes on them usually single or double sided ones never rode it hard enough on the road to really find the stopping power of it as being a typical MV ( I've had others ) it was unreliable as hell

[@dufushead]

Disc brakes for sure allied with the method of actuation, hydraulic, which apart from being largely maintenance free, also attenuated the riders input. Nice Video.

[@frankmarkovcijr5459]

Disc brakes are not maintenance-free. Changing fluid and bleeding air and changing pads is not maintenance-free I broke a brake cable o n my u r a l and replaced it in 30 seconds. I have bought drum brake vintage motorcycles over 50 years old and you pull on the cable and the drum brakes still work. Disc brakes like brembos require service every 7500 MI. A twin leading shoe drum brakes on anyting are the best brakes in the world.

[@timlatte8302]

Yeah, dics best feature is self adjustment. Never had a mbike with discs but they are shit on a push bike and need more pressure in a cer unless power assisted

[@GregSr]

For street bikes, I say the driveshaft was a big improvement. My '72 XS-650 Yamaha's chain was always needing adjustment and spitting oil on the rear wheel. Back around '74, my buddy bought a Honda Gold Wing with a drive shaft. I was very envious.

[@brianvogt8125]

That's why I bought my first BMW in Dec. 1976.

[@beyondriven5150]

I noticed one of the biggest differences between carburetors and fuel injection today actually as I was out riding. Currently where I live, the air is unusually thick and humid, but only 70 degrees f. My carbureted bike was pretty cranky, and while it did run and did so pretty well when it got up to temp, I could tell that it wasn't happy as it isn't set up for these conditions as opposed to higher heat/ lower humidity and air density. I put it in the garage and grabbed a fuel injected bike, and it was able to self- adjust air fuel ratios on the fly and ran perfectly with no spitting or popping, no holes in power delivery, etc. In short, my carbed bike is well tuned and runs great in the conditions it's tuned to operate in, but weather or altitude variances effect it. My injected bike does not have that issue, and can change mapping in real time to get the best performance no matter what.

[@charlienyc1]

And how many stories have we heard about riders going over mountains and having to stop to re-jet the carbs? I've heard many.

[@tiufb]

Way before our time, but recirculating oil systems! I can’t imagine riding bikes with total loss oiling.

[@phillee2814]

2-smokes persisted for a long time, and do still exist in some markets.

[@trevorlyons4652]

A few points: (i) a major advantage of fuel injection (over carburettors) is that it can be controlled electronically; (ii) motorcycles are still perhaps to closely related to those of a hundred years ago, having tubular frames rather than monocoques; (iii) the biggest advances in telescopic forks' damping were (a) cartridge forks which replaced inefficient damping rod systems; and (b) the BMW "Telelever" system whereby the braking forces, springing and damping were done through a swinging arm attached to the frame, so that the tiles were not subject to twisting forces; (iv) slick-shifter smake gear changes easy, but it has always been possible to have clutchless up-changes and some (if you do it right) down-changes too. (Dirt riders especially do this all the time), (v) pushrod engines do not automatically give good torque: rather, slow-revving engines do not need the sophistication of OHC systems. (vi) Note that although side-valves engines are almost extinct, a Belgian firm (D-motor) is producing flat-4 and flat-6 aero-engines for light aircraft. Side-valve engines work fine for low revs (which propellers like), they give excellent squish even though the combustion chamber would be inefficient at high revs; and if a valve should stick or break, it would not damage a piston or cause an engine to seize. See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-Motor

[@michaelarchangel1163]

Hydraulic valve adjustment {except perhaps for use in all out max performance requirements} isn't, in my opinion, common enough. I see this manufacturer omission as more of a cash cow matter than one of complexity/cost.

[@stephenglover2320]

I rode motorcycles from late seventies through to late mid 90"s, then took a long break (kids). Whilst I agree with your points, the single biggest change for me, by far, was tyre technology. The profiles allow to to kean further under control, grip safely, get more power down, brake harder. Just an incredible advance. Wet weather performance so much better as well.

[@rogerthat10-47]

I'm not surprised that HD came up with the Electric Start, kicking my Panther 650 single was tough for a 12 year old, kicking an engine twice the size must have been ridiculous "Valve Lifter" or not. I've had a huge number of bikes over the years & the one thing I believe would be an even worse invention than a "Dick Flavoured Lollypop" would be a "Fly by Wire" accelerator, the ramifications of even the slightest of problems could be catastrophic. "Fuel Injection" there are plenty of "Carburated" bikes that run as "Clean" as fuel injected, yes emissions are why some have gone that way, mainly 2 stroke's but you can get a carb to run as clean as FI it just takes a bit of work pretty much all of my bikes are on carbs & pass emissions with no problems they are as easy if not easier to modify & maintain. Carbs can be fixed by most home mechanics whereas FI not so much, the reason we have anything is because it makes money for someone somewhere & that almost never turns out to be the poor f#cker that owns them. ABS/Traction Control "HATE IT" Both of these have taken the Skill out of riding to a point where most of the young rides of today "Cannot Ride for Shit" either with or without them & from a racing point of view I don't know a single racer that uses them, they were initially designed for racing yet so many racers don't use them due to the fact they try to take over when riding hard, this makes them dangerous, a "Safty Feature" that is dangerous is not a "Safty Feature" at all, not only are they unsafe, they are extremely heavy 105lbs, that is the weight of an entire person, just see what removing something that any decent rider could do without does to your power to weight ratio & they are unbelievably expensive, these & ohh so much more unnecessary shite has raised the price of even the most humble of bikes to the stupid prices we see now. I have a "Road Legal" 1972 Suzuki GT750 2 stroke on carbs with Nitros that has absofuckinlutly none of these, & yet it has never failed emissions, has no "Nanny Systems" whatsofuckinever, a "Cable" throttle & no QuickShifter, but it still does the 1/4 in 8.2, it's a bit shit on the corners but Traction Control isn't the answer, Sheer bloodymindedness has always got me through. Please don't forget that there was "SeatBelts" invented for a motorcycle on a number of occasions & they went the way that a great many of these should have gone.

[@buxvan]

That was a “FanFuckingtastic” comment. I had a kettle too.

[@rogerthat10-47]

@@buxvan Thanks very much, I thought it was a bit long but I wanted to fully explain why I hate these f#ckin things, as for the "Flying Kettle" they get a far worse reputation than they deserve, I've "Raced" them & "Toured" them & they have never been the worst bike in the group but I do have a lot of experience with the Suzuki GTs, I had the "Full Set" all at once at one time & the "Gamma's" & the Yamaha RDs & I never lost a race to a KH ever.

[@micheltremblay4774]

I prefer the old bikes that I could fix on the side of the road if something went wrong but they were quite reliable with good maintenance. My most important innovation would be the 2 cycles motors, lite and fast. I had a Yamaha RD400 with loads of mods; electronic ignition, tuned mufflers, high performance pistons that I rode most of the time it would blast bikes with 4 cycles up to 750 CC with ease. I owned many motorcycles in my youth: Honda CT70, 250, 450, 750, Yamaha RD400, 1100, Suzuki 650 shaft drive, GS 1000E and a few dirt bikes. I am 71 and now ride an E-Bike, TAO Motor's TAO LEO 724, mainly to go fishing 10 km away from home, made a custom rod holder on the rear right side. Every spring, the need to ride a motorcycle is heightened. Thanks for the list of innovations. Take care.

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[@TheInterloafer]

Awesome video! I have been wondering about this and it answers a lot of questions. It's really interesting to see the progress and see that things taken for granted today each had to be innovated and were a new idea at one time. On carburetors and fuel injection, I have one bike with each. I honestly don't notice any difference for performance per se, but carbs require more maintenance here in a part of the world with mandated ethanol gasoline. Even more, because they're a maintenance headache, they get unfairly blamed for even more. Case I point: when my pickup coil went bad recently and I brought my bike with a request of: "it's giving me hard starts. I have no idea why, but I authorize you to fix whatever is wrong" . . . mechanics at two different shops immediately blamed the carbs and rebuilt them three times before they realized the carbs weren't the problem. (Well, maybe they were contributing, at first, but they weren't the main problem.) So, for that reason I guess I support fuel injection. (BTW for the record my carb bike is a 2015 Yamaha V Star 650 Custom (factory custom) which I totally love, and my f.i. bike is a 2020 Kawasaki W800 which I love just as much.)

[@ronaldtartaglia4459]

That therapeutic thing that you are talking about is what I call "the Symphony of the controls"

[@slypperyfox]

When I was about 10 my dad bought a 100cc Hodaka Rat. He replaced a lot of parts (tires, chain, had to put an aftermarket headlight on it to make it street legal. He went off road biking some but we lived on 2.5 acres way out in the country surrounded by kudzu so I would ride 3-4 hours on Sat and Sundays and maybe an hour on weekdays. I never went on the road but I tore paths through the kudzu and kicked a lot of dirt around on those. Fast Forward 50+ years to present day. Back in ‘97 I bought a used Honda PC Highway 800cc to get the feel of biking again. Problem was it lacked immediate kick in of speed when you moved to a higher gear. About a year later I traded it in on a brand new BMW R1100R. AIR/OIL cooled, 1100cc, advanced suspension telelever front end, paralever rear, and lots and LOTS of torque! Made Daytona Bike Week one year on the Honda but subsequent DBW trips on the Beemer. We quit going after Scott Russell hit a Ducati at the start and got beat all to hell. I have done several round trips to W Virginia for whitewater rafting trips. Anyway, I heard you mention paralever but not telelever and they smooth out a ride quite effectively. Sold my bike about 7 years ago as I started showing more symptoms I’d had for a while but they were progressing logarithmically. My feet are numb my arches, which I had been told by tons of docs would eventually become a huge problem. I’m there. Didn’t mean to digress.

[@MrEiniweini]

I really think the addition of the toe shift was truely one of the most important innovations. Early bikes had a hand shifter with a clutch attached. It was an innovation specific to bikes which effectively stabilises the bike through cornering by keeping both hands on the bars.

[@josephramieri2256]

I believe the electric starter and disc brakes are the two greatest innovations, I remember getting exhausted trying to kick start my 1971 Norton Commando in the hot summer and wanting to die. I also remember trying to stop that same bike in pouring rain with drum brakes and almost crashing because I couldn't!

[@Pinky-lg3lz]

I had a Jawa 350 from the 70's that had a 3-way shifter; Push it in and bring to vertical it was the kick start. Then back at normal position moving it up or down would cam the clutch pushrod, so that the hand clutch was only needed for starting off. And of course, it changed gears.

[@phillee2814]

I used to be able to pull away from a standstill with mine. It took some practice, but was worth it for the stares at any bike meetings as I'd wave bye with my left hand as I pulled away!

[@zone47]

Good list... disc brakes are probably a good pick for #1... and yeah, not a fan of ABS or TC. I would have added stiff, beefy aluminum frames with tapered rollers and needle bearings, mass centralization, compact engines (stacked gear boxes) wider tubeless radial tires, cast wheels, halogen lighting, full bodywork on many bikes and modern instrumentation. Of course I'm thinking more in line with performance bikes, but across the line if possible. My first fuelie bike was a 03 Yamaha R1 and the power curve felt much like a carb'd bike. No more gummy carbs to clean in the springtime was the best thing about it.

[@xavsmash]

Thanks. I do agree…One thing is missing: 2 strokes Vs 4 strokes engine.

[@davem6046]

I am really enjoying your videos and from a long time Triumph owner it is nice to see the brand being featured.

[@sejembalm]

4:44 Fuel injection was a godsend for cars and bikes because they are so easy to work on. Carburetors so quickly and easily went out of wack and took a lot of tinkering and guesswork to correctly adjust them.

[@jfan4reva]

Surprised 4 cylinder in-line engines didn't make the list. The Honda 750 was an absolute revolution in street motorcycle engines. (If it hadn't been, they wouldn't have made it, and someone else would have.)

[@impalaSS65]

It seems I hate everything new. Except the stuff I like right away because it makes sense to make a bike more longlived, reliable as in useful, lighter, faster - in that order. Medium compression, kickstart is my ideal bike. I ride enduro and adventure with 4 kickstart bikes and roadbikes 3 e-start. Ride gravel roads intensely regularly, ride in the rain and snow - and learn how the brakes and handling actually works. You don't need electronic systems, practice riding in safe conditions, but on the edge of your skill. Loose weight and gain muscles. Only use ear protection plugs. Don't distract yourself with music or talking to friends while riding. Sleep well every night. I notice those that never press themselves or their bikes are the ones with the shifter gadgets. Another cost driving, service demanding, failure prone gimmick from racing, with little actual use on the street. Mandatory regulations are driving the costs up for bikes, cars and employers and it is NOT in the interest of the citizen. Safety, is first and last in the head of the rider. ABS etc is another system experiencing entropy, massproduced by the lowest bidder, sold to lazy, fear-driven mindless consumers that doesn't even want to wrench on their bikes. If the lazy consumer never bled his own brakes, then he have no clue of how much harder it is with an overcomplicated system, only there to start working when you missmatched your speed and your skill. That complexity, he's too useless to know about, he wants to force on others, that already know how to ride, because he thinks it's a good idea to make it mandatory. Pollution, note that China, Africa, India and all of the South East Asia is exempt from the Californian socialist retardation the West is forced to accept from the WEF, the UN, the EU. Their populations hardly know what we are fussing about. Yet. Pollution, is not a problem beyond debate. Before making regulations on cars, bikes, travelling, guns, houses, farms, eating meat, lifting weights, praying to god - practically making the middle class and working class of the West into mindless submissive working ants without a life, only to exist at the whim of the WEF, ... well that bullsh!t should not happen with wise men (with naturally high levels of testosterone) ruling.

[@glenn6583]

I agree about the disc brake. It’s not a ‘sexy’ catagory, but they sure work and have probably saved my life a couple times at least!

[@DesertRat332]

I owned a 1973 Sportster XLCH that had the no return throttle. I liked it. My 1976 Superglide was kick start only. I liked the savings in weight from having a smaller battery. It was easy to start, one priming kick and then one kick with ignition on and it started right up. Sure love those disc brakes! The rear drum on the Sportster was worthless. The '76 FX had discs front and rear. They were great. Thank-you, Honda for starting that trend to disc brakes.

[@BassOutcast]

As someone who's owned a few carburated bikes and has been riding on an EFI bike for the past few years - I love the automatic choke that warms up the bike, the quiet and comparably odorless cold idle (imagine warming up a carburated bike late at night when you live in an apartment building), the lack of fiddling, the steady idle. Carbs do have that certain character, like the feeling you get when it shifts from the idle jet to the main jet and you feel it kicking in. They make starting a bike with a dead battery so much easier (2nd gear, crank the choke, dump the clutch while running. EFI bikes need a certain amount of power to even start the pump so if it's dead, you're gonna need jumper cables), and they're smoother at slower speeds compared to a jerky EFI system (that depends on the bike). Gas mileage is also a huge point in EFI's favor in my book.

[@mauriceandrews201]

One of the earliest innovations to make a real difference was variable gears and clutches. Really early machines had single speed belt drives.

[@dukie1616]

Your subs are climbing quite well, just noticed it yesterday. Keep up the good work!

[@jamesmcgrath1952]

Good vid.I love the old bikes too (my first bike that I paid for myself was a BSA 650), but then again I'm 70 years old. I currently have 5 bikes. 2 crusers, one sport bike, one standard and one Cafe Racer style. The standard (2020 Yamaha SR400) is a single cylinder kick start only. I also have a carberated bike, a 2007 Suzuki which is an 800cc v twin. My newest bike is a Royal Enfield Coninental GT 650 which i've modified to be an actual Cafè Racer. Having fun on that one. No Harleys though. I stopped riding them when I turned 65.

[@crazytom]

Hi Bart. Thanks. Two strokes appear not to have have their day in the sun for you. In the 70s in Europe, Honda were beaten to a pulp in the small engine category for their refusal to adopt the stroker. For me, the whole electrical system would be high on the list. Starting with just a spark generator, then a dynamo and then today's alternators with the latter two able to support stored energy (battery) to keep lights/horn working while the engine wasn't running. The journey from oil lamps, to AC incandescent to DC Halogen/LED is a massive game-changer for night-time rider safety, not to mention all the comfort features of heated grips, audio and sophisticated dashboard displays. I'm still content to adjust the points on my RD200DX but there are days when I just want to ride it and curse the ancient tech when it mis-times and CDI would be a blessing. There is more to do. Alternators (apart from a few exceptions) continue to generate more energy than the electrical system needs and has to burn away that excess through the fins on the regulator, like gas burn-offs at oil wells. Inefficient. The heat aspect you covered I think is also an admission of failure. Litres of oil and water to cool down an engine and throw away the heat via radiators is a failure of design. I have a 4 cylinder 550cc carburrated Kawasaki GT550 that requires no water cooling while my son's GSXR125cc Suzuki is fitted with a water pump, a thermostat, radiator and a warning light with its own maintenance schedule. That's not progress. Owning cars and many bikes, I am left feeling that ABS/TC is a failed technology for now. I have seen so many vehicles fail their safety check because "ABS light is on". Sometimes difficult if not impossible to get to the root cause (sophisticated and often proprietary micro-controllers) and the expense of fixing often far exceeding economic benefit (My wife just scrapped her car because it was uneconomic to repair the ABS). I'm sure we also all know of engine immobilisers deciding to immobilise at the wrong time for the wrong reasons. Again, poorly thought through design. Once these "new" technologies become a legal requirement or prevent the vehicle from being used legally or illegally, (eg car airbags and their proprietary sensors), the "hidden" exorbitant costs for repair/replacement becomes a significant burden on the average motorcycle rider. For such a critical safety feature and legal requirement for it to be operating, ABS/TC should be practically flawless; and it's not. In general, I would like to see this video again, with a more critical eye on the new tech. Been riding since 1975. Currently: Kawasaki ER-5, Yamaha FZ6 S2, Kawasaki GT550 and a classic Yamaha RD200DX.

[@andrewcarroll1867]

I had a 1981 ex-LAPD Moto Guzzi V1000 Convert that had an Automatic (2 range) transmission and interconnected brakes (The rear brake pedal also activated one of the front disks)

[@phillee2814]

Those linked brakes were dreadful indeed. In really slippery conditions it was particularly bad, as there was no way to stop with only the rear brake. Then, of course, the Guzzi spark plug is brilliantly positioned to snap off flush with the head on the transverse V twin as the automatic front wheel tuck-under system comes into play. The perfect start to a weekend of camping - transformed into a desperate search around every dealer in miles to find a top-end gasket kit. The worst braking system ever inflicted on the motorcycling public.